新东方：2014春上海中高级口译口试十大热点话题预测5

英语自学网

　　五 单独二胎
        　　In the wake of the announcement by the Communist Party of China on Friday
that the country's one-child policy will be relaxed, senior officials are asking
eager parents to wait until local regulations are revised.
        　　Wang Pei'an, vice-minister of the National Population and Family Planning
Commission, issued the caution in an online news release on Saturday.
        　　Chinese couples with one spouse being an only child would be permitted to
have two children, if they choose, the CPC said on Friday, releasing policy
changes that are part of deepening reforms suggested by the recently concluded
Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee held from Nov 9 to
12.
        　　Currently, couples in which both parents are only children can have
two.
        　　The latest adjustment to the nation's family planning laws comes after
years of a strict one-child policy and is expected to affect between 15 and 20
million people on the mainland, experts estimated.
        　　The landmark initiative was a milestone decision that reflected
consultation and public opinion, and would promote a harmonious and stable
society into the 21st century, said a statement issued by the National Health
and Family Planning Commission on Friday evening.
        　　It was also necessary in order to address demographic challenges, such as a
rapidly aging population and a shrinking labor force, it said.
        　　But, as Wang noted, there is no uniform timetable for the implementation of
the policy nationwide, and it would be up to local authorities to decide when to
put the change into effect according to local population conditions, he
said.
        　　"First we have to amend current laws on family planning before we can
enforce it. People will not have to wait too long," he assured.
        　　In areas where there is a high concentration of couples who become eligible
under the new regulations, those who are older and with a ticking biological
clock will get permits first, he said.
        　　Measures are now being devised to avoid a "pile-up" of births over a short
period of time, he said.
        　　Despite the relaxation of regulations, China will still adhere to family
planning as a basic long-term policy, which will be fine-tuned gradually to
maintain "a balanced development of the population in China over a long
run".
        　　Lu Jiehua, a demographics professor at Peking University, said the
relaxation of the one-child policy is a positive signal for further adjustments,
but he felt that the impact would be limited. According to Lu, the change would
affect urban areas more, given that one-child families are concentrated in the
cities.
        　　"It'll be a major step for the country to finally achieve a two-children
family model," he said.
        　　The 6th National Population Census in 2011 indicated that 37.5 percent of
the Chinese population was restricted to just one child, according to
policy.
        　　Those eligible to have two children accounted for only 5.8 percent of the
population.
        　　The percentages are of total population, including people not of
childbearing age.
        　　Introduced in the late 1970s, the implementation of the one-child family
planning policy has been uneven at best.
        　　Most urban residents can have only one child, while in rural areas, couples
who give birth to a girl first have been allowed to have a second child since
the early 1980s. In certain areas like Qinghai and the Ningxia Hui autonomous
region, families of certain ethnicities are allowed three children.
        　　Zhai Zhenwu, director of the School of Sociology and Population Studies at
the Renmin University of China, cited experts who estimate that the new changes
will more likely affect urban couples of childbearing age, an estimated number
of 15 to 20 million.
        　　Among them, about 50 to 60 percent are willing to have a second child,
according to a previous survey by the commission.
        　　However, the inclination and willingness may vary from place to place, Zhai
said.
        　　"Couples in the larger cities like Beijing and Shanghai tend to want just
one child while those living in small and medium-sized cities are more likely to
want more," he said.
        　　Liang Zhongtang from the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, however, said
the latest move was not enough.
        　　"That's just a slight adjustment to a family planning policy, which
highlights government guidance — if not control — over a family issue," he
pointed out.
        　　"The ultimate goal should be eliminating limits imposed by the government,
leaving the decision to the families themselves."
            
            

