阅读理解

THE WORLD'S NEW FACES

    It will come as no surprise that the earth is going to be a much more crowded place in the next century. From global population of about 5.4 billion today, the United Nations Fund for Population Activities says we'll see a rise to 8.2 billion people in 2025. The U. N. expects total population to stabilize (稳定) at 11.6 billion sometime later in the 2000s. More than ninety percent of the population growth will occur in developing countries. Eighteen of the world's twenty largest cities will be in these lands as the number of urban dwellers (居民) swells (膨胀) from roughly two billion to 5.1 billion. The United States and Europe, which accounted for twenty-two percent of the world's population, will be home to less than nine percent of its people in 2025. By contrast (对照), Africa's share of the total will climb from nine percent in 1950 to nearly twenty percent by 2015. Ethiopia should double in size to almost 100 million people. In about the same time period, India will overtake China as the world's most-populous country.

　　 For the United States, the big news won't be an abundance (丰富，充裕) of new faces; experts predict (预言) the country will grow from its present 250 million population and stabilize at about 350 million sometime before the middle of the next century. The important changes will be in American ethnic (种族的) make-up. Twenty years from now, the United States' white, non-Hispanic (西班牙的) majority will peak (到达最高点) at 195 million, and then may decline in numbers. Asian-Americans will become an increasingly important minority, while African-Americans whose population growth rate is slowing dramatically will become the second largest minority behind Hispanics, a half-million of whom are now thought to be emigrating to the United States legally and otherwise, each year.

1.This article is primarily about ________

A. population growth in developing countries

B. population growth in developed countries

C. the reason why the world's population is changing

D. how the population is changing in different parts of the world

2. Which statement can be inferred from the first paragraph of this article?

A. China is the most populous country in the world today.

B. India is the most populous country in the world today.

C. Ethiopia will be the most populous country in the future.

D. In the future, China's population will grow faster than India's.

3. According to the article, how is the population of the United States going to change?

A. African-Americans will become the largest minority.

B. There will be more people from different ethnic background.

C. The number of white non-Hispanics will increase rapidly.

D. Asian-Americans will become the second largest minority.

4. The underlined word "overtake" in the second paragraph means_______

A. take the place of　　　　　　　　 B. pass by

C. catch up　　　　　　　　　　    D. take

5. Which of the following statements is true?

A. The population of the American whites will peak all the time.

B. The population of the American whites will decline all the time.

C. The population of the American whites will peak and then decline.

D. The population of the American whites will decline and then peak.

There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process．People have generally viewed personal growth as an external (外在的) result or a product that can easily be identified and measured．The worker who gets a rise, the student whose grades improve, the foreigner who learns a new language—all these examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts．

By contrast (对照) , the process of personal growth is much more difficult to determine, since it is a journey and not the specific signposts or landmarks along the way．The process is not the road itself, but the attitudes, feelings people have , and their caution or courage, as they meet with new experiences and unexpected difficulties．In this process, the journey never really ends；there are always new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept．

In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take risks, to face the unknown, and to accept the possibility that they may “fail” at first．How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being is necessary for our ability to grow．Do we see ourselves as quick and curious? If so, we tend to take more chances and be more open to unfamiliar experiences．Do we think we’re shy and indecisive? Then our sense of fear can cause us to hesitate, to move slowly, and we think we are slow to adapt (适应) change or that we’re not smart enough to deal with a new challenge．Then we are likely to take a more passive role or not try at all．

These feelings of insecurity (不安全) and self-doubt are both unavoidable and necessary if we are to change and grow．If we protect ourselves too much, then we stop growing．We become trapped inside a shell of our own making．

1．Which of the following can be viewed as the process of personal growing?

　 A．Our manager was always willing to accept new challenges．

　 B．Jane won the first prize in the speech competition．

　 C．Jerry picked up French during his stay in Paris．

　 D．Father’s salary rose from 5, 000 to 7,000．

2．For personal growth, the author is in favor of all the following EXCEPT _______．

　 A．being curious about more changes　　　

　 B．being quick in self-adaptation

　 C．having an open mind to new experiences

　 D．staying away from failures and challenges

3．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

　 A．It is not so easy to measure personal growth．

　 B．To try and fail on the new road facing the unknown is unavoidable．

　 C．There are only two ways to see a person’s growth．

　 D．If you are too shy to take any risks in life, you cannot grow up．

4．The best title for this passage should be ______．　

　 A．Facing New Challenges 　 B．Growth—Product or Process

　 C．Two Basic Ways of Growth D．Overcoming Internal Fears