Passage Two
　　Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
　　In communities north of Denver, residents are pitching in to help teachers and administrators as the Vrain school District tries to solve a $13.8 million budget shortage blamed on mismanagement. “We’re worried about our teachers and principals, and we really don’t want to lose them because of this,” one parent sail. “If we can help ease their financial burden, we will. “
　　Teachers are grateful, but know it may be years before the district is solvent (有綜合能力的). They feel really good about the parent support, but they realize it’s impossible for then to solve this problem.
　　The 22,000-student district discovered the shortage last month. “It’s extraordinary. Nobody would have imagined something happening like this at this level,” said State Treasurer Mike Coffman.
　　Coffman and district officials last week agreed on a state emergency plan freeing yp a $9.8 million loan that enabled the payroll (工資單) to be met for 2,700 teachers and staff in time for the holidays.
　　District officials also took $1.7 million from student-activity accounts its 38 schools.
　　At Coffman’s request, the District Attorney has begun investigating the district’s finances. Coffman says he wants to know whether district officials hid the budget shortage until after the November election, when voters approved a $212 million bond issue for schools.
　　In Frederick, students’ parents are buying classroom supplies and offering to pay for groceries and utilities to keep first-year teachers and principals in their jobs.
　　Some $36,000 has been raised in donations from Safeway. A Chevrolet dealership donated $10,000 and forgave the district’s $10,750 bill for renting the driver educating cars. IBM contributed 4,500 packs of paper.
　　“We employ thousands of people in this community,” said Mitch Carson, a hospital chief executive, who helped raise funds. “We have children in the school, and we see how they could be affected.”
　　At Creek High School, three students started a website that displays newspaper articles, district information and an email forum (論壇)。 “Rumors about what’s happening to the district are moving at lighting speed,” said a student. “We wanted to know the truth, and spread that around instead.”
　　26. What has happened to the Vrain School District?
　　A) A huge financial problem has arisen.
　　B) Many schools there are mismanaged.
　　C) Lots of teachers in the district are planning to quit.
　　D) Many administrative personnel have been laid off.（A）
　　27. How did the residents in the Vrain School District respond to the budget shortage?
　　A) They felt somewhat helpless about it.
　　B) They accused those responsible for it.
　　C) They pooled their efforts to help solve it.
　　D) They demanded a through investigation.（C）
　　28. In the view of State Treasurer Mike Coffman, the educational budget shortage is ________.
　　A) unavoidable
　　B) unthinkable
　　C) insolvable
