| 阅读理解。 |
| "Hey, little buddy, will you support me when I'm getting old?" Han Wenshan, 35 years old, asked his new-born baby as he picked him up at home. The Chinese tradition of raising sons to support parents in their old age has been weakened by the rapidly growing economy and improved standard of living. As is the case with developed countries, China faces an aging society. People are living longer and having fewer children. Therefore many Chinese families are falling into a 4-2-1 family pattern: a couple raises one child and supports four elderly parents. But few realize this problem. The aging of the population is a trend that now affects a growing number of countries. Not long ago, the Information Office of the State Council, China's cabinet, issued a white paper on measures China is taking to help its elderly population. The paper said China's population entered the aging phrase at the end of the 20th century as the proportion of people aged 60 and above accounted for over 10 percent of the entire population. By the end of 2005, China had nearly 144 million people over 60, accounting for 11 percent of the population, according to the white paper. An expanding aged population inevitably means that many issues must be settled, as the problem concerns every aspect of society. It puts more pressure on each family, causing disturbing economic consequences and serious social problems. It also challenges the labor force supply and the pension (养老金) system. "I used to think that it's not an issue for me to provide for the aged." said Han, whose parents and parents-in-law all enjoy pensions and medical insurance. But last year Han's father suffered a serious illness and afterward Han began to feel the pressure on his shoulders. |
| 1. Which of the following is not caused by an aging society? |
| A. Unemployment B. The problem of the pension system C. Social problems. D. More pressure on the family. |
| 2. From the passage we can infer ___________. |
| A. many people haven't realized the problem of an aging society B. children will not support their parents in an aging society C. the aging problem is one of the concerns for the Chinese government D. China will encourage young couples to have more than one child |
| 3. Which of the following can be used to replace the underlined word "inevitably"? |
| A. Surprisingly. B. Naturally. C. Hopefully. D. Unluckily. |
| 4. From the passage we can see that ___________. |
| A. China is the only country to face an aging society B. most of the developing countries face an aging society C. countries with a large population face an aging society D. more and more developed countries face an aging society |