2017年职称英语 考试 报名-2017年职称英语综合类B级阅读材料精选(10)

为什么有这么多的孩子

　　非洲和亚洲的很多发展中国家，人P增长迅速。原因很简单：这些国家的女人生育率很 高——每个女人平均有三个到七个孩子。这些女人大部分都很穷，没有足够的食物和资源来照顾 家庭。为什么她们要有这么多孩子呢?为什么她们不限制家庭的大小呢?答案是大多数时候她们 没办法选择。这有很多原因。

　　其中之一是经济原因。传统的农业经济中，家庭成员数目多是十分有利的。孩子多意味着田 里的劳动力多且有人给父母养老。在工业经济国家中情况就不同了。多数孩子不帮助家里，而是 增加家庭开销。因此，工业化极大降低了生育率。这是意大利的一个例子，意大利最近几年工业 化发展十分迅速。在20世纪前叶，意大利是个贫穷的农业国家，有着很高的生育率。第二次世界 大战之后，意大利的现代化和工业化十分迅速。世纪之末其生育率降到世界最低，平均每个女人1. 3个孩子。

　　然而经°济并不是重要的影响出生率的因素。以沙特阿拉伯为例，那里并没有以农业为基 础的经济，而且是人均收入的国家之一。然而还是有很高的生育率(7.0)。而像墨西哥和印 度尼西亚，主要是农业经济的穷国，但他们的人口还在不断地下降。

　　很明显有其他的因素。最重要的就是妇女的状况。高的生育率往往与妇女缺乏教育与社会地 位低下相关。这就能解释沙特阿拉伯的出生率为什么如此之髙。传统的文化使妇女缺乏教育或者 不能独立，并且在外生存的技能很少。相反，墨西哥、泰国、印度尼西亚的生育率就低。他们的

　　政府给妇女提供更多的教育和机会。

　　另一个重要的因素是计划生育。女人们也许想限制家庭的大小，但是她们没有办法。一些倡 导计划生育的政府为她们提供有效而且不贵的方式，生育率下降。比如新加坡、斯里兰卡、印度 和印度尼西亚、泰国、墨西哥、巴西。在这些国家妇女被提供健康和计划生育的帮助。

　　这些趋势表明有效的控制人口的方案并不依赖于良好的经济状况。如果是致力于帮助妇女适 应她们的需求那么就是有效的。事实上只有这样，才能有机会取得成功。

Why So Many Children?

　　In many of the developing countries in Africa and Asia , the population is growing fast . The reason for this is simple : Women in these countries have a high birth rate — from 3.0 to 7.0 children per woman . The majority of these women are poor , without the food or resources to care for their families ? The answer may be that they often have no choice . There are several reasons for this .

　　One reason is economic . In a traditional agricultural economy , large families are helpful .

　　Having more children means having more workers in the fields and someone to take care of the parents in old age1. In an industrial economy, the situation is different. Many children , do not help a family; instead, they are an expense. Thus, industrialization has generally brought down the birth rate. This was the case in Italy, which was industrialized quite recently and rapidly. In the early part of the twentieth century, Italy was a poor, largely agricultural country with a high birth rate. After World WarⅡ, Italy's economy was rapidly modernized and industrialized. By the end of the century, the birth rate had dropped to 1. 3 children per woman, the world's lowest.

　　However, the economy is not the only important factor that influences birth rate. Saudi Arabia, for example, does not have an agriculture-based economy, and it has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. Nevertheless, it also has a very high birth rate(7.0). Mexico and Indonesia, on the other hand, are poor countries, with largely agricultural economies, but they have recently reduced their population growth.

　　Clearly, other factors are involved. The most important of these is the condition of women. A high birth rate almost always goes together with lack of education and low status for women.2 This would explain the high birth rate of Saudi Arabia. There, the traditional culture gives women little education or independence and few possibilities outside the home. On the other hand, the improved condition of women in Mexico, Thailand, and Indonesia explains the decline in birth rates in these countries. Their governments have taken measures to provide more education and opportunities for women.

　　Another key factor in the birth rate is birth control. Women may want to limit their families but have no way to do so. In countries where governments have made birth control easily available and inexpensive, birth rates have gone down. This is the case in Singapore, Sri Lanka, and India, as well as in Indonesia, Thailand, Mexico, and Brazil. In these countries, women have also been provided with health care and help in planning their families.

2017年职称英语综合类B级阅读材料精选(10).doc

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