清华英语阅读理解

清华大学考研辅导强化班课程

《英语阅读理解》

清华大学外语学院吴霞主讲

PartI英语阅读考试简介

1.《大纲》要求

2.形式

5篇文章，各500字左右，后附4小题，共20小题，40分

PartII文章体裁

1.结论说明型

Passage1

Sciencehaslonghadanuneasyrelationshipwithotheraspectsofculture.Think

ofGalileo,s17th-centurytrialforhisrebellingbeliefbeforetheCatholicChurch

orpoetWilliamBlake'sharshremarksagainstthemechanisticworldviewofIsaac

Newton.Theschismbetweenscienceandthehumanitieshas,ifanything,deepened

inthiscentury.

Untilrecently,thescientificcommunitywassopowerfulthatitcouldaffordto

ignoreitscritics-butnolonger.Asfundingforsciencehasdeclined,scientists

haveattacked"anti-science"inseveralbooks,notablyhighersuperstition,byPaul

R.Gross,abiologistattheUniversityofVirginia,andNormanLeavitt,a

mathematicianatRutgersUniversity;andThedemon-Hauntedworld,byCarlSaganof

CornellUniversity.

Defendersofsciencehavealsovoicedtheirconcernsatmeetingsuchas"TheFlight

fromScienceandReason,“heldinNewYorkCityin1995,and"ScienceintheAge

of(Mis)information,z/whichassembledlastJunenearbuffalo.

Anti-scienceclearlymeansdifferentthingstodifferentpeople.GrossandLeavitt

findfaultprimarilywithsociologists,philosophersandotheracademicswhohave

questionedscience，sobjectivity.Saganismoreconcernedwiththosewhobelieve

inghosts,creationismandotherphenomenathatcontradictthescientificworldview.

Asurveyofnewsstoriesin1996revealsthattheanti-sciencetaghasbeenattached

tomanyothergroupsaswell,fromauthoritieswhoadvocatedtheeliminationofthe

lastremainingstocksofsmallpoxvirustoRepublicanswhoadvocateddecreased

fundingforbasicresearch.

FewwoulddisputethatthetermappliestotheUnabomber,whosemanifesto,published

in1995,scornsscienceandlongsforreturntoapre-technologicalutopia.But

surelythatdoesnotmeanenvironmentalistsconcernedaboutuncontrolledindustrial

growthareanti-science,asanessayinUSNews&WorldReportlastMayseemedto

suggest.

Theenvironmentalists,inevitably,respondtosuchcritics.Thetrueenemiesof

science,arguesPaulErichofStanfordUniversity,apioneerofenvironmental

studies,arethosewhoquestiontheevidencesupportingglobalwarming,the

depletionoftheozonelayerandotherconsequencesofindustrialgrowth.

Indeed,someobserversfearthattheanti-scienceepithetisindangerofbecoming

meaningless."ThetermJanti-science'canlumptogethertoomany,quitedifferent

things,，znotesHarvardUniversityphilosopherGoralsHoltoninhis1993workScience

andAntiScience.〃Theyhaveincommononlyonethingthattendtoannoyorthreaten

thosewhoregardthemselvesasmoreenlightened.z/

2.新老观点型

Passage2

FewpeoplewoulddefendtheVictorianattitudetochildrenbutifyouwereaparent

inthosedays,atleastyouknewwhereyoustood;chiIdrenweretobeseenandnot

heard.Freudandcompanydidawaywithal1thatandparentshavebeenbewildered

eversince.Thechild，shappinessisall-important,thepsychologistssay,butwhat

abouttheparents*happiness?Parentssufferconstantlyfromfearandguiltwhile

theirchildrengailyrompaboutpullingtheplaceapart.Agoodold-fashioned

spankingisoutofthequestion:nomodernchild-rearingmanualwouldpermitsuch

barbarity.Thetroubleisyouarenotallowedeventoshout.Whoknowswhatdeep

psychologicalwoundsyoumightinflict.ThepoorchiIdmayneverrecoverfromthe

dreadfultraumaticexperience.Soitisthatparentsbendoverbackwardstoavoid

givingtheirchildrencomplexwhichahundredyearsagohadn，tevenbeenheardof.

