We can begin our discussion of “population as a global issue” with what most person mean when they discuss “ the population problem”: too many people on earth and a too rapid increase in the number added each year. The facts are not in dispute. It was quite right to employ a similar matter that linked demographic(人口统计学）growth to “ a long, thin power fuse that burns steadily from time to time until it finally reaches the limit, and explodes”.

To understand the current situation, which is characterized by rapid increases in population, it is necessary to understand the history of population trends. Rapid growth is a comparatively recent phenomenon. Looking back at the 8,000 years of demographic history. We find that population have been really stable or growing very slightly for most of human history. For most of our ancestors, life was hard, often nasty, and very short. For most of human history, it was seldom the case that one in ten persons would live past forty, where infancy and childhood were especially risky periods. Often, societies were in clear danger of extinction because death rates could exceed their birth rates. Thus, the population problem throughout most of history was how to prevent extinction of the human race.

This pattern is important to know. Not only does it put the current problems of demographic growth into a historical perspective, but it suggests that the cause of rapid increase in population in recent years is not a sudden enthusiasm for more children, but an improvement in the conditions that traditionally have caused high rate of death.

Demographic history can be divided into two major periods: a time of long, slow growth which extended from about 8000B.C. till approximately 1650 A.D. And a period of rapid growth since 1650. In the first period of some 9,600 years, the population increased form some 8 million to 500 million in 1650. Between 1650 and the present, the population has increased from 500 million to more than 4 billion. And it is estimated that by the year 2020 there will be 8 billion people throughout the world. One way to appreciate this dramatic difference in such abstract numbers is to reduce the time frame to something that is more manageable. Between 8000B.C. and 1650, an average of only 50,000 persons was being added annually to the world’s population each year. At present, this number is added very six hours. The increase is about 80,000,000 persons annually.

1.According to the passage, “population as a global issue” ____.

A. is quite unlike the population problem and thus doesn’t need our concern

B. focuses on tracking down the reason of rapid population growth

C. deals with the same problem aroused by the population problem

D. will manage the population growth problem from global perspectives

2.It can be inferred from the example of a power fuse that _____.

A. too much population will one day lead to the doom of human beings

B. the trend of population growth will keep unsteady until the destruction of Earth

C. demographic growth will follow a certain pattern of ups and downs

D. it is likely in the near future that population will reduce gradually

3.What leads to a stable growth of population for most of human history?

A. Species competition??? B. Low fertility???? C. Tribal fights? D. High rate of death

4.The reason for a rapid growth of population lies in the fact that ______.

A. people are permitted to have more children???

B. people can live better than before

C. newborn babies die less than before??????????

D. we have found the secret of longevity

5.How many people are born every six hours at present, according to the author?

A. Eighty million.?? B. Eight thousand?

C. Fifty thousand?? D. Five million

  Can you imagine a stranger will read your e-mails without your permission or scan the website you’ve visited or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phones bills? All of the things may happen to you one day.

   In fact, it’s likely that some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen or even do something that may bring a disaster to you.

   Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, and that it’s important to reveal to friends, family and lovers at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain nowadays. The digital bread crumbs you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to know who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can leak the deepest thought in your mind. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.

The key question is: Does that matter? For many Americans, the answer apparently is “No”.

When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most of them say they are really concerned about losing it. And 60 percent of the respondents say they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me”.

But people say one thing and do another. Only a small of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths(收费站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that track automobile movements. Privacy economist Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will give up personal information such as telephone number, address, or social security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cent-off coupon(优惠券). But privacy does matter—at least sometimes. It’s like health; when you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it. Without privacy, one will be naked in front of others.

What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?

A. Friends should open their hearts to each other.

B. Friends should always be faithful to each other.

C. There should be a distance even between friends.

D. There should be fewer quarrels between friends.

Why does the author say “we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret”?

A. Modern society has finally developed into an open society.

B. People leave traces around when using modern technology.

C. There are always people who are curious about others’ affairs.

D. Many search engines profit by revealing people’s identities.

What should be the best title for the text?

