篇章阅读理解专项扫雷训练
Part Ⅳ Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth)
Section B
Direction: There are 2 passages in this ction, each passage is followed by some question or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C), D).You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
Passage 1
Questions 57 to 61 are bad on the following passage.
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 Country 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 Country 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 US Census data nationwide found that between 1995 and 1996, a greater percentage of single, female-headed houholds were earning money on their own, but that average income for the houholds actually went down.
But for many, the fact that poor people are able to support themlves almost as well without government aid as they did with it is in itlf a huge victory.
“Welfare was a poison. It was a toxin(毒素)that was poisoning the family,” says Robert Re
ctor, a welfare-reform policy analyst. “The reform is changing the moral climates 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.
57. From the passage, it can be en 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
58. Why aren’t people enjoying better lives when they have jobs?
A. Becau many families are divorced.
B. Becau government aid is now rare.
C. Becau their wages are low.
D. Becau the cost of living is rising.
59. 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
60. 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 expens
61. 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 ud to rely on government aid
Passage 2
Questions 62 to 66 are bad on the following passage.
Today, there are many avenues open to tho who wish to continue their education. However, nearly all require some break in one's career in order to attend school full time.
Part-time education, that is, attending school at night or for one weekend a month, tends to drag the process out over time and puts the completion of a degree program out of reach of many people. Additionally, such programs require a fixed time commitment which can also impact negatively on one’s career and family time.
Of the many approaches to teaching and learning, however, perhaps the most flexible and accommodating is that called distance learning. Distance learning is an educational method, which allows the students the flexibility to study at his or her own pace to achieve the academic goals, which are so necessary in today’s world. The time required to study many be t aside at the student’s convenience with due regard to all life’s other requirements. Additionally, the student may enroll in distance learning cours from virtually any place in the world, while continuing to pursue their chon career. Tutorial assistance may be available via regular airmail, telephone, facsimile machine, teleconferencing and over the Internet.