Certainlyachildneedslove,andalotofit.Buttheexcessivepermissivenessof

modernparentsissurelydoingmoreharmthangood.Psychologistshavesucceeded

inunderminingparents'confidenceintheirownauthority.Andithasn，ttaken

childrenlongtogetwindofthefact.Inadditiontothegreatmodernclassicson

childcare,therearecountlessarticlesinmagazinesandnewspapers.Withsomuch

unsolicitedadviceflyingabout,mumanddadjustdon，tknowwhattodoanymore.

Intheend,theydonothingatall.So,fromearlychildhood,thekidsareincharge

andparents，livesareregulatedaccordingtotheneedsoftheiroffspring.When

thelittledearsdevelopintoteenagers,theytakecompletecontrol.Laxauthority

overtheyearsmakesadolescentrebellionagainstparentsal1themoreviolent.If

theyoungpeoplearegoingtohaveaparty,forinstance,parentsareaskedtoleave

thehouse.Theirpresencemerelyspoilsthefun.Whatelsecanthepoorparentsdo

butobey?

Childrenarehardycreatures(farhardierthatthepsychologistswouldhaveus

believe)andmostofthemsurvivetheharmfulinfluenceofextremepermissiveness

whichisthenormalconditioninthemodernhousehold.Butagreatmanydonot.The

spreadofjuveniledelinquencyinourownageislargelyduetoparentallaxity.

Mother,believingthatlittleJohnnycanlookafterhimself,isnotathomewhen

hereturnsfromschool,solittleJohnnyroamsthestreets.Thedividing-line

betweenpermissivenessandsheernegligenceisveryfineindeed.

Thepsychologistshavemuchtoanswerfor.Theyshouldkeeptheirmouthsshutand

letparentgetonwiththejob.Andifchildrenareknockedaboutalittlebitin

theprocess,itmaynotreallymattertoomuch.Atleastthiswillhelpthemtodevelop

vigorousviewsoftheirownandgivethemsomethingpositivetoreactagainst.

Perhapsthere*ssometruthintheideathatchildrenwho'vehadasurfeitofhappiness

intheirchild-hoodemergelikestodgypuddingsandfailtomakeasuccessoflife.

3.问题解答型

Passage3

Weallknowthatthenormalhumandailycycleofactivityisofsome7-8hours'sleep

alternatingwithsome16-17hours，wakefulnessandthat,broadlyspeaking,thesleep

normallycoincideswithhoursofdarkness.Ourpresentconcerniswithhoweasily

andtowhatextentthiscyclecanbemodified.

Thequestionisnomereacademicone.Theease,forexample,withwhichpeoplecan

changefromworkinginthedaytoworkingatnightisaquestionofgrowingimportance

inindustrywhereautomationcallsforround-the-clockworkingofmachines.It

normallytakesfromfivedaystooneweekforapersontoadapttoareversedroutine

ofsleepandwakefulness,sleepingduringthedayandworkingatnight.Unfortunately,

itisoftenthecaseinindustrythatshiftsarechangedevenweek;apersonmay

workfrom12midnight8a.m.oneweek,8a.m.to4p.m.thenext,and4p.m.to

12midnightthethirdandsoon.Thismeansthatnosoonerhashegotusedtoone

routinethanhehastochangetoanother,sothatmuchofhistimeisspentneither

workingnorsleepingveryefficiently.

Theonlyrealsolutionappearstobetohandoverthenightshifttoanumberof

permanentnightworkers.Aninterestingstudyofthedomesticlifeandhealthof

night-shiftworkerswascarriedoutbyBrownin1957.Shefoundahighincidence

ofdisturbedsleepandotherdisordersamongthoseonalternatingdayandnight

shifts,butnoabnormaloccurrenceofthesephenomenaamongthoseonpermanentnight

work….

