Pre-reading questions:
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
講師がそれぞれの質問を読むので答えましょう。
- Is your city populated?
- Have you already traveled to a populated place?
Vocabulary:
I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.
単語、意味、例文を読みます。講師に続いて音読しましょう。
- population /pop-yuh-LEY-shuhn/
- peak /peek/
- developed /dih-VEL-uhpt/
- predict /pri-DIKT/
- couple /KUHP-uhl/
[noun] – all the people living in a particular country, area, or place
Rural areas housed 10% of the population.
[peek] – the highest, strongest, or best point, value, or level of skill
Prices reached a peak last month.
[adjective] – a developed country has had modern industry, transportation, etc. for some time and now bases much of its economy on services
Many businesses in less developed areas are growing much faster than ours.
[verb] – to say that an event or action will happen in the future, especially as a result of knowledge or experience
I cannot predict what will happen next year.
[noun] – two people who are married
An elderly couple live next door.
Article reading:
Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.
記事を音読しましょう。講師はあなたの発音とイントネーションを確認します。
According to UN estimates, India’s population will be greater than China’s next year, with 1.4 billion people. The world’s population will be 8 billion by November of this year. However, population growth is not as rapid as it once was. It is now growing at its slowest rate since 1950, with a peak of around 10.4 billion people expected in the 2080s, though some demographers believe it could happen sooner. In contrast, global population growth is uneven. At the same time, fertility rates are falling below the “replacement rate” of 2.1 children per woman in some of the world’s most developed economies. The population of 61 countries will decline by at least 1% by 2050, according to the report. China, which has one of the world’s lowest fertility rates (1.15 children per woman), has announced that its population will begin to decline next year, much sooner than previously predicted, despite the country abandoning its one-child policy in 2016 and giving financial support to couples to have two or more children.
True or False:
Read the sentences and identify if they are true or false based on the article.
文章を読んで、記事に基づいて正誤を答えましょう。
- According to UN estimates, India will surpass China as the world’s most populous country next year.
- The world’s population will have surpassed 18 billion by November of this year.
- Population growth is not as rapid as it once was.
- The population of 61 countries will decline by at least 1% by 2050.
- China has announced that its population will begin to decline next year.
Fill in the blanks:
Choose the correct word from the table then fill in the blanks.
適切な言葉を選んで空欄を埋めましょう。
| population | peak | developed | predict | couple |
- The are a married _________.
- No one can __________ when the storm will strike again.
- The boys make up 55% of the __________.
- He seems to have reached the __________ of his basketball career.
- _________ countries have a lot of industrial activity.