题目

题型：不详难度：来源：

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 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 image to all parts of Brazil and made people conscious of other patterns of behavior and other values, which were put into a very attractive package.”
Meanwhile, the installment plans tried to encourage the poor to become consumers (消费者). “This led to an enormous change in consumption patterns and consumption was incompatible (不相容的) with unlimited reproduction,” says Martine.
小题1:What is the passage mainly about? (within 8 words)
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小题2:What’s Brazil’s population growth rate between 1981 and 1990? (within 4 words)
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小题3:What are the two main factors in helping Brazil lower its birthrate? (within 6 words)
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小题4:How long does the most popular television network in Brazil show soap operas every week? (within 2 words)
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小题5:What changes have soap operas brought to Brazilians? (within 8 words)

答案

小题1:Brazil has successfully reduced its population growth.
小题2: 1.93% a year.
小题3:Soap operas and installment plans.
小题4:18 hours.
小题5:They have changed people’s values and behaviors. / They have gradually changed people’s way of life.

解析

试题分析：文章介绍了巴西人口出生率一直在下降，并分析了原因，原来是巴西的电视剧里传播的价值观让巴西女性不愿意多生孩子。
小题1:主旨题：根据第一段1,2行Brazil has become one of the developing world’s great successes at reducing population growth, but more by accident than design.说明文章讲的是巴西出生率的下降，Brazil has successfully reduced its population growth.
小题2:细节题：从第二段的句子：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,可知答案是1.93% a year.
小题3:细节题：从第三段的句子：Martine puts it down to among other things, soap operas and installment (分期付款) plans introduced in the 1970s.可知巴西的人口出生率的下降是由于电视剧和分期付款。Soap operas and installment plans.
小题4:计算题：从第三段的句子：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. 可知答案是3x6="18" hours.
小题5:细节题：从第四段的句子：“They sent this image to all parts of Brazil and made people conscious of other patterns of behavior and other values, which were put into a very attractive package.”可知这些电视剧改变了人们的价值观和行为： They have changed people’s values and behaviors. / They have gradually changed people’s way of life.