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上期划线句答案
For example, when Autoliv, a Swedish company that pioneered seat belt technologies, introduced airbags — a product that was contentious and questioned by automakers at the time — into the U.S. market, it was able to take advantage of its position as an outsider firm to challenge local norms, practices, and products.
例如，瑞典的Autoliv，安全带技术的先驱，在把安全气囊——当时备受争议且受到汽车制造商质疑的产品——引入美国市场时，正是利用了其外来企业的身份来挑战当地的规范、做法和产品。
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本期内容
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双语阅读
Para.1
Children no longer provide direct economic value with their labor, or an insurance policy in the way that in previous generations it was virtually guaranteed that children would take care of their parents in old age, according to Poh Lin Tan, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies in Singapore. “We are at the place where having children is really a matter of pure joy and a preference where you kind of have to pay for and make some sacrifices in terms of your leisure and career advancement,” Tan said.
Para.2
Despite changes in family and work life, traditional ideas about who should take care of children — women, of course — have proved resistant to policy prescriptions. “Cultural expectations are designed to fit a way of living that doesn’t exist anymore,” said Matthias Doepke, an economist at the London School of Economics. “That is the root cause of these extremely low fertility rates that we have in rich countries.”
Para.3
In 1995, Sweden introduced what came to be known as the “daddy month,” a month of parental leave given to the spouse — usually the father — who had not already taken leave after the birth of a child. If that spouse did not use the month, the couple would lose it. With the addition of second and third “use it or lose it” months in subsequent years, more fathers took paternity leave. “That has created a change in cultural expectations on what it means to be a good father,” said Ylva Moberg, a researcher in economics and sociology at Stockholm University. Yet fertility rates in Sweden have not increased. Economists say it’s not clear that that means the policy has failed, given that Sweden’s rates are higher than those in East Asia.
Para.4
If more gender equality between parents, tax rebates and cash allowances can’t create bigger families, what else can a desperate government do? In Japan, policymakers are trying a new gambit: promoting weddings. Last year, fewer than 500,000 couples got married in Japan, the lowest number since 1933, despite polls showing that most single men and women would like to do so. One obstacle is that many young adults live with their parents — close to 40 percent of people aged 20 to 39, according to data from 2016, the latest year for which it is available.
Para.5
Japanese politicians have also talked about the importance of raising wages, and some economists say the government should support corporate social activities that could lead to relationships. L.G.B.T.Q. advocates argue that Japan should legalize same-sex marriage and help such couples have children. It’s hard to imagine that this pro-wedding push will succeed in boosting the birthrate any more than Japan’s last three decades of initiatives have. In the end, it seems that governments can only do so much.
本文节选自：The New York Times（纽约时报）
发布时间：2024.10.17
作者：MOTOKO RICH
原文标题：Can the Government Get People to Have More Babies?
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写作句总结
原句：Despite changes in family and work life, traditional ideas about who should take care of children — women, of course — have proved resistant to policy prescriptions.
结构：Despite changes in X, traditional ideas about Y have proved resistant to Z.
例句：Despite changes in societal values, traditional beliefs about personal character development have proved resistant to modern educational approaches.
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阅读理解题
What is the author's attitude towards the effectiveness of government initiatives in boosting birthrates?
A) Optimistic
B) Pessimistic
C) Neutral
D) Ambivalent
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全文概括
The article discusses the global decline in birth rates, particularly in developed countries, and explores the complex factors driving this phenomenon.
The text highlights the changing role of children in society, where they no longer provide direct economic benefits or guaranteed care for aging parents as they once did. The text then examines the persistent gender imbalance in childcare responsibilities, despite policies promoting equal parental leave and other incentives. It argues that cultural expectations often hinder effective policy implementation and contribute to low fertility rates. Finally, the excerpt explores Japan's unconventional approach to addressing the issue. Ultimately, the text emphasizes the multifaceted nature of the declining birth rate problem and suggests that government intervention, while necessary, may have limited effectiveness in reversing this trend.
本文讨论了全球出生率的下降，特别是在发达国家，并探讨了导致这一现象的复杂因素。
这篇文章强调了孩子在社会中的角色变化，他们不再像以前那样为年迈的父母提供直接的经济利益或有保障的照顾。文章接着探讨了在育儿责任方面持续存在的性别失衡，尽管有政策提倡平等的育儿假和其他激励措施。报告认为，文化期望往往阻碍政策的有效实施，并导致低生育率。然后，文章探讨了日本解决这一问题的非常规方法。最后，强调了出生率下降问题的多面性，并建议政府干预虽然是必要的，但在扭转这一趋势方面可能收效有限。
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