高考英语外刊阅读理解训练讲义:印度人口即将超过中国,这意味着什么_百

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高考英语外刊阅读理解训练：印度人口即将超过中国，这意味着什么

本文节选自：The New York Times（纽约时报）

发布时间：2023.4.21

作者：ALEX TRAVELLI, WEIYI CAI

原文标题：Will This Be the ‘Indian Century’? Four Key

Questions

India is on the cusp of passing C-hina in population,

according to the latest U.N. estimates. At 1.428 billion

people, I-ndia has already edged past Mainland of China,

the data show, and it will soon surpass the Mainland of

China and Hong Kong combined. With China’s population

declining, the margin between the two countries will only

grow as India becomes the most populous country in

history. What had long been the world’s largest

democracy is now, simply, the world’s largest everything.

The gentle slope of the demographic curve propelling

India into first place looks enviable to the many

developed nations that are rapidly aging. Indians are

living longer, and the number of babies being born each

year has barely budged. Unlike China, India faces no steep

drop-off and accompanying economic and social dangers.

It has a young and expanding work force as China’s grays

and contracts. In some of India’s regions, the population

is still growing too fast for their economies, producing

many more able-bodied young people than there are jobs

to occupy them.

Having a fast-expanding young work force could be a

big opportunity — or a disaster. India is a country

primed to work. More than two-thirds of all Indians are

between the ages of 15 and 59. The country’s ratio of

children and retirees to working-age adults is remarkably

low. But this opportunity comes with huge challenges.

That “demographic dividend” could instead become

something like a disaster. In some recent years, India has

squeaked past China to claim the title of fastest-growing

major economy. But it has never expanded fast enough to

produce sufficient formal employment for everyone. The

country needs about nine million new jobs every year just

to keep pace; the annual shortfall helps relegate many to

India’s old standby, agricultural work.

Most people in India lack the means to be

“unemployed” – in the work force but without a job.

Underemployment is the more discreet danger. Wages

have been stagnant for eight years, according to an

analysis by Jean Drèze, an economist at Delhi University.

Economic growth without an equivalent increase in jobs

makes India’s massively unequal society even more so,

raising the potential for unrest.

Women work outside the home at lower rates in India

than almost any other country, a huge roadblock for

economic expansion. India has one of the world’s lowest

rates of formal employment for women: about one in five.

China’s is almost double that rate, higher than the United

States’ and the world average. An economy cannot meet

its potential when it draws on the contributions of so few

women.

阅读理解：

1. What is the current population of India?

A. 1.428 billion people

B. 1.4 billion people

C. 1.3 billion people

D. 2 billion people

2. What is the demographic curve of India like?

A. It is gently sloping.

B. It is steeply sloping.

C. It is flat.

D. It is unpredictable.

3. What is the ratio of children and retirees to working-age

adults in India?

A. High

B. Low

C. Average

D. Unknown

4. What is a major challenge for India's fast-expanding young

workforce?

A. Not having enough jobs available.

B. Being overpaid which will lead to inflation.

C. Being underqualified for many jobs.

D. Not being interested in formal employment.

5. What is one of the roadblocks for India's economic

expansion?

A. The country's young and expanding workforce.

B. Underemployment.

C. The high rate of formal employment for women.

D. Women working outside the home at lower rates.

答案：AABAD

熟词复习：

1. Cusp: 界限，转折点；

2. Population: 人口；

3. U.N. (United Nations): 联合国；

4. Estimates: 估计数据；

5. Mainland: 大陆；

6. China: 中国；

7. Data: 数据；

8. Surpass: 超过；

9. Hong Kong: 香港；

10. Combined: 合计；

11. Margin: 差距；

12. Populous: 人口众多的；

13. Democracy: 民主；

14. Developed: 发达的；

15. Aging: 老龄化；

16. Babies: 婴儿；

17. Budged: 移动；

18. Drop-off: 下滑；

19. Accompanying: 伴随的；

20. Economic: 经济的；

21. Social: 社会的；

22. Dangers: 危险；

23. Workforce: 劳动力；

24. Grays: 变老；

25. Contracts: 收缩；

26. Regions: 地区；

27. Economies: 经济体系；

28. Able-bodied: 有劳动力的；

29. Opportunities: 机会；

30. Disaster: 灾难；

31. Primed: 准备好的；

32. Ratio: 比率；

33. Retirees: 退休人员；

34. Working-age: 适龄劳动人口的；

35. Remarkably: 显著地；

36. Low: 低的；

37. Dividend: 红利；

38. Squeaked past: 勉强超过；

39. Fastest-growing: 增长最快的；

40. Major: 主要的；

41. Economy: 经济；

42. Sufficient: 充分的；

43. Formal: 正式的；

44. Employment: 就业；

45. Underemployment: 低收入就业；

46. Stagnant: 停滞不前的；

47. Massively: 极大地；

48. Unequal: 不平等的；

49. Rates: 比率；

50. Roadblock: 障碍

新词积累：

英/ skwiːk /美/ skwiːk /

v.吱吱叫，嘎吱作响；紧张（或激动）得尖声说；<非正式>勉强通过，侥幸成功；<非正式>告密，告发

n.吱吱声，短促的尖叫声；只言片语；<非正式>机会

te英/ ˈrelɪɡeɪt /美/ ˈrelɪɡeɪt /

v.贬低，使降级；<英>把（球队）降级；<正式>托付，交付

ock英/ ˈrəʊdblɒk /美/ ˈroʊdblɑːk /

n.路障；障碍物

vi.设置路障

◆词组搭配

the cusp 在交点上；在尖端上

pace 并驾齐驱；齐步并进

写作句总结

原句：Having a fast-expanding young work force could be a big

opportunity — or a disaster.

