The advantages and disadvantages of a large population have long been a subject of discussion among economists.It has been argued that the supply of good land is limited.To feed a large population,poor land must be cultivated (耕種) and the good land worked intensively (精耕細(xì)作).Thus,each person produces less and this means a lower average income than could be obtained with a smaller population.Other economists have argued that a large population gives more chance of development of facilities such as ports,roads and railways,which are not likely to be built unless there is a big demand.
One of the difficulties in carrying out a worldwide birth control program lies in the fact that official attitudes to population growth vary from country to country depending on the level of industrial development and the availability of food and raw materials.In the developing country where a vastly expanded population is pressing hard upon the limits of food,space and natural resources,the first concern of government will be to set a limit on the birthrate,whatever the final result may be.In a highly industrialized society the problem may be more complex.A decreasing birthrate may lead to unemployment because it results in a declining market for manufactured goods.When the pressure of population on housing declines,prices also decline and building industry grows weaker.Faced with concerns such as these,the government of a developed country may well prefer to see a slowly increasing population,rather than one which is stable or in decline.(266)
6.The main topic of this article is _______.
A.population growth B.environment protection
C.environment and economy D.concerns of government
7.The passage says that a small population may lead to _______.
A.lower production,but a higher average income
B.lower production and lower average income
C.higher production and a higher average income
D.higher production,but a lower average income
8.According to the passage,the use of birth control perhaps is good for _______.
A.a developed country B.a developing country
C.the whole world D.each nation with a big population
9.In a developed country,people will perhaps be unemployed if the birthrate _______.
A.goes up B.goes down
C.remains stable D.is out of control
10.The author is aiming to show that _______.
A.humans will run out of their food supply in the future
B.different nations have different views of population growth
C.it is necessary for humans to carry out a worldwide plan for birth control
D.we need to take necessary measures to prevent the overuse of natural resources