Thislattersystemthenappearstobethebestlong-termpolicy,butmeanwhile

somethingmaybedonetorelievethestrainsofalternatedaynightworkbyselecting

thosepeoplewhocanadaptmostquicklytothechangesofroutine.Onewayofknowing

whenapersonhasadaptedisbymeasuringhisbodytemperature,peopleengagedin

normaldaytimeworkwillhaveahightemperatureduringthehoursofwakefulness

andalowoneatnight;whentheychangetonightworkthepatternwillonlygradually

gobacktomatchthenewroutineandthespeedwithwhichitdoessoparallels,broadly

speaking,theadaptationofthebodyasawhole,particularlyintermsofwakefulness

itcanbeseenhowquicklyapersoncanareversedroutine,andthiscouldbeused

asareversedroutine,andthiscouldbeusedasabasisforselection.Sofar,however,

suchaformofselectiondoesnotseemtohavebeenappliedinpractice.

4.现象解释型

Passage4

Bloodvesselsrunningallthroughthelungscarrybloodtoeachairsac,oralveolus,

andthenbackagaintotheheart.Onlythethinwalloftheairsacandthethin

wallofacapillaryarebetweentheairandtheblood.Sooxygeneasilydiffuses

fromtheairsacsthroughthewallsintotheblood,whilecarbondioxidediffuses

fromthebloodthroughthewallsintotheairsacs.

Whenbloodissenttothelungsbytheheart,ithascomebackfromthecellsin

therestofthebody.Sothebloodthatgoesintothewallofanairsaccontains

muchdissolvedcarbondioxidebutverylittleoxygen.Atthesametime,theairthat

goesintotheairsaccontainsmuchoxygenbutverylittlecarbondioxide.Youhave

learnedthatdissolvedmaterialsalwaysdiffusefromwheretherearemoreofthem

towherethereisless.Oxygenfromtheairdissolvesinthemoistureonthelining

oftheairsacanddiffusesthroughtheliningintotheblood.Meanwhile,carbon

dioxidediffusesfromthebloodintotheairsac.Thebloodthenflowsfromthelunge

backtotheheart,whichsendsitouttoallotherpartsofthebody.

Soonafterairgoesintoanairsac,itgivesupsomeofitsoxygenandtakesin

somecarbondioxidefromtheblood.Tokeepdiffusiongoingasitshould,thiscarbon

dioxidemustbegottenridof.Breathing,Whichiscausedbymovementsofthechest,

forcestheusedairoutoftheairsacsinyourlungsandbringsinfreshair.The

breathingmusclesarecontrolledautomaticallysothatyoubreatheattheproper

ratetokeepyourairsacssuppliedwithfreshair.Ordinarily,youbreatheabout

twenty-twotimesaminute.Ofcourse,youbreathefasterwhenyouareexercising

andslowerwhenyouareresting.Freshairisbroughtintoyourlungswhenyouare

exercisingandslowerwhenyouareresting.Freshairisbroughtintoyourlungs

whenyoubreathein,orinhale,whileusedairisforcedoutofyourlungswhenyou

breatheout,orexhale.

Somepeoplethinkthatalltheoxygenistakenoutoftheairinthelungsandthat

whatwebreatheoutispurecarbondioxide.Buttheseideasarenotcorrect.Air

isamixtureofgasesthatismostlynitrogen.Thisgasisnotusedinthebody.

Sotheamountofnitrogendoesnotchangeasairisbreathedinandout.Butwhile

airisinthelungs,itischangedinthreeways;(1)aboutone-fifthoftheoxygen

intheairgoesintotheblood.(2)Analmostequalamountofcarbondioxidecomes

outofthebloodintotheair.(3)Moisturefromtheliningsoftheairpassages

andairsacsevaporatesuntiltheairisalmostsaturated.

PartIII影响阅读的因素

1.词汇

利用上下文猜测词义

1)Definition

a.Allotherbirthdaysarecalledsingil.Thesixty-firstbirthdayiscalledhuan

gup.

b.Theharborisprotectedbyajettyawallbuiltoutintothewater.

c.Janeisindecisiveythatis,shecan'tmakeuphermind.

