考研英语阅读理解精读100篇【教育类】

考研英语阅读理解精读100篇unit73
Unit 73
In the past few years, reformers have embraced a disarmingly simple idea for fixing schools: Why not actually flunk those students who don't earn passing grades? Both Democrats and Republicans have begun attacking the practice of "social promotion"--shuttling bad students to the next grade, advancing them with peers even if they are failing. Make F truly mean failure, the movement says.

Last week in Los Angeles, the reformers learned just how ornery the current system can be. According to a plan released Tuesday by the L.A. school district, ending social promotion there will take at least four years, could cost hundreds of millions of dollars--and probably would require flunking about half the district's students. That's a pessimistic assessment, but it's not just bureaucrats' caterwauling. Rather, L.A. school superintendent Ruben Zacarias was an eager convert to the crusade against social promotion. In February he unveiled an ambitious plan to end unwarranted promotions in five grades during the 1999-2000 school year--a full year ahead of the timetable set by a state law.

At the time, Zacarias acknowledged that his goal would be hard to meet. He estimated that as many as 6 of every 10 students would flunk if they had to advance on merit. Zacarias wanted to spend $140 million in the first year alone to help these kids. Why so much? Because a mountain of research shows that ending social promotion doesn't work if it just means more Fs. Kids who are simply forced to repeat grades over and over usually don't improve academically and often drop out. Zacarias wanted more tutoring, summer school and intensive-learning classes. Unqualified students wouldn't rise to the next grade; nor would they be doomed to redo work they already failed. It was a forward-looking plan that Zacarias, 70, didn't have the clout to enact. He wasn't popular enough--the school board recently bought out his contract after a bitter power struggle--but even fellow reformers think his plan was too much, too soon. Says board member David Tokofsky: "You've got the unions who want their say. And, of course, there's the facilities issue: Where do you send all these eighth-graders if you can't send them to high school?" The district now says it will stop advancing low-achieving students only in two grades (second and eighth), and it will begin next year.

Los Angeles isn't the only place that has run into roadblocks while trying to end social promotion. In New York City, some advocates have said in lawsuits that parents weren't notified early enough that their kids were flunking. And in Chicago, which led the nation on the issue, a parents' group has filed civil rights complaints alleging that the promotion crackdown holds back a disproportionate number of black and Latino kids.

Still, the war on social promotion could have one salutary consequence: if every school district takes L.A.'s approach, struggling students will get a lot more teaching help, not just a kick in the rear as they finish another unproductive school year.

注（1）：本文选自Time；12/13/99, p73, 2/3p, 1c
注（2）：本文习题命题模仿对象2001年真题text 2和text 4第4题（本习题第5题）

1.       “Social promotion” is ___________.

[A] a simple idea for fixing school
[B] flunking students who don’t earn passing grades
[C] making F more or less meaningless
[D] a political movement

2.       Education officials give the reform prospect a pessimistic assessment because_______.

[A] it takes too long time, costs too much and may produce undesirable result
[B] there is no feasible plan yet
[C] it involves too many students
[D] it is not approved by state legislature

3.       The writer mentioned the case of Zacarias to show that ______________.

[A] ending social promotion doesn’t work
[B] schools do not have the ability to enact his plan
[C] plans like his are too ambitious
[D] it’s hard to reach agreement on the issue of ending social promotion

4.       It seems that the effort at ending social promotion _____________.

[A] is confronting a lot of resistance
[B] has proved fruitless
[C] has little hope of success
[D] does more harm than good

5.       Toward the proposal of ending social promotion, the author’s attitude seems to be ________.

[A] pessimistic
[B] optimistic
[C] objective
[D] biased

答案：C A D A B

篇章剖析：
本篇文章围绕教育改革派主张在美国中小学取消“自动升级”的问题展开了讨论，第一段介绍了改革派的主张：取消“自动升级”。第二、三段以洛杉矶教育区为例，说明取消“自动升级”在实施过程中所面临的巨大困难。第四段介绍了这种实践引起的社会反响。最后一段介绍了它可能带来的有益后果。

