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 age ¹. 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 inItaly, which was industrialized quite recently and rapidly. In the early part of the twentieth century,Italywas 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).MexicoandIndonesia, 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 ofSaudi 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 inMexico,Thailand, andIndonesiaexplains 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 inSingapore,Sri Lanka, andIndia, as well as inIndonesia,Thailand,Mexico, andBrazil. In these countries, women have also been provided with health care and help in planning their families.

    These trends show that an effective program to reduce population growth does not have to depend on better economic conditions. ³ It can be effective if it aims to help women and meet their needs. Only then, in fact, does it have any real chance of success.

词汇： 

Industrialization  [ɪnˌdʌstrɪəlaɪ"zeɪʃn] n. 工业

Possibility  [ˌpɒsə"bɪlətɪ] n. 可能性，可能发生的事物

Effective  /i"fektiv/ adj. 有效的，起作用的，实际的

注释：

1. In atraditional agricultural economy, large families are helpful. Having more children meanshaving more workers in the fields and someone to take care of the parents in old age.传统的农业经济中，家庭成员数目多是十分有利的。孩子多意味着田里的劳动力多且有人给父母养老。

2.A high birth rate almost always goes together with lack of education and low status for women.高的生育率往往与妇女缺乏教育与社会地位低下相关。

3. These trends show" that "an effective program to reduce population growth does not have todepend on better economic conditions.这些趋势表明有效的控制人口的方案并不依赖于良好的经济状况。

When countries become industrialized,___.

A:families often become larger B:the birth rate generally goes down C:women usually decide not have a family D:the population generally grows rapidly

For three decades we’’ve heard endlessly about the virtues of aerobic (increasing oxygen consumption) exercise. Medical authorities have praised running and jumping as the key to good health, and millions of Americans have taken to the treadmill(踏车) to reap the rewards. But the story is changing. Everyone from the American Heart Association to the surgeon general’’s office has recently embraced strength training as a complement to aerobics. And as weight lifting has gone mainstream, so has the once obscure practice known as "Super Slow" training. Enthusiasts claim that by pumping iron at a snail’’s pace-making each "rep"(repeat) last 14 seconds instead of the usual seven-you can safely place extraordinary demands on your muscles, and call forth an extraordinary response. Slow lifting may not be the only exercise you need, as some advocates believe, but the benefits are often dramatic. 　　Almost anyone can handle this routine. The only requirements are complete focus and a tolerance for deep muscular burn. Fox each exercise-leg press, bench press, shoulder press and so on-you set the machine to provide only moderate resistance. But as you draw out each rep, depriving yourself of impetus, the weight soon feels unbearable. Defying the impulse to stop, you keep going until you can’’t complete a rep. Then you sustain your vain effort for 10 more seconds while the weight sinks gradually toward its cradle. Intense Uncomfortable Totally. But once you embrace muscle failure as the goal of the workout, it can become almost pleasure. 　　The goal is not to burn calories while you’’re exercising but to make your body burn them all the time. Running a few miles many make you sweat, but it expends only 100 calories per mile, and it doesn’’t stimulate much bone or muscle development. Strength training doesn’’t burn many calories, either. But when you push a muscle to failure, you set off a pour of physiological changes. As the muscle recovers over several days, it will thicken-and the new muscle tissue will demand sustenance. By the time you add three pounds of muscle, your body requires an extra 9,000 calories a month just to break even. Hold your diet steady and, very quickly, you are vaporizing body fat. 　　One might have benefited from any strength-training program. But advocates insist the slow technique is safer and more effective than traditional methods. According to the author," Super Slow" training

A:has been misunderstood for decades. B:has been widely accepted recently C:has been the basis of weight lifting. D:has become the nucleus of aerobics.

