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 (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 analyst 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 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 (毒素), 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.
66. From the passage, it can be seen that the author_______.( )
A.is overenthusiastic about the success of welfare reform
B.believes the reform has reduced the government’s burden
C.insists that welfare reform is doing little good for the poor
D.considers welfare reform to be fundamentally successful
67. Why aren’t people enjoying better lives when they have jobs?( )
A.Because many families are divorced.
B.Because the cost of living is rising.
C.Because government aid is now rare.
D.Because their wages are low.
68. What is worth noting from the example of Athens County is that _______.( )
A.50 percent of the population no longer relies on welfare
B.70 percent of the people there have been employed for two years
C.greater efforts should be made to improve people’s living standards
D.the living standards of most people are going down
69. From the passage we know that welfare reform aims at_______.( )
A.rebuilding the work ethic
B.saving welfare funds
C.cutting government expenses
D.providing more jobs
70. According to the passage, before the welfare reform was carried out, _______. )
A.average living standards were higher
B.the poor used to rely on government aid
C.the average worker was paid higher wages
D.the poverty rate was lower