A. No Privacy, No Health

B. Treasure Your Privacy

C. Boundaries are Important between Friends

D. The information Age Has Its Own Shortcomings

  Can you imagine a stranger will read your e-mails without your permission or scan the website you’ve visited or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phones bills? All of the things may happen to you one day.
In fact, it’s likely that some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen or even do something that may bring a disaster to you.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, and that it’s important to reveal to friends, family and lovers at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain nowadays. The digital bread crumbs you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to know who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can leak the deepest thought in your mind. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
The key question is: Does that matter? For many Americans, the answer apparently is “No”.
When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most of them say they are really concerned about losing it. And 60 percent of the respondents say they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me”.
But people say one thing and do another. Only a small of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths(收费站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that track automobile movements. Privacy economist Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will give up personal information such as telephone number, address, or social security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cent-off coupon(优惠券). But privacy does matter—at least sometimes. It’s like health; when you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it. Without privacy, one will be naked in front of others.
【小题1】What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?

  Can you imagine a stranger will read your e-mails without your permission or scan the website you’ve visited or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phones bills? All of the things may happen to you one day.

In fact, it’s likely that some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen or even do something that may bring a disaster to you.

Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, and that it’s important to reveal to friends, family and lovers at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain nowadays. The digital bread crumbs you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to know who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can leak the deepest thought in your mind. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.

The key question is: Does that matter? For many Americans, the answer apparently is “No”.

When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most of them say they are really concerned about losing it. And 60 percent of the respondents say they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me”.

But people say one thing and do another. Only a small of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths(收费站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that track automobile movements. Privacy economist Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will give up personal information such as telephone number, address, or social security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cent-off coupon(优惠券). But privacy does matter—at least sometimes. It’s like health; when you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it. Without privacy, one will be naked in front of others.

1.What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?

2.Why does the author say “we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret”?

3.What should be the best title for the text?

Can you imagine a stranger will read your e-mails without your permission or scan the website you’ve visited or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills? All of the things may happen to you one day．

       In fact, it’s likely that some of these things have already happened to you．Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal．Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen or even do something that may bring a disaster to you．

       Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, and that it’s important to reveal to friends, family and lovers at appropriate times．But few boundaries remain nowadays．The digital bread crumbs（碎屑）you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to know who you are, where you are and what you like．In some cases, a simple Google search can leak the deepest thought in your mind．Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret．

The key question is: Does that matter? For many Americans, the answer apparently is “no”．

       When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most of them say they are really concerned about losing it．And 60 percent of the respondents say they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me”．

       But people say one thing and do another．Only a small of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy．Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths（收费站）to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements．Privacy economist Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will give up personal information such as telephone number, address, or social security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon（优惠券）．But privacy does matter—at least sometimes．It’s like health; when you have it, you don’t notice it．Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it．Without privacy, one will be naked in front of others．

1．What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?

       A．Friends should open their hearts to each other．

       B．Friends should always be faithful to each other．

       C．There should be a distance even between friends．

       D．There should be fewer quarrels between friends．

2．Why does the author say “we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret”?

       A．Modern society has finally developed into an open society．

       B．People leave traces around when using modern technology．

       C．There are always people who are curious about others’ affairs．

       D．Many search engines profit by revealing people’s identities．

3．What do most Americans do about privacy protection?

       A．They change behavior that might disclose their identity．

       B．People turn down a discount at tollbooths to avoid using the EZ-Pass system．

       C．They rely more and more on advanced technology．

       D．They talk a lot but hardly do anything about it．

4．According to the passage, privacy is like health in that               ．

       A．people will make every effort to keep it  

       B．its importance is hardly understood

       C．It is something that can easily be lost

       D．people don’t value it until they lose it

5．What would be the best title for the passage?

       A．No privacy, no health．

       B．Treasure your privacy．

       C．Boundaries are important between friends．

       D．The information age has its own shortcomings．