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 to 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 plans introduced in the 1970s. Both played an important, although in direct, 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, 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 behavior 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 an enormous change in consumption patterns and consumption was incompatible with unlimited reproduction.” says Martine.
小题1:According to the passage, the two factors that lead to the success of population control in Brazil are _______________________________________.
小题2:The underlined phrase “ put down to ” in paragraph 3 has the closest meaning to _________________________________.
小题3:What made Brazil the envy of many other Third World countries?
_________________________________________________________________
小题4:Why did the author say that soap operas helped in lowering the birth rate?
_________________________________________________________________
小题1:Soap operas and installment plans.
小题2: attribute to
小题3:The achievement of population growth rate dropping constinuously.
小题4:Because soap operas have gradually changed people’s way of life.
题目分析：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: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2:猜词题：从后面的句子：Both played an important, although in direct, role in lowering the birth rate.可知这里put down to是“归因于”=" attribute" to
小题3:Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990, an achievement that makes it the envy of many other Third World countries. 说明文章讲的是巴西出生率的下降使第三世界的国家很羡慕。The achievement of population growth rate dropping constinuously.
小题4: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：Because soap operas have gradually changed people’s way of life.