China is a country having the largest population in the world，with more than1.4 billion people.However，it's shown that China's birth rate（率） is dropping.
   According to the NBS（國(guó)家統(tǒng)計(jì)局），10.62 million babies were born in 2021，a birth rate of 7.52 per 1，000 people.This is down from a rate of 8.52 per 1，000 people in 2020.
   This means the natural growth rate of the population was just 0.34 per 1，000 people.It is the lowest since China's Great Famine（饑荒） from 1959 to 1961，which killed about 30 million people and caused a population decline.
   Ning Jizhe of the NBS told state media some of the reasons for the decline in births are that people's opinions about having children have changed，birth rates are dropping，and young people are taking longer to get married.Also，the high cost of living in cities is discouraging couples from having more children.
   Another problem is that the population is aging faster than expected.China's working-age population is already dropping.This suggests China's total population may have reached its peak（頂點(diǎn)）in 2021.It also shows China's population growth is likely slowing faster than expected.

（1）What was China's birth rate in 2020？

B

B

A．7.52 per 1000 people.
B．8.52 per 1000 people.
C．7.18 per 1000 people.
D．0.34 per 1000 people.
（2）What does the underlined word "decline" in paragraph 3 probably mean？

B

B

A．Change.
B．Fall.
C．Rise.
D．Level.
（3）Which may be a reason for China's dropping birth rate according to Ning Jizhe？

A

A

A．The cost of living in cities is high.
B．Young people no longer get married.
C．Having children changes people's ideas.
D．There are too many old people to care for.