词汇注释：
disarmingly: [] adv. 使人消除警惕性[疑心]地, 使人不紧张的地
flunk: [] v. 使不及格
social promotion: 自动升级
shuttle: [] v. 穿梭运送
peer: [] n. 同等的人；同辈
ornery: [] adj. 脾气坏的; 爱争吵的
assessment: [] n. 评估，评价
bureaucrat: [] n. 官僚；官吏
caterwauling: [] n. 哀诉声,抱怨声
superintendent: [] n. 主管, 负责人, 指挥者, 管理者
convert: [] n. （常与to连用）改变信仰或意见的人
crusade: [] n. 讨伐；改革运动；热心于社会除恶的运动
unwarranted: [] adj. 无根据的, 未获保证的, 无保证的, 未获承认的
clout: [] n. 影响力
enact: [] v. 制定，制订成法律
roadblock: [] n. 障碍, 障碍物
advocate: [] n. （常与of连用）拥护者；提倡者
notify: [] v. 正式通知（某人）
allege: [] v. 〈法〉指控
crackdown: [] n. 镇压, 打击
disproportionate: [] adj. 不相称的；不成比例的；不匀称的
Latino: [] n. 拉丁美洲人
salutary: [] adj. 有益的

难句突破
And in Chicago, which led the nation on the issue, a parents' group has filed civil rights complaints alleging that the promotion crackdown holds back a disproportionate number of black and Latino kids.
主体句式：a parents’ group has filed complaints
结构分析：本句是一个复杂句，在介词in引导的状语中包含了一个which引导的非限定性定语从句，修饰Chicago，在主句中包含一个分词alleging引导的状语，这个状语自己还包含了一个that引导的宾语从句。
句子译文：在芝加哥，一个家长团体提出了民权控诉，宣称取消自动升级使相当比例的黑人和拉丁美洲裔的孩子升不了级。

题目分析：
1. 答案为C, 属事实细节题。从文章第一段破折号后对social promotion的解释来看，它的意思是：就算差生考试不及格，他们照样可以和其他同学一起进入下一年级。在从改革派反对“social promotion”，主张使F真正意味着“不及格”来看，social promotion 显然使F失去了意义。
2. 答案为A，属事实细节题。本文答案可以在that’s a pessimistic assessment前面的部分读到。
3. 答案为D，属推理判断题。文章第三段先介绍了Zacarias的计划，然后说明他的计划为什么难以实施：他在校董事会的权力之争中落败，以及其他改革派对他的计划所持的不同意见。以这样一个例子旨在说明在取消“自动升级”问题上难以达成一致意见。
4. 答案为A，属事实细节题。根据文章第四段所举的例子可知，这一改革方案遭到了较多的抵制。
5. 答案为B，属推理判断题。虽然文章用了较大篇幅介绍取消“自动升级”所面临的困难和计划实施中存在的问题，但作者的态度仍然是积极乐观的。这一点可以从作者评论Zacarias的计划时所用的措辞“forward-looking”以及最后一段作者评论其有益后果看出。

参考译文：
过去几年，改革派一直坚持用一种令人毫无怀疑的简单想法解决学校的问题：对于那些成绩不达标的学生，为什么不让他们留级？民主党和共和党已经开始抨击“自动升级”的做法---按照这种做法，就算差生考试不及格，他们照样可以和其他同学一起进入下一年级。这场运动主张要让“F”这个成绩真的意味着“不及格”。

上周在洛杉矶，改革派领教了当前体制令人不快的一面。根据洛杉矶教育区周二发布的一项计划，取消“自动升级”将需要至少花费四年的时间，耗资成百上千万美元---也许还会使地区一半左右的学生留级。这是悲观的估计，但官员们并非危言耸听。洛杉矶的学校督导员鲁本•扎卡雷斯以前曾积极参与反对“自动升级”的活动。二月份他提出了一项很有挑战性的计划，以期在1999-2000学年在五个年级取消无根据的升级---这比该州法律设定的时间表提前了整整一年。

