South Korea’s fertility (生育) rate, which already is the world’s lowest, dropped again in 2023. This means that the number of babies a South Korean woman is expected to have during her reproductive (繁殖的) years dropped from 0.78 in 2022 to 0.72 in 2023. The fertility number is much lower than the rate of 2.1 per woman that would be needed to keep South Korea’s population stable. In 2015, when the cost of housing and education was lower, the rate was 1.24.
South Korea’s population has been shrinking for a long time. Since 2018, the nation has been the only member of a group of large economies to have a rate below one. The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) includes a wide group of nations such as Britain, the United States, Australia, New Zealand as well as Mexico and Chile. Among OECD nations, South Korea has the largest difference in pay between men and women.
Balancing motherhood with a job is a concern for South Korean women. Jung Jae-hoon is a professor at Seoul Women’s University. Jung noted that women have trouble moving their careers forward after taking leave to care for children. An example of this is Gwak Tae-hee who is 34. She is concerned about missing career opportunities if she stops working to start a family. She has been married for three years and works as a manager for a company that makes milk products. “Having a baby is on my list, but there are windows for promotions and I don’t want to be passed over,” she said. Gwak said she considered starting medical treatments last year that would help her have a child. However, she decided against it because she wanted to take on work projects that would help her career.
Since 2006, the South Korean government has spent about $270 billion in areas such as helping families pay for childcare, but the fertility numbers are still falling. If the birth rate continues to drop, South Korea’s population of about 51 million will be cut in half by 2100.
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1.Why does the author mention the figures in the first paragraph?
A To prove a high fertility rate is very important.
B To predict the future population of South Korea.
C To show South Korea’s fertility rate falls seriously.
D To explain why South Korea’s fertility rate is low.
解析：选C。C 推理判断题。根据第一段第一句“South Korea’s fertility (生育) rate, which already is the world’s lowest, dropped again in 2023.”韩国的低生育率在2023年再次下降，可知，本段中列举的数据是为了说明韩国的生育率下降严重。故选C。
2.Which of the following words can replace the underlined word “shrinking”?
A Doubling.
B Declining.
C Booming.
D Varying.
解析：选B。B 词义猜测题。结合上一段提到韩国生育率下降，以及划线词所在句的后一句“Since 2018, the nation has been the only member of a group of large economies to have a rate below one”自2018年以来，韩国一直是经济合作与发展组织（OECD）中唯一一个生育率低于1的国家，由此可知，韩国的人口一直在下降。故选B。
3.How does the author develop the third paragraph?
A By listing some figures.
B By giving a definition.
C By making a comparison.
D By providing an example.
解析：选D。D 推理判断题。根据第三段内容可知，本段先提出了论点“women have trouble moving their careers forward after taking leave to care for children”女性在请假照顾孩子后很难在事业上取得进展，接着“An example of this is Gwak Tae-hee who is 34.”以34岁的Gwak Tae-hee的经历为例，支撑前文提出的论点。故选D。
4.What can we infer about the South Korean government?
A They are concerned.
B They are hopeful.
C They are curious.
D They are indifferent.
解析：选A。A 推理判断题。根据最后一段的内容，自2006年以来，韩国政府在帮助家庭支付托儿费用等领域投入了约2700亿美元，但生育率仍在下降。如果出生率继续下降，到2100年，韩国约5100万人口将减少一半。由此可知，韩国政府对生育率下降的问题感到担忧。故选A。
