2015年職稱英語考試綜合B類：閱讀材料十

　　為什么有這么多的孩子

　　非洲和亞洲的很多發(fā)展中國家，人P增長迅速。原因很簡單：這些國家的女人生育率很 高――每個女人平均有三個到七個孩子。這些女人大部分都很窮，沒有足夠的食物和資源來照顧 家庭。為什么她們要有這么多孩子呢?為什么她們不限制家庭的大小呢?答案是大多數(shù)時候她們 沒辦法選擇。這有很多原因。

　　其中之一是經(jīng)濟原因。傳統(tǒng)的農業(yè)經(jīng)濟中，家庭成員數(shù)目多是十分有利的。孩子多意味著田 里的勞動力多且有人給父母養(yǎng)老。在工業(yè)經(jīng)濟國家中情況就不同了。多數(shù)孩子不幫助家里，而是 增加家庭開銷。因此，工業(yè)化極大降低了生育率。這是意大利的一個例子，意大利最近幾年工業(yè) 化發(fā)展十分迅速。在20世紀前葉，意大利是個貧窮的農業(yè)國家，有著很高的生育率。第二次世界 大戰(zhàn)之后，意大利的現(xiàn)代化和工業(yè)化十分迅速。世紀之末其生育率降到世界最低，平均每個女人1. 3個孩子。

　　然而經(jīng)°濟并不是唯一重要的影響出生率的因素。以沙特阿拉伯為例，那里并沒有以農業(yè)為基 礎的經(jīng)濟，而且是人均收入最高的國家之一。然而還是有很高的生育率(7.0)。而像墨西哥和印 度尼西亞，主要是農業(yè)經(jīng)濟的窮國，但他們的人口還在不斷地下降。

　　很明顯有其他的因素。最重要的就是婦女的狀況。高的生育率往往與婦女缺乏教育與社會地 位低下相關。這就能解釋沙特阿拉伯的出生率為什么如此之篼。傳統(tǒng)的文化使婦女缺乏教育或者 不能獨立，并且在外生存的技能很少。相反，墨西哥、泰國、印度尼西亞的生育率就低。他們的

　　政府給婦女提供更多的教育和機會。

　　另一個重要的因素是計劃生育。女人們也許想限制家庭的大小，但是她們沒有辦法。一些倡 導計劃生育的政府為她們提供有效而且不貴的方式，生育率下降。比如新加坡、斯里蘭卡、印度 和印度尼西亞、泰國、墨西哥、巴西。在這些國家婦女被提供健康和計劃生育的幫助。

　　這些趨勢表明有效的控制人口的方案并不依賴于良好的經(jīng)濟狀況。如果是致力于幫助婦女適 應她們的需求那么就是有效的。事實上只有這樣，才能有機會取得成功。

　　Why So Many Children?

　　In many of the developing countries in Africa and Asia , the population is growing fast . The reason for this is simple : Women in these countries have a high birth rate ― from 3.0 to 7.0 children per woman . The majority of these women are poor , without the food or resources to care for their families ? The answer may be that they often have no choice . There are several reasons for this .

　　One reason is economic . In a traditional agricultural economy , large families are helpful .

　　Having more children means having more workers in the fields and someone to take care of the parents in old age1. In an industrial economy, the situation is different. Many children , do not help a family; instead, they are an expense. Thus, industrialization has generally brought down the birth rate. This was the case in Italy, which was industrialized quite recently and rapidly. In the early part of the twentieth century, Italy was a poor, largely agricultural country with a high birth rate. After World WarⅡ, Italy's economy was rapidly modernized and industrialized. By the end of the century, the birth rate had dropped to 1. 3 children per woman, the world's lowest.

　　However, the economy is not the only important factor that influences birth rate. Saudi Arabia, for example, does not have an agriculture-based economy, and it has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. Nevertheless, it also has a very high birth rate(7.0). Mexico and Indonesia, on the other hand, are poor countries, with largely agricultural economies, but they have recently reduced their population growth.

　　Clearly, other factors are involved. The most important of these is the condition of women. A high birth rate almost always goes together with lack of education and low status for women.2 This would explain the high birth rate of Saudi Arabia. There, the traditional culture gives women little education or independence and few possibilities outside the home. On the other hand, the improved condition of women in Mexico, Thailand, and Indonesia explains the decline in birth rates in these countries. Their governments have taken measures to provide more education and opportunities for women.

　　Another key factor in the birth rate is birth control. Women may want to limit their families but have no way to do so. In countries where governments have made birth control easily available and inexpensive, birth rates have gone down. This is the case in Singapore, Sri Lanka, and India, as well as in Indonesia, Thailand, Mexico, and Brazil. In these countries, women have also been provided with health care and help in planning their families.

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