考研英语阅读真题文章三十篇之十五
<p> <span word="Declining">Declining</span> <span word="populations">populations</span>：<span word="Incredible">Incredible</span> <span word="shrinking">shrinking</span> <span word="countries">countries</span></p><p> <span word="During">During</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="second">second</span> <span word="half">half</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> 20<span word="th">th</span> <span word="century">century</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="global">global</span> <span word="population">population</span> <span word="explosion">explosion</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="big">big</span> <span word="demographic">demographic</span> <span word="bogey">bogey</span>. <span word="Robert">Robert</span> <span word="McNamara">McNamara</span>, <span word="president">president</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="World">World</span> <span word="Bank">Bank</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> 1970<span word="s">s</span>, <span word="compared">compared</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="threat">threat</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="unmanageable">unmanageable</span> <span word="population">population</span> <span word="pressures">pressures</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="danger">danger</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="nuclear">nuclear</span> <span word="war">war</span>. <span word="Now">Now</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="worry">worry</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="evaporated">evaporated</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="century">century</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="spooking">spooking</span> <span word="itself">itself</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="opposite">opposite</span> <span word="fear">fear</span>: <span word="the">the</span> <span word="onset">onset</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="demographic">demographic</span> <span word="decline">decline</span>.</p><p> <span word="The">The</span> <span word="shrinkage">shrinkage</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Russia">Russia</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="eastern">eastern</span> <span word="Europe">Europe</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="familiar">familiar</span>, <span word="though">though</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="perhaps">perhaps</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="scale">scale</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="it">it</span>: <span word="Russias">Russias</span> <span word="population">population</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="expected">expected</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="fall">fall</span> <span word="by">by</span> 22% <span word="between">between</span> 2005 <span word="and">and</span> 2050, <span word="Ukraines">Ukraines</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="staggering">staggering</span> 43%. <span word="Now">Now</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="phenomenon">phenomenon</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="creeping">creeping</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="rich">rich</span> <span word="world">world</span>: <span word="Japan">Japan</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="started">started</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="shrink">shrink</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="others">others</span>, <span word="such">such</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="Italy">Italy</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="Germany">Germany</span>, <span word="will">will</span> <span word="soon">soon</span> <span word="follow">follow</span>. <span word="Even">Even</span> <span word="Chinas">Chinas</span> <span word="population">population</span> <span word="will">will</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="declining">declining</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="early">early</span> 2030<span word="s">s</span>, <span word="according">according</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="UN">UN</span>, <span word="which">which</span> <span word="projects">projects</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="by">by</span> 2050 <span word="populations">populations</span> <span word="will">will</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="lower">lower</span> <span word="than">than</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="today">today</span> <span word="in">in</span> 50 <span word="countries">countries</span>.</p><p> <span word="Demographic">Demographic</span> <span word="decline">decline</span> <span word="worries">worries</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="because">because</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="believed">believed</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="go">go</span> <span word="hand">hand</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="hand">hand</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="economic">economic</span> <span word="decline">decline</span>. <span word="At">At</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="extremes">extremes</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="may">may</span> <span word="well">well</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="result">result</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="economic">economic</span> <span word="factors">factors</span>: <span word="pessimism">pessimism</span> <span word="may">may</span> <span word="depress">depress</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="birth">birth</span> <span word="rate">rate</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="push">push</span> <span word="up">up</span> <span word="rates">rates</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="suicide">suicide</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="alcoholism">alcoholism</span>. <span word="But">But</span>, <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="main">main</span>, <span word="demographic">demographic</span> <span word="decline">decline</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="consequence">consequence</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="low">low</span> <span word="fertility">fertility</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="generally">generally</span> <span word="goes">goes</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="growing">growing</span> <span word="prosperity">prosperity</span>. <span word="In">In</span> <span word="Japan">Japan</span>, <span word="for">for</span> <span word="instance">instance</span>, <span word="birth">birth</span> <span word="rates">rates</span> <span word="fell">fell</span> <span word="below">below</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="replacement">replacement</span> <span word="rate">rate</span> <span word="of">of</span> 2.1 <span word="children">children</span> <span word="per">per</span> <span word="woman">woman</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="mid">mid</span> 1970<span word="s">s</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="particularly">particularly</span> <span word="low">low</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="past">past</span> 15 <span word="years">years</span>.</p>
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