While still in its early stages, welfare reform has already been judged a great success in many states ?a at least in getting people off welfare. It's estimated that more than 2 million people have left the rolls since 1994.
In the past four years, welfare rolls in Athens County have been eut in half. But 70 percent of the people who left in the past two years took jobs that paid less than $6 an hour. The result: The Athens County poverty rate still remains at more than 30 percent--twice the national average.
For advocates (代言人)for the poor, that's an indication much more needs to be done.
"More people are getting jobs, but it's not making their lives any better," says Kathy Lairn，a policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Pricorities in Washington.
A center analysis of US Census data nationwide found that between 1995 and 1996,
a greater percentage of single, femalea2headed households were earning money on their own, but that average income for these households actually went down.
but for many, the fact that poor people are able to support themselves almost as
well without government aid as they did with it is in itself a huge victory.
"Welfare was a poison. It was a toxin (毒素) that was poisoning the family," says Robert Rector, a welfarea2reform policy analyst. "The reform is changing the moral climate in lowa2income communities. It's beginning to rebuild the work ethic (道德观)，which is much more important."
Mr. Rector and others argued that once "the habit of dependency is cracked," then the country can make other policy changes aimed at improving living standards.
56. From the passage, it can be seen that the author _______.
A) believes the reform has reduced the government's burden
B) insists that welfare reform is doing little good for the poor
C) is overenthusiastic about the success of welfare reform
D) considers welfare reform to be fundamentally successful
57. Why aren't people enjoying better lives when they have jobs?
A) Because many families are divorced.
B) Because government aid is now rare.
C) Because their wages are low.
D) Because the cost of living is rising.
58. What is worth noting from the example of Athens County is that _______.
A) greater efforts should be made to improve people's living standards
B) 70 percent of the people there have been employed for two years
C) 50 percent of the population no longer relies on welfare
D) the living standards of most people are going down
59. From the passage we know that welfare reform aims at _______.
A) saving welfare funds
B) rebuilding the work ethic
C) providing more jobs
D) cutting government expenses
60. According to the passage, before the welfare reform was carried out, _______.
A) the poverty rate was lower
B) average living standards were higher
C) the average worker was paid higher wages
D) the poor used to rely on government aid
Passage Three
Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage:
Americans are proud of their variety and individuality, yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform, whether it is the uniform of an elevator operator or the uniform of a five-star general. Why are uniforms so popular in the United States?
Among the arguments for uniforms, one of the first is that in the eyes of most people they look more professional than civilian (百姓的) Clothes. People have be come conditioned to expect superior quality from a man who wears a uniform. The television repairman who wears a uniform tends to inspire more trust than one who appears in civilian clothes. Faith in the skill of a garage mechanic is increased by a uniform. What easier way is there for a nurse, a policeman, a barber, or a waiter to lose professional identity(身份) than to step out of uniform?
Uniforms also have many practical benefits. They save on other clothes. They save on laundry bills. They are tax-deductible(可减税的). They are often more comfortable and more durable than civilian clothes.
Primary among the arguments against uniforms is their lack of variety and the consequent loss of individuality experienced by people who must wear them. Though there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it, without change, until retirement. When people look alike, they tend to think, speak, and act similarly, on the job at least.
Uniforms also give rise to some practical problems. Though they are long-lasting, often their initial expense is greater than the cost of civilian clothes. Some uniforms are also expensive to maintain, requiring professional dry cleaning rather than the home laundering possible with many types of civilian clothes.
61. It is surprising that Americans who worship variety and individuality _______.
A) still judge a man by his clothes
B) hold the uniform in such high regard
C) enjoy having a professional identity
D) will respect an elevator operator as much as a general in uniform
62. People are accustomed to think that a man in uniform _______.
A) suggests quality work
B) discards his social identity
C) appears to be more practical
D) looks superior to a person in civilian clothes
63. The chief function of a uniform is to _______.
A) provide practical benefits to the wearer
B) make the wearer catch the public eye
C) inspire the wearer's confidence in himself
D) provide the wearer with a professional identity
64. According to the passage, people wearing uniforms _______.
A) are usually helpful
B) have little or no individual freedom
C) tend to lose their individuality
D) enjoy greater popularity
65. The best title for this passage would be _______.
A) Uniforms and Society
B) The Importance of Wearing a Uniform
C) Practical Benefits of Wearing a Uniform
D) Advantages and Disadvantages of Uniforms
Passage Four
Question 66 to 70 are based on the following passage:
Since we are social beings, the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal relationships. One strength of the human condition is our tendency to give and receive support from one another under stressful circumstances. Social support consists of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties.
Those of us with strong support systems appear betterable to cope with major life
changes and daily hassles(困难). People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those withou such ties.Studies over a range of illnesses, from depression to heart disease, reveal that the presence of social support helps people fend off(挡开) illness, and the absence of such support makes poor health more likely.
Social support cushions stress in a number of ways. First, friends, relatives, and co-workers may let us know that they value us. Our self-respect is streng thened when we feel accepted by others despite our faults and difficulties. Second, other people often provide us with informational support. They help us to define and understand our problems and find solutions to them. Third, we typically find social companionship supportive. Engaging in leisure-time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distracting(转移...注意力)us from our worries and troubles. Finally, other people may give us instrumental support ?a financial aid, material resources, and needed services -- that reduces stress by helping us resolve and cope with our problems.
66. Interpersonal relationships are important because _______.
A) they are indispensable to people's social weel-being
B) they waken people's desire to exchange resources
C) they help people to cope with life in the information era
D) they can cure a range of illnesses such as heart disease, etc.
67. Research shows that people's physical and mental health _______.
A) relies on the social welfare systems which support them
B) has much to do with the amount of support they get from others
C) depends on their ability to deal with daily worries and troubles
D)is closely related to their strength for coping with major changes in their lives
68. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word"cushions"(Line 1, Para.2)?
A) Adds up to. B) Does away with.
C) Lessens the effect of. D) Lays the foundation for.
69. Helping a sick neighbor with some repair work is an example of _______.
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