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 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.

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

      “Soon, you’re going to have to move out!” cried my neighbor upon seeing the largest tomato plant known to mankind, or at least known in my neighborhood.

        One tiny 9-inch plant, bought for $1.25 in the spring, has already taken over much of my rose bed, covering much of other plants, and is well on its way to the front door.

        Roses require a good deal of care, and if it weren’t for the pleasure they give, it wouldn’t be worth the work. As it is, I have a garden full of sweet-smelling roses for most of the year. bushes must be pruned(剪枝) in early spring, leaving ugly woody branches until the new growth appears a few weeks later. It was the space available(可用的) in the garden that led me into planting just one little tomato plant. A big mistake.

         Soil conditions made just perfect for roses turn out be even more perfect for tomatoes. The daily watering coupled with full sun and regular fertilizing(施肥) have turned the little plant into a tall bush. The cage I placed around it as the plant grew has long since disappeared under the thick leaves.

      Now the task I face in harvesting the fruit is twofold; First, I have to find the red ones among the leaves, which means I almost have to stand on my head, and once found I have to reach down and under, pick the tomatoes and withdraw(缩回) my full fist without dropping the prize so dearly won. I found two full-blown white roses completely hidden as I picked tomatoes in June. But they were weak and the leaves already yellow for lack of light.

     Here I am faced with a painful small decision: To tear up a wonderful and productive tomato plant that offers up between ten and twenty ripe sweet tomatoes each day or say goodbye to several expensive and treasured roses. Like Scarlett in Gone With the Wind, I’ll think about that tomorrow.

71．What ate the requirements for the healthy growth of rose?

       A．A lot of care and the right soil.                           B．Frequent pruning and fertilizing.

       C．Tomato plants grown alongside.                   D．Cages placed around the roots.

72．The writer planted the tomato because _________.

       A．it cost only $1.25                                       B．the soil was just right for it

       C．there was room for it in the garden                     D．the roses’ branches needed to be covered

73．This year the writer’s roses were __________.

       A．removed from the rose bed                         B．picked along with the tomatoes

       C．mostly damaged by too much sunlight          D．largely hidden under the tomato plant

74．By saying “the prize so dearly won” in paragraph 5, the writer wants to ________.

       A．show the difficulty in picking the tomatoes

       B．show the hardship of growing the roses

       C．express her liking for the roses                           D．express her care for the tomatoes

75．In the situation described in the text, one good thing is that ________.

       A．the roses cost the writer little money

       B．the writer has a daily harvest of tomatoes

       C．someone will help the writer make the decision

       D．the writer can now enjoy both the roses and tomatoes

We already know the fastest, least expensive way to slow climate change: Use less energy. With a little effort, and not much money, most of us could reduce our energy diets by 25 percent or more—doing the Earth a favor while also helping our wallets. 

Not long ago, my wife, PJ, and I tried a new diet—not to lose a little weight but to answer an annoying question about climate change. Scientists have reported recently that the world is bending up even faster than predicted only a few years ago, and that the consequences could be severe if we don’t keep reducing emissions（排放）of carbon dioxide（CO₂）and other greenhouse gases that are trapping heat in our atmosphere.  21世纪We decided to try an experiment. For one month we recorded our personal emissions of CO₂^. . We wanted to see how much we could cut back, so we went on a strict diet. The average US household（家庭）produces about 150 pounds of CO₂ a day by doing common-place things like turning on air-conditioning or driving cars. That’s more than twice the European average and almost five times the global average, mostly because Americans drive more and have bigger houses. But how much should we try to reduce? For an answer, I checked with Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth. In his book, he had challenged readers to make deep cuts in personal emissions to keep the world from reaching extremely important tipping points, such as the melting（融化）of the ice sheets in Greenland or West Antarctica. “To stay below that point, we need to reduce CO₂ emissions by 80 percent,” he said. 

Good advice, I thought. I’d opened our bedroom windows to let in the wind. We’d gotten so used to keeping our air-conditioning going around the clock. I’d almost forgotten the windows even opened. We should not let this happen again. It’s time for us to change our habits if necessary. 

Why did the author and his wife try a new diet?

A. To take special kinds of food          B. To respond to climate change. 

C. To lose weight                      D. To improve their health

The underlined words “tipping points” most probably refer to  .

A. freezing points       B. burning points       C. melting points     D. boiling points

It can be inferred from the passage that 2___.   ..

A. it is necessary to keep the air-conditioning on all the time ..

B. it seems possible for every household to cut emissions of CO₂

C. the average US household produces about 3,000 pounds of CO₂ a month.

D. the average European household produces about 1,000 pounds of CO₂ a month.

Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

 A. Saving Energy Starts at Home         B. Changing Our Habits Begins at work

 C. Changing Climate Sounds Reasonable  D. Reducing Emissions of CO₂ Proves Difficult     

“Soon, you’re going to have to move out!” cried my neighbor upon seeing the largest tomato plant known to mankind, or at least known in my neighborhood.
One tiny 9-inch plant, bought for $1.25 in the spring, has already taken over much of my rose bed, covering much of other plants, and is well on its way to the front door.

Roses require a good deal of care, and if it weren’t for the pleasure they give, it wouldn’t be worth the work. As it is, I have a garden full of sweet-smelling roses for most of the year. Bushes must be pruned(剪枝) in early spring, leaving ugly woody branches until the new growth appears a few weeks later. It was the space available in the garden that led me into planting just one little tomato plant. A big mistake.
Soil conditions made just perfect for roses turn out to be even more perfect for tomatoes. The daily watering coupled with full sun and regular fertilizing (施肥) have turned the little plant into a tall bush. The cage I placed around it as the plant grew has long disappeared under the thick leaves.
Now the task I face in harvesting the fruit is twofold; First, I have to find the red ones among the leaves, which means I almost have to stand on my head, and once found I have to reach down and under, pick the tomatoes and withdraw(缩回) my full fist without dropping the prize so dearly won. I found two full-blown white roses completely hidden as I picked tomatoes in June. But they were weak and the leaves already yellow for lack of light.
Here I am faced with a painful small decision: To tear up a wonderful and productive tomato plant that offers up between ten and twenty ripe sweet tomatoes each day or say goodbye to several expensive and treasured roses. Like Scarlett in Gone With the Wind, I’ll think about that tomorrow.
【小题1】What are the requirements for the healthy growth of rose?

A．Frequent pruning and fertilizing.	B．A lot of care and the right soil.
C．Tomato plants grown alongside.	D．Cages placed around the roots.

【小题2】The writer planted the tomato because _________.

A．there was room for it in the garden

B．the soil was just right for it

C．it cost only $1.25

D．the roses’ branches needed to be covered

【小题3】This year the writer’s roses were __________.

A．removed from the rose bed

B．largely hidden under the tomato plant

C．mostly damaged by too much sunlight

D．picked along with the tomatoes

【小题4】By saying “the prize so dearly won” in paragraph 5, the writer wants to ________.

A．express her liking for the roses

B．show the hardship of growing the roses

C．show the difficulty in picking the tomatoes

D．express her care for the tomatoes

【小题5】In the situation described in the text, one good thing is that ________.

A．the writer has a daily harvest of tomatoes

B．the roses cost the writer little money

C．someone will help the writer make the decision

D．the writer can now enjoy both the roses and tomatoes