EXERCISE 31: Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the answer to each of the question.
Vietnam’s population is ageing quickly. In 2017, more than 10 per cent of the population will be 60 and older, and in 15-20 years the elderly will account for one third of the total population. This raises concerns about healthcare, welfare and pensions for the elderly at a time when Vietnam is focusing on economic integration and requires a large labor force. So far two solutions have been proposed: to loosen the two-child policy and to increase the retirement age to 58 for women and 62 for men. By ending the two-child policy the government expects to make up for the ageing population within the next 20
years. But its effect could be creating an uncontrollable boom in the Vietnamese population. When the government loosened the two-child policy in 2015 in a trial period, in the first 6 months of 2016 the third child birth rate increased remarkably by 7.5 per cent
Raising the retirement age has been proposed by the Ministry of Labor pending parliamentary evaluation in May 2017. While the policy is beneficial in utilizing the work experience of the elderly while creating savings in the pension budget, it also means fewer job prospects and promotion opportunities for younger generations. It is also not in the interest of all the elderly, especially the 70 per cent of Vietnam's labor force working in manual labor-intensive sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and construction where working above the age of 50 can be dangerous and unproductive. Despite these drawbacks, raising the retirement age is still considered by policymakers as one of the key solutions to the ageing population problem in Vietnam. However, these are only temporary solutions.
Question 196: The best title for this passage could be .
- Vietnam struggling with ageing population
- Stopping the two-child policy in Vietnam
- Raising the retirement age in Vietnam
- How to solve the aging population in Vietnam
Question 197: Which statement is probably TRUE according to the information in the paragraph 1?
- In 2017, the elderly take up for one third of the total population, this leads to more concerns about healthcare, welfare and pensions for the elderly.
- In 2015, the two-child policy has been officially tightened and succeeded.
- The government would promote families to have two children to compensate for the ageing population within the next 20 years.
- In the next 15-17 years, Vietnam's economy will need a large labor force to integrate with global economy.
Question 198: The word “its" in paragraph 1 refers to ?
A. two-Child policy B. aging population
C. retirement age D. economic integration
Question 199: In the 2rd paragraph, the writer suggests that .
- The Ministry of Labor has applied raising the retirement age in May 2017.
- Raising the retirement age can reduce job opportunities for younger generations.
- The elderly whose age is 50 would be dangerous if they continued to work
- Raising the retirement age and stopping two-child policy can be considered as long-term and effective solutions.
Question 200: The word "temporary" in paragraph 2 means .
A. constant B. permanent C. short-term D. long-term
