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

Brazil’s population growth rate dropped from 2. 99% a year between 1951 and 1960 to 1. 93% a year between 198 land 1990, and Brazilian women now have only 2. 7 chil??dren 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 (肥皂剧) and installment (分期付款) plans introduced in the 1970s. Both played an important, although indirect, role in low??ering the birth rate. Brazil is one of the world’s biggest produc??ers of soap operas. Globo, Brazil’s most popular television net??work, 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 mes??sage towards the problems of reproduction, they describe mid??dle and upper class values: not many children, women work??ing, says Martine. They sent this image to all parts of Brazil and made people conscious (有意识的) of other patterns of behaviour and other values, which were put into a very attrac??tive package.

Meanwhile, the installment plans tried to encourage the poor to become consumers. " This led to an enormous change in consumption (消费) patterns and consumption was incom??patible (不相容的) with unlimited reproduction," says Mar??tine.

9. According to the passage, Brazil has lowered its population growth ________.

A. by educating its citizens                B. by careful family planning

C. by developing TV programmes                     D. by chance

10. According to the passage, many Third World countries

A. haven’t given much attention to birth control

B. would soon join Brazil in controlling their birth rate

C. haven’t yet found an effective measure to control their population

D. haven’t realized the importance of TV plays in family planning

11. Soap operas have helped in lowering Brazil’s birth rate be??cause ________.

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 popularize birth control measures

12. 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 goes with reproduction.

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

Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members, especially their parents, don’t know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for advice. It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or many friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss something difficult to say to their family members.

However, parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. The question of “choice” is an interesting one. Have you ever thought of the following questions?

Who choose your friends?

Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?

Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like?

Many teenagers think their _______ know them better than their parents do.

    A. friends      B.  teachers          C. brothers and sisters       D.  classmates

When teenagers stay alone, the usual way of communication is to _________.

A. go to their friends                  B. talk with their parents

C. have a discussion with their family    D. talk with their friends on the phone

Which of the following sentences is TRUE?

A. Parents should like everything their chil??dren enjoy.

B. In all families, children can choose everything they like.

C. Parents should try their best to understand their children better.

D. Teenagers can only go to their friends for help.

The main idea of this passage is that ___________.

    A. Teenagers need friends

    B. Friends can give good advice

    C. Parents often choose their children’s friends for them

D. Good friends can communicate with each other 


Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members, especially their parents, don’t know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for advice. It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or many friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss something difficult to say to their family members.
However, parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. The question of “choice” is an interesting one. Have you ever thought of the following questions? Who choose your friends? Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you? Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like?
【小题1】Many teenagers think their _______ know them better than their parents do.

A.friendsB.teachersC.brothers and sisters D.classmates
【小题2】When teenagers stay alone, the usual way of communication is to _______.
A.go to their friendsB.talk with their parents
C.have a discussion with the familyD.talk with their friends on the phone
【小题3】Which of the following is DIFFERENT in meaning from the sentence “Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends.”?
A.Some parents may even not allow their children to meet their good friends.
B.Some parents may even ask their chil­dren to stay away from their good friends.
C.Some parents may even not let their children meet their good friends.
D.Some parents may want their children to stop to meet their good friends.
【小题4】Which of the following sentences is TRUE?
A.Parents should like everything their chil­dren enjoy.
B.In all families, children can choose everything they like.
C.Parents should try their best to understand their children better.
D.Teenagers can only go to their friends for help.
【小题5】The main idea of this passage is that ___________.
A.Teenagers need friends
B.Friends can give good advice
C.Parents often choose their children’s friends for them
D.Good friends can communicate with each other

Children who speak English as their first language are now a minority in inner-city London primary schools,official figures show.
Youngsters with foreign mother tongues form a majority at primary schools in 13 out of33 London cities. Across the country,English is a foreign language to more than one in seven primary school youngsters.
The figures from the Department for Children,Schools and Families (DCSF) point to major demographic (人口的) changes over the past few decades,with around a fifth of pupils now coming from ethnic minorities.
There are concerns that school finances are coming under stress from the growing numbers of youngsters requiring help with English. The government has been urged to provide more funding,and give fair treatment to schools with large concentrations of non-English speakers.
In Tower Hamlets almost four out of five youngsters do not have English as their mother tongue. In other areas,including Leicester,Luton and Bradford the proportion approaches 50 percent.
The figures indicate that many recent migrants have settled in London. Sir Andrew Green,Founder and Chairman of Migration Watch UK,says,“These figures confirm the huge impact immigration is having on our society. When government funds are as tight as they are,this is bound to have a negative impact,since children for whom English is a second language need extra tuition (学费).”He adds,“In inner London it's hard to know with whom immigrant chil­dren are supposed to practice English,since the number of immigrant children is much larger than that of local. ”
A spokesman for DCSF stresses that the figures “only indicate the language to which a child was initially exposed at home,regardless of whether he or she comes to speak English fluently later on. It is only a relatively few recent arrivals for whom communication problems are serious”.“We are increasing funding to the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (助学金)to £206 million by 2010,to help bring students weak in English up to speed. We’re also equipping schools to offer effective English as an Additional Language teaching to new arrivals,”he adds
72.A minority of London primary school students speak English as their first language because
      .
A. local children prefer to speak other languages
B. more and more immigrant children are attending school in London
C. children learning English as an additional language need extra tuition
D. English is too difficult a language for primary school children to learn
73.Some people worry about      .
A. the increasing number of adults needing help with English
B. the government taking no measures to help the schools
C. non-English speakers putting school finances under stress
D. London schools not providing adequate service for children in need
74.It can be inferred from the passage that         .
A. most immigrant children make a great effort to learn English
B. the government used to treat non-English speakers unfairly
C. it's not easy to find English speakers for immigrant children in some parts of London to communicate with
D. local children are influenced by immigrant children
75.According to the spokesman for DCSF,the figures indi­cate       .
A. that children will speak English fluently later on
B. that immigration is having a huge impact on English society
C. what the language the children were exposed to first was
D. that funding is increasing to help students weak in English

Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members, especially their parents, don’t know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for advice. It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or many friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss something difficult to say to their family members.

However, parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. The question of “choice” is an interesting one. Have you ever thought of the following questions?

Who choose your friends?

Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?

Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like?

1. Many teenagers think their _______ know them better than their parents do.

A.friends

B. teachers

C.brothers and sisters

D. classmates

2.When teenagers stay alone, the usual way of communication is to _________.

A.go to their friends

B.talk with their parents

C.have a discussion with their family

D.talk with their friends on the phone

3. Which of the following sentences is TRUE?

A.Parents should like everything their chil­dren enjoy.

B.In all families, children can choose everything they like.

C.Parents should try their best to understand their children better.

D.Teenagers can only go to their friends for help.

4. The main idea of this passage is that ___________.

A.Teenagers need friends

B.Friends can give good advice

C.Parents often choose their children’s friends for them

D.Good friends can communicate with each other

 

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