单选题 {{B}}第三篇{{/B}}
The School Close

When school officials in Kalkaska, Michigan, closed classes last week, the media flocked to the story, portraying the town's 2,305 students as victims of stingy (吝啬的) taxpayers. There is some truth to that: the property-tax rate here is one-third lower than the state average. But shutting their schools also swallowed Kalkaska's educators and the state's largest teachers' union, the Michigan Education Association, to make a political point. Their aim was to spur passage of legislation Michigan lawmakers are debating to increase the state's share of school funding
It was no coincidence that Kalkaska shut its schools two weeks after reduced a 28 percent property-tax increase. The school board argued that without the increase it lacked the $ 1.5 million needed to keep schools open.
But the school system had not done all it could to keep the schools open. Officials declined to borrow against next year's state aid, they refused to trim extracurricular activities and they did not consider seeking a smaller-perhaps more acceptable-tax increase. In fact, closing early is costing Kalkaska a significant amount, including 4600,000 in unemployment payments to teachers and staff and $ 250,000 in lost state subsidy. In February, the school system promised teachers and staff two months of retirement payments in case schools closed early, a deal that will cost the district $ 275,000 more.
Other signs suggest school authorities were at least as eager to make a political statement as to keep schools open. The Michigan Education Association hired a public relations firm to stage a rally marking the school closings, which attracted 14 local and national television stations and networks. The president of the National Education Association, the MEA's parent organization, flew from Washington D. C. , for the event. And to union tutored school officials in the art of television interviews. School supervisor Doyle Disbrow acknowledges the district could have kept schools open by cutting programs but denies the moves were politically motivated.
Michigan lawmakers have reacted angrily to the closings. The state Senate has already voted to put the system into receivership (破产管理) and reopen schools immediately; The Michigan House Plans to consider the bill this week.
单选题 We learn from the passage that schools in Kalkaska, Michigan, are funded______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 第一段指出“…portraying the town's 2,305 students as victims of stingy(吝啬的)taxpayers．There is some truth to that；the property-tax rate here is one-third lower than the state average”媒体描述了全镇2305学生成了吝啬纳税人的牺牲品，该地的财产税率比全州平均税率低1/3。
单选题 One of the purposes for which school officials closed classes was______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 第一段最后一句话指出：他们的目的是加快密歇根州立法者关于增加州政府对学校基金投入的法律进程，故C为正确答案。
单选题 The author seems to disapprove of______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 综合第三段可得出结论。第三段首句指出：学校方面并未为保持学校的开设而尽全力。接下来仔细论证了这一观点，暗含作者不赞同关闭学校的意思。
单选题 We learn from the passage that school authorities in Kalkaska are more concerned about______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 第四段的首句便是答案所在。“Others signs suggests school authorities were at least eager to make a political statement as to keep school open．”其他迹象显示，校方领导作政治声明的心情，与保证学校开门至少是一样急切的。故此句暗示，校方领导更关注的应是“make a political statement”故选A。
单选题 According to the passage, the closing of the schools developed into a crisis because of______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 题目问：根据文章，学校关门一事演变为危机是由于。要选对该题需要纵观全文，第一段指出“But shutting their schools also swallowed Kalkaska's educators and the state's largest teachers' union，”第三段再次指出“Others signs suggests school authorities were at least eager to make a political statement as to keep school open”。尽管在第三段末尾学校否认“the moves were politically motivates”，我们仍可得出结论，B为正确答案。