人口应该遏制 Population to Be Curbed

　　Population to Be Curbed (A)

　　Nothing in todays world is as big a problem as that of population. People begin to worry about the support capacity of the earth. And there might be only standing room for each person in the future.

　　Limas population was 5. 7 million in 1985 but it grew to 9. 1 million in 2000. Tianjins was 7.9 million in 1985. In 2000, it boosted to 9. 7 million. Such cities as London, Osaka, Moscow, Beijing, Karachi, Delhi, Jakarta, Seoul, and Teheran are having a similar population growth. Calcutta, Shanghai, New York, and Sto Paulo see a faster population explosion. Tokyo had 18.8 million in 1985. In 2000 it turned into 20.2 million. Mexico city had 17.3 million people in 1985, but in 2000, its population reached 25.8 million! What does the population growth mean? It means greater and greater consumption and greater pressure for the earth. If more people are added to the world population without our being alert or taking any action, we would have only standing room by the end of the 21st century.

　　Each government and the UN should see that population of each country and each city stops growing for the next fifty years. Sample for Band 6

　　Population to Be Curbed (B)

　　Everything grows in modern times, and it seems that nothing grows as quickly as population. Population keeps growing, and grows rapidly, firstly because peoples living standards keep going up, with better houses, better clothing, better food, secondly because people know how to preserve themselves so as to live longer, and thirdlybecause they have modern medicine and medical care to ensure that usual diseases can be easily cured. There is another cause for the growth of population. Few countries or governments have realised the importance of family planning. On the contrary, some encourage child-birth.

　　Here are some examples of population growth from 1985 to 2000 (as anticipated).

　　Lima had 5.7 million people in 1985 but there were 9.1 million by 2000. Tianjin used to have 7. 9 million in 1985. By 2000 its population reached 9. 7 million. Such cities as London, Osaka, Moscow, Beijing, Karachi, Delhi, Jakarta, Seoul, and Teheran are having a similar population growth. We would not be shocked if all other cities have this rate. But some cities, like Calcutta, Shanghai, New York, and Sto Paulo boost their population even more quickly than the above-mentioned cities. Tokyo had 18.8 million in 1985. The year 2000 found 20.2 million Tokyo citizens. Mexico city had 17.3 million people in 1985, but as population specialists had predicted, that reached 25.8 million in 2000 !

　　The population problem is a universal concern nowadays. Any government is a failure if it does nothing about its population growth.