離開
進入《中英對照讀新聞》World population reaching 6.5 billion 世界人口逼近六十五億
◎張其賢
Earth contains nearly 6.5 billion inhabitants, more than half of them living in just six countries, according to a recent report from the French Institute for Demographic Studies(IFED).
地球具有將近六十五億住民，其中半數以上住在僅僅六個國家中，根據「法國人口研究所」（IFED）最近的一份報告指出。
Of every 100 people in the world, 61 live in Asia, 14 in Africa, 11 in Europe, nine in Latin America, five in North America and less than one in Oceania. Out of every 100 babies born today, 57 are born in Asia, 26 in Africa, nine in Latin America, five in Europe, three in North America and less than one in Oceania.
世界上每一百人中，六十一人住在亞洲，十四人在非洲，十一人在歐洲，九人在拉丁美洲，五人在北美洲，不到一人在大洋洲。今天出生的每一百個嬰兒中，有五十七人生在亞洲，二十六人生在非洲，九人在拉丁美洲，五人在歐洲，三人在北美洲，不到一人在大洋洲。
According to the IFED, earth has 6.477 billion human beings now, and the 6.5 billionth will be born in Asia some time in December. The six most populous countries-China, India, the US, Indonesia, Brazil and Parkistan-contain between them 3.3 billion inhabitants.
根據IFED，地球現在有六十四億七千七百萬人，第六十五億人將在十二月的某一天於亞洲出生。人口最多的六個國家─中國、印度、美國、印尼、巴西和巴基斯坦─加起來具有三十三億住民。
“Agronomists say the earth has the potential to support many more inhabitants-up to 15 billion. The question is how to share out the resources rather than whether we can produce enough,” said Catherine Rollet who is organizing an international conference on world demography next month in Tours, France.
「農藝學家說，地球具有支持更多住民─最多可達一百五十億─的潛力。問題在於如何去分配資源，而不在於我們能否生產出足夠的資源」，正籌備下月在法國土爾市舉行的一場關於世界人口的國際會議的凱薩琳．羅蕾說。
新聞辭典
inhabitant：名詞，在某處居住的人。字根是 inhabit，動詞，指居住在、棲息於，如He inhabited a small two-room apartment.（他棲身在一間只有一房一廳的小公寓裡。）
agronomist：名詞，農藝學家。字根是agronomy，名詞，農藝學，指關於土壤和作物生產的科學。
share out：動詞片語，分配。例句：The charity organization made an local appeal for medical supplies which it would share out among the people in the west African countries.（這個慈善組織在本國勸募醫藥品，準備分配到西非國家的人民之中。）
