阅读理解 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(有综合能力的). 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(工资单) 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 38schools. 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(论坛)。“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.” 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(有综合能力的). 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(工资单) 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 38schools. 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(论坛)。“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.”
文章大意：叙述性报道。本文叙述了Vrain校区发生了预算短缺之后人们的反应。前两段是说虽然该地区的家长们在全力相助，但是老师们认为家长们不可能解决这个问题。第二段至第六段通过列举一系列数字，具体描述了这次预算短缺的严重性，而且国家财政局局长Coffman怀疑是否是校区官员故意隐瞒了预算短缺。第七段至第九段进一步阐述了来自社会各界的援助。最后一段讲述了三个高中生为了给此事辟谣而建立网站。
单选题 What has happened to the Vrain School District?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】推埋判断题。第一段首句as后面解释了居民帮助老师的原因是：Vrain校区要解决$13.8 million的预算短缺，由此可见是财政方面出现了严重的问题。该段最后一句中的financial burden再次强调了这一点，并转述成为选项[A]中的financial problem。
单选题 How did the residents in the Vrain School District respond to the budget shortage?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】事实细节题。此题询问的是，当出现预算短缺时Vrain校区的居民做何反应。根据首句，答案显然应含有help之意。Pitch in意为“使劲干(某事)”，与选项[C]中的pooled their efforts意义相同。
单选题 In the view of State Treasurer Mike Coffman, the educational budget shortage is________.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】推理判断题。句中的it指代的是上句中的the shortage。下两段中2700名教职工的工资单和student-activity accounts(学生活动经费)均说明了这里的shortage就是题干所说的the educational budget shortage，列举的相关数字也印证了该校区上二个月的教育经费预算短缺是extraordinary(非比寻常的)，即选项[B]所描述的unthinkable。
单选题 Why did Coffman request an investigation?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】事实细节题。该段首句点题，紧接着在第二句转述Coffman的话解释了他要求进行调查的原因。句中的hid与选项[A]中的a deliberate cover-up(故意隐瞒)含有相同的意义。
单选题 Three high school students started a website in order to________.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】事实细节题。该段首句点题，最后一句引用了其中一个学生的话阐明了他们这么做的目的是“关于这个校区的谣言正在飞速传播，而我们要弄清真相并广而告之”——spread that around instead中的that是指the truth，也就是选项[D]所说的“keep people properly informed”。