时事双语精读 | 全球人口达80亿，对世界来说意味着什么？

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今日导读

据联合国《世界人口展望2022》报告，11月15日全球人口正式达到80亿。联合国网站“80亿人口日”栏目介绍，这是人类发展史上的一个里程碑。“世界人口达到80亿并不是一场灾难，事实上，这在全球范围内是一个巨大的成功，因为更多的人存活了下来。”联合国人口基金的官员雷切尔·斯诺表示，但如果人类不能为未来几十年的发展做好准备，这将是一场灾难。

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We're in a fascinating window right now in human history, where we have this grand diversity between old countries and young countries simultaneously.

我们现在正处于人类历史上一个具有特殊意义的窗口期，古老国家和新兴国家之间同时存在着巨大的差异。

We don't see a baby boom.

未来不太可能会再次出现婴儿潮。

In fact, the pace at which the global population was growing peaked back in 1964, when it was growing at more than 2.2 per cent per year.

事实上，全球人口的增长速度在1964年达到顶峰，当时的年增长率超过2.2%。

Now, right now, it's less than 1 per cent.

而现在还不到1%。

It took 12 years for us to grow from 7 to 8 billion.

全球人口从70亿增长到80亿花了12年的时间。

It will take us 14 and a half years to reach 9 billion.

达到90亿则需要14年半的时间。

And then it will take us more than 20 years to get to 10 billion.

之后需要20多年的时间才能达到100亿。

Birth rates go down for many reasons.

出生率下降的原因有很多。

And what we've observed for years since approximately the seventies is that where we see an increase, for example, in women's education, children are more likely to be healthy.

根据我们从大约七十年代开始以来的多年观察，妇女受教育程度较高的地方，儿童的健康水平也相对较高。

Children are more likely to survive.

儿童存活率同样较高。

And women are more interested in regulating their fertility, adopting contraception, and having fewer children.

这些地区的妇女更加倾向于避孕和少生优生。

So while we think about reproductive rights, historically it's very much about enabling women and couples to avoid pregnancies that were unwanted.

因此，当我们在谈论生育权利时，历史上的举措主要是关于如何使妇女或夫妻避免意外怀孕。

Today, we have to recognize that that reproductive rights' embraces also enabling people to have wanted children.

而今天，我们必须认识到的是，生育权同样意味着让人们有能力生育自己想要的孩子。

Where development has been successful and progresses, we see that these are countries in large measure where women have reproductive rights and choices.

在那些于发展方面取得了进步和成功的国家，妇女们在很大程度上享有生育权利和选择自由。

That women's agency, their bodily autonomy, are essential to development.

女性的能动性，女性对自己身体的自主性，都对发展起着至关重要的作用。

They are, in fact, hallmarks and indicators of development in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

事实上，这些都是实现可持续发展目标过程中的发展标志和指标。

So it's imperative for us to fulfill the Sustainable Development Goals and to make education universally accessible and affordable for all children.

因此，为了切确实现可持续发展目标，我们要使所有儿童都能普遍接受教育和负担得起教育。

In many countries of the world today, what we see also is that people aspire to more children than they're actually having.

在当今世界上的许多国家，人们渴望生育比实际更多的孩子。

Across Europe, we saw a diversity of responses in terms of birth rates and the pandemic.

在整个欧洲，人们关于出生率和疫情的反应不尽相同。

In the majority, countries actually had a decline in birth rates nine months after the onset of the pandemic when lock-downs were happening.

在大多数国家，因疫情爆发而实行封锁措施九个月后，出生率实际上出现了下降。

And that seems to have been relatively temporary.

这似乎只是暂时的。

Those numbers have rebounded in the majority of countries.

这些数字在大多数国家都有所回升。

This is not unusual.

而这样的情况并不罕见。

This is similar to what was observed in the Great Depression.

它与大萧条时期的情况类似。

It was observed in the flu epidemic of the early part of the 20th century.

类似的情况同样出现在20世纪初的流感大流行中。

In periods of economic uncertainty, history shows us that people postpone getting pregnant,

历史告诉我们，在经济不稳定的时期，人们会延迟生育，

that births decline and those recover in almost all cases, within a relatively short period of time.

而在几乎所有这样的情况中，出生率都会在相对较短的时间内下降后恢复。

And that seems to be the impact of COVID. One of the great successes of 8 billion is it means that increasing life expectancy is no longer something which is only visible among the wealthier populations of this world.

这似乎就是新冠病毒的影响。80亿人口的巨大成功之一是它意味着预期寿命的延长不再是世界上富裕人口的专利。

But it's growing and increasing.

