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A New Problem of Population
In the past,people worried a lot about the rapid increase of popu-lation.At present,however,they have to face a new problem of popula-tion.A new study shows that too large and rapid a drop in the world's birth rate has taken place in the last 10 years.This is happening in both developed and developing countries.How did this happen?Experts have found several reasons:
1.Family planning programmes have been carried out.The world's population continues to grow and in about 600 years,according to a UN report,there will be standing room only on the earth.So many govern-ments(especially in developing nations)support family planning pro-grammes to reduce their population growth.And most of the nations have already made progress in population control.
2.More people get married late.They want to achieve success in business and have little time to think about marriage.
3.Lots of new married couples like to stay in a two-person world.They don't want to have a baby.They neither live with their parents-in-law nor with a baby.
4.More women go out to have higher education or to do more im-portant work.They hate to stay at home all day to look after their child-Ien and husband.They would rather be pink-collar workers than have children.
Researchers said that those nations that have fewer births than de-aths could face a serious shortage of young workers in the future.The working people would pay much higher taxes to help support the gro-wing number of retired people.Steps should be taken to deal with this problem.
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有关人口的新问题
过去人们最担心的问题是人口的急剧增加。 然而，目前人们不得不面对一个新的人口问题。一项新的研究表明，在最近10年中，世界人口出生率的幅度下降得过大过快。 不论发达国家还是发展中国家都存在这个问题。 为什么会发生这种情况呢?经专家们分析，得出如下几个原因来：
1.计划生育政策已付诸实践。 世界人口持续增长，根据联合国的调查报告，600年后，世界上只有人们的立足之地了。所以许多国家(尤其是发展中国家)的政府都支持实施计划生育政策来减缓本国人口的增长。 大多数国家已经在控制人口上卓有成效。
2.晚婚的人越来越多。 他们忙于成就一番事业，几乎没时间考虑婚姻问题。
3.许多新婚夫妇追求两人世界的浪漫生活。他们不想要孩子。他们既不愿和公婆住在一起，也不愿有孩子的拖累。
4.越来越多的妇女走出家门，接受高等教育或从事重要的工作。他们不愿意整天呆在家里照顾丈夫和孩子。她们在就业与生养孩子两者中，宁愿选择前者。
研究人员指出，那些出生率低于死亡率的国家将来会面临青年劳动力严重短缺的问题。 在职人员要缴更高的税用来供养不断增多的退休人员。这一严重问题必须提到议事日程上来解决、处理。