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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 bo

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

admin2009-04-26  53
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 a.m. and stay open until 7 p.m. Staffing the polling stations and counting the electronic ballots will cost taxpayers at least $260,000. 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, 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. 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.
    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 $52m surplus into a $24.5m 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 tours 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. 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 great failure in its schools puts all that in danger.
选项 A、the election is very eager to understand the unknown world.
B、the election is extremely careful and significant.
C、the election is strange for its expensive cost and pointless result:
D、the election is held by children who are curious of the world.
答案C
解析 为语义理解题。"curious"一词本身具有多种含义，根据文中描述，这项选举将会耗费数小时之久，并且将花费大量税收，然而选举结果却没有任何意义，当选委员不会采取任何措施来改变现状。选项A、B、D都同curious一词相关，但是不符合上下文环境。故选C。
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