扎卡雷斯承认他的目标在当时很难实现。他估计如果按照成绩升级的话，十个学生中将有六个过不了关。仅第一年扎卡雷斯就打算花费1.4亿美元来帮助这些孩子。为什么要花这么多钱呢？因为众多研究表明如果取消“自动升级”仅仅意味着有更多学生无法升级的话，那么它就失去了意义。那些被迫一遍又一遍地复读的孩子成绩并没有提高，甚至还经常会退学。扎卡雷斯希望学生们能得到更多的指导，开设更多的夏季班和强化学习班。不合格的学生不会进入下一年级，但也不必把功课重学一遍。他提出的这一计划很有远见，但70高龄的扎卡雷斯本人并没有足够的影响力将其付诸实施---他还不够受欢迎---在一场激烈的权力斗争之后，该校董事会最近买断了他的合同---但就连其他改革派也认为他的计划太宏大，太迫切。另一位董事会成员大卫•托科夫斯基说：“工会想要有发言权。当然，还有设施的问题：如果不能把八年级学生送入中学，那该把他们送往哪里呢？”现在，该教育区宣布它将只在两个年级（二年级和八年级）对成绩较差的学生取消升级，并将从明年起实施。

洛杉矶并不是唯一一个在取消“自动升级”工作中遇到困难的地方。在纽约市，一些辩护律师在诉讼中称家长没有及时被告知他们的孩子会留级。在芝加哥，一个家长团体提出了民权控诉，宣称取消自动升级使相当比例的黑人和拉丁美洲裔的孩子升不了级。

然而，这场关于“自动升级”的战争还是会带来一个有益的结果：如果每个教育区采用洛杉矶的做法，那些学习吃力的学生就会得到学习帮助，而不仅仅是在学完一年毫无收获之外再被踢上一脚。
考研英语阅读理解精读100篇unit72
Unit 72
Sal Monella is a poisonous gangster hell bent on infection, and a pimple is a power-mad oil gland. That's life--and a quirky twist on salmonella and acne--in the animated world of Ozzy & Drix, part of the WB network's Saturday-morning lineup. This was the first season for what might be called a "smartoon." It was in the top programs among kids ages 2 to 11. And it's coming back this fall.

Instead of battling mystical monsters, Ozzy & Drix cleverly personifies body parts--a muscle cell is a police chief--to teach kids about their bodies. Rather than lecture kids about smoking, Ozzy & Drix turns nicotine into Nick O'Teen, a smarmy villain with long claws that hook into brains and cause addictions. Bad guys like Nick are taken down by the title stars: Osmosis "Ozzy" Jones, a street-smart white blood cell, and Drix, an uptight but intelligent cold pill with a chest full of medicine. White blood cells help fight infection, and Drix is a medicine chest. Get it?

Ozzy & Drix makes a point of tackling "issues that are very real to the day-to-day lives of kids," says David Foster, a Harvard University internist who helps develop story lines for the show. "We hope they take an interest in what is going on inside them." That's why all the action occurs within 13-year-old Hector, who contracts diseases, encounters peer pressure, and even drinks spoiled milk. "This poor kid has been through a lot," says Producer Alan Burnett.

Pun fun. The slap-your-knee, ba-dum-dum humor takes many forms. Ozzy and Drix set up a detective firm behind Hector's cornea--they're "private eyes"--to ensure him a safe adolescence. Blood cells race like cars through Hector's arteries and past a "roadside" billboard reading "Peace for the Middle Ear." There's a rock concert at the Diaphragm Club featuring the band Metabolica. Ozzy and Drix drive a Cel Camino.

