Part A: Reading Comprehension
Directions: Read the following text. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)
Text 2
Last year marked the third year in a row that Indonesia’s bleak rate of deforestation has slowed in pace. One reason for the turnaround may be the country’s antipoverty program.
In 2007, Indonesia started phasing in a program that gives money to its poorest residents under certain conditions, such as requiring people to keep kids in school or get regular medical care. Called conditional cash transfers or CCTs, these social assistance programs are designed to reduce inequality and break the cycle of poverty. They’re already used in dozens of countries worldwide. In Indonesia, the program has provided enough food and medicine to substantially reduce severe growth problems among children.
But CCT programs don’t generally consider effects on the environment. In fact, poverty alleviation and environmental protection are often viewed as conflicting goals, says Paul Ferraro, an economist at Johns Hopkins University.
That’s because economic growth can be correlated with environmental degradation, while protecting the environment is sometimes correlated with greater poverty. However, those correlations don’t prove cause and effect. The only previous study analyzing causality, based on an area in Mexico that had instituted CCTs, supported the traditional view. There, as people got more money, some of them may have more cleared land for cattle to raise for meat, Ferraro says.
Such programs do not have to negatively affect the environment, though. Ferraro wanted to see if Indonesia’s poverty-alleviation program was affecting deforestation. Indonesia has the third-largest area of tropical forest in the world and one of the highest deforestation rates.
Ferraro analyzed satellite data showing annual forest loss from 2008 to 2012- including during Indonesia’s phase-in of the antipoverty program-in 7,468 forested villages across 15 provinces. “We see that the program is associated with a 30 percent reduction in deforestation,” Ferraro says.
That’s likely because the rural poor are using the money as makeshift insurance policies against inclement weather, Ferraro says. Typically, if rains are delayed, people may clear land to plant more rice to supplement their harvests. With the CCTs, individuals instead can use the money to supplement their harvests.
Whether this research translates elsewhere is anybody’s guess. Ferraro suggests the results may transfer to other parts of Asia, due to commonalities such as the importance of growing rice and market access. And regardless of transferability, the study shows that what’s good for people may also be good for the environment. Even if this program didn’t reduce poverty, Ferraro says, “the value of the avoided deforestation just for carbon dioxide emissions alone is more than the program costs.”
26. According to the first two paragraphs, CCT programs aim to
27. The study based on an area in Mexico is cited to show that
28. In his study about Indonesia, Ferraro intends to find out
29. According to Ferraro, the CCT program in Indonesia is most valuable in that
30. What is the text centered on?
答案与解析 (Answers)
26. [C] help poor families get better off.
解析：第二段明确指出，这些被称为条件性现金转移支付（CCTs）的社会援助项目“旨在减少不平等并打破贫困的循环（are designed to reduce inequality and break the cycle of poverty）”。选项 C“帮助贫困家庭变得更好（get better off）”是对打破贫困循环的完美同义替换。
27. [A] economic growth tends to cause environmental degradation.
解析：第四段提到，基于墨西哥的唯一一项分析因果关系的研究“支持了传统观点（supported the traditional view）”。而第三、四段解释了这种传统观点：即消除贫困（经济增长）和环境保护往往被视为冲突的目标，“经济增长可能与环境恶化相关（economic growth can be correlated with environmental degradation）”。墨西哥的例子中人们有钱后砍树养牛，正是说明了这一点。
28. [D] the relation of CCTs to its forest loss.
解析：第五段明确指出了费拉罗的研究目的：“Ferraro wanted to see if Indonesia’s poverty-alleviation program was affecting deforestation（费拉罗想看看印尼的扶贫项目是否正在影响森林砍伐）”。扶贫项目即 CCTs，deforestation 即 forest loss，所以他想探究的是 CCTs 与森林流失之间的关系。
29. [D] it can protect the environment.
解析：最后一段中，费拉罗指出：“该研究表明，对人有益的事物也可能对环境有益。即使这个项目没有减少贫困，仅仅避免森林砍伐带来的二氧化碳减排价值，就超过了该项目的成本。”这说明该项目最大的价值在于其意想不到的环境保护效益。
30. [B] The effects of a program.
解析：本文通篇讨论的是印尼的 CCT 反贫困项目所带来的一项出人意料的成果——它不仅帮助了穷人，还减少了森林砍伐。全篇围绕这个 program 的双重 effects（扶贫效果与环保效果）展开，B 选项最贴切。
核心长难句精解 (Highlighted Sentences)
1. 过去分词短语作状语与定语：
"Called conditional cash transfers or CCTs, these social assistance programs are designed to reduce inequality and break the cycle of poverty."
【解析】Called... 是过去分词短语作原因或背景状语。are designed to 表示“被设计用来/旨在”。这句话简洁明了地点出了 CCT 项目的定义和核心目标。
【翻译】被称为条件性现金转移支付或CCTs的这些社会援助项目，旨在减少不平等现象并打破贫困的循环。
"Called conditional cash transfers or CCTs, these social assistance programs are designed to reduce inequality and break the cycle of poverty."
【解析】Called... 是过去分词短语作原因或背景状语。are designed to 表示“被设计用来/旨在”。这句话简洁明了地点出了 CCT 项目的定义和核心目标。
【翻译】被称为条件性现金转移支付或CCTs的这些社会援助项目，旨在减少不平等现象并打破贫困的循环。
2. 宾语从句与条件状语从句的复合：
"Ferraro wanted to see if Indonesia’s poverty-alleviation program was affecting deforestation."
【解析】if 在此处不表“如果”，而是引导宾语从句，意为“是否”。这句话直白地说明了 Ferraro 研究的核心驱动力。
【翻译】费拉罗想弄清楚印度尼西亚的扶贫项目是否对森林砍伐产生了影响。
"Ferraro wanted to see if Indonesia’s poverty-alleviation program was affecting deforestation."
【解析】if 在此处不表“如果”，而是引导宾语从句，意为“是否”。这句话直白地说明了 Ferraro 研究的核心驱动力。
【翻译】费拉罗想弄清楚印度尼西亚的扶贫项目是否对森林砍伐产生了影响。
3. 让步状语与比较级：
"Even if this program didn’t reduce poverty, Ferraro says, 'the value of the avoided deforestation just for carbon dioxide emissions alone is more than the program costs.'"
【解析】Even if 引导让步状语从句，做了一个极端的假设以凸显主句的观点。the avoided deforestation 中 avoided 是过去分词作定语。more than 构成比较结构，说明环保收益大于经济成本。
【翻译】费拉罗说，即使这个项目没有减少贫困，“仅仅由于避免了森林砍伐而减少的二氧化碳排放量，其价值就超过了项目的成本。”
"Even if this program didn’t reduce poverty, Ferraro says, 'the value of the avoided deforestation just for carbon dioxide emissions alone is more than the program costs.'"
【解析】Even if 引导让步状语从句，做了一个极端的假设以凸显主句的观点。the avoided deforestation 中 avoided 是过去分词作定语。more than 构成比较结构，说明环保收益大于经济成本。
【翻译】费拉罗说，即使这个项目没有减少贫困，“仅仅由于避免了森林砍伐而减少的二氧化碳排放量，其价值就超过了项目的成本。”