The State Council submitted a bill which aims to allow couples to have two children if either parent is an only child. It focuses on adjusting and improving the family planning policy. The State Council argues adjustment to the policy in the face of a steadily declining birth rate. The birth rate has remained relatively low and shows a tendency to fall further. The rate has dropped to between 1.5 and 1.6 since the 1990s, which means each Chinese woman of child-bearing age gives birth to 1.5 to 1.6 children on average. The working population began to drop in 2012 by 3.45 million every year, and it is likely to fall by 8 million each year after 2023. The population aged 60 and above will reach 400 million and account for one-fourth of the total population in the early 2030s, up from one-seventh now. "If the current family planning policy continues, the birth rate will continue to fall and lead to a sharp drop of the total population after reaching a peak," said Li Bin, minister in charge of the National Health and Family Planning Commission. "It is the right time to make changes: The low birth rate is stable, the working population is still large and the burden of supporting the elderly remains relatively light," he added. An increase in birth is expected if the policy changes but will not seriously affect the food supply, public education, health care or employment. China's food safety and public service plans are designed to meet the needs of 1.43 billion population in 2020 and 1.5 billion in 2033. Even with the policy change, the total population will reach no more than 1.38 billion in 2015, Li said. Why did the State Council submit the bill? A) To increase the population of Han nationality. B) To balance the nature and society. C) To develop the economy of China. D) To solve the social population issue.
D
(Question)
In 2004 ,when my daughter Becky was ten , she and my husband ,Joe, were united in their desire for a dog . As for me , I shared none of their canine lust. But why , they pleaded. "Because I don't have time to take care of a dog." But we'll do it. " Really? You're going to walk the dog? Feed the dog? Bathe the dog?" Yes, yes , and yes ."I don't believe you ." We will . We promise. They didn't . From day two (everyone wanted to walk the cute puppy that first day ) , neither thought to walk the dog . While I was slow to accept that I would be the one to keep track of her shots , to schedule her vet appointments , to feed and clean her , Misty knew this on day one . As she looked up at the three new humans in her life (small, medium, and large) , she calculated , _ Quickly, she and I developed something very similar to a Vulcan mind meld . She'd look at me with those sad brown eyes of hers , beam her need , and then wait , trusting I would understand -- which , strangely , I almost always did . In no time , she became my feet as I read , and splaying across my stomach as I watched television . Even so , part of me continued to resent walking duty . Joe and Becky had promised. Not fair , I'd balk silently as she and I walked . "Not fair , " I' d loudly remind anyone within earshot upon our return home . Then one day -- January 1, 2007 , to be exact -- my husband ' s doctor uttered an unthinkable word : leukemia ( ) .With that , I spent eight to ten hours a day with Joe in the hospital , doing anything and everything I could to ease his discomfort. During those six months of hospitalizations, Becky, 12 at the time, adjusted to other adults being in the house when she returned from school. My work colleagues adjusted to my taking off at a moment's notice for medical emergencies. Every part of my life changed; no part of my old routine remained. Save one: Misty still needed walking. At the beginning, when friends offered to take her through her paces, I declined because I knew they had their own households to... What is the message the writer wants to convey in the passage? A) One should learn to enjoy hard times. B) A disaster can change everything in life. C) Moments of joy suggest that there is still hope ahead. D) People will change their attitude toward you when you are in difficulty.
(Answer)
C
One of the most famous nursery rhymes in the English language is Mary Had a Little Lamb .It has touched many children who have read it. It is about the deep love between a young girl and her pet lamb. The poem is from a true story that happened in the early part of the 19th century in the town of Sterling, Massachusetts, in the USA. Mary Sawyer (1806-1889) lived on a farm with her family.One day, when she was about nine years old, she saw a little lamb that had just been born and left behind by its mother. It was very weak and looked as if it would die at very moment.Mary took pity on the lamb and spent the whole night looking after it. _ , it grew strong and became a very close friend with Mary, following her everywhere she went. One day, the lamb even followed Mary to school.At first she wanted to turn it back but her brother suggested that it would be fun to take the lamb to school.During the class, she hid the lamb under her desk.But when she was called to go to the front of the class, to her surprise, the lamb followed her.Though the students and the teacher thought it was funny to see a lamb at school, the teacher had to ask Mary to keep the lamb outside of the school. That very day, a young man called John Roulstone was visiting Mary's school. He was so moved by the love between the child and her little pet lamb that he wrote a poem which he handed to Mary the next day. His poem contained twelve lines. Later, Sara Josepha Hale added another twelve lines to the poem and published it in 1930 under the title "Mary Had a Little Lamb". The poem has become a classic, loved by children all over the world. The appeal of the poem lies not only in the funny idea of a sheep going to school but also in the true love between the little girl and her pet. The town of Sterling has honoured Mary's lamb by building a statue of the lamb with Mr Roulstone's poem below the statue. Why did the poem become a classic? A) It had another twelve lines added. B) It was written by a young man. C) It describes the true love between a little girl and her pet lamb. D) A statue of lamb was built in the town of Sterling.
C