READING UNIT 7

I.              READING

A.    Fill in each blank space with one appropriate word from the box.

mortality     expanding       growth    increasing         reach    decline

population      even         slightly     life        variations          available

WORLD POPULATION

Projections issued in 2000 showed the world population (31) ______ from 6.1 billion in 2000, to 7.9 billion in 2050. "High" and "low" projections for 2025 are 8.4 billion and 7.5 billion respectively. The average world birth rate is projected to (32) ______ from the 1990 level of 26 per 1,000 to 22 per 1,000 at the .end of the century and to 17.6 per 1,000 in 2025 (corresponding to a fall in TFH from 3.3 in 1990 to 2.1 in 2025). Because of the (33) _______ share of the population at high-mortality ages, the average world death Tate is expected to decline only (34) _______; from 9 (per 1,000) in 1990 to 8.4 in 2025. Average world (35) _______ expectancy, however, is projected to rise from 65 years in 1990 to 71.3 years in 2025. Wide (36) ______ in population growth will undoubtedly persist. In the developed world, population growth will continue to be very low and in some nations will (37) _______ decline. Western Europe as a whole is projected to have a declining population after 2000. U.S. Census Bureau projections, assuming middle fertility and (38) _______ levels, show U.S. (39) _______ increasing from 250 million in' 1990 to 349 million in 2025 and 420 million in 2050. Thereafter, (40) _______ would be virtually zero.

B.    Read the passage, then choose the correct answers.

No one knows the limits of population that the earth can support. Thomas Malthus, an English economist, developed a theory that became widely accepted in the nineteenth century. He suggested that because world population tended to increase more rapidly than the food supply, a continual strain was exerted upon available resources. Malthus cited wars, famines, epidemics, and other diseases as the usual limitations of population growth.

With recent advances in science and technology, including improved

agricultural methods and great strides in medicine, some of the limiting factors in population growth have been lessened, with obvious results.

International organizations have put forward several recommendations to alleviate the problem of overpopulation, including an increase in food production, general economic development in target areas, and a decrease

in birth rate. Most experts agree that it will be necessary to combine all three recommendations in an effort to affect a lasting solution.

41.    It was suggested by Thomas Malthus that _______.

a. food was in short supply because of population increase

b. The rapid growth of population led to an acute shortage of natural resources

c. Rapid population growth put a great strain on available resources

d. Pressures on natural resources will increase as we face a population explosion

42.    Which of the following was not mentioned as the usual limitations of population growth?

a. wars                                          b. epidemics

c. famines                                                 d. agricultural methods

43.    According to the passage, why has overpopulation been caused?

a. Improved technology     b. Disasters   c. Scarcity              d. Precaution

44.    What do most experts recommend in order to solve problems of overpopulation?

a. Famine and epidemic

b. Economic development and a decline in birth rate

c. Medical advance and improved agricultural methods

d. Conservation of available resources

45.    Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

a. The earth have enough resources to support all of its population.

b. The theory developed by Thomas Malthus was believed by most people in the 19th century.

c. Medical advance has lessened some of the limiting factors in population growth.

d. International organizations arc seeking a lasting solution to the overpopulation problem.

I.              READING

A.    Choose the word or phrase - a, b, c or d - that best fits the blank space in the following passage.

Mexico City is growing quickly. In 1970, the city had about 9 million people. Now it has over 17 million. All these people are causing (31) ______ for the city. There are not (32) ______ jobs. Also, there is' not enough housing. Large families have to live together in small homes. Many homes do not have water. They also do not have bathrooms or electricity. The Mexican government is (33) ______ about all these problems. It is working hard to make (34) ______ better in the city.

Why is Mexico City growing so (35) ______? Where are all these people coming from? They are coming to the city from the country. Life is hard on the farms in Mexico. Most people on farms have to live a very simple life. They have no (36) ____ money for modern things. People think life in the city must be (37) ______. So they leave their farms and move to Mexico City.

All around the world, large cities have the same problems. One of them is air (38) ______. Mexico City has pad air. It is dirty and (39) ______. Cars are one reason for the dirty air. Many Mexicans now own their own cars and drive in the city. The factories in the area also cause air pollution. These factories put a lot of (40) ______ into the air. It is not easy to clean up the air in a large city. The government has to make new laws, and everyone has to help.

31.    a. problems           b. matters         c. things           d. news

32.    a. much                 b. lack              c. enough         d. many

33.    a. worried              b. interested      c. discussed     d. known

34.    a. duration                         b. circle            c. live               d. life

35.    a. normal               b. fast              c. slow              d. average

36.    a. bonus                b. extra             c. added           d. given

37.    a. bad                   b. good            c. better            d. best

38.    a. pollution            b. matter           c. complaint      d. comment

39.    a. noisy                 b. tidy               c. clear                         d. unhealthy

40.    a. dirt                    b. smoke          c. noise            d. pollution

B.    Read the passage carefully, then choose the correct answers.  

The dramatic growth of the world's population in the twentieth century was on a scale without parallel in human history. Most of this growth had occurred since 1950 and was known as the population 'explosion'. Between 1950 and 1980 the world population increased from 2.5 to over 4 billion, and by the end of the twenty century the figure had risen to about 6.6 billion. Growth of this size cannot continue indefinitely. Recent forecasts suggest that the total population will level out at between 10 and 15 billion in the mid twenty first century. Already there are encouraging signs that the rate of increase in many less developed countries is beginning to slow down.

- scale: quy mo              - without parallel: khong co gi sanh duoc

41.    According to the passage, at no period inhuman history has there

been ______.

a. a population explosion of the magnitude as the one in the twenty century

b. a universal fear about the future of man

c. as comprehensive a study of population problems as the one envisaged now

d. so much consensus among nations concerning the population of the world

42.    In 2000, the world's population was about ______.

a. four billion         b. six billion      c. ten billion      d. fifteen billion

43.    It is pointed out in the passage that the increase in the world population ______.

a. is expected to continue even faster until 2050

b. will not continue into the next century

c. has been going on noticeably since 1950 .

d. has been much faster in the industrialized countries

44.    The phrasal verb 'level out' in line 8 means ______.

a. to make something equal     b. to make amounts be of higher level

c. to stop moving up or down   d. to stay at a steady level

45.    It has been forecast that, by the middle of the twenty-first century _____.

a. various measures will have been taken to encourage population growth

b. the world population will be stabilized at around 10 to 15 billion

c. the population growth rate in less developed countries will be much higher

d. the rate of population increase will have doubled the 1950 rate