Text 2
The rate of population growth is fastest in underdeveloped countries. In these countries a high birthrate is accompanied by a lowered death rate thanks to improved standards of public health. Ideally it should be possible to counter balance the effect of a reduced death rate by an increased use of family planning. In practice, however, population control is a complex matter. Throughout history people have determined the size of their families according to the cultural values of their societies.
Population control has long been a subject of discussion among researchers. Some have argued that the supply of good land is limited. In order to feed a large population, bad land must be cultivated and the good land overworked . As a result, each person produces less in a given amount of time and this means a lower average income than could be obtained with a smaller population. Other researchers have argued that a large population gives more scope for 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. Similarly, it can be argued that the public costs of society will not be so heavy to each individual if they are shared among the members of a large population.
One of the difficulties in implementing birth control lies in the fact that official attitudes to population growth vary from cuntry to country. In underdeveloped countries where a large 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. In a welldeveloped society the problem may be more complex. A declining birthrate may lead to unemployment because it results in a shrinking market. Cities with a declining population may have to face the prospect of a shrinking tax base and a fall in land values. If there are fewer children going to school, teachers may be thrown out of work. 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.
51.One reason for quick population increase in underdeveloped countries is that .
［A］ those countries encourage people to have large families
［B］ people can get government support if they have more kids
［C］ improved public health standards have reduced death rate greatly
［D］ those countries have enough resources to support a large population
52.The writer suggests that policy makers should consider cultural values .
［A］ in carrying out family planning
［B］ in producing birth control drugs
［C］ in improving public health standards
［D］ in introducing birth control techniques
53.A large population in an underdeveloped country may lead to .
［A］ a rise in work efficiency
［B］ a shortage of farm workers
［C］ a decline in grain production
［D］ a reduction in average income
54.Some peole believe that population control in developed countries may .
［A］ increase market demand
［B］ lower unemployment rate
［C］ slow down economic growth
［D］ create more job opportunities
55.According to the writer, developd countries prefer .
［A］ a strandstill population
［B］ a fast increasing population
［C］ a slowly growing population
［D］ a steadily decreasing population
Text 3
Everyone knows how the story of Cinderella ends, but did you ever really think about how she spent her days before she met the prince? Her daily routine was not fascinating. She did everything from sweeping the floor to cooking the meals. If someone had asked Cinderella, “Are there any kinds of household work that you particularly hate?” she probably would have answered, “Why, none, of course. Housework is my duty!” In the real world, however, most people have definite dislikes for certain sorts of household work. Two of these tasks are ironing clothes and washing dishes.
Ironing clothes is most hated because it is not a task that can be completed quickly or thoughtlessly. Each piece of clothing must be handled individually, so ironing a basket of laundry can take hours! After ironing a piece of clothing with great caution, which requires smoothing out the fabric, and following the seams, you need to place it on a hanger as soon as possible. If you do not follow these directions carefully, it might become wrinkled and you have to start over. Perhaps that is why ironing is not a favorite thing to do. It calls for extreme attention to detail from beginning to end.
Another household job that many people dislike is washing dishes. Of course, some people claim that this work is no longer a problem because we have dishwashers now! However, no one would argue that dishes, silverware, and especially pots and pans washed in a dishwasher don’t come out as clean as they do when washed by hand. For this reason, many of us continues to wash our dishes by hand, but we are not necessarily happy doing it. Cleaning dishes is a job that not only takes a lot of energy but also requires the patience to wash and dry them. In addition, unlike ironing clothes, washing dishes is a thing that usually must be done every day. I don’t know how Cinderella felt about this particular task, but I believe that most people hate it as much as I do.
56.For Cinderella, doing household work is .
［A］ an assignment
［B］ a compulsion
［C］ an obligation
［D］ a burden
57.Most people hate to do clothes-ironing because .
［A］ it has to be done by one person
［B］ it must be handled skillfully
［C］ it involves careful planning
［D］ it is time-consuming
58.To avoid ironing the clothes over again, one should .
［A］ know how to iron certain clothes material
［B］ spare no care through all the procedures
［C］ find some proper hangers for the ironed
［D］ pay special attention to the seams
59.Many people still prefer washing dishes by hand to machine washing because .
［A］ hand-washed dishes are cleaner
［B］ dishwashers are not so easily handled
［C］ some dishes cannot be machinewashed
［D］ washing dishes by hand is cheaper
60.Ironing is different from dishwashing in that .
［A］ it requires patience
［B］ it is not a daily routine
［C］ it is not laborious
［D］ it demands less care |
