There are many older people in the world and there will be many more.A limeknown fact is that over 60 percent of the older people live in developing countries.According to the World Health Organization，by 2020 there will be 1 billion，with over 700 million living in developing countries.
It is a surprising fact that the population ageing is particularly rapid in developing countries.For example，it took France 115 years for the proportion of older people to double from 7 percent to 14 percent.It is estimated to take China a mere 27 years to achieve this same increase.
What are the implications of these increased numbers of older folk？One of the biggest worries for governments is that the longer people live，the more likelihood there is for diseases and for disability.Attention is being paid to the need to keep people as healthy as possible，including during old age，to lessen the financial burden on the state.
Another significant problem is the need for the younger generations to understand and value the older people in their society.In some African countries，certainly in Asia，older people are respected and regarded as the ones with special knowledge.Yet traditions are fading away daily，which does not ensure the continued high regard of older people.As society changes，attitudes will change.
Much needs to be done to get rid of age discrimination (歧视) in employment.Lifelong learning programs need to be provided to enable older people to be active members in a country’s development.
Social security policies need to be established to provide adequate income protection for older people.Both public and private schemes are vital in order to build a suitable safety net.
To achieve equality in such matters will take considerable time and effort.One thing is sure：there is no time to be lost.
小题1:The proportion of older people________.
A．is bigger in developed countries than in developing countries
B．is oneseventh of the population in developing countries
C．will increase much faster in China than in France
D．will be sixty percent in developing countries by 2020小题2:According to the passage，which of the following are governments most worried about?
A．The diseases and disability of older people.
B．The longer life and good health of people.
C．The loss of taxes on older people.
D．The increasing respect for older people.小题3:It is stated directly in the passage that older people should________.
A．be treated differently in different cultures
B．enjoy a similar lifestyle
C．be ignored as society changes
D．be valued by the younger generations小题4:Which of the following measures is NOT mentioned to solve the population ageing problem?
A．Getting rid of age discrimination in employment.
B．Ensuring adequate income protection for older people.
C．Providing free health care for sick older people.
D．Supplying lifelong learning programs to older people.小题5:The author concludes in the last paragraph that________.
A．governments have spent lots of time in solving the ageing problem
B．population ageing is a hard problem，but it needs to be solved urgently
C．people are too busy to solve the population ageing problem
D．much time and effort will be lost in solving the ageing problem
