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  3. A curious election will take place in St. Louis on April 3rd. Seven candidates will compete for two seats on the city’s school b

A curious election will take place in St. Louis on April 3rd. Seven candidates will compete for two seats on the city’s school b

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问题     A curious election will take place in St. Louis on April 3rd. Seven candidates will compete for two seats on the city’s school board. The polls will open at 6 am and stay open until 7 pm. Staffing the polling stations and counting the electronic ballots will cost taxpayers an estimated $130,000. Two happy candidates will celebrate and take office—just in time to have the state of Missouri complete the takeover of the district’s schools and give them and the other board members nothing to do for several years.
    This election to nothing comes after years of falling test scores, revolving superintendents, screaming matches between board members at public meetings and a growing dissatisfaction with every aspect of public education. The state board of education voted on March 22nd to take over the school district, effective in mid-June. Some prominent figures endorsed this course, including the mayor of St. Louis, Francis Slay, and even some members of the St. Louis school board. Others in the city, though, are deeply opposed and ready to fight about it.
    Although the city schools overall have an amply deserved reputation for low standards, there are some good schools and many good students. The best students have the most to lose, fearing that the turmoil could damage their chances of getting into good universities. In mid-March a group of high-school pupils, backed by their superintendent, Diana Bourisaw, occupied Mr. Slay’s office for five days. When the state education board voted on the takeover, a group of angry students, teachers and other members of the public tried to disrupt the meeting. Protesters are still trying to use the courts to stop the action, and the teachers’ union has threatened a strike.
    Under Missouri law the city’s schools will now be placed under a three-member board appointed by the governor, the mayor and the president of the board of aldermen. Governor Matt Blunt’s choice of Rick Sullivan, the head of a building firm, has already been attacked because of Mr. Sullivan’s lack of experience in education and because he lives in one of the wealthiest suburbs outside the city. Blacks say their political power has been diluted.
    Mr. Sullivan and the other members, who have yet to be appointed, have an almost impossible task before them. The district, which in the past five years has turned a $52 million surplus into a $24.5 million deficit, has already closed schools, cut services and squeezed spending hard. But as its critics point out, the elected school board still found plenty of money for junkets and public relations.
    The trickle of voters turning out for the pointless board election will pass banners celebrating the new season of the world baseball champions, the St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis has made huge progress in attracting a new generation of young professionals to its downtown area, building new business developments and installing new infrastructure. The fiasco in its schools puts all that in jeopardy.
Why did a group of high-school pupils occupy Mr. Slay’s office for five days?
选项 A、Because the takeover has damaged their benefit.
B、Because the district has a very low education standard.
C、Because those pupils’ chances to be enrolled by top universities are likely to be reduced.
D、Because their scores were too poor to enable them to graduate.
答案C
解析
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