Beijing municipal people's congress revealed this week that the capital now has 19.72 million inhabitants.

       
        这是一个不能回避也无法回避的数字：北京常住人口总量1972万，提前10年突破国务院批复的北京常住人口规模。目前北京的人口规模已经接近甚至超过北京环境资源的承载极限，水电气热煤的供应常年紧张运行，形势非常严峻。请看相关报道：

       According to the guidelines regarding Beijing's development between 2004 and 2020 set by the State Council, the number of permanent residents living in capital should have been capped below 18 million until the end of 2020.

       根据国务院批复的2004至2020年北京城市总体规划，到2020年底，北京市常住人口规模应控制在1800万人以下。

       However, a recently released report from the population investigation and research team within the people's congress shows that by the end of 2009, approximately 12.46 million people in the capital held a Beijing hukou. An additional 7.26 million inhabitants were migrant workers who had been living in the city for more than half a year and who are therefore also classified as permanent residents.

       然而，近日北京市人大常委会人口调研组发布报告称，截至2009年底，全市常住人口构成为：户籍人口1246万人，居住半年以上的外来人口726.4万人。

——Excerpt from Beijing's population surges near 20 million

       “浮肿虚胖”的人口规模增加了环境负荷（burden the environment），给城市的自然资源供应带来了很大的压力（bring pressure on the city's natural resources）；同时也造成了城市基础设施（infrastructure）、 公共服务体系（public service system）和社会管理体系（management of society）超负荷运转。

       与常住人口相对的概念是流动人口（floating population ）。近年来北京流动人口增量逐年加大；如果将驻京部队、在社会上散居未登记的和短期来京探亲、旅游、就医的流动人口估算在内，北京的流动人口总量已超过1000万。

（来源：中国网学英语频道）