A baby born in India has been declared the world's seven billionth person by child rights group Plan International. Baby Nargis was born at 07:25 local time (01:55GMT) in Mall village in India's Uttar Pradesh state. Plan International says Nargis has been chosen symbolically as it is not possible to know where exactly the seven billionth baby is born. In addition to baby Nargis in India, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Cambodia have all identified seven billionth babies. The United Nations estimated that on Monday 31 October, the world's population would reach seven billion.

  Populations are growing faster than economies in many poor countries in Africa and some in Asia. At the same time, low birth rates in Japan and many European nations have raised concerns about labor shortages.

  Population experts at the United Nations estimated that the world reached six billion in October 1999. They predict nine billion by 2050 and ten billion by the end of the century. China's population of one and a third billion is currently the world's largest. India is second at 1.2 billion. But India is expected to pass China and reach one and a half billion people around 2025.

  India will also have one of the world's youngest populations. Economists say this is a chance for a so-called demographic dividend. India could gain from the skills of young people in a growing economy at a time when other countries have aging populations. But economists say current rates of growth, although high, may not create enough jobs. Also, the public education system is failing to meet demand and schooling is often of poor quality. Another concern is health care. Nearly half of India's children under the age of five are malnourished(营养不良).

  Michal Rutkowski, the director of human development in South Asia at the World Bank, says reaching seven billion people in the world is a good time for a call to action. He says, “I think the bottom line of the story is that the public policy needs to become really, really serious about sex equality and about access to services—to fight against malnutrition, and to provide for access to health services, water and schooling.”

1.What is true about the world's seven billionth person?

A. Baby Nargis is not the only child chosen as the seven billionth baby.

B. Baby Nargis has been chosen carefully so it is exactly the seven billionth baby.

C. Three countries have all declared Baby Nargis as the seven billi011th baby.

D. The United Nations declared Baby Nargis as the world's seven billionth person.

2.Which of the following problems do many European countries worry about?

A. Labor shortage.                B. Poor health care.

C. Not enough jobs.            D. Schooling of poor quality.

3.According to population experts, how long will it take for population to grow from six billion to nine billion?

A. About 12 years.    B. About 40 years.   C. About 50 years.   D. About 110 years.

4.What does the underlined phrase “demographic dividend” in the fourth paragraph refer to?

A. Possibility of lower birth rate.

B. Benefit gained by working young people.

C. Chances for more employment.

D. Disadvantages caused by aging population.

5.Which of the following public policies does Michal Rutkowski call on?

A. To encourage late marriage.       B. To reduce world's population.

C. To gain economic equality.             D. To improve health and education.

A baby born in India has been declared the world's seven billionth person by child rights group Plan International.Baby Nargis was born at 07：25 local time(01：55GMT)in Mall village in India's Uttar Pradesh state.Plan International says Nargis has been chosen symbolically as it is not possible to know where exactly the seven billionth baby is born.In addition to baby Nargis in India，Bangladesh，the Philippines and Cambodia have all identified seven billionth babies.The United Nations estimated that on Monday 31 October.the world's population would reach seven billion.
Populations are growing faster than economies in many poor countries in Africa and some in Asia.At the same time，low birth rates in Japan and many European nations have raised concerns about labor shortages.
Population experts at the United Nations estimated that the world reached six billion in October 1999.They predict nine billion by 2050 and ten billion by the end of the century. China's population of one and a third billion is currently the world's largest.India is second at 1.2 billion.But India is expected to pass China and reach one and a half billion people around 2025.
India will also have one of the world's youngest populations.Economists say this is a chance for a so-called.demographic dividend.India could gain from the skills of young people in a growing economy at a time when other countries have aging populations.But economists say current rates of growth，although high，may not create enough jobs.Also，the public education system is failing to meet demand and schooling is often of poor quality.Another concern is health care.Nearly half of India's children under the age of five are malnourished(营养不良).
Michal Rutkowski，the director of human development in South Asia at the World Bank, says reaching seven billion people in the world is a good time for a call to action.He says，“I think the bottom line of the story is that the public policy needs to become really，really serious about sex equality and about access to services—to fight against malnutrition，and to provide for access to health services，water and schooling.”

1. 1.

   What is true about the world's seven billionth person?

   1. A.
      Baby Nargis is not the only child chosen as the seven billionth baby.
   2. B.
      Baby Nargis has been chosen carefully so it is exactly the seven billionth baby.
   3. C.
      Three countries have all declared Baby Nargis as the seven billi011th baby.
   4. D.
      The United Nations declared Baby Nargis as the world's seven billionth person.
2. 2.

   Which of the following problems do many European countries worry about?

   1. A.
      Labor shortage.
   2. B.
      Poor health care.
   3. C.
      Not enough jobs.
   4. D.
      Schooling of poor quality.
3. 3.

   According to population experts，how long will it take for population to grow from six billion to nine billion?

   1. A.
      About 12 years.
   2. B.
      About 40 years.
   3. C.
      About 50 years.
   4. D.
      About 110 years.
4. 4.

   What does the underlined phrase“demographic dividend”in the fourth paragraph refer to?

   1. A.
      Possibility of lower birth rate.
   2. B.
      Benefit gained by working young people.
   3. C.
      Chances for more employment.
   4. D.
      Disadvantages caused by aging population.
5. 5.

