高级英语阅读一

I. Reading comprehensionPassage 1While 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 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 budget victory.“Welfare was a poison. It was a toxin 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, 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 burdenb.insists that welfare reform is doing little good for the poorc.is overenthusiastic about the success of welfare reformd.considers welfare reform to be fundamentally successful2.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 livingstandardsb.70 percent of the people there have been employed for two yearsc.50 percent of the population no longer relies on welfared.the living standards of most people are going down4.From the passage we know that welfare reform aims at _______.a. saving welfare fundsb. rebuilding the work ethicc. providing more jobsd. cutting government expenses5.According to the passage, before the welfare reform was carried out, ______.a.the poverty rate was lowerb.average living standards were higherc.the average worker was paid higher wagesd.the poor used to rely on government aidPassage 2Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people, but also explain that there’s a big difference between “being a writer” and writing. In most cases these individuals are dreaming of wealth and fame, not the long hours alone at a typewriter. “You’ve got to want to write,” I say to them, “not want to be a writer.”The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded. When I left a 20-year career in the U.S. Coast Guard to become a freelance writer, I had no prospects at all. What I did have was a friend who found me my room in a New York apartment building. It didn’t even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. I immediately bought a used manual typewriter and felt like a genuine writer.After a year or so, however, I still hadn’t gotten a break and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story that barely made enough to eat. But I knew I wanted to write. I had dreamed about it for years.I wasn’t going to be one of those people who die wondering, What if? I would keep putting my dream to the test—even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the Shadow land of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.6. The passage is meant to ______.a.warn young people of the hardships that a successful writer hasto experienceb.advise young people to give up their idea of becoming aprofessional writerc.show young people it’s unrealistic for a writer to pursue wealthand famed.encourage young people to pursue a writing career7. What can be concluded from the passage?a.Genuine writers often find their work interesting and rewarding.b. A writer’s success depends on luck rather than on effort.c.Famous writers usually live in poverty and isolation.d.The chances for a writer to become successful are small.8. Why did the author begin to doubt himself after the first year of his writing career?a.He wasn’t able to produce a single book.b.He hadn’t seen a change for the better.c.He wasn’t able to have a rest for a whole year.d.He found his dream would never come true.9. “… people who die wondering, what if?” (Lines 4, Para. 3) refersto “those ______”.a.who think too much of the dark side of lifeb.who regret giving up their career halfwayc.who think a lot without making a decisiond.who are full of imagination even upon death10. “Shadow land” in the last sentence refers to ______.a.the wonderland one often dreams aboutb.the bright future that one is looking forward toc.the state of uncertainty before one’s final goal is reachedd. a world that exists only in one’s imaginationII. Voc1. He has an____ manner, although he comes from a middle –class familybackground and has received his education at Oxford.A. abundantB. activeC. abruptD. agreeable2. It is strange that although his own ideas are quite , at the sametime he does not oppose those avant — garde（前卫的）ones.A. orthodoxB. paradoxicalC. authoritativeD. predominant3. When the actor appeared on the stage again, shouts and cheersfrom the crowd and continued for about five minutes.A. broke inB. broke offC. broke upD. broke forth4. By exchanging for greater market access for traded goodsamong them, countries often achieve less domestic resistance to tradeliberalization.A. recessions B .concessionsC. processionsD. sessions5. I don’t think you can persuade him; he is always very stubborn, andto his own principles.A. adaptsB. adheresC. devotesD. dedicates6. If a student fails the college English test, he should not be depressed,but should study more ___.A. industriouslyB. indulgentlyC. industriallyD. individually7. To my disappointment, I found that there wasn’t a good school inthe , so I had to send my daughter to a school far away from myhome.A. environmentB. vicinityC. nearbyD. locality8. It was the last day of this semester. As soon as the English examinationwas over, all my students went their ___ways.A. homelyB. perspectiveC. respectiveD. opposed9. The tobacco plant was first in North America and wasintroduced to Europe by Spanish and Portuguese explorers.A. cultivatedB. educatedC. trainedD. instructed10. It is also possible that those who go to school for only a few yearsmay be ____ and even learn a great deal by themselves.A. intellectB. intelligentC. intelligenceD. intelligibleIII. Translation:1. The jobs filled by recent immigrants though poor-paying were important, for they helped to change the physical appearance of the United States. Immigrants helped make the steel that went into the buildings and the bridges that changed the urban landscape. Immigrants built the roadbeds and laid the rails that crisscrossed America in the industrial age.2. The deterioration of the environment both physically and aesthetically, is most apparent in our cities. The dehumanizing effects of life in the slums and ghettoes-particularly, where there is little hope for improving conditions have often been cited as contributing causes of urban rioting and disturbances. Crime rates usually reach their zenith in these neighborhoods. Such symptoms of general psychological maladjustment suggest that modem cities provide a less than ideal environment for human beings.。