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1、高考英语《流行话题语境识词4500》Unit62 WorldBank素材Unit62 WorldBank TheWorldBankisoneofthemajorchannelsthroughwhichdevelopmentaidispassedfromtheIndustrialWesttothepooranddevelopingnations.Inthelastdecade,importantchangeshavetakenplaceinthesizeoftheBank'soperationsandintheemphasisofitsle
2、ndingpolicies.FewpeoplewoulddenythatthePresidentoftheBank,Mr.RobertMcNamara,hasplayedavitalroleinbringingaboutthechanges. WhatimmediatelystrikesanyonelookingatthelendingfiguresoverthelasttenyearsisthetremendousexpansionoftheBank'sloanprogram.Thishasincreasedfrom$1billionto
3、nearly$7billion.Thefigureincludes"hardloans"whicharemadeatcurrentratesofinterest,and"softloans"whichareallocatedtopoorcountriesatconcessionaryrates.Indecidingtheemphasisofitslendingpolicy,theBankhadtotakeintoaccountthepopulationexplosioninpoorcountries.Thereisastronganddeep
4、ly-rootedtraditionamongpeopleinthesecountriestohavebigfamilies.Thelargefamilyunit,itisbelieved,bringsgreaterfinancialstability. WhattheBankdiscovered--thiswasarevolutionaryidea--wasthattherewasalinkbetweeneconomicandsocialdevelopment,ontheonehand,andareductioninfertilityra
5、te,ontheother.Thus,byimprovingbasichealthservices,byintroducingbetternutritioninapoorcountry,alowerfertilityratewouldbeachieved.ThisadvanceinthinkingpersuadedtheBanktochangeitsoveralllendingstrategy.Wherepreviouslyithadconcentratedonthebiginfrastructureprojectsuchasdams,roa
6、dsandbridges,itbegantoswitchtoprojectswhichdirectlyimprovedthebasicservicesofacountry.Therewasashiftfrombuildingdamstodiggingwaterholestoprovidecleanwater. AsecondreasonforthechangeinapproachwasthattheBankhadlearnedabitterlessonfromprojectsfinancedinthe1960s.Manyofitcapita
7、linvestmentshadscarcelytouchedthelivesoftheurbanandruralpoor,norhadtheycreatedmuchemployment.Instead,thehugedams,steelmillsandsoonwereleftasmonumentstothemselves. ThisredirectionofitslendinghasmeantthattheBankhastendedtosupportlabor-intensiveactivitiesratherthancapital-int
8、ensiveones.Thereisabetterchance,inthefirstcase,thatitsfundswillbenefitthebottom40%