专题12 Population Nearing 8 Billion-高中英语【外刊·新闻·热点】素养提升拓展阅读课

Population Nearing 8 Billion 外刊新闻精品阅读和练习 Sources: washingtonpost.com, apnews.com Frida (Poverty and Development side-by-side in Mumbai (source)) 1. How many people do you live with? Does your home feel crowded or comfortable? 2. Read the headline above. Have you heard this news story? If so, say what you know. If not, can you guess what it is about? WARM-UP QUESTIONS: Discuss the following questions with your partner(s). According to a new report from the United Nations, the global population will reach eight billion in November of this year. Although the world population is growing, the speed of growth is slowing down. In 2020, the rate fell below 1% for the first time since 1950. A lot of the projected population growth will happen in eight countries. Those countries are in Africa (Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Tanzania) and South Asia (India, Pakistan, and the Philippines). According to the UN, when a population grows quickly, it is more difficult to get rid of poverty and malnutrition. Conversely, improving healthcare, education, and gender equality reduces birth rates and population growth. The report, World Population Prospects 2022, also says that the population of India will become bigger than that of China in 2023. Both China and India have tried to slow population growth over recent decades. China had a more restrictive rule, known as the one-child policy, from 1980 to 2015. As a result, China has a disproportionately elderly population and slower population growth than India. The global population is expected to peak at 10.4 billion during the 2080s. Below (adv) - under Projected (adj) - a future amount that is calculated based on current information Poverty (n) - extremely poor Malnutrition (n) - unhealthy because you don’t have enough food or the right foods Conversely (adv) - introduces an opposing idea Prospect (n) - what might happen in the future Restrictive (adj) - something that limits freedom Disproportionately (adv)