英语口语考试素材

1、英语口语考试素材 raising the retirement age china has decided to raise the retirement age, although a timetable is yet to come out. senior government officials have made it clear that the reform is set to be launched to fill the pension repayment gap. according to scholarly estimates, the gap could be more

2、than 2 trillion yuan ($328 billion). as china becomes increasingly aging in 2012, the size of chinas working population, or those from 15 to 59 years old, dropped for the first time by 3.45 million from a year earlier the problem would only worsen. if the retirement age were extended by one year, th

3、e gap can be reduced by 20 billion yuan, experts estimate, thus prompting policymakers to consider the adoption of the extension policy. relevant discussions started in 2004 and intensified since last year. those who support the new policy said it is a must; otherwise chinas pension repayment system

4、 would become bankrupt. opponents said it would only bring about new problems; for example, they argued, those experienced elderly workers would grab the opportunities that would otherwise be available for young workers. experts also said that the state can use the profits of state-owned enterprises

5、 to help fill the gap. other options include allowing the state pension fund to invest in the profitable state enterprises to have access to stable returns. moreover, the proposed new policy has also aroused anger among some people as currently, government officials and public servants do not need t

6、o pay for the pension scheme, but their post-retirement pension benefits are generally much more than ordinary workers. reform of such an unfair pension system, therefore, should precede retirement age extension policy, they said. during the third plenary session of the standing committee of the com

7、munist party of china in december, policymakers decided to study and devise the policy of retirement age extension in a gradualist manner, a sign that the policy is set to be launched in the coming years. facing the reactions from the people, china must balance the interests of various parties and d

8、evise a policy that has the least repercussions on society. one-child population policy in november 2013, the government announced that it would loosen decades-long one-child population policy, allowing couples to have two children if one of them is an only child. the change of policy is of great im

9、portance and a practical step toward balanced population development in china. the one-child policy was introduced in the late 1970s to rein in the surging population by limiting most urban couples to one child. the policy was later relaxed and if both parents were only children they could have a se

10、cond child regardless. with the one-child policy, authorities believed they had set the stage for an economic boom and social advancement, and there is no doubt that the policy has been very effective in that respect. statistics from the national health and family planning commission (nhfpc) contend

11、 that chinas population (1.34 billion) would be 400 million higher were it not for the policy. the latest change comes as chinese society ages and the growing burden of social pensions poses great challenges to society as a whole. the falling birthrate that resulted, however, has thrown the growth o

12、f the aging population into sharp focus and led to shrinkage of the working-age population. chinas sixth national census in 2010 showed a fertility rate between 1.5 and 1.6, almost the same as some developed countries which are now plagued by aging populations. chinas peak population should be about

13、 1.5 billion with a birthrate around 1.8. in addition, the labor force (940 million) decreased by 3.45 million in 2012, the first absolute decrease, and is expected to decrease by about 29 million by the end of the decade. the elderly population meanwhile, keeps on growing with those aged 60 and ove

14、r numbering nearly 200 million, 14.3 percent of the total, far ahead of the international norm of 10 percent. the figure is forecast to exceed one third of the population by 2050. anti-graft campaign china has stepped up its anti-graft campaign since last year, charging more senior-level officials w

15、ith corruption while initiating an overhaul of the countrys anti-corruption systems. the party vowed to fight both “tigers” and “flies” - meaning high-flying politicians and lowly bureaucrats - in its anti-graft drive at the 18th communist party of china national congress in late 2012. later, it str

16、essed the idea of “systematic anti-corruption” at the two sessions in march 2013. since the 18th cpc national congress in 2013, more than 20 ministerial-level officials have been investigated as of feb 28, including government chiefs and heads of state-owned conglomerates. most of investigations cam

17、e after the 2013 two sessions. the campaign targeted top officials of the security bureau, the national oil company and other previously untouchable power centers. according to the central commission for discipline and inspection, the partys watchdog, 182,000 officials were punished for disciplinary

18、 violations in 2013, an increase of more than 20,000 over 2012, and of nearly 40,000 over 2011. thousands of officials have been disciplined for extravagances such as hosting lavish banquets, weddings and funerals, spending public funds inappropriately on travel, the improper use of government vehicles and the constructing luxurious government buildings. the authorities have become more open to fighting corruption. the change in mindset has facilitated public supervision by establishing internet channels to report