China has announced it’s abolishing its one-child policy. What difference has it made, statistically speaking?

400 million births prevented

The one-child policy, officially in place since 1979, has prevented 400 million births. Parents have faced fines and other punishments for having more children.

The majority of the decrease in China’s fertility rate happened in the 1970s. It dropped from 5.8 children per woman in 1970 to 2.7 in 1978. Despite the one-child policy the rate had only fallen to 1.7 by 2013.

21:28-baby deaths rate

Since the one-child policy was introduced, baby girls have become more likely to die than boys.

In the 1970s, according to the United Nations, 60 males per 1, 000 live births died under the age of one. For girls the figure was 53. In the 1980s, after the one-child policy became official, the rate for both was 36. By the 1990s, 26 males per 1,000 live births died before the age of one - and 33 girls. The 2000s saw 21 boys per 1,000 live births dying and 28 girls.

1.16 boys born for every girl

Sexually selective abortions have been considered as a major cause of China's unusual imbalance.

Gietel-Basten, associate professor in social policy at Oxford University, says the births of many girls are not registered if parents have broken the rule by having two children, adding officials often turn a blind eye. It's estimated there are now 33 million more men than women in China.

4: 2: 1 families

With the ageing of China's population and the continuation of the one-child policy, a “4: 2 :1” home is the description given to households in which there are four grandparent, cared for by two working age parents, who themselves have one child.

By 2050, it’s predicted that a quarter of China's population will be 65 or older. The predicted decline in the number of people of working age is thought to have persuaded the government to drop the one-child policy.

1.When was the baby deaths rate for both boys and girls equal?

A. In the 1970s. B. In the 1980s.

C. In the 1990s. D. In the 2000s

2.What makes the one-child policy abolished according to the passage?

A. The decline of birth rate.

B. The rise of baby deaths rate.

C. The change of family structure.

D. The decline of working age people.

3.The passage sums up the one child policy by ________________.

A. number B. example C. contrast D. analysis

Every year in America, high-school students who want to go on to college take a national examination called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT in a shortened way. Their score is an important factor in determining which colleges will admit them. The Scholastic Aptitude Test measures one’s mathematical ability and use of the English language. Traditionally, the English part involved grammatical questions and paragraphs that test reading comprehension.

But the SAT folks have added a single question, to be answered in an essay, handwritten on the spot. That’s an interesting way to test writing ability, but content aside. Have you ever seen young people’s handwriting lately? Or anyone’s for that matter, in this age of computer keyboards? Students write numbers and sign their names on bank checks. They scribble class notes in what can generously be described as the written word.

Yet today’s kids are asked to write, thoughtfully and clearly, for several minutes on this SAT Test. Good luck to the text scorers who must work out difficultly the scrawl(潦草的笔迹)of young people who’ve been typing on computers since the age of three! Teachers insist that good handwriting can not only help one’s score on the SAT, but also, later on in life, impress potential employers. And don’t forget, we all have to use handwriting from time to time, as computers go down when the power goes out.

Then how to improve the handwriting? Well, with a few simple steps you can improve your handwriting.[来Position the pen. You should hold the pen between the forefinger and the thumb. You should then rest it near the first knuckle(指节)of the middle finger. The rest of your fingers should be curled(卷曲)under your hand and your hand should remain relaxed.

Evaluate your writing. What do you like and what don’t you like about the way you write? Make changes to your letters till you like how they look.

Take your time. Make sure that, while you are writing, you take your time. Speed can definitely make your writing terrible. If it is worth writing well, then take your time.

Practice. Practice it a lot; it’s not enough to do it once and hope for the best. It has to be something you work at to make great improvements.

1.At present, the SAT tests students on ______.

A.math, English, reading and writing

B.math, grammar, reading and handwriting

C.math, foreign language and writing

D.math, foreign language and handwriting

2.The underlined word “scribble” in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.

A.writing quickly and roughly

B.typing simply and correctly

C.painting clearly and neatly

D.describing properly and well

3.According to the text, good handwriting can ______.

A.help students pass the test

B.make a student more popular

C.show students’ ability

D.assist students in getting a job

4.Which of the following should you avoid when improving your handwriting?

A.Practicing writing a lot.

B.Writing as fast as you can.

C.Relaxing your hand when holding the pen.

D.Changing your letters till you like how they look.

5.The author mainly wants to tell us that ______.

A.writing seems to be very important in the SAT

B.those who will go to college have to take the SAT

C.students should practice handwriting more often

D.kids don’t know how to write in the computer age

Many jobs must be done with two people. One person takes the lead. The other helps. So it is with the human body. Much of our body depends on the cooperation between substances. When they work together, chemical reactions take place smoothly. Body systems are kept in balance.

Some of the most important helpers in the job of good health are the substances we call vitamins. The word “vitamin” dates back to Polish scientist Casimir Funk in 1912. He was studying a substance in rice. Funk believed the substance belonged to a group of chemicals known as amines (胺类). He added the Latin word “vita”, meaning life. So he called the substance a “vitamine”—an amine necessary for life.

Other studies found that not all vitamins were amines. So the name was shortened to vitamin. But Funk was correct in recognizing their importance.

Scientists have discovered 14 kinds of vitamins. They say vitamins help to carry out chemicals changes within cells. If we do not get enough of the vitamins, we are at risk of developing a number of diseases. This brings us back to James Lind of Scotland. In the 1740s, Lind was a doctor for the British Navy. He was investigating a problem that had existed in the Navy for many years.

The problem was the disease scurvy(坏血病). The sailors were weak from bleeding inside their bodies. Even the smallest wound would not heal. Doctor Lind thought the sailors were getting sick because they failed to eat some kinds of foods when they were at sea for many months.

Doctor Lind separated twelve sailors who had scurvy into two groups. He gave each group different foods to eat. One group got oranges and lemons. The other did not. The men who ate the fruit began to improve within seven days. The other men got weaker.

However, which foods should be eaten to keep us healthy? Let us look at some important vitamins for these answers.

1.Why was the name “vitamine” shortened to “vitamin”?

A. Because Funk was totally wrong.

B.Because few vitamins were amines.

C. Because there were new findings.

D. Because the latter was easy to remember.

2.The underlined word “This” in the fourth paragraph probably refers to that _______.

A. people tend to develop many diseases

B. lack of the vitamins causes disease

C. vitamins help chemical changes within cells

D. it is common for people to get no enough vitamins

3.Doctor Lind proved eating fruits can prevent scurvy by means of _______.

A. comparing B. analyzing C. surveying D. questioning

4.What is the main topic of the passage?

A. Food to keep us healthy.

B. The benefits of vitamins.

C. Research into scurvy.

D. Facts about vitamins.

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