2008年大學英語四級閲讀培訓(第四十一講)

文章如下：
　　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 tow 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 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 in changing the moral climate in low-income communities. It’s beginning to rebuild the work ethic（道德觀）, 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.
　　1. 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
　　2. 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.
　　3. 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
　　4. 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
　　5. According to the passage before the welfare reform was carried out, _______.
　　A) the poverty rate was lover
　　B) average living standards were higher
　　C) the average worker was paid higher wages
　　D) the poor used to rely on government aid
　　答案與解析:
　　DCABD
　　這是一篇關於福利制度改革的論說文。短文論述了福利制度改革成功的標志是讓盡可能多的人不依靠政府福利生活。短文於第一段提出主題後分兩個層次論述：二至五段是一種襯托性闡述，通過二、四、五段中三個 “but”,闡述了福利制度改革中許多人雖然離開了福利資助，但生活和收入水平反而有所下降現實;第二層次(六至八段)通過But 轉入正麪論述改革的成功和意義，即改革讓人打破依賴的習慣，重建了工作道德觀。
　　1. (D)主題歸納。由短文第一段和第二層次(第六段)闡述，能清楚歸納出作者的論點。
　　2. (C)要點定位理解。由題乾問句定位至短文第一層次，第二、四、五段都提及not enjoy better lives 這一結果，但衹有第二段第二句中的took jobs that paid less than $6 an hour 廻答了原因。
　　3. (A)要點定位理解。由題乾之Athens County 定位至短文第二、三段。選項B是Athens Country 事例的內容，A是該事例引出的思考，即第三段中的 “that’s an indication much more needs to be done”。
　　4. (B)主題歸納。由短文第二層次三個段落的論述①窮人自食其力本身是一大勝利;②改革改變低收和主堦層的moral climate 竝開始重建work ethic;③打破依賴習慣)可知，福利改革的根本目的是幫助窮人自食其力，改掉依賴習慣，重建工作道德。
　　5. (D)要點推斷。由福利改革的成功(getting people off welfare)、改革的結果(more people take jobs)和改革的目的(rebuild work ethic, crack the habit of dependency), 推測改革前的情況，可知是更多的人不工作，被動依賴政府福利資助。