阅读理解 The demoralizing environment, decrepit (老朽的)building and minimal materials make the high school experience for these children an uphill baffle. Merely graduating from such a high school is difficult, much less becoming a high-caliber science or engineering student. Schools with students from a higher socioeconomic level would not tolerate the obstacles I encountered daily. Improvements need to be made efficiently and made soon, or the divisions among people in this country will only become more extreme. Of course, there are things that concerned citizens can do to help. Get involved with a school, especially one in a poor area. Volunteer to give a presentation or just to spend time with the children. My students were excited to talk to an insurance salesperson who came to give a career exploration lecture. They not only were genuinely interested in the opportunities he described but also were amazed that such a man would donate an afternoon to them. Although those measures can help, they are not enough. For teaching to be effective, the entire environment of the inner city needs to be changed. Teaching someone the difference between velocity and acceleration is irrelevant if the person is hungry and scared. Programs that educate parents in child-rearing, organize low-income groups into cooperative units, fight drug trafficking and help to clean up the ghettos physically will improve the life in the community. The small alterations and " new" proposals currently filling the newspapers are certainly not strong enough to transform a decaying and demoralized school structure that has been disintegrating for decades. Inner-city schools need so much more, and the children deserve so much more than our society is willing to give. Like many other people, I entered the teaching profession eager to investigate change and found many institutionalized obstacles in my way. It should not be so difficult to make a difference.

单选题 By saying "an uphill battle", the author means

单选题 We can learn from the text that

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】从文中可知：选项A：政治圈会给学校提供帮助。文章没有提过，只是在第二段第一行提到了citizens市民。选项B：开一个见面会对学生有好处。正确，文章提到了推销员。选项C：教学方法必须改革。文章说整个平民区的环境必须改变，没有涉及到教学方法。选项D：学生害怕和陌生人谈话。错误。故应选A。

单选题 The author believes that

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】作者认为：选项A：人以财产分类。错误，文章没有体现。选项B：高才理工类学生毕业于普通高中。文章第一段说学生从那样的高中毕业都很困难，更别提要成为高才理工或工程类学生。选项C：应该立刻进行小的改变。文章没提到，只是在最后一段的第一句说现在报纸上充斥的这些关于小改变新建议的提法不足以改变这种多年涣散、颓废、消沉的学校结构体系。选项D：社会对贫民区学校的帮助是不足的。正确，第三段第一句说了：Although those measures can help， they are not enough。故应选D。