而是范围的扩大和程度的加深。

重点解析

We're in a fascinating window right now in human history, where we have this grand diversity between old countries and young countries simultaneously.

我们现在正处于人类历史上一个具有特殊意义的窗口期，古老国家和新兴国家之间同时存在着巨大的差异。

长难句分析：

where引导非限定性定语从句，修饰表抽象地点的先行词fascinating window. where引导定语从句时，不仅可以修饰表地点的先行词，也可以修饰抽象名词比如position, situation, point, state, case等等。

重点词汇短语：

1. grand / ɡrænd /

adj.壮丽的，堂皇的；宏伟的，宏大的；傲慢的，高高在上的；令人愉快的；<非正式>出色的，极好的

n.<非正式>一千美元，一千英镑；大钢琴，三角钢琴

例句：

The wedding was a very grand occasion.

婚礼场面非常隆重。

The festival ended with a grand finale in Hyde Park.

节日的压轴活动是在海德公园举行的盛大演出。

Hamilton revealed his grand design for the economic future of the United States.

汉密尔顿透露了他对美国未来经济的宏伟计划。

常见用法：

grand canyon（美）大峡谷

grand canal 大运河

grand opening 盛大献映

grand slam 大满贯；满垒时的全垒打

grand hall 大厅；大会堂

同根词：

grandly adv.盛大地；宏伟地；堂皇地

grandness n.壮大；伟大；宏伟

近义词辨析：

▲grand：侧重规模大，豪华而宏伟壮丽、盛大。也可指人的崇高、伟大。

例：My Mom and Dad used to have a grand Christmas ball every year.

我妈妈和爸爸以前每年都要办一场盛大的圣诞节舞会。

▲magnificent：指环境、建筑物等本身的壮丽、堂皇、庄严、崇高或出色等。

例：Several magnificent oil paintings adorn the walls.

几张华丽的油画使墙壁熠熠生辉。

▲majestic：侧重状态、外表、仪态等给人以威严感。

例：It all seemed most majestic and mysterious when they sat down in their circle.

当他们围成一圈坐下来的时候，一切都显得无比庄严和神秘。

▲splendid：指人在行为、品德或性格等方面的卓越超群；指物侧重外观上的辉煌。

例：He gave them a splendid lunch of smoked salmon.

他款待了他们一顿极好的熏三文鱼午餐。

▲noble：指因本身著名或从外表上看有令人难忘的华丽、庄严、卓越、雄壮或崇高。

例：His followers believe they are fighting for a noble cause.

他的追随者相信他们是在为一项崇高的事业而奋斗。

2. simultaneously 

🇬🇧/ ˌsɪm(ə)lˈteɪniəsli / 

🇺🇸/ ˌsaɪm(ə)lˈteɪniəsli /

adv.同时地

例句：

The game will be broadcast simultaneously on TV and radio.

比赛将同时在电视和广播中进行转播。

How does the fourth estate simultaneously serve an audience that is both consumer and citizen?

新闻界何以同时服务于消费者和公民？

The game will be broadcast simultaneously on TV and radio.

比赛将同时在电视和广播中进行转播。

同根词：

simultaneous adj.同时的；联立的；同时发生的

So it's imperative for us to fulfill the Sustainable Development Goals and to make education universally accessible and affordable for all children.

因此，为了切确实现可持续发展目标，我们要使所有儿童都能普遍接受教育和负担得起教育。

重点词汇短语：

1. imperative / ɪmˈperətɪv /

adj.极重要的，必要的；命令的，强制的；祈使的

n.重要紧急的事，必要的事；祈使语气，祈使语气动词；命令

例句：

It is absolutely imperative that we finish by next week.

我们的当务之急是必须于下周完成。

It is imperative to continue the treatment for at least two months.

必须继续治疗至少两个月。

The most important political imperative is to limit the number of U.S. casualties.

政治上的当务之急是控制美国的伤亡人数。

常见用法：

imperative sentence 祈使句；命令句

imperative mood 祈使语气；命令语气

同根词：

imperatively adv.命令式地

2. fulfill / fʊlˈfɪl /

v.履行；实现；满足；使结束（等于 fulfil）

例句：

While it is useless to argue against the demand for increased mobility, we must fulfill this demand efficiently.

既然反对日益增长的汽车需求毫无用处，我们就必须有效地满足这种需求。

The promise of finding long-term technological solutions to the problem of world food shortages seems difficult to fulfill.

为世界粮食短缺问题找到长期技术解决方案的希望似乎很难实现。

Only under a certain amount of stress can we fulfill ourselves.