For three decades we’’ve heard endlessly about the virtues of aerobic (increasing oxygen consumption) exercise. Medical authorities have praised running and jumping as the key to good health, and millions of Americans have taken to the treadmill(踏车) to reap the rewards. But the story is changing. Everyone from the American Heart Association to the surgeon general’’s office has recently embraced strength training as a complement to aerobics. And as weight lifting has gone mainstream, so has the once obscure practice known as "Super Slow" training. Enthusiasts claim that by pumping iron at a snail’’s pace-making each "rep"(repeat) last 14 seconds instead of the usual seven-you can safely place extraordinary demands on your muscles, and call forth an extraordinary response. Slow lifting may not be the only exercise you need, as some advocates believe, but the benefits are often dramatic. 　　Almost anyone can handle this routine. The only requirements are complete focus and a tolerance for deep muscular burn. Fox each exercise-leg press, bench press, shoulder press and so on-you set the machine to provide only moderate resistance. But as you draw out each rep, depriving yourself of impetus, the weight soon feels unbearable. Defying the impulse to stop, you keep going until you can’’t complete a rep. Then you sustain your vain effort for 10 more seconds while the weight sinks gradually toward its cradle. Intense Uncomfortable Totally. But once you embrace muscle failure as the goal of the workout, it can become almost pleasure. 　　The goal is not to burn calories while you’’re exercising but to make your body burn them all the time. Running a few miles many make you sweat, but it expends only 100 calories per mile, and it doesn’’t stimulate much bone or muscle development. Strength training doesn’’t burn many calories, either. But when you push a muscle to failure, you set off a pour of physiological changes. As the muscle recovers over several days, it will thicken-and the new muscle tissue will demand sustenance. By the time you add three pounds of muscle, your body requires an extra 9,000 calories a month just to break even. Hold your diet steady and, very quickly, you are vaporizing body fat. 　　One might have benefited from any strength-training program. But advocates insist the slow technique is safer and more effective than traditional methods. According to the author," Super Slow" training

A:has been misunderstood for decades. B:has been widely accepted recently C:has been the basis of weight lifting. D:has become the nucleus of aerobics.

For three decades we’’ve heard endlessly about the virtues of aerobic (increasing oxygen consumption) exercise. Medical authorities have praised running and jumping as the key to good health, and millions of Americans have taken to the treadmill(踏车) to reap the rewards. But the story is changing. Everyone from the American Heart Association to the surgeon general’’s office has recently embraced strength training as a complement to aerobics. And as weight lifting has gone mainstream, so has the once obscure practice known as "Super Slow" training. Enthusiasts claim that by pumping iron at a snail’’s pace-making each "rep"(repeat) last 14 seconds instead of the usual seven-you can safely place extraordinary demands on your muscles, and call forth an extraordinary response. Slow lifting may not be the only exercise you need, as some advocates believe, but the benefits are often dramatic. 　　Almost anyone can handle this routine. The only requirements are complete focus and a tolerance for deep muscular burn. Fox each exercise-leg press, bench press, shoulder press and so on-you set the machine to provide only moderate resistance. But as you draw out each rep, depriving yourself of impetus, the weight soon feels unbearable. Defying the impulse to stop, you keep going until you can’’t complete a rep. Then you sustain your vain effort for 10 more seconds while the weight sinks gradually toward its cradle. Intense Uncomfortable Totally. But once you embrace muscle failure as the goal of the workout, it can become almost pleasure. 　　The goal is not to burn calories while you’’re exercising but to make your body burn them all the time. Running a few miles many make you sweat, but it expends only 100 calories per mile, and it doesn’’t stimulate much bone or muscle development. Strength training doesn’’t burn many calories, either. But when you push a muscle to failure, you set off a pour of physiological changes. As the muscle recovers over several days, it will thicken-and the new muscle tissue will demand sustenance. By the time you add three pounds of muscle, your body requires an extra 9,000 calories a month just to break even. Hold your diet steady and, very quickly, you are vaporizing body fat. 　　One might have benefited from any strength-training program. But advocates insist the slow technique is safer and more effective than traditional methods. According to the author," Super Slow" training

A:has been misunderstood for decades. B:has been widely accepted recently C:has been the basis of weight lifting. D:has become the nucleus of aerobics.

