Are we too many?
Activities
B. Listen to the Audio. Listen how the teacher talks about the population of Bangladesh and answer the following questions.
Listening text 3
Questions
Tick the best answer.
1. Bangladesh is a small country, because
2. Density of population in any country means
3. Our yearly population growth rate is
4. Our birth rate is ........... per thousand.
5. What will be the size of our population in 2050?
C. Listen again and answer these questions.
D. Read the chart and fill in the gaps with information from the table Use comparatives and superlatives where necessary. The chart shows facts about some countries including Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Sri Lanka India China
|
|
Bangladesh |
Sri Lanka |
India |
China |
|
Land area |
144,000 sq km (approx) |
65,600 sq km |
3,287,590 sq km |
9,600,000 sq km |
|
Population |
150 m |
20 m |
1.15 b |
1.33 b |
|
Density of population |
1000 |
332 |
382 |
143 |
|
Birth rate (per 1000) |
20.1 |
17.42 |
22.22 |
12.29 |
|
Death rate (per 1000) |
6.1 |
5.92 |
7.48 |
7.03 |
|
Growth rate |
1.40% |
0.7% |
1.41% |
0.5% |
In terms of land area Bangladesh is (1) ( larger ) than Sri Lanka, but (2) than India. China is, of course, (3) of all the four countries. Sri Lanka has the (4) population among the four countries. However, China has the (5) population shown in the chart. In fact, China has the (6) population in the world and India has the (7) population in the world. On the other hand, China has the (8) growth rate among the 4 countries. Bangladesh has (9) growth rate than India, but higher birth rate than (10) and (11) .
E. Write a paragraph about the population situation of any of the countries above. Use the facts given in the chart in D above.
Bangladesh is smaller than China and India but bigger than Sri Lanka. It’s total land area is 144,000 sq. km (approx.) It is a small country but the country has a large population of about 150 million. The population density of Bangladesh is as high as 1000 per square kilometer. The birth rate in Bangladesh per 1000 is 20.1 while the death rate per 1000 is 6.1. Thus, the growth rate is 1.40%. If Bangladesh keeps this growth rate, it might create a great problem in future due to scarcity of land and resources.
F. What do you see in the picture above? What do you think is the main reason behind it? How can the situation be improved?
In the picture, some people have set up a temporary market blocking the road which is causing a lot of difficulties for the vehicles to move. I think the main reason is that more people are flocking to the cities these days for better work opportunities. So, the cities are unable to bear the pressure now. To avoid this situation, traffic rules should be properly implemented. Proper arrangement for marketplaces should be made and these people move to those fixed areas saved for marketplaces.