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．T'he 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 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, 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．
【小题1】Why don't people enjoy their better lives when they get jobs?

Food sometimes gets poisoned with harmful things. A person who eats such food can get an illness called food poisoning. Food poisoning is usually not serious, but some types are deadly, The symptoms ( 症状) of food poisoning usually begin within hours of eating the poisoned food. Fever is one of the most common symptoms.

    Certain microorganisms (微生物) cause most types of food poisoning. Bacteria and other microorganisms can poison eggs, meat, vegetables, and many other foods. After entering the body, these tiny living things release (释放) poisons that make people sick.

    Some chemicals can also cause food poisoning. They are often added to food while it is being grown, processed, or prepared. For example, many farmers spray chemicals on crops to kill weeds and insects. Some people may have a bad reaction to those chemicals when they eat the crops.

    Some plants and animals contain natural poisons that are harmful to people. These include certain kinds of seafood, grains, nuts, seeds, beans, and mushrooms.

    When people handle food properly, the risk of food poisoning is very small. Microorganisms multiply rapidly in dirty places and in warm temperatures. This means that people should never touch food with ditty hands or put food on unwashed surfaces. Food should be kept in a refrigerator to stop microorganisms from growing. Meat needs to be cooked thoroughly to kill any dangerous microorganisms. People should also wash food covered with chemicals before eating it. Finally, people should not eat wild mushrooms or other foods that grow in the wild. Some of these foods may contain natural materials that are poisonous to humans. In addition, some types of fish can be poisonous.

    Most people recover from food poisoning after a few days of resting and drinking extra water.                                                                            

If people eat natural poisons, they must go to the hospital right away to have their stomachs emptied.

1. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. Food poisoning means death        

B. When poisoned, food can make people sick 

C. Food poisoning comes in varieties   

Ｄ. Food poisoning can be serious

2. We know from the passage that the symptoms of food poisoning ______.

A. only contain fever                       B. are too common to be noticed

C. can be noticed within hours              D. can be ignored

3.Food poisoning can be caused by all the following EXCEPT __________.

A. some chemicals                   B. low temperatures 

C. some tiny living things              D. certain natural materials

4. From Paragraph 5, we can learn that ____________.

A. mushrooms should not be eaten

B. vegetables are safer than meat and seafood

C. natural poisons are more dangerous than chemicals

D. different types of food should be handled differently

5. It can be inferred from the passage that _____________.

A. natural materials are safe in food processing   

B. chemicals are needed in food processing

C. food poisoning can be kept under control     

D. food poisoning is out of control

Watching some children trying to catch butterflies one hot August afternoon, I was reminded of an incident in my own childhood. When I was a boy of 12 in South Carolina, something happened to me that cured me forever of wanting to put any wild creature in a cage.

We lived on the edge of a wood, and every evening at dusk the mockingbirds would come and rest in the tree and sing. There isn’t a musical instrument made by man that can produce a more beautiful sound than the song of the mockingbird.

I decided that I would catch a young bird and keep it in a cage and that way have my own private musician.

I finally succeeded in catching one and put it in a cage. At first, in its fright at being captured, the bird fluttered about the cage, but eventually it settled down in its new home, I felt very pleased with myself and looked forward to some beautiful singing from my tiny musician.

I had left the cage out on our back porch（门廊）, and on the second day of the bird’s captivity my new pet’s mother flew to the cage with food in her mouth . The baby bird ate everything she brought to it. I was pleased to see this. Certainly the mother knew better than I how to feed her baby.

The following morning when I went to see how my captive was doing, I discovered it on the floor of the cage, dead. I was shocked! What had happened? I had taken excellent care of my little bird, or so I thought.

Arthur Wayne, the famous ornithologist, happened to be visiting my father at the time and, hearing me crying over the death of my bird, explained what had occurred: “A mother mockingbird, finding her young in a cage, will sometimes bring it poison berries. She thinks it better for her young to die than to live in captivity.”

Never since then have I caught any living creature and put it in a cage. All living creatures have a right to live free.

1.The boy caught a mockingbird because___________.

  A. he wanted a pet for a companion         

B. he liked its beautiful feather

  C. he wanted it to sing for him            

D. he had just got a cage

2.The mockingbird died because__________.

   A. it ate some poisonous food the boy gave it by mistake

B. it ate the poisonous food its mother gave it

C. it was frightened to death

D. it refused to eat anything

3.The word “ornithologist” in the last but one paragraph probably means________.

A. a religious person                  

B. a kind and sympathetic person

C. a schoolmaster                      

D. an expert in birds

4.The most important lesson the boy learned from the incident is that______.

