Choose the word or phrase among A, B, C or D that best fits the blank space in the following passage. With one of the world's lowest (36)…………. rates at 0.13%, Japan's population will begin its decline next year, dropping from its current 128 million to 126 million by 2015 and to 101 million (37) ………..2050, according to a Washington Post report. The negative effects of the population burst will be numerous, but the most fear is of the economic worse results. Japan's (38)………….. is currently second only to the US. “A nation requires a certain scale in the population to continue its moving force, but in Japan, we are (39)…………….with a serious combination of a low birth- rate and an aging nation,” Deputy director of Japan's Education Ministry Suzuki said. “Our pension system is already being tested to its limits. (40)…………. with fewer young people in (41)…………, the question is: How are we going to sustain the elderly and the nation's future? We don't have a (42)………….. answer yet.” In the (43) ………… ten years, the Washington Post explains that 90 theme parks aimed at children have disappeared, while the number of hospitals in Japan with paediatric wings (wings for babies and children) (44)…………from 4,119 in 1990 to 3,473 in 2000. In addition, 70 percent of young women have no interest in (45) ………….. In Japan, married women traditionally stay at home to raise children. Some towns have even offered money to encourage couples to have a baby. 36. A. work 37. A. to B. death B. at C. job C. in D. birth D. by 38. A. military 39. A. familiar B. education B. faced C. economy C. having D. industry D. seeing 40. A. And 41. A. streets B. Because B. society C. So C. schools D. But D. life 42. A. clear 43. A. present B. difficult B. recently C. big C. over D. unclear that D. past 44. A. increased 45. A. education B. decreased B. marriage C. closed C. work D. opened D. future
46–50. Choose the item among A, B, C or D that best answers the question about the passage. The world population, which did not reach its first 1 billion until about 1800, added another 1 billion by 1930. The most rapid growth in the 19th century occurred in Europe and North America, where there were declines in mortality. Meanwhile, mortality and fertility remained high in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Beginning in the 1930s and accelerating rapidly after World War II, mortality went into decline in much of Asia and Latin America, giving rise to a new increase in population growth that reached rates far higher than any previously experienced in Europe. The rapidity of this growth, which some described as the “population explosion”, was due to the sharpness in the falls in mortality that in turn were the result of improvements in public health, sanitation, and nutrition. The external origins and the speed of the declines in mortality meant that there was little chance that they would be accompanied by the onset of a decline in fertility. In addition, the marriage patterns of Asia and Latin America were quite different from those in Europe. Marriage in Asia and Latin America is early and nearly universal, while that in Europe is usually late and there are significant percentages of people who never marry. 46. What is the meaning of “mortality rate”? A. lower rate B. growth rate С. fertility rate D. death rate 47. The world population was about ……………… A. 1 billion B. 2 billion C. 2 million D. 1 million 48. The population explosion in Asia and Latin America was due to ……… A. the decline of death rates B. the developed countries C. the improvements in public health, sanitation and nutrition D. World War II 49. Which sentence is NOT true according to the passage? A. The world population increases every year. B. The world population decreases every year. C. Population explosion happened in Asia and Latin America. D. In the 19th century, people in Europe and North America lived longer. 50. People in Asia and Latin America ………… A. tend to get married earlier than those in Europe and North America B. tend to get married later than those in Europe and North America C. never marry D. continue to get married