A baby born in India has been declared the world's seven billionth person by child rights group Plan International. Baby Nargis was born at 07:25 local time (01:55GMT) in Mall village in India's Uttar Pradesh state. Plan International says Nargis has been chosen symbolically as it is not possible to know where exactly the seven billionth baby is born. In addition to baby Nargis in India, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Cambodia have all identified seven billionth babies. The United Nations estimated that on Monday 31 October, the world's population would reach seven billion.
Populations are growing faster than economies in many poor countries in Africa and some in Asia. At the same time, low birth rates in Japan and many European nations have raised concerns about labor shortages.
Population experts at the United Nations estimated that the world reached six billion in October 1999. They predict nine billion by 2050 and ten billion by the end of the century. China's population of one and a third billion is currently the world's largest. India is second at 1.2 billion. But India is expected to pass China and reach one and a half billion people around 2025.
India will also have one of the world's youngest populations. Economists say this is a chance for a so-called demographic dividend. India could gain from the skills of young people in a growing economy at a time when other countries have aging populations. But economists say current rates of growth, although high, may not create enough jobs. Also, the public education system is failing to meet demand and schooling is often of poor quality. Another concern is health care. Nearly half of India's children under the age of five are malnourished(营养不良).
Michal Rutkowski, the director of human development in South Asia at the World Bank, says reaching seven billion people in the world is a good time for a call to action. He says, “I think the bottom line of the story is that the public policy needs to become really, really serious about sex equality and about access to services—to fight against malnutrition, and to provide for access to health services, water and schooling.”
小题1:What is true about the world's seven billionth person?
A．Baby Nargis is not the only child chosen as the seven billionth baby.
B．Baby Nargis has been chosen carefully so it is exactly the seven billionth baby.
C．Three countries have all declared Baby Nargis as the seven billi011th baby.
D．The United Nations declared Baby Nargis as the world's seven billionth person.小题2:Which of the following problems do many European countries worry about?
A．Labor shortage.
B．Poor health care.
C．Not enough jobs.
D．Schooling of poor quality.小题3:According to population experts, how long will it take for population to grow from six billion to nine billion?
A．About 12 years.
B．About 40 years.
C．About 50 years.
D．About 110 years.小题4:What does the underlined phrase “demographic dividend” in the fourth paragraph refer to?
A．Possibility of lower birth rate.
B．Benefit gained by working young people.
C．Chances for more employment.
D．Disadvantages caused by aging population.小题5:Which of the following public policies does Michal Rutkowski call on?
A．To encourage late marriage.
B．To reduce world's population.
C．To gain economic equality.
D．To improve health and education.