"This is a very interesting direction for broadcasters to take," says Sandra Calvert, a psychologist and director of the Children's Digital Media Center at Georgetown University. "We rarely see someone go after the health area." Kids go for the slapstick and drama while adults are drawn to the puns and parodies, and the dual enjoyment sparks questions and conversation, she says.

Consider an upcoming episode in which Hector eats bad sausage containing parasitic worms. A spoof of jaws begins as his stomach becomes a sea of acid dotted with boats. On one, Ozzy teams up with grizzled Captain Quinine--recalling movie shark hunter Quint and the fact that quinine was once used to treat parasites. Ozzy and the Cap'n blow up the monsters with bicarbonate of soda. A soothing end, not for the worms, but for Hector's upset stomach.

注（1）：本文选自U.S. News & World Report；7/28/2003-8/4/2003, p40, 2p, 1c；
注（2）：本文习题命题模仿对象2002年真题text4和text2第5题；

1.       From the first three paragraphs, we learn that ___________.

[A] Ozzy & Drix is a cartoon about good-guy fighting bad guy.
[B] the target audience of Ozzy & Drix are children.
[C] smartoon is a new type of cartoon
[D] the purpose of Ozzy & Drix is to help children fight against diseases

2.       Which of the following statements is true according to the text?

[A] Ozzy in the cartoon lacks experiences.
[B] Hector’s friends show sympathy to him when he contracts disease.
[C] A new season of Ozzy & Drix will be on show this fall.
[D] Ozzy & Drix mainly deals with battling frightening creatures。

3.       According to Sandra Calvert, broadcasters may learn from Ozzy & Drix_________.

[A] how to create humorous effect
[B] that health area is worth exploring
[C] that dual enjoyment of both kids and adults is the key to Ozzy & Drix’s success
[D] that kids and adults alike take great fun in Ozzy & Drix

4.       Which of the following best defines the word “slapstick”?

[A] humorous acting
[B] serious theme
[C] interesting plot
[D] instructive stories

5.       The author uses the episode in which Hector eats bad sausage containing parasitic worms to show _____________.

[A] how the cartoon is plotted
[B] how children feel when they fall ill
[C] the pun and humor in the cartoon
[D] the way children can be educated

答案：B C B A C

篇章剖析：
本篇为说明文，通过点面结合来说明一档流行的电视节目《奥兹和德里克斯》的内容，特点，引人之处等。第一段是对热门电视系列剧《奥兹和德里克斯》的简要介绍，突出了其“出奇”和“热门”两大特色，第二段，第三段说明了这个电视剧的主要内容，即以赋予身体各部分人性化的特点帮助孩子们了解自己的身体以及发生在日常生活中的问题；第四段，第五段介绍了该剧轻松幽默，老少咸宜的特点；第六段以一段剧情结束全文，让人更加深刻的体会这部剧作。

词汇注释：
salmonella []n. 沙门氏菌
pimple []n. 丘疹, 面泡, 疙瘩
gland []n. 腺
quirky [ ] adj. 诡诈的, 离奇的
acne []n. 痤疮, 粉刺
lineup [] n. 系列节目
personify []vt. 赋与...以人性, 使人格化
nicotine []n. 烟碱，尼古丁
smarmy []adj. 令人厌烦的, 爱说奉承话的, 虚情假意的
osmosis []n. 渗透(作用), 渗透性
street-smart: adj. 经验老到的
uptight []adj. 过分拘谨的；（行为，观点和品味）极端保守的
internist []n. <美>内科医师
contract []v. 感染
cornea []n. [医]角膜
artery []n. 动脉
slapstick [] n. 闹剧；滑稽剧
parody: [] n. 模仿滑稽作品
spoof [] n. 胡说；戏弄；哄骗
grizzled [] adj. 灰色的, 头发斑白的

