单选题
While still in its early stages, welfare reform has already
been judged a great success in many states, 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 cut 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 Priorities in Washington. A
center analysis of U. S. Census data nationwide found that between 1995 and
1996, a greater percentage of single, female-headed 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 welfare-reform
policy analyst. "The reform is changing the moral climate in low-income
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.
单选题
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
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 作者的观点明显表现在第一段，当然从第六段也可看出。
单选题
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.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 依据是第二段第2句开始内容。
单选题
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. 40 percent of the population no longer relies on welfare
D. the living standards of most people are going down
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 最主要的依据应该是第三小段的内容。
单选题
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
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 依据为倒数第二段第3行。
单选题
According to the passage, before the welfare reform was carried out,
______.