Passage Two We can begin our discussion of "population as global issue" with what most persons mean when they discuss "the population problem": too many people on earth and a too rapid increase in the number added each year. The facts are not in dispute; it was quite right to employ the analogy that likened demographic growth to "a long, thin powder fuse that burns steadily and haltingly until it finally reaches the charge and explodes". To understand the current situation, which is characterized by rapid increases in population, it is necessary to understand. the history of population trends. Rapid growth is a comparatively recent phenomenon. Looking back at the 8,000 years of demographic history, we find that populations have been virtually stable or growing very slightly for most of human history. For most of our ancestors, life was hard, often nasty, and very short. There was high fertility in most places, but this was usually balanced by high mortality. For most of human history, it was seldom the case that one in ten persons would live past forty, while infancy and childhood were especially risky periods. Often, societies were in clear danger of extinction because death rates could exceed their birthrates. Thus, the population problem throughout most of history was how to prevent extinction of the human race. This pattern is important to notice. Not only does it put the current problems of demographic growth into a historical perspective, but it suggests that the cause of rapid increase in population in recent years is not a sudden enthusiasm for more children, but an improvement in the conditions that traditionally have caused high mortality. Demographic history can be divided into two major periods: a time of long, slow growth which extended from about 8000 B.C. till approximately 1650 A.D. In the first period of some 9,600 years, the population increased from some 8 million to 500 million in 1650. Between 1650 and 1975, the population has increased from 500 million to more than 4 billion. And the population reached 6.2 billion throughout the world by the year 2000. One way to appreciate this dramatic difference in such abstract numbers is to reduce the time frame to something that is more manageable. Between 8000 B.C. and 1650, an average of only 50,000 persons was being added annually to the world’s population. At present, this number is added every six hours. The increase is about 80,000,000 persons annually. Which of the following demographic growth patterns is most suitable for the long thin powder fuse analogy
A virtually stable or slightly decreasing period and then a sudden explosion of population.
B. A slow growth for a long time and then a period of rapid, dramatic increase.
C. Too many people on earth and a few rapid increase in the number added each year.
D. A long period when death rates exceed birthrates and then a short period with higher fertility and lower mortality.
1.举例说明水对人类的重要性2.举例说明我国所面临的水资源问题3.为了自下而上和发展人们要…… Precious Water
The Next Disaster: Are We ReadyAre We Really Prepared After the attacks on September 11 and the hurricanes that slammed the Gulf Coast last year, you’d expect our major cities to be ready with disaster plans that will save lives and property. There’s no doubt we’ll be hit again——maybe even harder—— because the list of possible calamities(灾难) is long: from a bird flu pandemic to a massive California earthquake, to more monster storms, to another terrorist attack. But are we really prepared to protect people, as well as their homes and businesses Every major urban area has received federal funding, much of it from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS ), in order to make their cities more secure. But there are no set criteria for measuring preparedness (the feds are working on that), and the quality of disaster plans varies widely throughout the country. So we decided to do an independent assessment of 10 high-risk urban areas, focusing on key security indicators. We analyzed public data, consulted with federal and local emergency workers, and contacted the mayors’ offices to gauge(测量) the readiness of these cities to meet both natural and men-made disasters.Our criteria fell under three main categories: Emergency Readiness, Crisis Communications, and Medical Response. Emergency Readiness Are there at least 1,000 first responders (such as police, fire and EMTs) per 100,000 residents They’re our first line of protection in almost any disaster situation--professionals who are trained to handle everything from rescuing victims to providing first aid, to enforcing quarantines(封锁), to directing traffic for evacuations(疏散). Are there federal search-and-rescue teams based within 50 miles Large cities often have specialized teams to deal with such things as high-rise-building rescues or hazardous chemical spills. But these squads are sometimes small, ill-equipped, or run on a shoestring. This is not true of federal urban search-end-rescue task forces that the DHS supports across the country. Each task force is made of 62 members and 4 canines, as well as a "comprehensive cache" of equipment. DHS task forces are not automatically assigned; a city needs to apply and present its case. Has the city or state earned "green status" from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Suppose that in the midst of a flu pandemic or bio terror attack, your city ran low on critical medicines. The CDC stands ready to help by distributing drugs and medical equipment from its Strategic National Stockpile. But the agency wants to know that a city or state is able to quickly mobilize hundreds of health workers and volunteers trained to handle the logistics, and has space set aside for storage and refrigeration. You’re best off if your city has earned the CDC’s "green status"--even if the state itself has not--because it means local health teams can handle the supplies on their own. Does the city website explain clearly what to do in case of evacuation Who can forget the images of stranded New Orleans residents, or the 5-mph crawl out of Houston It turned out that New Orleans’s evacuation plans were both inadequate and poorly communicated. One way cities can avoid a similar nightmare is to put clear and easy-to-find evacuation information on their websites. Some cities, such as Boston and Washington, post the preferred street routes. Others, like Las Vegas, won’t disclose details due to security fears, but their websites may provide ways to quickly get evacuation details when you need them (such as numbers to call or alert services you can sign up for). Among the more important things to address are people without vehicles of their