难句突破
Rather than lecture kids about smoking, Ozzy & Drix turns nicotine into Nick O'Teen, a smarmy villain with long claws that hook into brains and cause addictions.
主体句式：Ozzy & Drix turns nicotine into Nick O'Teen
结构分析：这是一个复杂句，主句为Ozzy & Drix turns nicotine into Nick O'Teen，Nick O’Teen后面有个较长的同位语，其中还含有定语从句。Rather than作为连接词引导从句，通常表示否定意义，意为：“而不是”，用于和另外一种可以肯定的情况作比较。比如，Rather than sit in a cozy room, he works out in the cold air. 他没有在舒适的房间里安坐，而是冒着严寒在室外工作。
句子译文：对于吸烟，《奥兹和德里克斯》也没有采用对孩子们说教的方式，而是把尼古丁变成了一个名叫尼克•丁的口蜜腹剑的恶棍，它长着长长的爪子，并用它来钩住人的大脑，使人上瘾。

题目分析：
1. 答案为B，属事实细节题。文中第一段最后说这部卡通片“深受2-11岁孩子的欢迎。”第二段说要通过卡通片教孩子们认识自己的身体，第三段都讲卡通片涉及的是孩子们日常生活中面临的真实问题。由此可见，答案为B：卡通片的目标人群为儿童。C项中的smartoon只是用来说明该卡通构思巧妙，并不是新型卡通。
2. 答案为C，属事实细节题。从文章第一段末it’s coming back this fall可知新一季的Ozzy& Drix即将在秋季上映。文中第二段提到Ozzy是street-smart，这个词的意思是“阅历丰富的，经验老到的”。文中第三段提到Hector患病后遭遇了peer pressure，即同伴的压力，可见同伴们都不喜欢患病的他。第二段特意提到了instead of battling mystical monsters，也就是说这部卡通一改和怪物斗争的模式，所以只有答案C是正确的。
3. 答案为B，属推理判断题。文章第五段一开头就引用Sandra Calvert的话说，这是广播公司可以发展的一个非常有趣的方向，接着又说，以前很少见到涉足保健领域的话题。可见，她的意思是广播公司在保健领域大有可为。
4. 答案为A，属猜词题。文章第四段开头说“The slap-your-knee, ba-dum-dum humor takes many forms.”接下来举例说明，并在第五段说孩子们喜欢这种slapstick，根据上下文判断，“幽默的表演”应该是最佳选项。
5. 答案为C，属推理判断题。从第三段可知双关和幽默是该剧最大的特点，在最后一段的剧情里，作者说奎宁船长的名字让人想起猎鲨专家奎恩特以及奎宁曾用于治疗寄生虫病的事情，可见作者是以此举例说明这部卡通剧作的双关和幽默。

参考译文
沙门氏是一伙恶毒的，会传染疾病的坏蛋，而一个粉刺则是一个迷恋权利的油脂腺。这就是在《奥兹和德里克斯》这档华纳电视网周六早晨节目中展现的生活---而且是对于沙门氏菌和粉刺最离奇的一次改编。而这仅是这部堪称 “聪明卡通”的系列片的第一季。在2至11岁的孩子中，它是最受欢迎的一档节目。今年秋季，它又将上演。

《奥兹和德里克斯》中并没有和神秘怪兽作斗争的内容，而是将人体的某些部位赋予了人性化的特征——一个肌肉细胞担任了警察局长——目的是教孩子们了解自己的身体。对于吸烟，《奥兹和德里克斯》也没有采用对孩子们说教的方式，而是把尼古丁变成了一个名叫尼克•丁的口蜜腹剑的恶棍，它长着长长的爪子，并用它来钩住人的大脑，使人上瘾。像尼克这样的坏蛋都被卡通片名里的明星们治服了：善于渗透的“奥兹”琼斯是一个经验老到的白血球；拘谨聪明的德里克斯则是一粒肚子里装满药的感冒药丸。白血球们帮助抗击感染，而德里克斯则是个药箱子。这下明白了吧？

