One major obstacle to economic development is population growth. The populations of most

developing countries grew at a rate much faster (1)______ than that of industrialized countries. One reason for this growth is the high (2) __ crude birth-rate—the number of alive births per 1,000 people. In some (3)______ developing countries, the population is so large that it is barely enough (4)______ futile land and other resources to support it. Many less developed countries (5) ______ depend extensively on agriculture, adding to the problem. In these countries, an incentive to having many children exists. Most farms are worked by fam- (6)______ ilies, and children can work in the fields at an early age. More children mean (7)______ more workers. In addition, having many children ensures the parents that someone will look after them in their old age. Another problem for develop ing countries is increasing life expectancy—the average remaining lifetime for persons who reach a certain age. Better education, international aid, and emphasis on health-care facilities help people live longer. A high life expec tancy coupled with a high crude birthrate make it difficult to increase per (8)______ capita GNP. Finally, people have different views on what is the proper rate of population growth. Some feel that the earth is too crowded already and (9)______ societies should work for zero population growth—the condition in which the average number of births and deaths balances so that a population stops (10)______ growing. Others feel that population growth is a natural event and that ef forts to disrupt it are morally and religiously wrong.

(1)