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¡¡¡¡Section C

¡¡¡¡Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written¡£

¡¡¡¡The World Bank is one of the major channels through which development aid is passed from industrial west to the poor and developing nations of the world. Its (36) scale of operations is vast, which is why its lending program (37) exceeds 7 billion a year, and its workforce numbers about 4500. In the last decade important changes have taken place in the size of the bank¡¯s operations and in the emphasis of its lending policies. What immediately (38) strikes anyone looking at the lending figures over the last 10 years is the (39) tremendous expansion in the bank¡¯s loan program. This has increased from 1 billion to nearly 7 billion. The figure includes hard loans, which are made at the (40) current rate of interest, and soft loans, which are (41) allocated to poor countries at concessionary rates, and usually channelled through the bank¡¯s affiliate¡ªthe International Development Association.ª¥

¡¡¡¡In deciding the emphasis of its lending policy, the bank has had to take into account the population (42) explosion which is occuring in many poor countries of the world. It is a fact that the fertility rate of the poor countries is often very high. This is one of the main reasons for these countries remaining poor. Unfortunately, (43) wide-ranging country section programs do not usually reduce this rate because this was a strong and deeply-rooted tradition among people in these countries to have big families. What the bank discovered was that (44) there was a link between economic and social development on the one hand, and reduction of fertility rate on the other. Thus by improving basic health services, (45) by introducing better nutrition, by increasing literacy, and by promoting more even income distribution in a poor country, a lower and more acceptable fertility rate will be achieved. This advanced thinking persuaded the bank to change its overall lending strategy, where previously it concentrated on the big infrastructure projects, such as dams, roads and bridges. (46) It began to switch to projects which directly improve the basic services of the country. There was a shift, if you like, from building dams to digging water holes to provide clear water¡£