2014年下半年大学英语四级考试阅读提升训练（七）_第2页

　　Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage:

　　It remains to be seen whether the reserves of raw materials would be sufficient to supply a world economy which would have grown by 500%. South-East Asia alone would have an energy consumption five times greater than that of Westen Europe in 1970. Incidentally, if the underdeveloped countries started using up petrol at the same rate as the industrialised areas, then world reserves would already be exhausted by 1985.

　　All this only goes to show just how important it is to set up a plan to conserve and divide up fairly natural resources on a world-wide scale.

　　This is a matter of life and death because world population is exploding at an incredible rate. By the middle of the next century population will expand every year by as much as it did in the first 1500 years after Christ. In the southern, poor, parts of the globe, the figures are enough to make your hair stand on end. Even supposing that steps are taken to stabilise(稳定) world population in the next 50 years, the number of inhabitants per square kilometre will increase by from 4 in the United States to 140 in South-East Asia. What can we do about it?

　　In the first hypothesis(假设)we do nothing. By the year 2000, the southern parts of the world then have a population greater than the total world population today. Calcutta would have 60 million inhabitants. It is unthinkable.

　　Alternatively(或), we could start acting right now to bring births under control within 15 years so that population levels off. Even then the population in the southern areas would not stop growing for 75 years.

　　6.World petrol reserves will be used up by 1985 if _________.

　　A) Western European consumption continues to expand

　　B) South-East Asia does not limit its consumption

　　C) underdeveloped countries start to use petrol at the same rate as Western Europe

　　D) world population continues to expand

　　7.The author thinks that we should ________.

　　A) do nothing

　　B) act now

　　C) wait 10 years

　　D) wait 20 years

　　8.Should we take the effective measures immediately, the world's population _________.

　　A) would not stop growing for 75 years

　　B) would stop growing in about 15 years' time from now

　　C) could stabilise in about 75 years' time

　　D) could stabilise in 35 years' time

　　9.The author suggests in the passage that _________.

　　A) there will certainly not be enough raw materials for the world economy in the year 2000

　　B) world petrol supplies will have been exhausted by 1985

　　C) we need to use natural resources carefully and divide them up equally

　　D) to slow down the economic growth in developed countries might be a possible solution to the problem

　　10.The purpose of the author in writing this piece is to _________.

　　A) urge people to start taking action right away

　　B) tell people about the surprising rate of population growth

　　C) describe the problem the world will be faced with

　　D) give an account of the relationship between population growth and industry