Question

【题目】阅读理解

Brazil has become one of the developing world’s great successes in reducing population growth—but more by accident than design.While countries such as India have made joint efforts to reduce birth rates,Brazil has had better result without really trying,says George Martine at Harvard.

Brazil’s population growth rate has dropped from 2.99% a year between 1951 and 1960 to 1.93% a year between 1981 and 1990,and Brazilian women now have only 2.7 children on average.Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990,an achievement that makes it the envy of many other Third World countries.

Martine puts it down to,among other things,soap operas and installment(分期付款)plans introduced in the 1970s.Both played an important,although indirect,role in lowering the birth rate.Brazil is one of the world’s biggest producers of soap operas.Globo,Brazil’s most popular television network,shows three hours of soaps six nights a week,while three others show at least one hour a night.Most soaps are based on wealthy characters living the high life in big cities.

“Although they have never really tried to work in a message towards the problems of reproduction(生育),they describe middle and upper class values—not many children,different attitudes towards sex,women working,”says Martine.“They sent this message to all parts of Brazil and made people realise other patterns of family life and other values,which were put into a very attractive package.”

Meanwhile,the installment plans tried to encourage the poor to become consumers.“This led to change in consumption(消费)patterns and consumption did not get along well with unlimited reproduction,”says Martine.

【1】The underlined phrase “puts it down to” is closest in meaning to “ ”.

A.considers the cause of it to be

B.finds it a reason for

C.looks it on as

D.compares it to

【2】Soap operas have helped in lowering Brazil’s birth rate because .

A.they keep people sitting long hours watching TV

B.they have gradually changed people’s way of life

C.people are drawn to their attractive package

D.they make birth control measures popular

【3】What is Martine’s conclusion about Brazil’s population growth?

A.The increase in birth rate will increase consumption.

B.The desire for consumption helps to reduce birth rate.

C.Consumption patterns and reproduction patterns are contradictory.

D.A country’s production is limited by its population growth.

【4】Which is the best title of the passage?

A.Brazil:the developing world’s success

B.Soap operas and installment plans

C.Brazil:reducing birth rate by accident

D.Learn from Brazil,one of the Third World Countries

【5】From the passage,we can conclude that .

A.India have reduced birth rates by accident,too

B.many other Third World countries are suffering a population growth rate now

C.Brazil government’s achieved a success reducing the birth rate purposely

D.Brazil has successfully reduced population growth—but more by accident than design

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】A

【2】B

【3】B

【4】C

【5】B

【解析】

试题分析:

【1】put sth.down to意思是“归结……的原因是……”。由第二、三段的关系可以推出答案。

【2】根据全文倒数第二段推出,肥皂剧中的中上层阶级的家庭观念——少生孩子,妇女参加工作等,使巴西人慢慢地改变自己的家庭观念和生活模式。

【3】根据最后一段中所讲:分期付款鼓励穷人成为消费者,改变了他们的消费观念,而高消费与无节制的生育相矛盾,故巴西人少生孩子,由此推出B项正确。若选C项,则应在reproduction前加unlimited才行。

【4】C项中有概括全文的中心词:reducing...by accident,即巴西很偶然地降低了人口增长。

【5】由第二段中的“...an achievement that makes it the envy of many other Third World countries.”可知,很多其他第三世界国家妒忌巴西降低了人口增长,它们对自己的人口增长很头疼。D项是文章明确交代的并不是推断出来的。A、C两项是错误的,因为印度降低了人口增长不是偶然的,而巴西降低了人口增长也不是故意的。