　　D) irreversible（B）
　　29. Why did Coffman request an investigation?
　　A) To see if there was a deliberate cover-up of the problem.
　　B) To find out the extent of the consequences of the case.
　　C) To make sure that the school principals were innocent.
　　D) To stop the voters approving the $212 million bong issue.（A）
　　30. Three high school students started a website in order to ________.
　　A) attract greater public attention to their needs
　　B) appeal to the public for contributions and donations
　　C) expose officials who neglected their duties
　　D) keep people properly informed of the crisis（D）
　　這篇短文講述的是學(xué)校資金短缺事件。全文共十個(gè)小段，段從丹佛某社區(qū)發(fā)起運(yùn)動(dòng)說起，交代了事件基本信息：1380萬美元的預(yù)算短缺，而后引用某位學(xué)生父母對(duì)學(xué)校表示物質(zhì)支持的原話（we can help ease their financial burden, we will）。這個(gè)段落有這樣一個(gè)特點(diǎn)，即事件本身只是在句中附帶提到，敘述的重點(diǎn)在于社區(qū)對(duì)與此事相關(guān)的學(xué)校、教師的支持。這也暗示了后文的敘述方向不會(huì)是對(duì)資金短缺事件的原委的敘述，而是各方對(duì)此事的反應(yīng)。從全文來看，包括社區(qū)、教師、官方、企業(yè)以及學(xué)生的反應(yīng)。
　　接下來的第二段敘述了教師們對(duì)社區(qū)支持的反應(yīng)（grateful），而后用教師們的想法傳達(dá)出資金短缺事件的解決難度（impossible for then to solve this problem，社區(qū)支持不可能解決問題）。
　　下一段進(jìn)一步透露出事件的其他信息：發(fā)現(xiàn)時(shí)間（last month），并交代了州官員的反應(yīng)：驚詫（Nobody would have imagined something happening like this at this level）。下三小段繼續(xù)敘述官方的進(jìn)一步行動(dòng)：為教師工資提供貸款（9.8 million loan that enabled the payroll），從學(xué)生活動(dòng)資金帳戶中提出170萬美元（officials also took $1.7 million），調(diào)查該地區(qū)財(cái)務(wù)（begun investigating the district’s finances）。
　　后的四段分別交代了學(xué)生父母、企業(yè)和學(xué)生們的反應(yīng)。父母?jìng)優(yōu)閷W(xué)校購買日常教學(xué)器具（buying classroom supplies and offering to pay for groceries and utilities），企業(yè)捐助，如一家雪佛蘭經(jīng)銷商捐助一萬美元，同時(shí)免除校車租金（A Chevrolet dealership donated $10,000 and forgave the district’s $10,750 bill），IBM捐助了實(shí)物（4,500 packs of paper）。之后的一段簡(jiǎn)單解釋了募捐的原因。后一段是學(xué)生們的行動(dòng)：建立網(wǎng)站隨時(shí)發(fā)布該事件的進(jìn)展情況（We wanted to know the truth, and spread that around instead.）。
　　26. A
　　題目問Vrain校區(qū)發(fā)生了什么事情。從段可知，Vrain校區(qū)發(fā)生了資金短缺（$13.8 million budget shortage），而通讀全篇后可知，這一難題的影響非常嚴(yán)重。
　　A，發(fā)生了嚴(yán)重的財(cái)務(wù)困難。資金短缺（budget shortage）也就是財(cái)務(wù)困難，可以選A。
　　B，那里許多學(xué)校管理不善。此選項(xiàng)考查對(duì)the Vrain school District tries to solve a $13.8 million budget shortage blamed on mismanagement一句的理解。前半句的理解應(yīng)該不成問題，意思是該校區(qū)力圖解決一個(gè)1380萬的預(yù)算缺口。后面的blamed on mismanagement是理解的關(guān)鍵，blamed是個(gè)被動(dòng)語態(tài)，這里省略了is，而這個(gè)句子的完整形式應(yīng)該是個(gè)which引導(dǎo)的從句：shortage which is blamed on mismanagement。Blamed sth on sth 是把某事物的錯(cuò)誤歸因于另一事物，在句中就是“預(yù)算短缺的原因被歸咎于管理不善”。這樣的話，管理不善的對(duì)象就是預(yù)算而不是學(xué)校。
　　C，該校區(qū)的許多教師計(jì)劃離職。文中引用了一位學(xué)生家長(zhǎng)的話：we really don’t want to lose them because of this，表達(dá)了人們對(duì)預(yù)算短缺可能導(dǎo)致教師離去的后果。但文中沒有指出教師是否計(jì)劃（planning）離職，或者是否有“很多”（many）教師有此想法。
　　D，許多管理人員遭到解雇。文中沒有相關(guān)敘述。
　　27. C
　　題目問這個(gè)校區(qū)的居民對(duì)預(yù)算短缺如何反應(yīng)。
　　A，他們對(duì)此事有些愛莫能助。
　　B，他們譴責(zé)此事的罪魁禍?zhǔn)讉儭?
