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1、2014届高考英语一轮复习话题阅读素材62 WorldBank TheWorldBankisoneofthemajorchannelsthroughwhichdevelopmentaidispassedfromtheIndustrialWesttothepooranddevelopingnations.Inthelastdecade,importantchangeshavetakenplaceinthesizeoftheBank'soperationsandintheemphasisofitslendi
2、ngpolicies.FewpeoplewoulddenythatthePresidentoftheBank,Mr.RobertMcNamara,hasplayedavitalroleinbringingaboutthechanges. WhatimmediatelystrikesanyonelookingatthelendingfiguresoverthelasttenyearsisthetremendousexpansionoftheBank'sloanprogram.Thishasincreased
3、from$1billiontonearly$7billion.Thefigureincludes"hardloans"whicharemadeatcurrentratesofinterest,and"softloans"whichareallocatedtopoorcountriesatconcessionaryrates.Indecidingtheemphasisofitslendingpolicy,theBankhadtotakeintoaccountthepopulationexplosioninpo
4、orcountries.Thereisastronganddeeply-rootedtraditionamongpeopleinthesecountriestohavebigfamilies.Thelargefamilyunit,itisbelieved,bringsgreaterfinancialstability. WhattheBankdiscovered--thiswasarevolutionaryidea--wasthattherewasalinkbetweeneconomicandsocial
5、development,ontheonehand,andareductioninfertilityrate,ontheother.Thus,byimprovingbasichealthservices,byintroducingbetternutritioninapoorcountry,alowerfertilityratewouldbeachieved.ThisadvanceinthinkingpersuadedtheBanktochangeitsoveralllendingstrategy.Wherep
6、reviouslyithadconcentratedonthebiginfrastructureprojectsuchasdams,roadsandbridges,itbegantoswitchtoprojectswhichdirectlyimprovedthebasicservicesofacountry.Therewasashiftfrombuildingdamstodiggingwaterholestoprovidecleanwater. Asecondreasonforthechangeinapp
7、roachwasthattheBankhadlearnedabitterlessonfromprojectsfinancedinthe1960s.Manyofitcapitalinvestmentshadscarcelytouchedthelivesoftheurbanandruralpoor,norhadtheycreatedmuchemployment.Instead,thehugedams,steelmillsandsoonwereleftasmonumentstothemselves. Thisr
8、edirectionofitslendinghasmeantthattheBankhastendedtosupportlabor-intensiveactivitiesratherthancapital-intensiveones.Thereisabetterchance,inthefirstcase,thatitsfundswillbenefitthebottom40%ofacountry'spopulatio
