第二部分 阅读理解（共20小题：每小题2.5分，满分50分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

A very important world problem---- in fact, I tend to say it is the most important of all the great world problems which face us at present time----is the rapidly increasing pressure of population on land and on land resources.

It is not so much the actual population of the world but its rate of increase, which is the most important. It works out to be about 1.6 percent net annual increase. In terms of numbers this means something like 40 to 55 million additional people very year. Canada has a population of 20 million, rather less 6 months’ climb in world population. And there are 10 million people in Australia. So, it takes the world less than three moths to add to itself a population, a population of that vast country. Let us come to our own crowded country---- England and Wales; 45--50 million people---- just about a year’s supply. By this time tomorrow, and every day, there will be added to the earth about 120, 000 extra people---- just about the population of the city of York.

I am not talking about birthrate. This is net increase. To give you some idea of birthrate, look at the second hand of your watch. Every second three babies are born somewhere in the world. Another baby! Another baby! Another baby! You cannot speak quickly enough to keep pace with the birthrate.

This enormous increase of population will create immense problems. By 2010 A. D., unless something desperate happens, there will be as many as 7,000, 000, 000 people on the surface of this earth! So this is a problem which you are going to see in your lifetime.

1．The topic for the passage is _________.

A．The Lack of Land Resources   B．Population Explosion

C．Your Lifetime         D．The Birthrate

2．According to the author, _________ is the most important for population pressure.

A．the net increase rate B．the birthrate

C．the enormous amount of world population  D．the population explosion in Australia

3．It can be learned from Paragraph 2 that ________.

A．in more than 6 months, to the world population 20 million will be added

B．three months later, to the population in the world 10 million will be added

C．in less than three months, to the world population 10 million will be added

D．one year later, the population of England and Wales will be doubled

4．Which of the following is TRUE?

A．After 24 hours, 120 thousand babies were born

B．The birthrate is 180 babies every minute.

C．During a year, about 45 million people are born.

D．After a day, York will have 120, 000 extra people.

5．“…something desperate happens” in the last paragraph can be best replaced by _________.

A．the world wars break out B．people are in despair

C．birth control policy is adopted

D．people realize the seriousness of the population problem