A. birds put in a cage won’t live long

B. you have to be very careful about the food you give to young birds

C. when you capture a young mockingbird, you should keep it away from its mother

D. freedom is valuable to all living creature.

完形填空(共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出可以填入空白
处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
第二节完型填空(共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分)
It was New Year’s night, An aged man was standing at a window. He raised his mournful（悲哀的）eyes towards the deep  36 sky, where the stars were  37 like white lilies(百合花)on
the surface of a clear calm lake．Then he threw them on the earth．Where a few more  38 people than himself now moved towards their certain goal-the  39 ，He had already passed sixty of the  40  leading to it，and he had brought from his journey nothing but errors and regret．Now his health was poor，his mind  41 ，his heart sorrowful，and his old age short of  42．
The days of his youth appeared like dreams before him．and he recalled the  43 moment
when his father placed him at the  44 to the two roads-one leading to a  45 ．sunny place．
covered with flowers，fruits and resounding with soft，sweet songs；the other 1eading to a deep，
dark cave．which was endless． 46 poison flowed instead of water and where deviIs(恶魔)and
poisonous snakes hissed and crawled．
He saw the  47  fading away in the darkness．and these were the days of his  48 life；He saw a star fall from the sky and disappeared，and this was the  49 of himself．His regret，which was like a sharparrow．Struck deeply into his heart．Then he remembered his friends in his
childhood．who entered on life together with him．But they had  50 to success and were now
honored and happy on this New Year’s night
The clock in the high church tow struck and the sound made him remember his parents’
early love for him．They had taught him and  51 to God for his good．But he chose the 52
way．With shame and grief he   53  no longer look towards that heaven where his father lived．
His darkened eyes were full of tears，and with a despairing  54  ，he burst out a cry；“Come back，my  55  days!Come back!”
36．A．grey           B,blue           C. black        D. cloudy
37．A．floating         B, flashing       C hanging      D shinning
38．A．purposeless     B purposeful      C hopeful      D hopeless
39．A．house          B tomb         C church        D birthplace
40．A．dreams         B moments      C incidents      D stages
41．A．strange         B pale           C blank        D shallow
42．A．allowances      Bcomforts        C experiences   D  memories
43．A．serious         B awful          C tough         D desperate
44．A．end            B entrance        C origin        D base
45．A.  lonely          B noisy           C quiet        D peaceful
46．A．which          B that             C whose       D where
47．A．people         B lights            C  stars       D clouds
48．A．accustomed     B rewarded         C wasted      D occupied
49．A．symbol          B fate             C future       D outcome
50．A．lost their heart B devoted their attention
C．made their way D given their way
51．A．prayed       B attached         C adjusted      D turned
52．A．ordinary     B unfamiliar        C wrong        D difficult
53．A．would      B could            C should         D dared
54．A．anxiety     B effort            C patience       D attempt
55．A．early       B good             C old           D shamdful

Ever since news of widespread food recalls caused by a carcinogenic dye（颜料） broke, there has been confusion over possible links to the country of the same name, but Sudan officials say there is no connection whatever.
Sudan1 is a red industrial dye that has been found in some chilli powder, but was banned in food products across the European Union (EU) in July 2003.
Since the ban was put in place, EU officials have been striving to remove some food products from the shelves. So far 580 products have been recalled.
Last week Sudan’s Embassy in the United Kingdom asked the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for clarification of the origin of the dye’s name.
Omaima Mahmoud Al Sharief, a press official at Sudan’s Embassy in China, explained the purpose of the inquiry was to clear up any misunderstanding over links between the country and the poisonous dye.
　　"We want to keep an eye on every detail and avoid any misunderstanding there," she said. "Our embassy to Britain asked them how the dye got that name and whether the dye had something to do with our country. But they told us there was no relationship."
The FSA, an independent food security watchdog in Britain, received a letter from the Sudanese embassy last week.
　"They asked us why the dye is named Sudan, however, we also do not know how it got the name," she said. "People found the dye in 1883 and gave it the name. Nobody knows the reason, and we cannot give any explanation before we find out."
Sudan dyes, which include Sudan1 to 4, are red dyes used for colouring solvents（溶剂）, oils, waxes, petrol, and shoe and floor polishes. They are classified as carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
【小题1】What does the underlined word mean in paragraph one?

A．The dye is often produced in Sudan.

B．The dye has something to do with the country named Sudan.

C．Nobody is sure of the origin of the name.

D．Many foods produced in Sudan contain the dye.