2008年12月英语四级阅读倒计时练习 46天

　　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 sports, 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 worldwide 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 a highly industrialized society the problem may be more complex. 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.
　　1. A smaller population may suggest ____.
　　A) lower productivity, but a higher average income
　　B) higher productivity, but a lower average income
　　C) high productivity and a high income
　　D) higher productivity and a higher income
　　2. According to the passage, a large population will offer an opportunity for developing ____.
　　A) space exploration
　　B) transport system
　　C) genetic engineering
　　D) mobile communications systems
　　3. In a developed country, people will lose their jobs if the birthrate ____.
　　A) goes down
　　B) exceeds death rate
　　C) rises
　　D) remains unchanged
　　4. According to this passage, a gradually rising birthrate perhaps is favorable to ____.
　　A) a developing nation
　　B) every nation with a big population
　　C) a developed nation
　　D) every nation with a small population
　　5. This passage tell us that ____.
　　A) there are a large quantity of inferior land in underdeveloped nations
　　B) birth control programs are hard to carry out in developing nations
　　C) even developed nations may be faced with employment problems
　　D) different governments hold different opinions about population problem
　　答案：
　　1.D)higher productivity and a higher income对应原文each person produces less and this means a lower average income than could be obtained with a smaller population.
　　2.B)transport system对应原文Other economists have argued that a large population gives more scope for specialization and the development of facilities such as sports, roads and railways...
　　3.A)goes down对应原文A decreasing birthrate may lead to unemployment because it results in a declining market for manufactured goods.
　　4.C)a developed nation对应原文the government of a developed country may well prefer to see a slowly increasing population.
　　5.D)different governments hold different opinions about population problem为本文主要内容。A、B皆错，C并非作者讨论的问题。
　　参考译文：
　　人口众多的优势和劣势长期以来一直是经济学家们讨论的话题。所争论的问题是，肥沃土地的供给是有限的。为了养活大量的人口，贫瘠的土地必须加以开垦，优质的土地更须精耕细作。这样人均产量较低，也就意味着与较少量人口所能获得的相比，大量人口的人均收入也较低。而其他的一些经济学家认为，大量人口为专业化，尤其是为诸如港口、公路及铁路等设施的发展提供了更多的机会。因为只有极大的需求，人们才有理由去建设这些设施。
　　世界范围内实施计划生育的困难之一在于：由于受工业发展水平的制约，受粮食和原材料供给能力的影响，每个国家对人口增长的官方态度各不相同。发展中国家人口迅猛膨胀，给有限的食物、空间及自然资源增添了过重的负载。不论后果怎样，控制人口出生率，将是这些国家政府的首要考虑。在高度发达的工业社会，人口问题会更加复杂。下降的出生率会造成生产商品市场的萎缩，从而导致失业。人口对住房的压力一旦减少，房屋价格就会下降，建筑业也就会受到削弱。面临这些因素，发达国家的政府宁可看到人口缓慢增长，而不愿人口稳定或呈现下降的趋势。