   Which of the following public policies does Michal Rutkowski call on?

   1. A.
      To encourage late marriage.
   2. B.
      To reduce world's population.
   3. C.
      To gain economic equality.
   4. D.
      To improve health and education.

A baby born in India has been declared the world's seven billionth person by child rights group Plan International. Baby Nargis was born at 07:25 local time (01:55GMT) in Mall village in India's Uttar Pradesh state. Plan International says Nargis has been chosen symbolically as it is not possible to know where exactly the seven billionth baby is born. In addition to baby Nargis in India, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Cambodia have all identified seven billionth babies. The United Nations estimated that on Monday 31 October, the world's population would reach seven billion.

Populations are growing faster than economies in many poor countries in Africa and some in Asia. At the same time, low birth rates in Japan and many European nations have raised concerns about labor shortages.

Population experts at the United Nations estimated that the world reached six billion in October 1999. They predict nine billion by 2050 and ten billion by the end of the century. China's population of one and a third billion is currently the world's largest. India is second at 1.2 billion. But India is expected to pass China and reach one and a half billion people around 2025.

India will also have one of the world's youngest populations. Economists say this is a chance for a so-called demographic dividend. India could gain from the skills of young people in a growing economy at a time when other countries have aging populations. But economists say current rates of growth, although high, may not create enough jobs. Also, the public education system is failing to meet demand and schooling is often of poor quality. Another concern is health care. Nearly half of India's children under the age of five are malnourished（营养不良）.

Michal Rutkowski, the director of human development in South Asia at the World Bank, says reaching seven billion people in the world is a good time for a call to action. He says, "I think the bottom line of the story is that the public policy needs to become really, really serious about sex equality and about access to services -- to fight against malnutrition, and to provide for access to health services, water and schooling."

36. What is true about the world's seven billionth person?

A. Baby Nargis is not the only child chosen as the seven billionth baby.

B. Baby Nargis has been chosen carefully so it is exactly the seven billionth baby

C. Bangladesh, the Philippines and Cambodia have all declared Baby Nargis as the seven billionth baby.

D. The United Nations declared Baby Nargis born in India's Uttar Pradesh state as the world's seven billionth person.

37. Which of the following problems do many European countries worry about?

A. Labor shortage.

B. Poor health care

C. Not enough jobs

D. schooling of poor quality

38. According to population experts, how long will it take for population to grow from six billion to nine billion?

A. About 12 years.

B. About 40 years.

C. About 50 years.

D. About 110 years.

39. What does the underlined phrase “demographic dividend” in the fourth paragraph refer to?

A. Possibility of lower birth rate.

B. Benefit gained by working age people

C. Chances for more employment.

D. Disadvantages caused by aging population.

40. Which of the following public policies does Michal Rutkowski call on?

A. To encourage late marriage.

B. To reduce world’s population.

C. To gain economic equality.

D. To improve health and education.

C
Still want a laptop? That was so yesterday. Get ready for the next stage in the personal computer revolution: It's the ultrathin (超薄的), cheap netbook.
According to a New York Times report last week, personal computers are about to go through their biggest change since the rise of the laptop. By the end of the year, consumers are likely to see laptops the size of thin paperback books that can run all day on a single charge and are equipped with touch screens or slide-out keyboards. The netbook is a kind of portable computer with learner functions for online surfing and basic computing activities, for example, word processing. To cut the cost and weight, they usually have a low-powered processor, small screen, narrow keyboard, and no ODD.
Currently, some of the devices look more like a toy than a full-feature computer. That's because most of the netbooks sold today run on an Intel chip called Atom. This is a lower-power version of the company's standard laptop chip, so they have trouble running demanding software like games and photo-editing programs.
This year, a group of companies who make cheap, power-saving chips used in cell phones are applying that expert skill to PCs. That means they will break Atom's netbook dominance (统治地位) and reduce the size while letting it run complicated programs.
The big winner in the rise of netbooks will be the consumer. AT&T announced last week that customers in Atlanta, Georgia, US, could get a netbook for just $50 (342 yuan) if they signed up for an Internet service plan. This trend will soon spread to Asia, according to industry experts.
University campuses are a major target of Shanzhai netbooks—uncopyrighted (无版权的) domestic copies of foreign brands. These products are usually sold at less than 2,000 yuan. But industry insiders suggest students not use these nameless products because many of them don't provide good after-safes services.
49．The following are all advantages of netbooks EXCEPT that      .
A．people can easily edit photographs with them
B．they cost less than other personal computers
C．they are very thin and easy to carry
D．they save power
50．Why are students advised not to use Shanzhai netbooks?
A．Because they are of poor quality.
B．Because they are not easy to operate.
C．Because they will soon be out of date.
D．Because they lack good after-sales services.
51．What can be inferred from the passage?
A．Laptops are becoming more and more popular.
B．University students seldom buy Shanzhai netbooks.
C．Shanzhai netbooks are sold better than those of famous foreign brands.
D．Atom's netbooks make up the largest part of the sales of portable computers at present.
52．What is the general idea of this passage?
A．Shanzhai netbooks are taking control of laptop market.
B．Netbooks have advantages over laptops in everything.
C．Netbooks are becoming the trend of personal computers.
D．Most of the netbooks sold today run on an Intel chip called Atom.