Most new people were born in developing countries. In the developed countries of Europe and North America, the population is growing very slowly. In the developing countries, many women have five or more children. In 1950, around one quarter of the world's population lived in the developed countries. By 2050, these countries will be home to only around one tenth of the world's population.
In the developing countries, more than one billion people are still living below the poverty(贫困) line. Children get little time at school and people suffer(遭受痛苦) from many kinds of diseases.
The UN has said that the world's population will level off(平稳下降) at 12.5 billion by the year 2100. Other groups think the world's population will continue to grow，reaching 14 billion before it becomes stable(稳定的), or even falls.
| A. At the beginning of the 21st century, the world's population was around six billion. B. It is growing very fast. C. This is because women in these countries have, on average(平均)，only one or two children. D. These countries are found in much of Africa, South America and some parts of Asia. E. A lot of them care nothing about the environment. F. These people do not have enough food to eat and they live in poor housing. |