own (a huge failing in New Orleans) and instructions for pet owners. Does the website include details for residents with special needs In July 1995, a vicious heat wave killed nearly 500 people in Chicago; a disproportionate number of them were older residents who lived alone. In any crisis, the elderly and disabled can be uniquely vulnerable. That’s why cities such as Houston are creating registries of residents who would need special help. Such lists would indicate, for instance, that a certain person in a certain apartment building is wheel-chair-bound. Other cities are instructing people with disabilities to call 911 for assistance--though this relies on phone systems that could be overloaded or go dead. If a city’s disaster planning shows no awareness of special-needs people, it isn’t complete.Crisis Communications Can first responders—police, fire and medical--talk to one another On September 11, firefighters died inside the World Trade Center because they could not make contact with police helicopters trying to radio warnings. Incompatible communications is a country-wide problem, and converting or replacing decades-old radio systems can be a long, expensive process. Cities have gotten a big boost if they’ve taken part in RapidCom, a DHS program providing technical assistance and training that speeds up the transition. Has the city adopted E911 Many cities have upgraded their 911 call centers in recent years, but they’re even better prepared if they’ve incorporated "E911" (or "enhanced 911"). This technology enables emergency operators to identify the precise location of cell-phone callers through GPS systems. If you wind up stranded in floodwaters, E911 could save your life. Does the city provide 24-hour emergency alerts What if an evacuation order goes out, but it’s 3 a.m. and you’re sound asleep Not a problem if your city has a way of alerting you at any time of day. Some rely on street sirens (警报器) to do the trick. Others have used their websites to invite residents to sign up for e-mail notifications or automated phone calls in an emergency.Medical Response Are there at least 500 hospital beds for every 100,000 residents Getting to victims quickly is a critical first step. But you’d better have a place to take them for treatment. A reasonable standard, according to preparedness experts, is 500 hospital beds for every 100,000 people---a ratio that would likely mean a city could find enough spare beds in an emergency. Of course, beds alone won’t help a massive number of burn victims or people suffering from chemical exposure unless the hospital is prepared to treat them. But all the cities in our survey have specialty units in their hospitals that can handle such cases. Are local teams trained to respond quickly and work together If an urban area was targeted by weapons of mass destruction, city health officials couldn’t just wait for federal help to arrive. First responders and hospitals would need to react right away. They could also need medical volunteers—say, to help vaccinate people or distribute medicines and supplies. How to ensure that all these professionals and volunteers work together as seamlessly as possible If a city is part of DHS’s Metropolitan Medical Response System, it has obtained federal assistance in developing plans, and has received critical training and equipment. Are there labs nearby that specialize in biological and chemical threats The CDC is on the cutting edge with its Laboratory Response Network--integrated labs nationwide that have the equipment and expertise to quickly identify pathogens and toxic chemicals. An LRN lab in Florida was the first to detect anthrax(炭疽热) in terrorist mailings in 2001. Laboratories can be members only if they have highly trained staff and exceptional facilities, as well as a track record of testing accuracy. A handful of LRN labs qualify as "Level 1 ", meaning they can test for chemical poisons such as mustard and nerve agents. A bird flu, a massive earthquake, a monster storm and a terrorist attack are all threats to major cities in the U.S.
Passage Two We can begin our discussion of "population as global issue" with what most persons mean when they discuss "the population problem": too many people on earth and a too rapid increase in the number added each year. The facts are not in dispute; it was quite right to employ the analogy that likened demographic growth to "a long, thin powder fuse that burns steadily and haltingly until it finally reaches the charge and explodes". To understand the current situation, which is characterized by rapid increases in population, it is necessary to understand. the history of population trends. Rapid growth is a comparatively recent phenomenon. Looking back at the 8,000 years of demographic history, we find that populations have been virtually stable or growing very slightly for most of human history. For most of our ancestors, life was hard, often nasty, and very short. There was high fertility in most places, but this was usually balanced by high mortality. For most of human history, it was seldom the case that one in ten persons would live past forty, while infancy and childhood were especially risky periods. Often, societies were in clear danger of extinction because death rates could exceed their birthrates. Thus, the population problem throughout most of history was how to prevent extinction of the human race. This pattern is important to notice. Not only does it put the current problems of demographic growth into a historical perspective, but it suggests that the cause of rapid increase in population in recent years is not a sudden enthusiasm for more children, but an improvement in the conditions that traditionally have caused high mortality. Demographic history can be divided into two major periods: a time of long, slow growth which extended from about 8000 B.C. till approximately 1650 A.D. In the first period of some 9,600 years, the population increased from some 8 million to 500 million in 1650. Between 1650 and 1975, the population has increased from 500 million to more than 4 billion. And the population reached 6.2 billion throughout the world by the year 2000. One way to appreciate this dramatic difference in such abstract numbers is to reduce the time frame to something that is more manageable. Between 8000 B.C. and 1650, an average of only 50,000 persons was being added annually to the world’s population. At present, this number is added every six hours. The increase is about 80,000,000 persons annually. The word "demographic" (Line 4, Para. 1) means ______.
A. statistics of human
B. surroundings study
C. accumulation of human
D. development of human