Directions:

　　Write an essay of 160200 words based on the following drawing. In your essay, you should

　　1) describe the drawing briefly,

　　2) explain its intended meaning, and then

　　3) state your point of view.

　　You should write neatly on ANSWER SHEET 2. （20 points）

人口與資源

It is a thought-provoking cartoon, in which numerous people are crowding on earth. The drawing aims to alarm us that resources on earth are far from enough to sustain our exploding population.

　　It goes without saying that this message is very true. The 20th century has not only witnessed a huge hike in population, but also the emergence of crises resulting from fighting for restricted resources. Take crude oil for example, it is so immensely consumed in daily life and industrial production that its role is fundamental in today’s global economic and political stage. People of different nations even initiate wars to obtain more oil fields, an activity which can be best exemplified by the complicated scenario in the Middle East. Other examples include more disputes over the sharing of water resources, as well as the lack of food and other necessities in most African countries.

　　Indeed, a large population with limited resources casts a shadow on mankind’s future existence in this planet. Therefore, it is prime time that we took positive steps with the strength of all human beings to hold back this grim tendency. Evidently, sustainable development needs a population with a reasonable exploitation of natural resources. （200 words）

　　在這幅發人深思的圖中我們可以看到地球上面簇擁著無數的人。這幅漫畫意在給我們敲響警鐘，即地球上的資源已經無法供應呈爆炸式增長的人口了。

　　毫無疑問，這里傳遞的信息是非常真實的。過去的20世紀不僅見證了人口數量的迅速增長，同時因為爭奪有限資源而導致的危機也開始浮現。以原油為例，由于其在人們的日常生活和工業生產中的巨大消耗量，石油在當今的全球經濟和政治舞臺中扮演了重要角色。來自不同國家由于人們為了爭奪油田不惜開戰，其比較好的例子就是中東地區復雜的局勢。其他的例子包括由于水資源短缺導致的紛爭，以及大多數非洲國家的食品和其他生活必需品的匱乏而引起的騷亂。

　　實際上，劇增的人口和地球有限的資源之間的反差給人類未來的生存投上了陰影。因此，該是我們采取有效措施，集中全人類的力量來阻止這種嚴峻的趨勢發展的時候了。顯而易見，提倡可持續發展意味著合理的人口數量和對自然資源的合理開發。