题文
We can begin our discussion of “population as a global issue” with what most person mean when they discuss “ the population problem”: too many people on earth and a too rapid increase in the number added each year. The facts are not in dispute. It was quite right to employ a similar matter that linked demographic(人口统计学）growth to “ a long, thin power fuse that burns steadily from time to time until it finally reaches the limit, and explodes”.To understand the current situation, which is characterized by rapid increases in population, it is necessary to understand the history of population trends. Rapid growth is a comparatively recent phenomenon. Looking back at the 8,000 years of demographic history. We find that population have been really stable or growing very slightly for most of human history. For most of our ancestors, life was hard, often nasty, and very short. For most of human history, it was seldom the case that one in ten persons would live past forty, where infancy and childhood were especially risky periods. Often, societies were in clear danger of extinction because death rates could exceed their birth rates. Thus, the population problem throughout most of history was how to prevent extinction of the human race.
This pattern is important to know. Not only does it put the current problems of demographic growth into a historical perspective, but it suggests that the cause of rapid increase in population in recent years is not a sudden enthusiasm for more children, but an improvement in the conditions that traditionally have caused high rate of death.
Demographic history can be divided into two major periods: a time of long, slow growth which extended from about 8000B.C. till approximately 1650 A.D. And a period of rapid growth since 1650. In the first period of some 9,600 years, the population increased form some 8 million to 500 million in 1650. Between 1650 and the present, the population has increased from 500 million to more than 4 billion. And it is estimated that by the year 2020 there will be 8 billion people throughout the world. One way to appreciate this dramatic difference in such abstract numbers is to reduce the time frame to something that is more manageable. Between 8000B.C. and 1650, an average of only 50,000 persons was being added annually to the world’s population each year. At present, this number is added very six hours. The increase is about 80,000,000 persons annually.
小题1:According to the passage, “population as a global issue” ____.A．is quite unlike the population problem and thus doesn’t need our concernB．focuses on tracking down the reason of rapid population growthC．deals with the same problem aroused by the population problemD．will manage the population growth problem from global perspectives小题2:It can be inferred from the example of a power fuse that _____.A．too much population will one day lead to the doom of human beingsB．the trend of population growth will keep unsteady until the destruction of EarthC．demographic growth will follow a certain pattern of ups and downsD．it is likely in the near future that population will reduce gradually小题3:What leads to a stable growth of population for most of human history?A．Species competitionB．Low fertilityC．Tribal fightsD．High rate of death小题4:The reason for a rapid growth of population lies in the fact that ______.A．people are permitted to have more childrenB．people can live better than beforeC．newborn babies die less than beforeD．we have found the secret of longevity小题5:How many people are born every six hours at present, according to the author?A．Eighty million.B．Eight thousandC．Fifty thousandD．Five million 题型：未知 难度：其他题型
答案
小题1:C
小题2:A
小题3:D
小题4:B
小题5:C
解析
文章大意：文章讨论了现在人口增长过快，并解释了为什么古代人口少有增长，而近些年人口剧增。
小题1:C细节理解题。根据第一段首句We can begin our discussion of “population as a global issue” with what most person mean when they discuss “ the population problem”可知，这两个问题是一样的。故C正确。
小题2:A推理判断题。根据文章第一段最后一句It was quite right to employ a similar matter that linked demographic(人口统计学）growth to “ a long, thin power fuse that burns steadily from time to time until it finally reaches the limit, and explodes”.作者提到把人口增长比作细长导火线的比喻。故A正确。
小题3:D细节理解题。根据第四段的最后一句but an improvement in the conditions that traditionally have caused high rate of death.可知最主要原因是高死亡率。故D正确。
小题4:B细节理解题。根据文章第三段第二句Not only does it put the current problems of demographic growth into a historical perspective, but it suggests that the cause of rapid increase in population in recent years is not a sudden enthusiasm for more children, but an improvement in the conditions that traditionally have caused high rate of death.表明现在人口增长的原因是导致高死亡率得到很大的改善，而不是人们突然想要更多的小孩。故B正确。
小题5:C细节理解题。根据最后一段Between 8000B.C. and 1650, an average of only 50,000 persons was being added annually to the world’s population each year. At present, this number is added very six hours.得知正确选项为C。故C正确。
考点
据考高分专家说，试题“We can begin our dis.....”主要考查你对 [社会现象类阅读 ]考点的理解。社会现象类阅读
社会现象类阅读概念：
这类文章通过写人记事来揭示文章的主题，显示其社会意义，一般采用顺序或倒叙来叙述。题目经常是一些细节问题。考查的方面可以是原因和其中引发的思考。
社会现象类阅读解题技巧：
这类文章通过写人记事来揭示文章的主题，显示其社会意义，一般采用顺序或倒叙来叙述。题目经常是一些细节问题。考查的方面可以是原因和其中引发的思考。阅读这类文章要理清思路。
1、浏览试题，明确要求。
在阅读文章前，最好先浏览一下文章后面的题干和选项。知道了问题后再去看文章，可使思路更敏捷，而且也便于阅读时留意文中出现的与选项有关的信息。
2、通读全文，抓住主要内容。
在不影响理解的前提下，尽可能地阅读以便在尽可能短的时间内理解文章或段落的内容。阅读时，如遇到不熟悉的单词、词组或一时看不懂的句子，不要停下来苦思冥想，继续读下去，通过上下文的词语和句子可能就理解了。
3、抓住中心思想和段落大意。
通读全文时，要特别注意主题句。每篇文章或每个段落都有与文章有关的句子，尤其是科技、政论性文章的主题句一般都在文章的开头或结尾，插在中间的很少。所以，文章的第一段或开头的第一、二个句子往往包含着文章的中心思想、作者的意图或全文的概述，因此要特别注意，彻底理解。
4、有针对性地仔细阅读，找寻所需信息。
在前面的基础上，可进行有针对性地阅读了。把与问题无关的内容一扫而过，而对于和问题有关的内容认真阅读，还可以用笔在下面做出记号。再把这些信息与问题的要求结合起来，逐条分析，综合判断，找出正确答案。
5、进行合理的推理判断。
对文章有了全面的了解之后，可以按照文章要求以及上下文之间的关系，做出推理判断。在进行推理判断的时候，需要综合考虑句型、语法、句子之间的逻辑关系、文化背景等方面的因素。
6、认真复读，验证答案。
要用全文的中心思想统帅各个题目，研究其内在联系和逻辑关系，并依次审核那些还未打上的题目，确保理解无误。