《奥兹和德里克斯》涉及的都是“孩子们日常生活中面对的真实问题”，参与该电视剧剧情编写的哈佛大学内科医生大卫•福斯特说道。“我们希望孩子们对发生在自己体内的事情感兴趣。”所以所有的故事都发生在13岁的赫克托尔体内。这个孩子染病在身，感受到了来自同伴的压力，甚至还喝下了变质的牛奶。“这个可怜的小家伙受了不少罪，”制片人艾伦•伯内特说道。

片中的双关语非常有趣。拍膝盖，打拍子这一类的幽默都通过很多形式表现出来。奥兹和德里克斯在赫克托尔的角膜后面成立了一家侦探事务所---他们是“私人的眼睛”---为的是确保他安全度过青春期。血细胞经过赫克托尔的动脉时好像汽车一样飞驰而过，经过一个“路边”广告牌，上面写着“中耳需要安宁。”“横隔膜俱乐部”正在举办一场“新陈代谢乐队”的专场摇滚音乐会。奥兹和德里克斯开的是一辆卡米诺牌细胞汽车。

“对于广播公司来说，这是一种非常有趣的发展方向，”乔治敦大学儿童数字媒体中心主任，心理学家桑德拉•卡尔弗特说道。“我们很少见到有人在健康领域做文章。”孩子们喜欢有趣刺激的情节，而大人们也被片中的双关语和滑稽的模仿所吸引，这种老少皆宜的片子能引发思考和讨论。

以接下来的一幕中赫克托尔吃了含有寄生虫的变质香肠为例。危险的情况被以一种轻松搞笑的方式演绎了出来。他的胃变成一片酸性物质的海洋，上面漂着几页扁舟。其中一艘小船上坐着奥兹和头发花白的奎宁船长，他们同舟共济---这让人想起了电影中的猎鲨专家奎恩特，以及奎宁曾被用来对付寄生虫的事。奥兹和船长用碳酸水中的重碳酸盐把那些怪物统统炸死了。对虫子们来说，这是灭顶之灾，但对赫克托尔翻江倒海的胃来说，结局令人宽慰。
考研英语阅读理解精读100篇unit73
Unit 73
In the past few years, reformers have embraced a disarmingly simple idea for fixing schools: Why not actually flunk those students who don't earn passing grades? Both Democrats and Republicans have begun attacking the practice of "social promotion"--shuttling bad students to the next grade, advancing them with peers even if they are failing. Make F truly mean failure, the movement says.

Last week in Los Angeles, the reformers learned just how ornery the current system can be. According to a plan released Tuesday by the L.A. school district, ending social promotion there will take at least four years, could cost hundreds of millions of dollars--and probably would require flunking about half the district's students. That's a pessimistic assessment, but it's not just bureaucrats' caterwauling. Rather, L.A. school superintendent Ruben Zacarias was an eager convert to the crusade against social promotion. In February he unveiled an ambitious plan to end unwarranted promotions in five grades during the 1999-2000 school year--a full year ahead of the timetable set by a state law.

At the time, Zacarias acknowledged that his goal would be hard to meet. He estimated that as many as 6 of every 10 students would flunk if they had to advance on merit. Zacarias wanted to spend $140 million in the first year alone to help these kids. Why so much? Because a mountain of research shows that ending social promotion doesn't work if it just means more Fs. Kids who are simply forced to repeat grades over and over usually don't improve academically and often drop out. Zacarias wanted more tutoring, summer school and intensive-learning classes. Unqualified students wouldn't rise to the next grade; nor would they be doomed to redo work they already failed. It was a forward-looking plan that Zacarias, 70, didn't have the clout to enact. He wasn't popular enough--the school board recently bought out his contract after a bitter power struggle--but even fellow reformers think his plan was too much, too soon. Says board member David Tokofsky: "You've got the unions who want their say. And, of course, there's the facilities issue: Where do you send all these eighth-graders if you can't send them to high school?" The district now says it will stop advancing low-achieving students only in two grades (second and eighth), and it will begin next year.

