Question

17．By the mid-19^th century most of Europe was in the first stage of the demographic（人口的） transition．Death rate had decreased，as wars，famines（饥荒） and diseases had； local food shortages were rarer，thanks to better economic organization and transport； public health，medical care and the control of infectious diseases had improved．The population increased rapidly，as Malthus had predicted．Between 1800and 1900Europe's population doubled，to over 400million，whereas that of Asia，further behind in the demographic transition，increased by less than 50%，to about 950million．
But something else was happening there that would have taken Malthus by surprise：as people came to expect to live longer，and better，they started to have fewer children．They realised they no longer needed several babies just to ensure that two or three would survive．And as they moved from country to town，they also found that children were no longer an economic property that could be set to work at an early age，but a responsibility to be fed，housed and （some of them） educated，for years．Worse，with too many children，a mother would find it hard to take and keep a job，to add to the family income．Nor were the young any longer a guarantee against a poor old age：in the new industrial society，they were likelier to go their own way．
Thanks to Europe's newborn limitation，in the past 100years or so its population has risen only 80%，to 730million，and most countries'birth rate is now so low that numbers are unchanging or falling．But their composition is very different from the past：better living standards，health condition and medical treatment are multiplying old heads，even as the number of young ones shrinks．
In contrast，Asia's population over the same time has nearly increased four times，to more than 3.6billion．North America's too has grown almost as fast，but largely thanks to immigration．Africa's has multiplied 5times，and Latin America's nearly sevenfold．
Why these differences？From around 1950，death rate in developing countries also began to fall，and much faster than it ever had in Europe．The knowledge about how to avoid premature death of small children travelled so readily that life expectancy in many poor countries is now not far behind the rich world's．But the attitudes and values that persuade people to have fewer children are taking longer to adjust．
（Note：Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN TEN WORDS．）
78．What prediction did Malthus make？That the population would increase rapidly．
79．Give one reason to explain why people started to have fewer children according to paragraph 2．They no longer needed several babies to ensure their survival．/Children were no longer an economic property for working．/Children were a responsibility to be fed，housed and educated．/Having too many children made a mother hard to work．/The young were no longer a guarantee against the old．/…
80．Besides medical treatment，better living standards and health condition are the other two factors that contribute to the increasing number of old people．
81．Why has the population in developing countries increased faster than it has in Europe in the last century？Because the death rate in developing countries falls much faster．．

Answer 1

分析 本文是一篇说明文．19世纪中叶欧洲进入了人口转变的第一阶段．死亡率下降、战争、饥荒、疾病以及食物短缺减少，经济发展、交通、公共医疗和传染病的控制有了提高和改善，人口快速增长．随之人们期望活得更长寿、生活质量更好，他们开始少生孩子，人们的"孩子很小就去做工养家糊口"和"养儿防老"等观念也随着变化．由于欧洲对新生人口的限制，人口总数并未多增长，但人口结构已有不同，良好的生活条件和医疗服务使得人口老年化，与欧洲人口变化相比较，亚洲人口增长了4倍，非洲人口增长了5倍，拉丁美洲增长了7倍，北美人口增长较快．

解答 78．That the population would increase rapidly．
79．They no longer needed several babies to ensure their survival．/Children were no longer an economic property for working．/Children were a responsibility to be fed，housed and educated．/Having too many children made a mother hard to work．/The young were no longer a guarantee against the old．/…
80．better living standards and health condition
81．Because the death rate in developing countries falls much faster．

78．That the population would increase rapidly．细节理解题． 根据第一段中的"The population increased rapidly，as Malthus had predicted"可知，正如‘Malthus'预测的，欧洲人口增长速度很快，故填That the population would increase rapidly．
79．They no longer needed several babies to ensure their survival．/Children were no longer an economic property for working．/Children were a responsibility to be fed，housed and educated．/Having too many children made a mother hard to work．/The young were no longer a guarantee against the old．/…推理判断题．   根据第二段中的"as people came to expect to live longer，and better，they started to have fewer children"，"they also found that children were no longer an economic property"，"a mother would find it hard to take and keep a job"或"Nor were the youngany longer a guarantee against a poor old age"可知答案．
80．better living standards and health condition         细节理解题．  根据第三段中的"better living standards，health condition and medical treatment are multiplying old heads，even as the number of young ones shrinks"可知，良好的生活条件．健康状况使得人口越发老年化，故填better living standards and health condition．
81．Because the death rate in developing countries falls much faster．      细节理解题．根据最后一段中的"From around 1950，death rate in developing countries also began to fall，and much faster than it ever had in Europe"可知，发展中国家的死亡率开始下降，致使人口增长比欧洲要快，故填Because the death rate in developing countries falls much faster．

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