Take the case of public education alone. The principal difficulty faced by the schools has been the tremendous increase in the number of pupils. This has been caused by the advance of the legal age for going into industry and the impossibility of finding a job even when the legal age has been reached. In view of the technological improvements in the last few years, business will require in the future proportionately fewer workers than ever before. The result will be still further raising of the legal age for going into employment, and still further difficulty in finding employment when that age has been attained. If we cannot put our children to work, we must put them in school.
We may also be quite confident that the present trend toward a shorter day and a shorter week will be maintained. We have developed and shall continue to have a new leisure class. Already the public agencies for adult education are swamped by the tide that has swept over them since the depression began. They will be little better off when it is over. Their support must come from the taxpayer.
It is surely too much to hope that these increases in the cost of public education can be borne by the local communities. They cannot care for the present restricted and inadequate system. The local communities have failed in their efforts to cope with unemployment. They cannot expect to cope with public education on the scale on which we must attempt it. The answer to the problem of unemployment has been Federal relief. The answer to the problem of public education may have to be much the same, and properly so. If there is one thing in which the citizens of all parts of the country have an interest, it is in the decent education of the citizens of all parts of the country. Our income tax now goes in part to keep our neighbors alive. It may have to go in part as well to make our neighbors intelligent. We are now attempting to preserve the present generation through Federal relief of the destitute（贫民）.Only a people determined to ruin the next generation will refuse such Federal funds as public education may require.
1.What is the passage mainly about?
2.What is the reason for the increase in the number of students?
3.The public agencies for adult education will be little better off because （ ）.
4.According to the author, the answer to the problem of public education is that the Federal government （ ）.
5.Why does the author say “Only a people determined to ruin the next generation will refuse such Federal funds as public education may require” (Lines 11-13, Para. 3)（ ）.
问题1选项
A.How to persuade local communities to provide more funds.
B.How to cope with the shortage of funds for public education.
C.How to improve the public education system.
D.How to solve the rising unemployment problem.
问题2选项
A.The requirement of educated workers by business.
B.The trend toward a shorter workday.
C.Raising of the legal age for going to work.
D.People’s concern for the future of the next generation.
问题3选项
A.the unemployed are too poor to continue their education
B.a new leisure class has developed
C.they are still suffering from the depression
D.an increase in taxes could be a problem
问题4选项
A.should allocate Federal funds for public education
B.should demand that local communities provide support
C.should raise taxes to meet the needs of public education
D.should first of all solve the problem of unemployment
问题5选项
A.Only by appropriating an adequate Federal funds for education can the next generation have a bright future.
B.Citizens at all parts of the country agree that the best way to support education is to use Federal funds.
C.People all over the country should make contributions to education in the interest of the next generation.
D.Educated people are determined to use part of the Federal funds to help the poor.
第1题:B
第2题:C
第3题:D
第4题:A
第5题:A
第1题:
主旨大意题。本文主要讲的是法定就业年龄的提高以及就业难度大等问题导致更多的人转而接受教育。但是由于经济大萧条的原因，公共机构以及社区无法为教育提供资金。作者认为只有依靠联邦救济才能解决问题。选项A“如何说服当地社区提供更多的资金”显然不符合原文；选项C“如何完善公共教育体系”不正确，本文主要涉及的是资金问题而不是教育体系的问题；选项D“如何解决日益严重的失业问题”不是本文的重点，本文的重点是解决教育资金短缺的问题，所以选项D不正确，选项B“如何解决公共教育经费短缺的问题”正确。
第2题:
细节事实题。根据第一段的二三句“The principal difficulty faced by the schools has been the tremendous increase in the number of pupils. This has been caused by the advance of the legal age for going into industry and the impossibility of finding a job even when the legal age has been reached.”学校面临的主要困难是学生人数的大量增加。这是由于进入工业的法定年龄提高了，即使到了法定年龄也不可能找到工作。选项C符合原文。
第3题:
细节事实题。根据关键词“public agencies for adult education”定位到第二段的内容“They will be little better off when it is over. Their support must come from the taxpayer.”当一切结束时，他们（成人教育公共机构）的境况也不会好多少。他们的支持必须来自纳税人。由此可知，他们的主要问题在于税收，而涉及税收的只有选项D。
第4题:
判断推理题。根据最后一段中的“The answer to the problem of unemployment has been Federal relief. The answer to the problem of public education may have to be much the same, and properly so.”解决失业问题的办法是联邦救济。公共教育问题的答案可能必须也是一样的，而且确实如此。由此可推断，联邦政府应该为公共教育筹集联邦资金。选项A正确。
第5题:
判断推理题。这句话的意思是“只有一个决心毁灭下一代的民族才会拒绝接受公共教育可能需要的联邦资金”，也就是说只有拨出足够的联邦资金来扶持教育，我们的下一代才能有光明的前途。选项A正确；选项B中的“Citizens at all parts of the country”表述错误，这个观点只是作者提出的，原文也没有提及全体公民都同意这一观点；选项C“为了下一代的利益，全国人民应该为教育做出贡献”不符合原文，作者的观点是联邦资金扶持教育而不是全国人民作出贡献；选项D“受过教育的人决心用联邦基金的一部分来帮助穷人”在文中没有信息涉及，所以不正确。
