opulation是一个集合名词,它的用法有时较为特殊,所以很容易用错。

下面谈一下它的用法。

一、population常与定冠词the连用,作主语用时,谓语动词常用第三人称单数形式。

例如: The world's population is increasing faster and faster. 全世界的人口增长得越来越快。

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the world's population was about 1,700 million. 在二十世纪初,全世界的人口大约是十七亿。

二、当主语是表示"人口的百分之几、几分之几"时,谓语动词用复数形式。

例如: About seventy percent of the population in China are farmers. 中国大约有百分之七十的人口是农民。

三、有时population可用作可数名词,其前可用不定冠词。

例如: China has a population of about 1.3 billion. (=There is a population of about 1.3 billion in China.) 中国大约有十三亿人口。

New York is a big city with a population of over 10 million. 纽约是一个有一千多万人口的大城市。

在表示多个地区的人口时,population要用复数形式populations。

例如: Many parts of the world, which once had large populations and produced plenty of crops, have become deserts. 世界上很多地区一度人口众多,种植大量的农作物;现在,这些地区已经变成了沙漠。

四、表示人口的"多"或"少",不用"much"或"little",而要用"large"或"small"。

例如: India has a large population. 印度人口众多。

Singapore has a small population. 新加坡人口少。

五、询问某国、某地有多少人口时,不用"How much...?",而用"How large...?";在问具体人口时用"What...?"。

例如: -How large is the population of your hometown? 你们家乡有多少人口? -The population of our hometown is nearly twice as large as that of yours. 我们家乡的人口是你们家乡人口的将近两倍。

-What is the population of Canada? 加拿大的人口有多少? -The population of Canada is about 29 million. 加拿大的人口大约有二千九百万。

六、population还表示"某地、某类的动、植物或物品的总数"。

例如: In India, however, the population of tigers has increased, from 2,000 in 1972 to about 5,000 in 1989. 然而在印度,老虎的总数已从1972年的2,000只增长到了1989年的大约5,000只。