1.population的基本意思是“人口”,还可指居住在某地的“全体居民”,作主语时谓语动词用单数形式; 在表示人口“多”“少”时,用large和small修饰。特指某一地区或某一国家的“人口”时,则前常加冠词the。
2.population用作可数名词,表示一个地区的“特定人群”“动物群”时,其前常加定冠词the。
3.population是集合名词,有时可加不定冠词,有时可用复数形式。
China has the largest population among the countries of the world.中国人口全世界最多。
The population began to decrease.人口开始减少。
The survey covers a representative sample of the population.这次调查包括有代表性的人口样本。
The population of this city is in the neighbourhood of three millions.本市人口接近300万。
This is a country afflicted with the twin disasters of food shortage and population explosion.该国正面临着两种孪生的灾难,即食品短缺和人口爆炸性的膨胀。
The city's population prepared to flee heat for the relative cool of the rivers.该市居民准备逃到天气较为凉爽的江河流域避暑。
The population in these villages has to get its water from wells.这些村庄里的居民不得不从井里取水。
There 50 percent or more of the population is illiterate.那里50%或更多的群众是文盲。
They supplied other daily necessities to the city population.他们为城市居民提供其他生活必需品。
It had a population of some three hundred families.那里有大约300户的人口。
Entire populations were enslaved.所有的群众都遭受奴役。
1.坎大哈市有23万人。
[误] Kandahar has a population of 230,000 people.
[正] Kandahar has a population of 230,000.
[析] 这里的people是多余的,应该去掉。
2.日本人口有多少?
[误] How many are the population of Japan?
[误] How large is the Japanese population?
[正] How large is the population of Japan?
[正] What is the population of Japan?
[析] 提问“多少人口”须用How large或what,另外,“日本人口”应说the population of Japan,不能说 Japanese population。
3.广州的人口比海口多。
[误] The population of Guangzhou is more than that of Haikou.
[正] The population of Guangzhou is larger than that of Haikou.
[析] population是集合名词,一般不可与many, few搭配,而要用large, small,当表示“比…人口多”时,一般也不用more而用large,且谓语动词用单数形式。
4.中国人口众多。
[误] There is a very large population in China.
[正] China has a very large population.
[析] 陈述句中表示“有多少人口”要用动词have,而不用there be结构。
[同义词] citizenry, citizens, community, folk, natives, people
[词源] <拉丁语populatio (人口)
