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 15 percents of the people who left in the past two years took jobs that paid less than $6 an hour. The resuit: 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 that 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 welfarereform policy analyst. “The reform is changing the moral climate in lowincome 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.
13.From the passage, it can be seen that the auther .
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
14.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.
15.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.15 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
16.From the passage we know that welfare reform aims at_______ .
A.saving welfare funds B.rebuilding the work ethics(观念)
C.providing more jobs D.cutting government expenses
We would like to wish all our readers a wonderful winter break. Our January magazine is now in the shops and available digitally. We’re looking forward to sharing more adventures and discoveries with you in 2014, including:
At a crossroads in the Atlantic
As the population of Ascension Island rises up to mark the 200th anniversary of British rule, Fred Pearce wonders what the future might have in store for this strange part of land.
Photostory: On the road again
A selection of images from an exhibition opening this month at the Royal Geographical Society go hand in hand with M Aurel Stein’s early 20th century photographs of the Silk Road.
Dossier: Going underground
Mark Rowe discusses the role that carbon storage can play in the global effort to reduce carbon dioxide emission (排放).
Net loss
Kit Gillet reports from the Gulf of Thailand, whose fisheries (渔场) have been almost destroyed by the commercialization of the Thai fishing industry.
And don’t forget…
…a round-up of the latest geographical and climate science news; a hot spot focus on Turkey; advice on taking photographs in Antarctica; an interview with Lucien Castaing-Taylor, professor of visual arts at Harvard; plus lots, lots more…
Buy your copy now, click here and save up to 35% or call +44 (0)1635 588 496. Geographical is also available in WHSmith and many independent news agents.Who took photos of the Silk Road?
A.M Aurel Stein. | B.Fred Pearce. | C.Mark Rowe. | D.Lucien Castaing-Taylor. |
If you want to read something about global warming, you can read .
A.At a crossroads in the Atlantic |
B.Photostory: On the road again |
C.Dossier: Going underground |
D.Net loss |
Which of the following statements is true?
A.Ascension Island has a bright future with more population. |
B.Commercialization contributes to the loss of fishery in Thai. |
C.The January edition of 2014 is to come out in the winter break. |
D.The topics of this magazine focus on geography and interviews. |
The passage is written to .
A.share adventures and discoveries |
B.give advice on taking photos |
C.attract readers to buy the magazine |
D.introduce the content of the magazine |
Chinese parents are very generous when it comes to educating their children. Not caring about the money, parents often send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England, the United States or Australia. They also want their children to take extra-course activities where they will either learn a musical instrument or ballet, or other classes that will give them a head start in life. The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is, the better it is. So parents will spend an unreasonable amount of money on education. Even poor couples will buy a computer for their son or daughter.
However, what most parents fail to see is that the best early education they can give their children is usually very cheap.
Parents can see that their children’s skills vary, skilled in some areas while poor in others. What most parents fail to realize, though, is that today’s children lack self-respect and self-confidence.
The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to take multiple-choice tests and how to study well, but parents are not teaching them the most important skills they need to be confident, happy and clever.
Parents can achieve this by teaching practical skills like cooking, sewing and doing other housework.
Teaching a child to cook will improve many of the skills that he will need later in life. Cooking demands patience and time. It is an enjoyable but difficult experience. A good cook always tries to improve his cooking, so he will learn to work hard and gradually finish his job successfully. His result, a well-cooked dinner, will give him much satisfaction and a lot of self-confidence.
Some old machines, such as a broken radio or TV set that you give your child to play with will make him curious and arouse his interest. He will spend hours looking at them,tying to fix them ,your child might become an engineer when he grows up. These activities are not only teaching a child to read a book, but rather to think, to use his mind. And that is more important.Parents in China according to this passage.
A.are too strict with their children |
B.are too rich to educate their children |
C.have some problems in educating their children correctly |
D.have no problems in educating their children strictly |
The writer of the passage does not seem to be satisfied with.
A.the parents’ ideas of educating their children |
B.the education system of the school |
C.children’s skills in cooking at home |
D.children’s hobbies in the classroom |
Doing some cooking at home helps children.
A.learn how to serve their parents |
B.learn how to become strong and fat |
C.get a lot from it and prepare themselves for the future |
D.make their parents believe that they are clever |
According to the last paragraph we can conclude that.
A.broken radios and television sets are useful |
B.one’s interest and curiosity may be useful for his later life |
C.an engineer must fix many broken radios |
D.a good student should spend much time repairing radios |
Britons Learn to Forgive
LEEDS, England—A Leeds University psychology(心理学) professor is teaching a course to help dozens of Britons forgive their enemies.
“The hatred (仇恨) we hold within us is a cancer,” Professor Ken Hart said, adding that holding in anger can lead to problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease.
More than 70 people have become members in Hart’s first 20-week workshop in London—a course he says is the first of its kind in the world.
