【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[听力原文] The advantages and disadvantages of a large population have long been a subject of discussion among economists. It has been argued that the supply of good land is limited. To feed a large population, inferior land must be cultivated and the good land worked intensively. Thus, each person produces less and this means a lower average income than could be obtained with a smaller population. Other economists have argued that a large population gives more scope for specialization and the development of facilities such as ports, roads and railways, which are not likely to be built unless there is a big demand to justify them. One of the difficulties in carrying out a world-wide birth control program lies in the fact that official attitudes to population growth vary from country to country, depending on the level of industrial development and the availability of food and raw materials. In a developing country where a vastly expanded population is pressing hard upon the limits of food, space and natural resources, it will be the first concern of government to place a limit on the birthrate, whatever the consequences might be. A decreasing birthrate may lead to unemployment, because it results in a declining market for manufactured goods. When the pressure of population on housing declines, prices also decline and the building industry is weakened. Faced with considerations such as these, the government of a developed country may well prefer to see a slowly increasing population, rather than one which is stable or in decline. What has long been a topic of discussion among economists? 短文首句说，“长久以来，人口众多的优势与劣势一直是经济学家们讨论的话题。”A中的merits对应文中的advantages，drawbacks对应disadvantages，故本题的答案为A。 在听音时，内容更综合、全面的选项往往就是答案。B只是其中一方面；C、D不是经济学家讨论的问题。