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Brazil has become one of the developing world's great successes at reducing population growth but more by accident that 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 (通俗电视连续剧) and instalment (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. Globlo, 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.

Meanwhile, the instalment plans tried to encourage the poor to become consumers.

本文的主要内容是分析Brazil(巴西)人口增长率降低的原因。

1.According to the passage, Brazil has cut back its population growth_______.

A) by educating its citizens

B) by careful family panning C) by developing TV programmes

D) by chance

[答案与分析]：[D]选择依据为文章第1句话。该句中的by accident与选项D中的by chance同义，都表示“出于偶然”。

2.According to the passage, many Third World countries_______.

A) haven't attached much importance 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) neglected the role of TV plays in family planning

[答案与分析]：[C]文章第1段说：巴西在降低人口增长率方面是最成功的发展中国家之一，但其原因并非主要是政策有效，而是出于偶然。尽管印度等国采取了许多措施试图降低人口增长率，但巴西却毫不费力地就取得了效果。由此可见C项正确。

3.The phrase "puts it down to" (Line 1, Para. 3) is closest in meaning to "_______"

A) attributes it to

B) sums it up as

C) finds it a reason for

D) compares it to

[答案与分析]：[A]将四个备选项分别代入文中替换put it down to,可见只有A项最合适。attribute to(归因于);sum up(总结，概括);compare…to(把……比作)。

4.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 popularize birth control measures

[答案与分析]：[B]A、D两项都显然不对。根据第4段Martine的评论可选B排除C项。Martine说：“尽管这些肥皂刷从来没有着意去涉及人口繁殖问题，它们只是描写了中上层阶级的生活价值观一少生孩子，独特的性观念，妇女在外工作。肥皂剧传播着这些信息，使得人们逐渐认识、理解了另外一种生活方式、人生观，这种生活方式和人生观被认为是很有吸引力。”

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