2)Restatement

a.Hehadawanlook.Hewassopaleandweakthatwethoughthewasill.

b.Carbonmonoxide(CO)isanoxiousgaswhichcancausedeath.

c.Iamaresoluteman.OnceIsetupagoal,Iwon'tgiveitupeasily.

3)Generalknowledge

a.ThedoorwassolowthatIhitmyheadonthelintel.

b.Markgotonthemotorbike,Isatbehindhimonthepillion,andweroaredoff

intothenight.

c.Wehavefoundthatnooneinthefreshmanclasscanadd,multiply,subtractor

dividesimplesums.Therefore,wearesettingupaspecialremedialarithmetic

course,…〃

4)Relatedinformation

a.”Shewenttoschoolfor12yearsandshecan，twriteasentence?〃Timkensaid.

“TheymadeanUliterateoutofmydaughter!

b.Timkenwasnowangry*.Onceagainheflewintoarage.

c.JustbeforetheexamCarTshandsshookandsweatedsomuchthathecouldnot

holdapen.Uisheartbeatfastandhisstomachached,eventhoughheknewthesubject

verywell.Hereallyhadastrangephobiaabouttakingtests.

5)Examples

a.Selectanyoftheseperiodicals:TimeMagazine,Newsweek,Reader,sDigestorThe

NewYorker.(Fromtheexamples,youcaneasilyfigureoutthemeaningoftheword

〃Periodicals^.)

b.Sheisstudyingglaucomaandotherdiseasesoftheeye.(Thissentencedoesnot

tellyouexactlywhat"glaucoma"means,butitdoestellyouthat"glaucoma"isa

kindofeyedisease.)

c.Theyhadbeenputtinginplacethetoolsofmynewbusiness:currycomb,brush,

pitchpork--everything***,(fromtheclue〃mynewbusiness"aswel1asthewordpart

〃-comb“youmightfigureoutthat"currycomb“mostprobablymeans“atoolusedto

combahorse”.)

6)Comparison

a.Thesnowwasfalling.Bigflakesdriftedwiththewind1ikefeathers.

b.Thehot-airballoontookoff.Itwasasbuoyantintheairasacorkinwater.

7)Contrast

a.JanewastalkingwithotherswhileElizaremainedreticentallthetime

b.Mostofusagreed;however,Billdissented.

c.Peterwasnotfrugalsincehespentmoneysofreely.

利用构词法猜测词义

PrefixesMeaningExample

over-"toanexcessivedegree〃overload

under-"notenough,notsufficiently"〃〃曲ziestimate

non-〃not"verbal

sub-underorbeneath"subtitle

pre-〃before“preschool

post-"after"postbox

co-"withortogether,'ccr-worker

ex-"former"ex-president

bi-〃twoortwice"bicycle

in-,il-,im-,ir-"not”Yznpatient,//regular,illegal,inactive

mis-"bad(ly)orwrong(ly)〃/nisact,misaddress

un-"notunaccountable

re-"again〃or"back"readdressreadmit

dis-〃not〃disagree,dishonest

Suffixes

Verbsuffixes:

-fypure-puri/y

-izemodern-modernYze

-enshorten,sharpen,balcken

Adjectivesuffixes:

-ishsheep-sheep/s力

-1ikecat-cat7/Ae

-sometrouble-troublesome

-worthypraise-praise^r^Ay

-iveact-active

-lyday-daily,week-weekly

-fulwonder-wonder/i/7

-lesspenny-penniless

-an,-ianAmerica-American,Venus-Venus7a/7

-ywind-wind%snow-snowy

-ic(al)history-historic(al)

-able,-ibleeat-eat5We,move-movable,divide-divisjZ?7e

Nounsuffixes:

-hoodneighbor-neighbor/?。。"child-chiIdAwtf

-shipfriend-friends力Ip,hard-hards/?7/?

