Passage 1

The world's population is likely to peak at 9.7 billion in 2064, and then decline to about 8.8 billion by the end of the century, as women get better access to education and contraception, a new study has found.

By 2100, 183 of 195 countries will not have fertility rates required to maintain the current population, with a projected 2.1 births per woman, researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington's School of Medicine said. Some 23 countries including Japan. Thailand, Italy, and Spain―will see populations shrink by more than 50%, researchers said. The modeling study, published Tuesday in The Lancet, also forecasts dramatic declines in working-age populations in countries including India and China. But as fertility declines, researchers note that immigration could offset population shrinkage, particularly in countries, with low fertility, such as the US, Australia and Canada. 

“The world, since the 1960s, has been really focused on the so-called population explosion,” Dr. Christopher Murray, who led the research, told CNN. “Suddenly, we're now seeing this sort of turning point where it is very clear that we are rapidly transitioning from the issue of too many people to too few. ”Using data from Global Burden of Disease Study 2017, researchers predicted that the fastest-shrinking population will be in Asia and eastern and central Europe. 

Murray said that not only will the population shrink, but society will generally be older, which would have a substantial impact on economic growth. “There's more people needing to receive benefits from the government, whether that's social security or health insurance, and there’s fewer people to pay taxes, ”he explained. 

The study also predicts major changes in the global age structure as fertility falls and life expectancy increases, with an estimated 2.37 billion people over 65 years globally in 2100, compared with 1.7 billion under the age of 20.

Passage 2

Zongzi is to the Dragon Boat Festival as eggs to Easter or roses to Valentine’s Day. The first bamboo-wrapped sticky rice dumplings were probably made with plain rice, but these dumplings soon developed into regional specialties. The main ingredient is glutinous rice, which holds its shape after cooking and keeps well in the summer heat. Millet, whole wheat grains, barley, red beans or peanuts are also mixed into the rice to make it tastier. 

In South China, glutinous rice is also soaked in an alkaline solution that turns the grains yellow, and the process creates a chewy texture. These are Jianshui Zongzi, which are always eaten dipped into old-fashioned granulated sugar. Apart from that, the folks in the southern coastal provinces prefer their rice dumplings savory rather than sweet, and the salted dumplings are filled with beans, pork and mushrooms. Sometimes the rice is fried and seasoned with soy sauce to add fragrance and color. In Guangdong province, the dumplings get bigger and arc shaped almost like miniature pillows, filled with five-spice coated fatty pork cooked inside the rice. Often, traditional cooks also add a whole salted egg yolk. 

In Beijing and other northern provinces, the preference is for sweet dumplings, filled with sugary red-bean paste. One of the most popular versions is a red bean and rice dumpling, with or without its ball of bean paste filling. Other ingredients may include lotus seed paste, walnuts, melon seeds or sesame.

It is not just the flavors that vary from region to region. The dumplings come in different shapes as well. The simplest dumplings are triangular, made with a single large bamboo leaf and simply folded over. A more traditional shape is the perfect pyramid. with four comers This is the dumpling that takes the most skill to make. Even if you get the shape right. the challenge is in how to tie it properly so it does not disintegrate in the boiling pot during the long cooking period.