Los Angeles isn't the only place that has run into roadblocks while trying to end social promotion. In New York City, some advocates have said in lawsuits that parents weren't notified early enough that their kids were flunking. And in Chicago, which led the nation on the issue, a parents' group has filed civil rights complaints alleging that the promotion crackdown holds back a disproportionate number of black and Latino kids.

Still, the war on social promotion could have one salutary consequence: if every school district takes L.A.'s approach, struggling students will get a lot more teaching help, not just a kick in the rear as they finish another unproductive school year.

注（1）：本文选自Time；12/13/99, p73, 2/3p, 1c
注（2）：本文习题命题模仿对象2001年真题text 2和text 4第4题（本习题第5题）

1.       “Social promotion” is ___________.

[A] a simple idea for fixing school
[B] flunking students who don’t earn passing grades
[C] making F more or less meaningless
[D] a political movement

2.       Education officials give the reform prospect a pessimistic assessment because_______.

[A] it takes too long time, costs too much and may produce undesirable result
[B] there is no feasible plan yet
[C] it involves too many students
[D] it is not approved by state legislature

3.       The writer mentioned the case of Zacarias to show that ______________.

[A] ending social promotion doesn’t work
[B] schools do not have the ability to enact his plan
[C] plans like his are too ambitious
[D] it’s hard to reach agreement on the issue of ending social promotion

4.       It seems that the effort at ending social promotion _____________.

[A] is confronting a lot of resistance
[B] has proved fruitless
[C] has little hope of success
[D] does more harm than good

5.       Toward the proposal of ending social promotion, the author’s attitude seems to be ________.

[A] pessimistic
[B] optimistic
[C] objective
[D] biased

答案：C A D A B

篇章剖析：
本篇文章围绕教育改革派主张在美国中小学取消“自动升级”的问题展开了讨论，第一段介绍了改革派的主张：取消“自动升级”。第二、三段以洛杉矶教育区为例，说明取消“自动升级”在实施过程中所面临的巨大困难。第四段介绍了这种实践引起的社会反响。最后一段介绍了它可能带来的有益后果。

词汇注释：
disarmingly: [] adv. 使人消除警惕性[疑心]地, 使人不紧张的地
flunk: [] v. 使不及格
social promotion: 自动升级
shuttle: [] v. 穿梭运送
peer: [] n. 同等的人；同辈
ornery: [] adj. 脾气坏的; 爱争吵的
assessment: [] n. 评估，评价
bureaucrat: [] n. 官僚；官吏
caterwauling: [] n. 哀诉声,抱怨声
superintendent: [] n. 主管, 负责人, 指挥者, 管理者
convert: [] n. （常与to连用）改变信仰或意见的人
crusade: [] n. 讨伐；改革运动；热心于社会除恶的运动
unwarranted: [] adj. 无根据的, 未获保证的, 无保证的, 未获承认的
clout: [] n. 影响力
enact: [] v. 制定，制订成法律
roadblock: [] n. 障碍, 障碍物
advocate: [] n. （常与of连用）拥护者；提倡者
notify: [] v. 正式通知（某人）
allege: [] v. 〈法〉指控
crackdown: [] n. 镇压, 打击
disproportionate: [] adj. 不相称的；不成比例的；不匀称的
Latino: [] n. 拉丁美洲人
salutary: [] adj. 有益的

难句突破
And in Chicago, which led the nation on the issue, a parents' group has filed civil rights complaints alleging that the promotion crackdown holds back a disproportionate number of black and Latino kids.
主体句式：a parents’ group has filed complaints
结构分析：本句是一个复杂句，在介词in引导的状语中包含了一个which引导的非限定性定语从句，修饰Chicago，在主句中包含一个分词alleging引导的状语，这个状语自己还包含了一个that引导的宾语从句。
句子译文：在芝加哥，一个家长团体提出了民权控诉，宣称取消自动升级使相当比例的黑人和拉丁美洲裔的孩子升不了级。