-domtree-freedom,king-king而加

-alremove-remora/,arrive-arrivaJ

-agepost-postage

-anceassist-assistance

-encediffer-difference

-mentamaze-amazement

-ion,-ationsuggest-suggestion,organize-organizaniza^jon

-nesskind-kind〃ess

-ityfeasible-feasibility

-ydifficult-difficulty

-or,-eract-actor,lead-leader

分解复合词

bookworm,highland,stem-cell,eastbound

2.句子

1)Tosaythatthechildlearnsbyimitationandthatthewaytoteachistoset

agoodexampleoversimplifies.

2)Peopleengagedinnormaldaytimeworkwi11haveahightemperatureduringthe

hoursofwakefulnessandalowoneatnight;whentheychangetonightworkthepattern

willonlygraduallygobacktomatchthenewroutineandthespeedwithwhichit

doessoparallels,broadlyspeaking,theadaptationofthebodyasawhole,

particularlyintermsofperformance.

3)TheAmericanbabyboomafterwarmadeunconvincingU.S.advicetopoorcountries

thattheyrestraintheirbirths.

4)Theexecutivewhoholdsitisneverconsultedonmajorstrategicdecisionsand

hasnochancetomoveuptoChiefExecutiveOfficer(CEO).

5)Interestingly,though,theriseoftheunattractiveovernightsuccesseswas

attributedmoretopersonalrelationshipsandlesstoabilitythanwasthatof

attractiveovernightsuccesses.

6)Justastheappearanceoftheautomobilemadetheuseofthehorse-drawncarriage

illegalandthenimpractical,andtheappearanceoftelevisionchangedtheradio

fromasourceofentertainmenttoasourceofbackgroundmusic,somostofthefruits

ofeconomicgrowthdidnotincreasetheoptionsavailabletothehomeeconomyto

eitherproducethegoodsorservicesorpurchasetheminthemarket.

3.速度

1)Readinthoughtgroups

a.Thelittleboy,Johnnie,hadbeenupwithapacketofmints,andsaidhewouldn,

tgoouttoplayuntiltheposthadcome.

Thelittleboy,Johnnie,

hadbeenupwith

apacketofmints,

andsaid

hewouldnftgoouttoplay

untiltheposthadcome.

b.Fromthesecondfloorflatshecouldseethepostmanwhenhecamedownthestreet,

andthelittleboyfromthegroundfloorbroughtupherlettersontherareoccasions

whenanythingcame.

Fromthesecondfloorflat

shecouldseethepostman

whenhecamedownthestreet,

andthelittleboyfromthegroundfloor

broughtupherletters

ontherareoccasions

whenanythingcame.

2)Skimming

Passage5

Thereisasenselessnotionthatchildrengrowupandleavehomewhenthey're18,

andthetruthisfarfromthat,z，sayssociologistLarryBumpassoftheUniversity

ofWisconsin.Today,unexpectednumbersofyoungadultsarelivingwiththeirparents.

〃Thereisamajorshiftinthemiddleclass,〃declaressociologistAllanSchaumburg

ofNorthwesternUniversityfwhoseson,19,movedbackinafteranabsenceofeight

months.

Analystsciteavarietyofreasonsforthisreturntothenest.Themarriageage

isrising,aconditionthatmakeshomeanditspleasantnessparticularlyattractive

toyoungpeople.Ahighdivorcerateandadecliningremarriageratearesending

economicallypressedandemotionallyhurtsurvivorsbacktoparentalshelters.For

some,theexpenseofanaway-from-homecollegeeducationhasbecomesoexcessively

greatthatmanystudentsnowattendlocalschools.Evenaftergraduation,young

peoplefindtheirwingsclippedbyskyrocketinghousingcosts.

