Passage?One
The small number of newborn babies,which has been caused by high prices and the changing social situation of women,is one of the most serious problems inAsia.When people talk about it,you can hear a word invented inJapan,"DINKS",which means Double Income No Kids.
In many majorAsian cities like Seoul,Singapore,and Tokyo,the cost of a house is extremelyhigh.A young couple who want to buy their own house may have to pay about$300,000（though prices have fallen）.For a flat with one bedroom,onedining-room,a kitchen,and a bathroom,the couple will pay about$900 amonth.What′s more,if they want to have a child,the child′s education is veryexpensive.For example,most kindergarten charges are at least$5,000 a year.In such a situation,it′s difficult to afford children.
The number ofmarried women who want to continue working increases rapidly because they enjoytheir jobs.However,if they want to have children,they immediately haveserious problems.Though most companies allow women to leave their jobs for ashort time to have a baby,they expect women with babies to give up their jobs.In short,if they want to bring up children properly,both parents have towork,but it is hard for mothers to work.Indeed,women who want to continueworking have to choose between having children or keeping their jobs.
In a word,Asiangovernments must take steps to improve the present situation as soon aspossible.
To buy a flat and send a child tokindergarten,how much will a couple pay each year?
文中提到“For a flat with one bedroom，one dining—room，akitchen，and a bathroom，thecouple will pay about$900 a month.What’s more，if they want to have a child，the child’s education is very expensive.For example，mostkindergarten charges are at least$5，000 a year.”我们可做出计算：900×12+5000=15800，故D项正确。
