Question

请认真阅读下面的短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：请将答案写在答题卷上相应题号的横线上，每个空格只填一个单词。

When times are tough, how should governments in poor countries ensure their citizens remain fed? In the past, most of them used subsidies (现金补助) to keep food prices low for all their citizens. But these policies have become ineffective: the cost of maintaining Egypt’s food subsidies, for instance, nearly doubled between 2009 and 2013. And much of the money goes to the wrong people. In Egypt and the Philippines less than 20% of spending on food subsidies goes to poor households. In the Middle East and North Africa only 35% of subsidies reach 40% of the poorest, the IMF notes.

Motivated by a desire to control growing budget deficits (赤字) , many countries are replacing broad subsidies with policies aimed more directly at the needy. But what form should the targeted aid take? Earlier this month Iran introduced free handouts of food to replace its subsidy method. Other countries, such as Indonesia and Malaysia, have chosen instead to provide extra cash benefits to the poor. So far, food vouchers (代金券) have been the least popular option. Proposals to introduce food vouchers in such countries as Malaysia have been rejected on the basis that they were too American and un-Asian.

However, the researchers at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) thought that might have been a mistake and analyzed the results of an experiment conducted by the World Food Programme in Ecuador, a South American country, in 2011, which compared handouts of food, cash and vouchers in the experiment. The study found that direct handouts— Iran’s new policy—were the least effective option. They cost three times as much as vouchers to promote calorie intake by 15%, and were four times as costly as a way of increasing dietary diversity and quality. Distribution costs were high, and wastage was also a problem. Only 63% of the food given away was actually eaten, while 83% of the cash was spent on food and 99% of the vouchers were exchanged as intended. Food handouts have also been the costliest option in similar projects in some African countries, according to John Hoddinott at IFPRI.

In Ecuador there was little difference in cost between handing out cash and food vouchers, the other two options. But food vouchers were better at encouraging people to buy healthier foods because of restrictions on what items could be exchanged for them. It was 25% cheaper to promote the quality of household nutrition using food vouchers than it was by handing out cash.

A switch from universal subsidies to vouchers could be the most efficient way of promoting health as well as relieving poverty. This is very necessary in many developing countries, according to Lynn Brown, a consultant for the World Bank.

Topic	Feeding expectations: Why food vouchers are a policy 1. consideration in developing countries?
Aim of universal subsidies	To 2. for the citizens in poor countries.
Analyses of three policies	Cash ●It keeps food prices low for all citizens. ●It is not 3. in the long term: ＊The cost keeps increasing. ＊Much of the money doesn’t reach those really in 4. .
Handouts of food ●The food can reach the needy 5. . ●They cost twice more than vouchers to promote calorie intake. ●A lot of the food handed out is wasted, thus 6. a matter of wastage.
Food vouchers ●They work better when it 7. to encouraging people to buy healthier foods. ●8. with handing out cash, using food vouchers costs much less. ●They are too American and un-Asian.
Conclusion	It’s a 9. to use vouchers in many developing countries because it not only helps to10. poverty but also promotes health most efficiently.

Answer

1.worth/deserving

2.provide

3.effective

4.need

5.directly

6.causing

7.comes

8.Compared

9.necessity/must

10.relieve

【解析】

本文是议论文。当时局艰难时，贫穷国家的政府应如何确保其公民有饭吃？文章论述了什么食品券是发展中国家值得考虑的政策。

1.本题最后一道做，是标题题。根据最后一段中的A switch from universal subsidies to vouchers could be the most efficient way of promoting health as well as relieving poverty. This is very necessary in many developing countries, according to Lynn Brown, a consultant for the World Bank.（从普遍补贴转向代金券可能是促进健康和消除贫困的最有效方式。世界银行顾问林恩•布朗表示，这在许多发展中国家非常必要）及全文的内容可知，food vouchers是最合理最划算的政策，因此它值得发展中国家去考虑。故填worth/deserving。

2.根据第一段中的When times are tough, how should governments in poor countries ensure their citizens remain fed?（当时局艰难时，贫穷国家的政府应如何确保其公民有饭吃）可知，universal subsidies（补贴）的目的是ensure their citizens remain fed（确保其公民有饭吃）。由空后for可知，此处替换成provide for the citizen in poor countries。故填provide。

3.根据第一段中的But these policies have become ineffective（但这些政策已经失效）可知，此处把ineffective替换成not effective。故填effective。

4.根据第一段中的And much of the money goes to the wrong people.（大部分钱都花在了错误的人身上）和第二段中的另一个提示aimed more directly at the needy（更直接地针对有需要的人）。Needy与此处in need 形成同义替换。故填need。

5.原词重现，根据第二段中的Motivated by a desire to control growing budget deficits (赤字) , many countries are replacing broad subsidies with policies aimed more directly at the needy.（出于控制不断增长的预算赤字的愿望，许多国家正在用更直接针对贫困人口的政策取代广泛的补贴）可知，此处填写directly。故填directly。

6.根据第三段中的Distribution costs were high, and wastage was also a problem.（配送成本高，浪费也是一个问题）可知，一大部分食物被浪费导致了巨大的浪费问题。因此需要一个链接前后句的承接词，由题意我们选择causing“造成”。故填causing。

7.根据倒数第二段中的But food vouchers were better at encouraging people to buy healthier foods because of restrictions on what items could be exchanged for them（但食品券在鼓励人们购买更健康的食品方面做得更好，因为可以兑换的食品种类受到了限制）可知，当鼓励人们去买健康食物的时候food vouchers效果很好。When it comes to…“当……的时候”。故填comes。。

8.根据倒数第二段中的It was 25% cheaper to promote the quality of household nutrition using food vouchers than it was by handing out cash.（用食品券来提高家庭营养质量比用现金要便宜25%）可知，handing out cash和food voucher相比更加贵，两者是对比关系，应使用compare“比较”的过去分词。故填Compared。

9.原词重现，根据最后一段中的A switch from universal subsidies to vouchers could be the most efficient way of promoting health as well as relieving poverty. This is very necessary in many developing countries, according to Lynn Brown, a consultant for the World Bank.（从普遍补贴转向代金券可能是促进健康和消除贫困的最有效方式。世界银行顾问林恩•布朗表示，这在许多发展中国家非常必要）可知，此处使用necessity/must“必要性/必须”，由空前a可知，此处使用名词单数。故填necessity/must。

10.原词重现，根据最后一段中的A switch from universal subsidies to vouchers could be the most efficient way of promoting health as well as relieving poverty. This is very necessary in many developing countries, according to Lynn Brown, a consultant for the World Bank.（从普遍补贴转向代金券可能是促进健康和消除贫困的最有效方式。世界银行顾问林恩•布朗表示，这在许多发展中国家非常必要）可知，此处使用relieve“解除，减轻”。故填relieve。