Text B
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 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 US Census data nationwide found that between 1995 and 1996, a greater percentage of single,female 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 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, 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.
From the passage, it can be seen that the author ________.
客观地分析福利制度改革的利与弊。 支持者认为改革成功地提高了就业率， 但并没有提高穷人的生活水平； 反对者认为改革改变了低收入者的思想观念， 使人们不再心安理得地接受救济， 这本身就是一大胜利。 通过文章第一段开头也可看出作者赞同后者观点， 认为福利制度改革利大于弊， 从根本上是成功的。
Why aren't people enjoying better lives when they have jobs?
文章第二段第二句指出， 第二年不再接受救济的人中， 有 15％找到了工作． 但报酬每小时不到 6 美元。 可见收入过低使他们生活贫困。
What is worth noting from the example of Athens County is that ________.
作者列举 Athens County 这个实例， 是为了说明福利制度改革虽然使多数人重新开始工作， 但由于收入低，人们的贫困状况仍然没有改变。 文章第三段暗示了作者举例的意图： Athens County 提供的事实表明， 人们为改善低收入者贫困生活所做出的努力还远远不够。 可见， 作者在呼吁政府做出更多的努力来改善人们的生活。
From the passage we know that welfare reform aims at ________.
文章倒数第二段末句指出， 改革正在重塑人们的工作观， 这是最重要的。 可见， 福利制度改革旨在改变人们的思想观念
According to the passage, before the welfare reform was carried out, ________.
题目询问福利改革实施前的情况。 根据倒数第三段的“as…as” 结构： 但是对于很多人来说， 贫困人员没有政府的资助也能维持自己的生活， 几乎也能像过去受政府救济时过得一样好， 这本身就是一个巨大的胜利。 以及最后一段引号中的“the habit of dependency is cracked 依赖的习惯被摧毁”。 因此， 福利改革实施前人们很依赖福利救济。 故选 D。