只有在一定的压力之下我们才能发挥自己的才能。

常见用法：

fulfill oneself 实现自己的抱负

fulfill one's dream 实现梦想

fulfill duties 恪尽职守 ; 各尽其责

fulfill obligation 履行债务

fulfill the long-cherished wishes 实现夙愿

同根词：

fulfillment n.履行；实行

fulfilment n.实现；成就

In many countries of the world today, what we see also is that people aspire to more children than they're actually having.

在当今世界上的许多国家，人们渴望生育比实际更多的孩子。

重点词汇短语：

1.aspire 🇬🇧/ əˈspaɪə(r)/  🇺🇸/ əˈspaɪər /

v.渴望，有志于

例句：

For us, it's something that we may aspire to but can never attain.

对我们来说，那是可望而不可即的。

Many writers aspire toward this.

多数作家致力于达到这个境界。

Her home is definitely something I aspire to have one day.

她这样的家绝对是我希望将来能拥有的。

常见用法：

aspire after 渴望；追求

同根词：

aspiring adj.有抱负的；追求…的；高耸的

aspirational adj.有雄心壮志的；梦寐以求的

aspiration n.渴望；抱负；呼气；吸引术

aspirational n.成功指南；处世自助手册

aspirer n.热望者；追求者

In the majority, countries actually had a decline in birth rates nine months after the onset of the pandemic when lock-downs were happening.

在大多数国家，因疫情爆发而实行封锁措施九个月后，出生率实际上出现了下降。

重点词汇短语：

1. decline / dɪˈklaɪn /

v.下降，衰退；拒绝，谢绝；变格，词形变化

n.减少，衰退

例句：

The industry has slid into decline.

这个行业已成衰退之势。

They failed to arrest the company's decline.

他们未能阻止公司的衰落。

The figures represent a general decline in employment.

这些数字表明就业率的总体下降。

常见用法：

on the decline 在走下坡路；在衰退中

decline and fall 衰亡，衰败

in decline 在衰退中

economic decline 经济衰退

decline stage 衰退期；下降阶段

population decline 人口不足 ; 人口减少

decline with thanks 婉言谢绝

2. onset 🇬🇧/ ˈɒnset / 🇺🇸/ ˈɑːnset /

n.（尤指某种坏事情的）开始，发作；军事攻击

例句：

Most of the passes have been closed with the onset of winter.

随着冬天的来临，大多数的关卡都已经关闭。

The researchers examined how the onset of four serious physical illnesses affected marriages.

研究人员调查了四种严重的身体疾病是如何影响婚姻的。

Roughly 10% of Alzheimer's cases are early-onset.

大概有10%的老年痴呆症是早发性的。

常见用法：

sudden onset 突然发病 ; 忽然发病 

onset age 发病年龄

onset time 起效时间 ; 初动时间

In periods of economic uncertainty, history shows us that people postpone getting pregnant, that births decline and those recover in almost all cases, within a relatively short period of time.

历史告诉我们，在经济不稳定的时期，人们会延迟生育，而在几乎所有这样的情况中，出生率都会在相对较短的时间内下降后恢复。

重点词汇短语：

1. postpone 

🇬🇧/ pəˈspəʊn / 🇺🇸/ poʊˈspoʊn /

v.推迟，延缓；把……放在次要地位；把……放在后面

例句：

The only practicable alternative is to postpone the meeting.

另外唯一可行的办法就是推迟会期。

It was an unpopular decision to postpone building the new hospital.

延迟兴建新医院的决定是不得人心的。

He decided to postpone the expedition until the following day.

他决定将探险活动推迟到第二天。

同根词：

postponement n.延期；延缓

近义词辨析：

▲delay：普通用词，多指因外界原因推迟或耽误，也可指有意推迟。

例：My plane was delayed by an hour.

我乘坐的飞机延误了1个小时。

▲postpone：更为正式，语气较强，多指有安排的延期，常指明延期到一定的时间。

例：If nobody objects, we'll postpone the meeting till next week.

如果没有人反对，我们就把会议推迟到下周。

▲defer：正式用词，语气强于postpone，多指故意拖延。

例：Customers often defer payment for as long as possible.

顾客们经常尽可能地推迟付款。

▲suspend：指暂时中断以待某种条件的实现。

例：If you exceed your credit limit, we have the right to suspend or cancel your account.

如果你超过了信贷限额，我们有权暂停或取消你的账户。

▲prolong：指把时间延长至超过正常或通常的限度。

例：The operation could prolong his life by two or three years.

这次手术可使他多活两三年。

▲put off：口语用词，与postpone同义，但较通俗。

例：We've had to put off our wedding until September.

我们只得把婚期推迟到九月。

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