单选题 {{B}}Passage 2{{/B}}

{{U}}The advantages and disadvantages of a large population have long been a subject of discussion among economists (经济学家).{{/U}} 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 the 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 may be. In the highly industrialized society the problem may be more complex. A decreasing birth rate may lead to unemployment because it results in a declining market for manufactured goods. (79) {{U}}When the pressure of population on housing declines, prices also decline and the building industry is weakened.{{/U}} 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.

单选题 A smaller population may mean ______.

单选题 According to the passage, a large population will provide a chance for developing ______.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】本题考查考生对具体句子意思的把握。见第一段最后一句，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.依据这句话，roads and railways提示我们选 transport system。其余选项文中找不到根据。

单选题 In a developed country, people will perhaps go out of work if the birthrate ______.

单选题 According to the passage, slowly rising birthrate perhaps is good for ______.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】本题考查考生对文章细节的把握。第二段最后一句，the government of a developed country may well prefer to see a slowly increasing population，rather than one which is stable or in decline“发达国家政府更希望看到人口缓慢增长而不是……”可见，低增长的出生率更有利于发达国家。

单选题 It is no easy job to carry out a general plan for birth control throughout the world because ______.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】本题考查考生对全文的整体理解。第二段第一句，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.“在世界范围实施出生率控制计划的难点之一在于各国对于人口增长的态度不同……”