These are people who are sick and tired of living with a memory. They realize their bitterness is a poison they think they can pour out, but they end up drinking it themselves, said Canadian-born Hart.
The students meet in groups of eight to ten for a two-hour workshop with an adviser every fortnight.
The course ending in July, is expected to get rid of the cancer of hate in these people. “People have lots of negative attitudes towards forgiveness,” he said. “People confuse(混淆) forgiveness with forgetting. Forgiveness means changing from a negative attitude to a positive one.” Hart and his team have created instructions to provide the training needed.
“The main idea is to give you guidelines on how to look at various kinds of angers and how they affect you, and how to change your attitudes towards the person you are angry with, ”said Norman Claringbull, a senior expert on the forgiveness project.
Hart said he believes forgiveness is a skill that can be taught, as these people “want to get free of the past”.From this passage we know that .
A.high blood pressure and heart disease are caused by hatred |
B.high blood pressure can only be cured by psychology professors |
C.without hatred, people will have less trouble connected with blood and heart |
D.people who suffer from blood pressure and heart disease must have many enemies |
In Hart’s first 20-week workshop, people there can .
A.meet their enemies |
B.change their minds |
C.enjoy the professor’s speech |
D.learn how to quarrel with others |
If you are a member in Hart’s workshop, you’ll .
A.pay much money to Hart |
B.go to the workshop every night |
C.attend a gathering every fortnight |
D.pour out everything stored in your mind |
The author wrote this passage in order to .
A.persuade us to go to Hart’s workshop |
B.tell us the news about Hart’s workshop |
C.tell us how to run a workshop like Hart’s |
D.help us to look at various kinds of angers |
If you do not use your arm or your legs for some time, they become weak; when you start using them again, they slowly become strong again. Everybody knows that. Yet many people do not seem to know that memory works in the same way. When someone says that he has a good memory, he really means that he keeps his memory in practice by using it. When someone else says that his memory is poor, he really means that he does not give it enough chance to become strong. If a friend says that his arms and legs are weak, we know that it is his own fault(过错). But if he tells us that he has a poor memory, many of us think that his parents are to blame(受责备), and few of us know that it is just his own fault. Have you ever found that some people can’t read or write but usually they have better memories? This is because they cannot read or write and they have to remember things; they cannot write down in a little notebook. They have to remember days, names, songs and stories; so their memory is the whole time being exercised. So if you want to have a good memory, learn from the people: Practice remembering.The main reason for one’s poor memory is that _______.
A.his memory is not often used |
B.he does not use his name or legs for some time |
C.his father or mother may have a poor memory |
D.he can’t read or write |
If you do not use your arms or legs for some time _______.
A.you can’t use them any more |
B.they will become stronger |
C.they will become neither stronger nor weaker |
D.they become weak and won’t become strong until you use them again |
Some people can’t read or write, but they usually have better memories, because _______.
A.they have saved much trouble |
B.they have saved much time to remember things |
C.they have to use their memories all the time |
D.they can’t write everything in a little notebook |
Which is the best title for this passage?
A.Don’t Stop Using Your Arms or Legs |
B.How to Have a Good Memory |
C.Strong Arms and Good Memories |
D.Learn From the People |
Living in a modern society has its advantages and disadvantages. One disadvantage is that you often have to live closer to other people than you would like to. Sometimes, your neighbors make a noise that you are not comfortable with.
The best way to solve this problem is to talk with your neighbor first. You should be very polite and ask your neighbor if he knows how thin the walls of your homes are. This way doesn’t criticize (批评) his behavior(行为); it simply points out that he may not realize how far his sound travels. Tell him that you know that sometimes you make noise as well, but that you do your best to keep it down. Often this will solve the problem right away, but sometimes the neighbor may become angry.
If your neighbor becomes angry with you, there are some more steps you can take. You might write a letter to the neighborhood committee. Make sure you write down the source of the noise and the time in the letter. They will review the situation and decide whether your neighbor is out of line. Some noise is considered to be reasonable, even if it bothers you. So you may prepare a good pair of earplugs (耳塞).
Even if your neighbor makes too much noise, you don’t have to live your life in discomfort. It’s always a good idea to be friendly with your neighbors. You may clean the rubbish in front of his door. He’s sure to appreciate behavior like this and be more open to your suggestions about noise level.What is the first step to deal with the noisy neighbor?
A.To buy a good pair of earplugs |
B.To offer suggestions to the neighbor |
C.To ask the neighborhood committee for help |
D.To tell the neighbor how bad his behavior is |
The underlined word “reasonable” in the third paragraph probably means “____”.
A.terrible | B.loud | C.proper | D.unpleasant |
What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?
A.You should control your noise as well |
B.You can live comfortably even if there is noise |
C.Your neighbor may be more friendly than you think |
D.You should build good relationship with your neighbor |
The author wrote this passage to tell us ____ .
A.why we should get on well with neighbors |
B.how to relax ourselves in a modern society |
C.how to become known among neighbors |
D.what we should do with our noisy neighbor |