首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Europe, where the so-called population explosion got under way in the 18th century, is once again playing a pioneering role in d
Europe, where the so-called population explosion got under way in the 18th century, is once again playing a pioneering role in d
admin
2012-05-28
81
问题
Europe, where the so-called population explosion got under way in the 18th century, is once again playing a pioneering role in demographic (人口的) development. The continent has the lowest fertility rate and the most elderly population in the world, and this population will soon start to shrink. All this makes it a front runner in a demographic trend that sooner or later will reach most of the world.
Pioneers have to advance through difficult terrain. Economists are already worrying about the problem of how social security systems will cope when the post-war baby boomers start collecting their pensions in 2015. In hyper-ageing countries like Italy and Germany, where 1 in 7 people will be over 80 in 2050, it is unclear how a shrinking group of young people can generate the wealth needed to support the growing group of elderly citizens. Europe’s competitiveness could fall behind younger and growing populations in other world regions.
On the face of it, fewer people seem like good news for the environment. The population of Germany, Europe’s most populous country, will shrink by at least 8 million by 2050 and this trend is set to be replicated in many of its neighbours. Remote rural areas, mainly in central and eastern Europe, might become depopulated over time. This should benefit biodiversity as displaced plant and animal species recolonise their old terrain. Given that the world population is still growing by about 200,000 people a day, and the ecological footprint of the human race already lies beyond the limits of sustainability, fewer European mega-consumers will be a blessing for the health of the planet.
But look a little deeper, and the picture becomes more complicated. Decreasing population does not necessarily promise environmental benefits. The cost per head of population for infrastructure such as sewage systems (污水管道系统) or electricity supply increases when population numbers go down, making clean water and non-polluting energy even more expensive than they are today.
So can Europe overcome its demographic and ecological challenges at the same time? The solution might be found in a rarely discussed concept: demographic sustainability.
High population growth, such as that now taking place in many African countries, is not sustainable. But very low fertility rates are unsustainable too. It will be hard for countries with persistently low fertility to remain competitive, creative and wealthy enough to keep ahead of their country’s environmental challenges. What is needed is a middle ground.
A demographically sustainable Europe needs to have a stable or slowly shrinking population as the existing infrastructure operates most efficiently when the number of inhabitants remains fairly constant. What would it take to achieve this? At present, the average fertility rate in Europe is 1.5 children per woman, and in countries below this line there is an urgent need for family policies to encourage women to have more children. Countries with fertility rates above 1.8, including France, the UK and Sweden, do not need further pro-birth policies as immigrations will fill the demographic gap.
The decreasing population in fact harms environment in that______.
选项
A、it makes clean water cheap
B、it lowers the competition
C、it increases the cost of infrastructure
D、it makes no full use of resources
答案
C
解析
第四段提到,人口减少并不一定会对环境有利。当人口下降,基础设施如污水管道系统或供电系统的人均成本会增加,使得净水及无污染能源比现在更昂贵。故答案为[C]。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/0cE7777K
0
大学英语六级
相关试题推荐
A、BecauseAmericansusedthemveryoftenintheseventeenthcentury.B、BecauseEnglandwantedtowinthenavalcompetitionagain
A、TheWaterWorld.B、TheGarden.C、TheWaterfallGarden.D、TheCarterminal.A细节辨认题。对话中男士提到,由于时间有限,所以他建议可以不去theWaterWorld(You
A、Takeacourse.B、Seethecity.C、Gotothepark.D、Takearest.B推理判断题。女士说,雨会一直下到明天,本想带男士去公园,但是下雨不方便去(butit’stoowetforth
A、Banksavings.B、Spendinghabits.C、Monthlybills.D、Familydebts.B细节题。文章两次提及省钱的方法,即lookat/focusOnyourspendinghabits,可以判断
MarsfascinatesscientistsbecauseofitssimilaritytoEarth,anditfascinatesthepublicbecauseourmythof"Martians"isa
A、Inacompany.B、Inastudio.C、Inaclassroom.D、Atthewoman’shome.B在对话开头男士说本周Worldmaster节目的内容是…,可推断对话发生在节目演播室,故选B项。
Inrecentyearsthepotentialofinformationtechnologytoenhanceteachingandlearninghasbeendemonstratedinvirtuallyever
A、Itisdifficulttodetectonlinebullying.B、Itisimpossibletomonitorbullyingoutsideschool.C、Onlinebullyingisusually
A、Arrogant.B、Weird.C、Genuine.D、Outgoing.B根据男士的描述,那个男子总是盯着他,当他转身的时候,那个人已经悄然无声地站在了他身旁,可以推断出那个人行为古怪。故答案是B。
A、TheSpanishCivilWar.B、TheFirstWorldWar.C、TheSecondWorldWar.D、Thefutilityofwar.A海明威的《丧钟为谁而鸣》写的是有关西班牙内战的事情。答案应为A
随机试题
RNA引物在DNA复制过程中的作用是
甲原系一名普通司机,通过努力,受到重视,开始担任某公交公司会计,后因公司部分资金去向不明,主管领导向公安机关报案。侦查过程中,甲某被公安机关以涉嫌职务侵占拘传,在拘传过程中,甲对侦查人员提出的哪项问题有权不予回答?
甲、乙预谋修车后以假币骗付。某日,甲、乙在某汽修厂修车后应付款4,850元,按照预谋甲将4,900元假币递给乙清点后交给修理厂职工丙,乙说:“修得不错,零钱不用找了”,甲、乙随即上车。丙发现货币有假大叫“别走”,甲迅即启动驶向厂门,丙扑向甲车前风档,抓住雨
关于宪法在立法中的作用,下列哪一说法是不正确的?(卷一/2010年第19题)
土壤质地分为()。
居民企业甲公司主要从事日化产品的生产和销售,2014年有关涉税事项如下:(1)为了推广新型洗涤剂,公司推出了“买一赠一”的促销活动,凡购买一件售价40元(不合税)新型洗涤剂的,附赠一瓶原价10元(不含税)的洗洁精。公司按照每件40元确认了新型洗涤剂的销售
某企业的制造费用采用机器工时比例法进行分配。该企业当月生产甲、乙两种产品,共发生制造费用200万元。当月生产甲、乙两种产品共耗用500小时,其中,甲产品耗用300小时,乙产品耗用200小时。则乙产品应分配的制造费用为()万元。
根据《中华人民共和国刑法》,下列关于中止犯处罚的说法正确的是:
各国在对外交往中常常会形成一套相对__________的话语体系,特别是拥有自己的核心话语。对外话语:不仅体现一国的外交政策,更__________了一国对外沟通的基本态度和价值。依次填入画横线部分最恰当的一项是()。
Whatcananexhaustsystemdoifitisefficient?
最新回复
(
0
)