Livingathome,saysKingston,aschoolteacher,continuestogivehersecurityand

moralsupport.Hermotheragreed,〃It'sridiculousforthekidstopayallthatmoney

forrent.Itmakessenseforkidstokidstostayathome.〃Butsharingthefamily

homerequiresadjustmentsforall.Therearethehasslesoverbathrooms,telephone

andprivacy.Somefamilies,however,managethedelicatebalancingact.Butfor

others,itprovestoodifficult.MichelleDelTurbo,24,hasbeenhomethreetimes

andleftthreetimes."WhatIconsideredasocialdrink,mydadconsideredanalcohol

problem,“sheexplains."HeneverlikedanyoneIdated,soIeitherhadtohideaway

ormeetthematfriendsfhouses,“

JusthowlongshouldadultchiIdren1ivewiththeirparentsbeforemovingon?Most

psychologistsfeellengthyhomecomingsareamistake.Children,strugglingto

establishseparateidentities,canendupwith"asenseofinadequacy,defeatand

failure.Andagingparents,whoshouldbeenjoyingsomefinancialandpersonal

freedom,findthemselvesstuckwithresponsibilities.Manyagreethatbriefvisits,

however,canworkbeneficially.

1.TherewasapparentlyatrendintheU.S

A.Foryoungadultstoleavetheirparentsandliveindependently

B.Formiddleclassyoungadultstostaywiththeirparents

C.Formarriedyoungadultstomovebackhomeafteralengthyabsence

D.Foryoungadultstogetjobsnearbyinordertolivewiththeirparents

2.whichofthefollowingdoesnotaccountforyoungadultsreturningtothenest?

A.Yongadultsfindhousingcoststoohigh.

B.Yongadultsarepsychologicallyandintellectuallyimmature.

C.Yongadultsseekparentalcomfortandmoralsupport.

D.Quiteanumberofyoungadultsattendlocalschools.

3.oneofthedisadvantagesofyoungadultsreturningtostaywiththeirparents

isthat

A.Therewillinevitablybeinconveniencesineverydaylife

B.Theparentshavetospendmoremoneykeepingabiggerfamilygoing

C.Theyoungadultstendtobeoverprotectedbytheirparents

D.Publicopinionisagainstyoungadultsstayingwiththeirparents

4.Theword"hassles〃inthepassage(Line4,Para.3)probablymeans

A.agreements

B.worries

C.disadvantages

D.quarrels

5.Accordingtothepassagewhatisthebestforbothparentsandchildren?

A.Theyshouldadjustthemselvestosharingthefamilyexpenses.

B.Childrenshouldleavetheirparentswhentheyaregrown-up.

C.Adultchildrenshouldvisittheirparentsfromtimetotime.

D.Parentsshouldsupporttheiradultchildrenwhentheyareintrouble.

3)Scanning

Passage6

Tosaythatthechildlearnsbyimitationandthatthewaytoteachistosetagood

exampleoversimplifies.Nochildimitateseveryactionhesees.Sometimes,the

exampletheparentwantshimtofollowisignoredwhilehetakesovercontrary

patternsfromsomeotherexample.Thereforewemustturntoamoresubtletheory

than“Monkeysee,monkeydo.〃

Lookatitfromthechild'spointofview.Hereheisinanewsituation,lacking

areadyresponse.Heisseekingaresponsewhichwillgaincertainends.Ifhelacks

areadyresponseforthesituation,andcannotreasonoutwhattodo,heobserves

amodelwhoseemsabletogettherightresult.Thechildlooksforanauthority

orexpertwhocanshowwhattodo.

Thereisasecondelementatworkinthissituation.Thechildmaybeabletoattain

hisimmediategoalonlytofindthathouseachieveshismethodbringscriticismfrom

peoplewhoobservehim.Whenshoutingacrossthehouseachieveshisimmediateend

ofdeliveringamessage,heistoldemphaticallythatsucharacket(叫嚷)is

unpleasant,thatheshouldwalkintothenextroomandsayhissayquietly.Thus,

thedesiretosolveanyobjectivesituationisoverlaidwiththedesiretosolve

itproperly.Oneoftheearlythingsthechildlearnsisthathegetsmoreaffection

andapprovalwhenhisparents1ikehisresponse.Thenotheradultsrewardsome

actionsandcriticizehissocialgroupapproves.

Infindingtrialresponses,thelearnerdoesnotchooseatrandom.Heimitatesthe

personwhoseemsagoodpersontobelike,ratherthanapersonwhosesocialstatus

hewishestoavoid,ifthepupilwantstoheagoodviolinist,hewillobserveand

trytocopythetechniquesofcapableplayers;whilesomeotherpersonmaymost

influencehisapproachtobooks.

