时间:2019-02-21 作者:英语课 分类:英语听力精选进阶版


英语课

As China's economy has grown bigger, its population has grown older. But is China growing too old, too fast?


The one-child policy has caused a decline 1 in the birth rate, while the average age has gone up. One in four permanent residents 2 in Shanghai is retired 3, and the rest of China will soon be just as mature. The Chinese population is no spring chicken: by the year 2050, a third of Chinese people will be over the age of 60.


A demographer 4 from Fudan University said that "the speed of ageing in China is unique." It has only taken China 20 years to reach an age profile 5 that took Britain or France 60 or 70 years.


But what problems are associated with living until a ripe old age? Fewer than 2% of the elderly will find a place in a state nursing home because all the beds are taken up.


China's economy also depends on a supply of cheap, young workers – and this supply is running out. "You can see the way an ageing society is affecting the labour force" says Jerry Mo, owner of a small factory. "We are becoming unprofitable."


An ancient Chinese saying sums up why this challenge is so worrying: China will become "too old to get rich." Despite its booming 6 economy, China is still a developing country. Can it find solutions as quickly as new challenges are born?


Quiz 小测验


1. Find four words or expressions in the article that mean 'old'.


Mature, no spring chicken, ageing, elderly.


2. Is this statement true, false or not given? One in four Chinese people is retired.


False. One in four residents in Shanghai is retired, and soon the situation will be the same in the rest of China.


3. Is this statement true, false or not given? In 2050, a third of Chinese people will be in their 60s.


False. In 2050, a third of Chinese people will be over the age of 60, but not necessarily 7 in their 60s.


4. Name two problems caused by China's ageing population and low birth rate.


1) Fewer than 2% of the elderly will find a place in a state nursing home. 2) The supply of young workers is disappearing.


5. Find two words in the article that mean 'growing'.


Booming and developing.


Glossary 词汇表


grown bigger 已经越来越大


grown older 已经越来越老


birth rate 出生率


average age 平均年龄


retired 退休的


mature 成熟的


no spring chicken 不再年轻了


demographer 人口统计学家


age profile 年龄轮廓


until a ripe old age 直到老年


elderly 老年人


nursing home 养老院


ageing society 老龄化社会


ancient 古老的


booming 蓬勃增长的


developing 发展中的



n.衰微,跌落,下降;vt.使降低,婉谢;vi.下降,衰落,偏斜
  • I must decline to show favour to any of the candidates.我必须拒绝偏袒任何一位候选人。
  • The birthrate is on the decline.出生率在下降。
n.居民( resident的名词复数 );(旅馆的)住宿者
  • Plans to build a new mall were deep-sixed after protests from local residents. 修建新室内购物中心的计划由于当地居民反对而搁浅。
  • Local residents have reacted angrily to the news. 当地居民对这一消息表示愤怒。
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
  • The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
  • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
n.人口统计学家
  • Professor Antonio Golini is a demographer at the University of Rome. 罗马大学安东尼奥教授是位人口统计学家。 来自互联网
  • Demographer William Frey says immigrants with young families will help keep the United States competitive. 人口统计学家佛瑞表示这些年轻的家庭会帮助美国保持竞争力。 来自互联网
n.侧面,轮廓,人物素描;概要,人物简介;v.描绘...轮廓,评论人物
  • I turned my head and saw the profile of a man.我转过头,看见一个人的侧影。
  • He drew her profile.他给她画侧面像。
adj.急速发展的v.激增( boom的现在分词 );猛涨;发出隆隆声;以低沉有力的声音说话
  • The opera singer has a deep, booming, masculine voice. 这位歌剧演唱家有一副深沉而又浑厚有力的嗓音。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • He is booming as a teacher. 作为一位教师,他日趋成功。 来自《简明英汉词典》
adv.必要地,必需地;必定地,必然地
  • More work does not necessarily call for more men.增加工作量不一定就要增添人员。
  • A voter must necessarily be no younger than eighteen.选民必须在18岁以上。
学英语单词
3-Sulfoalanine
absolute and relative of contradiction
adenosin (A,Ado)
air-bag
allis shad
amblyproct
anterior-posterior points combination
average forecast
awake from
Ballygarrett
beam scale
Boltzmann's equation
booked stop
brand-marketing
brick condenser
Cayenne pepper grains
chaffee
Charpentier, Gustave
chromoleucites
classica
coal petrography
coleby
comparative adjectives
consumable electro arc furnace
Contrasto, Colle del
coral master (spain)
denitrated collodion
dosage compensation (muller 1932)
dried floral
drinkwaters
Egyptian furniture
enfoldings
evections
financial management initiative (fmi)
forward linkage
fourcher
general theory of relativities
genus proboscideas
gone through the mill
graphicomassa hanleyi
greenfinger
gyrosynchrotron radiation
hand den
have one's gruel
hearsease
heat-checking
hebecarpus
Hexamethyleneimine
hold paint
horsetrade
hypotensions
ink box
intragemmal nerve plexus
knock-out
lepay
levopropylhexedrine
liquid bitumen
lower light
manual catching
maximum recording thermometer
memoize
Mithren
mobard
model uncertainty
molecule-sized
morchellas
multi-ports
nonaccepting
nuclear-electric propulsion
Obila
paper-disk chromatography
parallel play
paraspecific anti-venom
parent involvement
polishing wheel
priesthood
private-viewing
Puddle slut
put A into B
rationing system
re serve
re-entry profile
Received Pronunciation
round-up function
safety winding
Salmonella georgia
shifted diagonal
shopless
sinter rim
sluttifying
small-scale integration
space communication network
spacing container
split straw
sport esthetics
symbols of money
the-ch
tike
to grease
trial range
wave-number spectrum
zelenka