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1、新世纪研究生英语听说学生用书(下)PARTBLESSONONEPassageonePopulationandResourcesThepopulationoftheworldhasbeenincreasingfasterandfaster.In10,000B.C.,therewereprobably10millionpeople.InA.D.1,therewere300million.Ittook1750yearsforthepopulationtoreach625million,alittlemorethandou
2、bletheA.D.1figure.In1990,therewere5.3billionpeople.Bytheyear2000,theworld'spopulationwasover6billion,andby2050,itisexpectedtoreach10billion.Doestheearthhaveenoughnaturalresourcestosupportthismanypeople?Differentscientistsgivedifferentanswerstothisquestion.Some
3、saythatthereareenoughresourcestosupportmorethan6billionpeople.However,therichestcountries,withasmallpercentageoftheworld'spopulation,usemostoftheresources.Iftheseresourcescouldbedistributedmoreequallyaroundtheworld,therewouldbeenoughforeveryone.Otherscientists
4、saythatwemustlimitpopulationgrowthbecauseourresourcesarelimited.Only10percentoftheearth'slandcanbeusedforfarmingandanother20percentforraisinganimals.Itispossibletoincreasetheamountoffarmland,butonlyalittle.Somelandindevelopingcountriescouldbemoreproductiveifpe
5、oplestartedusingmodernfarmingmethods,butthiswouldnotincreaseworldwideproductionbymuch.Weallknowthatthereisalimitedamountofpetroleum.Therearealsolimitstotheamountsofmetals.Thereisalimittotheamountofwaterwecanusesincemostoftheearth'swaterissaltwater,andmostofthe
6、freshwaterisfrozenattheNorthandSouthPoles.Itisdifficulttosayhowmanypeopletheearthcansupport,butitwillhelpeveryoneifwecanlimitpopulationgrowthbeforeseriousshortagesdevelop.Theproblemishowtodoit.PassageTwoTheMiddleEast'sWaterResourceCrisisFreshwater,lifeitself,h
7、asnevercomeeasyintheMiddleEast.EversincetheOldTestamentwhenGodpunishedmanwith40daysand40nightsofrain,watersuppliesherehavebeendwindling.Therainfallonlycomesinwinteranddrainsquicklythroughthesemiaridland,leavingthesoiltobakeandtothirstfornextNovember.Theregion'
8、sacceleratingpopulationgrowth,expandingagriculture,industrialization,andhigherlivingstandardsdemandmorefreshwater.Droughtandpollutionlimititsavailability.Warandmismanagementsquande
