第 16 至 25 題為題組       Birth rates are plummeting in many countries, causing concern among politiciansin Japan and South Korea regarding the future economic sustainability of their nations.A recent conference held in Italy has addressed the 16 demographic crisis that thecountry faces. Italy currently has one of the world’s lowest birth rates, and thegovernment is cautioning about the significant    17    that an aging population willplace on pensions and the welfare system. Pope Francis, the head of the CatholicChurch, has cautioned that the affordability of raising children is    18    out of reachfor numerous couples, describing the endeavor of starting a family in Italy as an    19    task reserved for the wealthy elite.
       Pope Francis has encouraged Italians to have more children despite rising costs.He admonished young couples against making “selfish,    20    ” decisions thatcontribute to record-low birth rates, asserting that such choices    21    Italy’seconomic future. Referring to the situation as a “demographic winter,” he    22    attention to the fact that Italy experienced a historically low number of births last year,totaling 392,000,    23    the number of deaths remained high at 713,000. The Pope urged couples to    24    having children over owning pets and even    25    awoman who sought his blessing for her “baby,” which turned out to be a dog. The BBCreferred to Italy as “the country of empty cribs” and quoted Elon Musk’s tweet stating,“Italy is disappearing.”
【題組】16. (AB) egotistical (AC) imminent (AD) increasingly (AE) jeopardize (BC) while (BD) arduous (BE) prioritize (CD) strains (CE) reproached (DE) drew