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Last year marked the third year in a row of when 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. ... 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. ...

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 and multiple islands. Ferraro separated the effects of the CCT program on forest loss from other factors, ..., “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, Ferraro says. Even if this program didn’t reduce poverty, he 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 ______.

A. facilitate health care reform

B. help poor families get better off

C. improve local education systems

D. lower deforestation rates

27. The study based on an area in Mexico is cited to show that ______.

A. cattle rearing has been a major means of livelihood for the poor

B. CCT programs have helped preserve traditional lifestyles

C. antipoverty efforts require the participation of local farmers

D. economic growth tends to cause environmental degradation

28. In his study about Indonesia, Ferraro intends to find out ______.

A. its acceptance level of CCTs

B. its annual rate of poverty alleviation

C. the relation of CCTs to its forest loss

D. the role of its forests in climate change

29. According to Ferraro, the CCT program in Indonesia is most valuable in that ______.

A. it will benefit other Asian countries

B. it will reduce regional inequality

C. it can protect the environment

D. it can boost grain production

30. What is the text centered on?

A. The effects of a program.

B. The debates over a program.

C. The process of a study.

D. The transferability of a study.

26. 【答案】B(help poor families get better off)

【解析】本题为细节题。根据题干关键词first two paragraphs，CCT programs和aim to定位到第二段②句，其中aim to对应are designed to：Called conditional cash transfers or CCTs, these social assistance programs are designed to reduce inequality and break the cycle of poverty。help poor families get better off是对break the cycle of poverty的同义替换。所以本题选B。

27. 【答案】D(economic growth tends to cause environmental degradation)

【解析】本题为例证题。根据题干关键词The study based on an area in Mexico定位到第四段③句，再找到前面的论点句：That’s because economic growth can be correlated with environmental degradation, while protecting the environment is sometimes correlated with greater poverty。所以本题选D。

28. 【答案】C(the relation of CCTs to its forest loss)

【解析】本题为细节题。根据题干关键词Indonesia和Ferraro，并结合题文同序原则定位到第五段②句：Ferraro wanted to see if Indonesia’s poverty-alleviation program was affecting deforestation。the relation of CCTs to its forest loss是对Indonesia’s poverty-alleviation program was affecting deforestation的同义替换，其中CCTs对应Indonesia’s poverty-alleviation program，forest loss对应deforestation。所以本题选C。

29. 【答案】C(it can protect the environment)

【解析】本题为细节题。根据题干关键词Ferraro，program和valuable定位到第八段④句：Even if this program didn’t reduce poverty, he says, “the value of the avoided deforestation just for carbon dioxide emissions alone is more than the program costs.”。由④句可知，Ferraro认为“即使CCT项目不能减少贫困，仅就二氧化碳排放量而言，避免森林砍伐的价值也超过了该项目的成本”。故可推知Ferraro认为CCT项目能够保护环境，因此具有重要价值。所以本题选C。

30. 【答案】A(The effects of a program.)

【解析】本题为主旨大意题。文章首段由印度尼西亚的rate of deforestation has slowed in pace(森林砍伐速度下降)以及推动该转变的antipoverty program(扶贫项目)引出话题;随后二至四段指出旨在扶贫的CCT项目重视经济发展，这可能会对环境产生不良影响;五至八段作者借经济学家Ferraro的研究指出，CCT项目其实有助于减少森林砍伐量，反而对保护环境有积极影响。故本文集中讨论了CCT项目对于环境的effects(影响)，A项符合。所以本题选A。 ，