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        　　Mao Qun'an, a spokesman of the commission, said family planning is part of
the comprehensive policy, and official estimates have ruled out the possibility
of a population surge as a result of the revisions.
        　　Yuan Xin, a professor of population studies at Nankai University, predicted
the national average fertility rate would be boosted to two at most. Currently,
it stands at 1.5 to 1.6 nationwide, far below the global replacement level of
2.1, official statistics show.
        　　The fertility rate is the average number of children a woman has in her
lifetime.
        　　Mao, the commission spokesman, expected China to maintain relatively low
population growth over time. He credited China's successful family planning
policy with containing a potential population explosion. The country's birth
rate dwindled from 33.4 per thousand in 1970 to 12.1 per thousand in 2012.
        　　Without the policy, Mao estimated, China would have had to support a
population of 1.7 to 1.8 billion, and per-capita ownership of resources,
including arable land, grain, forests, drinking water and energy, would be 20
percent less than what it is today.
        　　At that rate, resources and environmental capacity would not have been able
to support rapid economic development, he said.
        　　After six months of self-imposed seclusion following the unexpected death
of her son, Zhang Liying was determined to muster the courage to have another
child.
        　　"We need to move on, and a child is necessary for my life," said the
40-year-old from the Baqiao district of Xi'an, Shaanxi province, whose son
drowned in 2012 at the age of 20.
        　　Life went into suspended animation from that moment. "I saw no reason to
live on. I felt ashamed at losing my son and thought it must be my fault," she
said.
        　　However, Zhang gradually became more optimistic after she was approached by
family planning workers who offered care and support, including peer-support
activities, mental health intervention and a free course of assisted
reproductive technology.
        　　"Without government help, a farming family like us couldn't afford the
treatment, which costs about 50,000 yuan ($8,000)," she said.
        　　Zhang and her husband are not alone, according to Jia Wenying, head of the
Baqiao family planning bureau, who said 137 couples in the district have lost
their only child through illness or accident.
        　　Factory worker Hua Jie said she cried so much when her depressed daughter
committed suicide at the age of 26 that her eyesight was affected. "I put away
all her photos but couldn't help sobbing when I saw other women of a similar age
to my daughter," said the 58-year-old.
        　　To some extent, Hua has been fortunate: Following their daughter's death,
her husband refused to bow to grief and tried to remain positive and optimistic,
said Ding Baorong, a bureau worker who has provided care for more than 100
bereaved families.
        　　In many cases, bereaved couples blame each other for their loss. That makes
the marriage unsustainable and usually results in divorce.
        　　With a combined monthly wage of about 4,000 yuan ($645), Hua and her
husband, surnamed Feng, enjoy a relatively comfortable life, but they are
apprehensive about the future. "We are concerned about when we get old and can't
take care of ourselves," said Feng. "By that time, our wages won't even pay for
two beds at a decent rest home in Xi'an. I hope the government will help us if
that happens."
        　　They have never linked their personal tragedy with China's family planning
policy, which was introduced in the late 1970s and limited most couples to just
one child. "But given the opportunity, I would certainly have had more than one
child," said Hua.
        　　According to Jia, nearly 50 percent of bereaved one-child couples in Baqiao
district are urbanites aged between 50 and 60.
        　　"They are more in need of mental consolation than financial support," she
said, citing a 2012 survey conducted by the China Family Planning Association as
part of a three-year project to explore models of care and support for parents
whose only child has predeceased them.
        　　To date, more than 70 regions nationwide have participated in the project.
Each region receives an annual care-and-support subsidy of 200,000 yuan on
condition the local government provides an equal amount, according to Yang
Yuxue, executive deputy director of the association.
        　　"The project was designed as a catalyst to encourage local governments to
provide long-term, sustainable care for bereaved parents," he said.
        　　A valuable lesson
        　　Ding devised a questionnaire to accompany the survey. It contained more
than 20 questions - including basic information about economic situation,
marital status and the couple's emotional state - designed to help carers
understand the plight of bereaved parents and cater to their needs.
        　　However, some parents saw the questionnaire as an unwarranted intrusion
into private grief. "One woman called Ni, who lost her 20-year-old daughter to
bone cancer and subsequently divorced, turned us away from her door when we
tried to give her the questionnaire. She taught us a valuable lesson and
prompted changes in the way we work with bereaved parents. We understood that we
had to listen more and be more respectful," Ding said.
            
            