For three decades we’’ve heard endlessly about the virtues of aerobic (increasing oxygen consumption) exercise. Medical authorities have praised running and jumping as the key to good health, and millions of Americans have taken to the treadmill(踏车) to reap the rewards. But the story is changing. Everyone from the American Heart Association to the surgeon general’’s office has recently embraced strength training as a complement to aerobics. And as weight lifting has gone mainstream, so has the once obscure practice known as "Super Slow" training. Enthusiasts claim that by pumping iron at a snail’’s pace-making each "rep"(repeat) last 14 seconds instead of the usual seven-you can safely place extraordinary demands on your muscles, and call forth an extraordinary response. Slow lifting may not be the only exercise you need, as some advocates believe, but the benefits are often dramatic. 　　Almost anyone can handle this routine. The only requirements are complete focus and a tolerance for deep muscular burn. Fox each exercise-leg press, bench press, shoulder press and so on-you set the machine to provide only moderate resistance. But as you draw out each rep, depriving yourself of impetus, the weight soon feels unbearable. Defying the impulse to stop, you keep going until you can’’t complete a rep. Then you sustain your vain effort for 10 more seconds while the weight sinks gradually toward its cradle. Intense Uncomfortable Totally. But once you embrace muscle failure as the goal of the workout, it can become almost pleasure. 　　The goal is not to burn calories while you’’re exercising but to make your body burn them all the time. Running a few miles many make you sweat, but it expends only 100 calories per mile, and it doesn’’t stimulate much bone or muscle development. Strength training doesn’’t burn many calories, either. But when you push a muscle to failure, you set off a pour of physiological changes. As the muscle recovers over several days, it will thicken-and the new muscle tissue will demand sustenance. By the time you add three pounds of muscle, your body requires an extra 9,000 calories a month just to break even. Hold your diet steady and, very quickly, you are vaporizing body fat. 　　One might have benefited from any strength-training program. But advocates insist the slow technique is safer and more effective than traditional methods. According to the author," Super Slow" training

A:has been misunderstood for decades. B:has been widely accepted recently C:has been the basis of weight lifting. D:has become the nucleus of aerobics.

For three decades we’’ve heard endlessly about the virtues of aerobic (increasing oxygen consumption) exercise. Medical authorities have praised running and jumping as the key to good health, and millions of Americans have taken to the treadmill(踏车) to reap the rewards. But the story is changing. Everyone from the American Heart Association to the surgeon general’’s office has recently embraced strength training as a complement to aerobics. And as weight lifting has gone mainstream, so has the once obscure practice known as "Super Slow" training. Enthusiasts claim that by pumping iron at a snail’’s pace-making each "rep"(repeat) last 14 seconds instead of the usual seven-you can safely place extraordinary demands on your muscles, and call forth an extraordinary response. Slow lifting may not be the only exercise you need, as some advocates believe, but the benefits are often dramatic. 　　Almost anyone can handle this routine. The only requirements are complete focus and a tolerance for deep muscular burn. Fox each exercise-leg press, bench press, shoulder press and so on-you set the machine to provide only moderate resistance. But as you draw out each rep, depriving yourself of impetus, the weight soon feels unbearable. Defying the impulse to stop, you keep going until you can’’t complete a rep. Then you sustain your vain effort for 10 more seconds while the weight sinks gradually toward its cradle. Intense Uncomfortable Totally. But once you embrace muscle failure as the goal of the workout, it can become almost pleasure. 　　The goal is not to burn calories while you’’re exercising but to make your body burn them all the time. Running a few miles many make you sweat, but it expends only 100 calories per mile, and it doesn’’t stimulate much bone or muscle development. Strength training doesn’’t burn many calories, either. But when you push a muscle to failure, you set off a pour of physiological changes. As the muscle recovers over several days, it will thicken-and the new muscle tissue will demand sustenance. By the time you add three pounds of muscle, your body requires an extra 9,000 calories a month just to break even. Hold your diet steady and, very quickly, you are vaporizing body fat. 　　One might have benefited from any strength-training program. But advocates insist the slow technique is safer and more effective than traditional methods. According to the author," Super Slow" training

A:has been misunderstood for decades. B:has been widely accepted recently C:has been the basis of weight lifting. D:has become the nucleus of aerobics.