单选题 The United Nations Population Fund has picked October 31 as the day the world will be home to 7 billion people. For better and worse, it's a milestone. And there will be more milestones ahead. Fourteen years from now, there are expected to be 8 billion people on the planet. Most of the growth will occur in the world's poorer countries. Proportionally, Europe's population will decline, while Africa's will increase. At around the same time, India will overtake China as the most populous nation on Earth. The growing global population is just one side of the coin. A recent report from the World Health Organization signaled the seriousness of the human population explosion: more than 3 billion people — about half the world's population — are malnourished. Never before have so many, or such a large proportion, of the world's people been malnourished. And in a growing number of countries there is a seemingly unstoppable march toward sub-replacement fertility, whereby each new generation is less populous than the previous one, and population aging. As a result of declining fertility and increasing longevity, the populations of more and more countries are aging raging rapidly. Between 2005 and 2050, a rise in the population aged 60 years or over will be visible, whereas the number of children(persons under age 15)will decline slightly. Population aging represents, in one sense, a success story for mankind, but it also poses profound challenges to public institutions that must adapt to a changing age structure. The latest national census in China shows the number of elderly people in the country has jumped to more than 13. 3 percent of the population, an increase of nearly 3 percentage points on the percentage from the previous census in 2000. A quarter of the country's population will be over 65 by 2050, according to the National Population and Family Planning Commission. The growing number of elderly is a challenge that the government needs to tackle, we can't rely on the ever-increasing population to support them or maintain the nation's economic growth. Better solutions are needed, such as raising retirement ages to reflect the greater longevity and working capability of today's older adults and making adjustments so pension programs are more accessible. It was heartening to hear the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security spokesperson announced in Beijing on Tuesday that the government will take retirement policy seriously and proactively. Shanghai began testing a flexible retirement system last October. Eligible employees in the private sector are allowed to postpone retirement until the age of 65 for men and 60 for women. Public servants, however, will continue to retire under the present system age 60 for men and 55 for women.
单选题 According to the passage, India will______in 14 years.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】解析:细节题。根据文中第三段第二、三、四句可知,从现在起的十四年里,这个星球上的人口预计将达到80亿,所增加的人口大部分来自世界上比较贫困的国家。欧洲的人口比例将下降,而非洲的人口比例将上升。大约在同一时间,印度将超过中国,成为地球上人口最多的国家。据此可知,B项“印度将成为人口最多的国家”正确。
单选题 What problem will result from the global population explosion?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】解析:细节题。根据文中第四段的可知,世界人口不断增长仅仅是问题的一方面。世界卫生组织最近的一份报告显示出人类人口激增的严重性:超过30亿人——约占世界人口的一半——处于营养不良状态。以前世界上从未有这么多人,或这么高的人口比例,营养不良。据比可知,全球人口激增导致营养不良的范围扩大。D项(日益扩大的营养不良)正确。
单选题 Population on aging represents the following EXCEPT______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】解析:排除题。根据文中第七段可知,从某种意义上来说,人口老龄化代表了人类的成功,但它也给公共机构带来了深刻的挑战。公共机构必须适应变化的年龄结构。据此可知,只有“经济的快速发展”在文中未提到,A项正确。
单选题 Today's older adults enjoy______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析:细节题。根据文中第九段可知,这种情况下需要更好的解决方法,比如考虑到如今老年人的寿命越来越长,他们的工作能力也得到了提升,可以采取提高退休年龄的方法;也可作出政策调整,使养老金计划更可取。据此可知,如今老年人的寿命越来越长,C项正确。
单选题 What is the author's attitude toward the spokespersons announcement?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】解析:态度题。根据文中倒数第二段可知,人力资源和社会保障部的发言人周二在北京宣布,在退休政策上政府将采取认真、积极的态度,这很令人振奋。文中的heartening意为“令入振奋的,鼓舞人的”。据此可知,作者对发言人所宣布内容的态度是B项delighted(高兴的,欣喜的)。