　　C，他們?yōu)榻鉀Q此事共同出力。
　　D，他們要求徹查此事。
　　文章開頭一句話即是敘述居民們?nèi)绾闻椭處熍c學(xué)校官員們：residents are pitching in to help teachers and administrators。Pitch in詞組是努力投入的意思，可見居民們對(duì)此事十分重視，力爭(zhēng)幫助學(xué)校走出難關(guān)。C的敘述符合這個(gè)意思，而A的敘述與C的意思恰好相反，可以排除。至于B，從全篇來看，對(duì)居民們的描寫均為始終是如何幫助學(xué)校，沒有提到譴責(zé)誰的問題，也沒有要求徹查此事——要求調(diào)查此事的是Coffman（At Coffman’s request——在Coffman的要求下——the District Attorney has begun investigating the district’s finances），而他是一位官員，不是該地居民。
　　28. B
　　題目問在Mike Coffman看來，教育預(yù)算短缺是……
　　A，不可避免的。
　　B，不可想象的。
　　C，無法解決的。
　　D，不能取消的。
　　文章講到Coffman的地方一共三處，次是引用了他對(duì)預(yù)算短缺事件的評(píng)論：It’s extraordinary. Nobody would have imagined something happening like this at this level。意思是“這太不尋常了。誰也想不到會(huì)發(fā)生這樣的事，這種程度的事”。第二次是他擬定了一份緊急貸款方案（Coffman and district officials last week agreed on a state emergency plan），第三次是他要求調(diào)查地區(qū)財(cái)政（At Coffman’s request, the District Attorney has begun investigating the district’s finances）。
　　從本題的題意及四個(gè)選項(xiàng)來看，應(yīng)該考查的是對(duì)處——也就是他的發(fā)言的理解。Coffman的發(fā)言首先指出此事的extraordinary，不同尋常；而后表示了驚訝——誰也想不到會(huì)發(fā)生這樣的事，這種程度的事。他對(duì)此事的態(tài)度大體上是“不可思議”。這樣A和D明顯不對(duì)，B的說法正確，至于C，引言中無法體現(xiàn)出來，而結(jié)合后面二處的描寫，也沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)“無法解決”的跡象，反倒是緊急貸款和調(diào)查財(cái)政等雷厲風(fēng)行的行事態(tài)度顯示出解決此事的決心。因?yàn)镃的說法也不正確。
　　29. A
　　題目問Coffman為什么要求展開調(diào)查。
　　文中講述Coffman要求調(diào)查此案是在第六段，除此外再無段落出現(xiàn)相關(guān)敘述，因此只要完全理解這一段的意思就可以做出正確的解答。
　　At Coffman’s request, the District Attorney has begun investigating the district’s finances. Coffman says he wants to know whether district officials hid the budget shortage until after the November election, when voters approved a $212 million bond issue for schools.
　　這一段共2句話。句指出Coffman要求調(diào)查地區(qū)財(cái)務(wù)。第二句是一個(gè)長(zhǎng)句，主結(jié)構(gòu)是Coffman says ……這樣一個(gè)主謂賓結(jié)構(gòu)。賓語從句中依然嵌套一個(gè)賓語從句he wants to know whether……后面內(nèi)容的意思是“是否地區(qū)官員掩蓋了預(yù)算短缺問題，直到十一月投票發(fā)生以后……”后半句是一個(gè)非限制性定語從句，when指代的是十一月投票，意思是在十一月投票中，“投票者通過了二億一千二百萬美元的學(xué)校公債事項(xiàng)。”這樣，Coffman所懷疑的就是地區(qū)官員有可能在十一月投票中掩蓋了預(yù)算短缺問題，以使公債事項(xiàng)得以通過。
　　A，看是否有故意掩蓋問題的行為。這一說法與文意一致。
　　B，看一看此事的后果嚴(yán)重到什么程度。這個(gè)說法沒有著落點(diǎn)。
　　C，確定學(xué)校官員是無辜的。文章沒有提到類似的內(nèi)容。
　　D，阻止選民通過二億一千二百萬美元的公債事項(xiàng)。理解文意可知，這一公債事項(xiàng)早在十一月投票就已經(jīng)通過，現(xiàn)在不可能再去阻止。
　　30. D
　　題目問三家高中的學(xué)生開設(shè)了一家網(wǎng)站，其目的是什么。
　　A，吸引更多的公共關(guān)注，以為己用。
　　B，呼吁公眾捐獻(xiàn)物資。
　　C，揭露玩忽職守的官員們。
　　D，使人們隨時(shí)得知此次危機(jī)事件的真實(shí)進(jìn)展。
　　文章提到學(xué)生建設(shè)網(wǎng)站之事是在后一段。At Creek High School, three students started a website that displays newspaper articles, district information and an email forum (論壇)。 “Rumors about what’s happening to the district are moving at lighting speed,” said a student. “We wanted to know the truth, and spread that around instead.”
　　句敘述了學(xué)生們建設(shè)網(wǎng)站的事實(shí)，第二句引用了學(xué)生們的原話，解釋了建設(shè)網(wǎng)站的原因。前一句意思是“關(guān)于這個(gè)地區(qū)發(fā)生了什么的謠言傳得向閃電一樣快”，后一句的意思是“我們想去了解真相，然后把真相傳播出去。”注意后一句里面使用的時(shí)態(tài)：wanted用的是一般過去時(shí)，表示這一想法是建設(shè)網(wǎng)站之初的想法，而不是現(xiàn)在的想法，這樣就可推斷出這一想法就是建站的目的。四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中只有D符合這個(gè)意思。

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