Question

　　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 hight 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 realize 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 phrase“puts it down to”(Line 1, Para. 3) 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（相矛盾）.

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

(4) Which is the best title of this 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, the Third World Country.

Answer 1

答案：A;B;B;C
解析：

(1) A；推理题。put stk down to“归结”……的原因是……”。由二、三自然段的关系可以推出A。 (2) B；全文倒数第二自然段推出。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了自己的家庭观念和生活模式。 (3) B；深层理解题。最后一自然段可推出B。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。 (4) C；主旨大题意。本标题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。