Admirationofonequalityoftenleadsustoadmireapersonawhole,andhebecomes

anidentifyingfigure.Weusesomepeopleasmodelsoverawiderangeofsituations,

imitatingmuchthattheydo.Welearntheyaredependableandrewardingmodels

becauseimitatingthemleadstosuccess.

1.Thestatementthatchildrenlearnbyimitationisincompletebecause

A.Theyonlyimitateauthoritiesandexperts

B.Theyarenotwillingtocopytheirparents

C.Theprocessofidentificationhasbeenignored

D.Thenatureoftheirimitationasaformofbehaviorhasbeenneglected

2.Forachildthefirstelementinhislearningbyimitationis

A.Theneedtofindanauthority

B.Theneedtofindawaytoachievethedesiredresult

C.Theneedformoreaffectionfromhisparents

D.Thedesiretomeetthestandardsofhissocialgroup

3.Apartfromachievinghisdesiredresults,achildshouldalsolearnto

A.behaveproperly

B.attainhisgoalassoonaspossible

C.showhisaffectionforhisparents

D.whosesocialstatusishigh

4.Childrentendtoimitatetheirmodels

A.Whodonotcriticizethem

B.WhobringthemunexpectedRewards

C.whomtheywanttobelike

D.Whosesocialstatusishigh

5.〃Anidentifyingfigure”(Para.5)referstoaperson

A.Whoservesasamodelforothers

B.Whoisalwayssuccessful

C.Whocanbedependedupon

D.Whohasbeenrewardedforhissuccess

Passage7

TheAmericanbabyboomafterwarmadeunconvincingU.S.advicetopoorcountries

thattheyrestraintheirbirths.However,therehashardlybeenayearsince1957

inwhichbirthrateshavenotfallenintheUnitedStatesandotherrichcountries,

andin1976thefallwasespeciallysharp.BothEastGermanyandWestGermanyhave

fewerbirthsthantheyhavedeaths,andtheUnitedStatesisonlytemporarilyable

toavoidthisconditionbecausethechildrenofthebabyboomarenowanexceptionally

largegroupofmarriedcouples.

ItistruethatAmericansdonottypicallyplan,theirbirthstosetanexamplefor

developingnations.Wearemoreaffectedbywomen'sliberation:oncewomensee

interestingandwell-paidjobsandcareersavailable,theyarelesswillingto

providefreelaborforchildraising.Fromcostingnothing,childrensuddenlycome

toseemimpossiblyexpensive.AndtothehighcostofchiIdrenareaddedthe

uncertaintiesintroducedbydivorce;couplesareincreasinglyunwillingtosubject

childrentotheterribleexperienceofmaritalbreakdownandthemselvestothe

difficultyofraisingachildalone.

Thesecircumstances-womenworkingoutsidethehomeandtheinstabilityof

marriage-tendtospreadwithindustrialsocietyandtheywillaffectmoreandmore

countriesduringtheremainderofthiscentury.Alongwiththemdoessocialmobility,

ambitiontoriseintheurbanworld,amainfactorinbringingdownthebirthsin

Europeinthenineteenthcentury.

Foodshortagewi11happenagainwhenthereservesresultingfromthegoodharvests

of1976and1977havebeenconsumed.Urbanizationislikelytocontinue,withthe

citiesofthedevelopingnationsstrugglingundertheweightoftwicetheirpresent

populationsbytheyear2000.thepresentlyrichcountriesareapproachingastable

populationlargelybecauseofthechangedplaceofwomen,andtheyincidentallyare

settinganexampleofrestrainttotherestoftheworld.Industrialsocietywill

spreadtothepoorcountries,andaspirationswillexceedresources.Al1thisWill

leadtoapopulationinthetwenty-firstcenturythatissmallerthatwasfeared

afewyearsago.Forthoseanxioustoseeworldpopulationbroughtundercontrol

thenewsis