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        　　When Ding visited Ni a second time, the distraught mother burst into tears
and began to explain her feelings. Ni became a volunteer worker for the project
and helped to set up an online chat group to allow the exchange of information
and provide peer support for families in the district. In addition, the group
organizes offline activities such as get-togethers and physical checks to
provide contact and emotional support, Ding said.
        　　"There are various rules we must recognize when we offer care," she said,
explaining that bereaved parents should never be visited by large groups of
carers because they don't want to draw attention to themselves.
        　　One woman in Baqiao refused to visit her family for 15 years after her
22-year-old son was killed in an auto accident, Ding said. She added that it's
common for bereaved parents to confine themselves to their homes for a period of
time. "They don't want other people to know anything, not even their close
relatives."
        　　Tu Hongzhu, head of the secretariat of the Family Planning Association of
Xi'an, said appropriate intervention is necessary to safeguard distraught
parents from irrational behavior that can be prompted by grief.
        　　Ni was faced with a medical bill of more than 400,000 yuan when her
daughter died in 2008. As a textile worker, the sum was far beyond her means, so
she asked her relatives for loans. She broke off relations with almost all who
refused.
        　　"Peer support, communication and activities organized by the project help
to heal bereaved parents emotionally," Tu said, adding that the parents don't
like to see too many people. "They prefer a regular and relatively exclusive
circle."
        　　Ding believes care and support should be provided moderately, but
sensitively. "We always visit during traditional festivals or if they fall ill,
but we never disturb their normal lives in the name of care," she said.
        　　Tu echoed Ding's view, adding that couples in the autumn of their years
face great difficulties obtaining care, and require medical treatment, mental
and emotional support.
        　　Hua said: "I don't fear death, but the thought of getting old and falling
ill upsets and horrifies me."
        　　Ding urged decision-makers to look into the problem as quickly as
possible.
        　　"When these people enter old age in five to 10 years' time, they will
require daily care. Are we preparing ways to handle the problem and assure them
of a decent life when that happens?" she asked.
        　　Preparations ongoing
        　　When they turn 60, every bereaved parent in Xi'an receives a monthly
allowance of 900 to 1,000 yuan.
        　　"That figure rises by 100 yuan when they get to 70," Tu said.
        　　"Preparations are now being made, particularly in terms of medical
treatment and care for the elderly, otherwise it will be too late," he noted,
adding that 40 percent of bereaved couples in the city are aged 60 or older.
        　　The local government grants bereaved single-child parents a one-time
subsidy of 20,000 to 30,000 yuan, and women younger than 49 are encouraged to
undertake a free course of assisted reproductive technology to help them have
another child, he added.
        　　Moreover, local mental health teams have been integrated to ensure
professional psychiatric intervention, he said.
        　　According to Ding, about 10 percent of Baqiao's bereaved couples are
willing to accept the services.
        　　A micro loan program has been introduced to encourage unemployed bereaved
parents to start small businesses and become more involved with society, she
added.
        　　Moreover, as a pre-emptive measure, the local government has introduced and
subsidized voluntary commercial insurance policies among all parents involved in
the family planning project whose child is aged 16 or younger. The policies
cover a range of major illnesses and accidental injuries and death.
        　　Each participating family pays an annual premium of just 10 yuan, and the
local government provides a subsidy of 40 yuan.
        　　Of the 385,000 eligible families in Xi'an, more than 70,000 are now covered
by the plan. "A further 140,000 are expected to be included by the end of the
year," said Tu, who added that the local government's subsidy policies for
bereaved families are uniform across all districts, but the means of delivering
care and support vary according to need.
        　　"The policies must be fair, open, and equal to all, otherwise mistakes
could occur and that would cause the families more mental anguish," he said.
        　　Subsidy discrepancies
        　　A family planning official surnamed Sun in the Hedong district of Tianjin,
which participates in the family planning association's project, said there are
about 200 bereaved parent families locally.
        　　However, the amount paid as a one-time subsidy varies from district to
district within the municipality, which has provoked group protests for equal
treatment, he noted.
        　　"A uniform policy within the city would at least help to ensure that the
work runs smoothly," Sun said.
        　　People suffering serious physical or mental problems, the elderly and those
facing economic hardship are given top priority, he added.
        　　In 2013, Hedong paid a monthly allowance of 200 to 270 yuan to bereaved
parents, providing the wife was 49 or older. "The reality is that the relatively
rich get more subsidies. The central government should introduce policies and
coordinate action to change the situation," Sun said.
        　　Wang Haidong, director of the family planning and family development
department at the National Health and Family Planning Commission, said the
department is mulling national policies to better address the problem and
provide improved care for bereaved parents.
        　　According to Wang, more than 400,000 bereaved parents nationwide are
covered by a special assistance program. Although he was unable to say precisely
how many couples have lost their only child nationwide, some experts estimate
the figure to be more than 2 million, and the commission's 2010 yearbook
revealed that about 76,000 families on the Chinese mainland lose their only
child each year.
        　　"These people have contributed to the country's overall economic and social
development by adhering to the family planning policy. Now, having lost their
only child, they are encountering difficulties, so the government must lend a
hand," he said.
        　　Ding cited a November announcement that the family planning policy will be
relaxed to allow some couples to have two children. "Things are improving. It's
a good start, but we must not simply leave the past behind. Bereaved parents
deserve consideration from the government," she said.