题目分析：
1. 答案为C, 属事实细节题。从文章第一段破折号后对social promotion的解释来看，它的意思是：就算差生考试不及格，他们照样可以和其他同学一起进入下一年级。在从改革派反对“social promotion”，主张使F真正意味着“不及格”来看，social promotion 显然使F失去了意义。
2. 答案为A，属事实细节题。本文答案可以在that’s a pessimistic assessment前面的部分读到。
3. 答案为D，属推理判断题。文章第三段先介绍了Zacarias的计划，然后说明他的计划为什么难以实施：他在校董事会的权力之争中落败，以及其他改革派对他的计划所持的不同意见。以这样一个例子旨在说明在取消“自动升级”问题上难以达成一致意见。
4. 答案为A，属事实细节题。根据文章第四段所举的例子可知，这一改革方案遭到了较多的抵制。
5. 答案为B，属推理判断题。虽然文章用了较大篇幅介绍取消“自动升级”所面临的困难和计划实施中存在的问题，但作者的态度仍然是积极乐观的。这一点可以从作者评论Zacarias的计划时所用的措辞“forward-looking”以及最后一段作者评论其有益后果看出。

参考译文：
过去几年，改革派一直坚持用一种令人毫无怀疑的简单想法解决学校的问题：对于那些成绩不达标的学生，为什么不让他们留级？民主党和共和党已经开始抨击“自动升级”的做法---按照这种做法，就算差生考试不及格，他们照样可以和其他同学一起进入下一年级。这场运动主张要让“F”这个成绩真的意味着“不及格”。

上周在洛杉矶，改革派领教了当前体制令人不快的一面。根据洛杉矶教育区周二发布的一项计划，取消“自动升级”将需要至少花费四年的时间，耗资成百上千万美元---也许还会使地区一半左右的学生留级。这是悲观的估计，但官员们并非危言耸听。洛杉矶的学校督导员鲁本•扎卡雷斯以前曾积极参与反对“自动升级”的活动。二月份他提出了一项很有挑战性的计划，以期在1999-2000学年在五个年级取消无根据的升级---这比该州法律设定的时间表提前了整整一年。

扎卡雷斯承认他的目标在当时很难实现。他估计如果按照成绩升级的话，十个学生中将有六个过不了关。仅第一年扎卡雷斯就打算花费1.4亿美元来帮助这些孩子。为什么要花这么多钱呢？因为众多研究表明如果取消“自动升级”仅仅意味着有更多学生无法升级的话，那么它就失去了意义。那些被迫一遍又一遍地复读的孩子成绩并没有提高，甚至还经常会退学。扎卡雷斯希望学生们能得到更多的指导，开设更多的夏季班和强化学习班。不合格的学生不会进入下一年级，但也不必把功课重学一遍。他提出的这一计划很有远见，但70高龄的扎卡雷斯本人并没有足够的影响力将其付诸实施---他还不够受欢迎---在一场激烈的权力斗争之后，该校董事会最近买断了他的合同---但就连其他改革派也认为他的计划太宏大，太迫切。另一位董事会成员大卫•托科夫斯基说：“工会想要有发言权。当然，还有设施的问题：如果不能把八年级学生送入中学，那该把他们送往哪里呢？”现在，该教育区宣布它将只在两个年级（二年级和八年级）对成绩较差的学生取消升级，并将从明年起实施。

洛杉矶并不是唯一一个在取消“自动升级”工作中遇到困难的地方。在纽约市，一些辩护律师在诉讼中称家长没有及时被告知他们的孩子会留级。在芝加哥，一个家长团体提出了民权控诉，宣称取消自动升级使相当比例的黑人和拉丁美洲裔的孩子升不了级。

然而，这场关于“自动升级”的战争还是会带来一个有益的结果：如果每个教育区采用洛杉矶的做法，那些学习吃力的学生就会得到学习帮助，而不仅仅是在学完一年毫无收获之外再被踢上一脚。

二：资料下载

更多资料请访问：考试吧考研栏目