44.国家推行“三胎”政策应对人口老龄化问题
Are you the only child in your family? Do you want sisters and brothers?
On May 31, 2021, China introduced a new policy（政策），allowing all families to have up to three children.
The three-child policy is expected to fight the drop in the nation's birthrate and deal with the challenge of a rapidly aging（老龄化的）population, China Daily reported.
The number of newborns in China has fallen for four years in a row （连续）.The country's total fertility rate（生育率）- the average number of children born to each woman - stood at 1.3 in 2020. But to have a stable（稳定的）population, the number should be 2.1, says the National Bureau of Statistics.
On the other hand, the proportion of the over- 60 population rose from 10.3 percent to 18.7 percent over the past 10 years. This means there will not be enough young workers. That’s a problem for economic growth, says Chen Youhua, a professor at Nanjing University. The new policy will maximize（最大化）the population's role in driving economic and social growth, since this is a critical time for China to become an economic powerhouse（强国）with a quality workforce.
However, not all people have shown their support for this new policy. Some couples complained about the rising costs of raising a child. An internet user named Qinfeng said, “The high cost of education and both the physical and mental exhaustion（疲惫）stopped me from having more than one child." Also, many women are unwilling to give birth because that could mean losing good job opportunities, according to Mu Guangzong, a professor at Peking University.
To give stronger support to families, the government will make policies in terms of marriage, births, parenting and education, reported China Daily. For example, there will be measures to improve the childcare service system, and to create more equal opportunities in education. The government will also enhance（改 善）tax（税收）and housing policies, and protect the legal rights of women in job markets.
Choose the right answer:
( ) 1.What is TRUE according to the new policy?
A.The only child in a family needs support.
B.Parents should care more about their children.
C.Three-child families are very common.
D.Chinese families can have three children.
( ) 2.What does Paragraph 5 try to explain?
A.Why the birthrate dropped so fast.
B.Why the three-child policy was introduced.
C.How the economy affects population growth.
D.How to develop a quality workforce.
( )3.What does the word "critical" in Paragraph 5 mean?
A.early B. anxious C. important D. unexpected
( )4.What can we learn from the story?
A high birthrate is a symbol of an economic powerhouse.
B.Parents face great pressure raising children.
C.Many women choose to quit work to raise more children.
D.There will be more competition among women in job markets.
45.HK to mass test for coronavirus香港将全民强制核酸检测
Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that Hong Kong will conduct a mass mandatory testing in March to fight the latest COVID-19 outbreak, and all Hong Kong residents must undergo nucleic acid tests three times. As the central government has strengthened its support for Hong Kong, the sampling and testing capacity in the global financial hub has reached nearly 1 million samples a day, Lam said, adding she believed capacity will continue to increase and can cope with mass testing. She said the testing is a legal requirement and there is a punishment mechanism for those who do not take part.