结构：Having XX could be a big opportunity — or a disaster.

例句：Having a solid education could be a big opportunity —

or a disaster, depending on how you use it.

全文对照翻译

India is on the cusp of passing C-hina in population, according

to the latest U.N. estimates. At 1.428 billion people, I-ndia has

already edged past Mainland of China, the data show, and it

will soon surpass the Mainland of China and Hong Kong

combined. With China’s population declining, the margin

between the two countries will only grow as India becomes

the most populous country in history. What had long been the

world’s largest democracy is now, simply, the world’s largest

everything.

根据联合国的最新估计，印度人口即将超过中国。数据显示，印度人口为14.28亿，已经超过中国大陆，并将很快超过中国大陆和中国香港之和。随着中国人口减少，印度成为历史上人口最多的国家，两国之间的差距只会不断扩大。长期以来，印度一直是世界上最大的民//主国家，现在简单而言，它在世界上各个领域都是最大的国家了（本文中这句话不是很严谨，请大家仔细斟酌）。

The gentle slope of the demographic curve propelling India

into first place looks enviable to the many developed nations

that are rapidly aging. Indians are living longer, and the

number of babies being born each year has barely budged.

Unlike China, India faces no steep drop-off and accompanying

economic and social dangers. It has a young and expanding

work force as China’s grays and contracts. In some of India’s regions, the population is still growing too fast for their

economies, producing many more able-bodied young people

than there are jobs to occupy them.

推动印度成为人口第一的人口年龄分布曲线缓缓上升，这使得许多快

速老龄化的发达国家都羡慕。印度人的寿命延长了，每年出生的婴儿数量几乎没有变化。与中国不同，印度面临的问题不是陡峭的人口衰减和随之而来的经济社会危机。随着中国人口老龄化和减少，印度有一个年轻而扩张的劳动力。在印度的一些地区，人口仍在过快地增长，生产出更多有能力的年轻人，但没有足够的工作来雇佣他们。

Having a fast-expanding young work force could be a big

opportunity — or a disaster. India is a country primed to work.

More than two-thirds of all Indians are between the ages of 15

and 59. The country’s ratio of children and retirees to

working-age adults is remarkably low. But this opportunity

comes with huge challenges. That “demographic dividend”

could instead become something like a disaster. In some

recent years, India has squeaked past China to claim the title

of fastest-growing major economy. But it has never expanded

fast enough to produce sufficient formal employment for

everyone. The country needs about nine million new jobs

every year just to keep pace; the annual shortfall helps

relegate many to India’s old standby, agricultural work.

拥有快速增长的年轻劳动力可能是一个巨大的机会，也可能是一种灾难。印度是一个劳动人口充裕的国家。超过三分之二的印度人年龄在15岁到59岁之间。该国的儿童及退休人员同劳动年龄成年人之间的比例非常低。但这一机遇也伴随着巨大的挑战。这种“人口红利”反而可能变成一场灾难。最近几年，印度略微超过中国成为增长最快的主要经济体。但其增长速度从未快到足以为所有人提供足够的正式就业机会。印度每年需要大约900万个新增工作岗位才能跟上人口的增长；每年的岗位不足使得许多人不得不从事印度的传统工作——农业。

Most people in India lack the means to be “unemployed” –

in the work force but without a job. Underemployment is the

more discreet danger. Wages have been stagnant for eight

years, according to an analysis by Jean Drèze, an economist at

Delhi University. Economic growth without an equivalent

increase in jobs makes India’s massively unequal society even

more so, raising the potential for unrest.

大多数印度人不具备“失业”条件（失业是指身为劳动力大军一员，但没有工作）。就业不足是一种更为隐蔽的危险。德里大学经济学家让·德罗兹的分析显示，该国工资水平已经停滞了八年。经济增长而就业岗位却没有相应地增加，这使得印度严重不平等的社会变得更加不平等，增加了动荡的可能性。

Women work outside the home at lower rates in India than

almost any other country, a huge roadblock for economic

expansion. India has one of the world’s lowest rates of formal

employment for women: about one in five. China’s is almost

double that rate, higher than the United States’ and the world

average. An economy cannot meet its potential when it draws

on the contributions of so few women.

在印度，女性外出工作的比例几乎比所有其他国家都低，这是经济扩张的一个巨大障碍。印度是世界上女性正式就业率最低的国家之一：大约是五分之一。中国的女性正式就业率几乎是印度的两倍，高于美国和世界平均水平。如果女性的贡献如此之少，一个经济体就无法发挥其潜力。

本文标签： 印度人口中国