美国学校学生越来越少 教育系统或面临危机

Across the United States, COVID pandemic aid money is helping to fund a growing number of big-city schools with shrinking(减少) numbers of students.

The summer program at Chalmers School of Excellence in Chicago, offers one-on-one teaching that parents love. But school head teacher Romian Crockett worries the school is becoming too small. Chalmers lost almost one-third of its enrollment during the pandemic. Today, only 215 students attend Chalmers.

The number of small schools like Chalmers is growing in many American cities. The pandemic quickened enrollment declines in many districts. Many families started homeschooling or sought enrollment at private schools. Some students moved away or stopped attending school for unknown reasons. More than one in five New York City primary schools had fewer than 300 students last school year. In Los Angeles, California, over one in four have fewer than 300 students. Many of these schools were not designed to be small. Educators worry there will be smaller budgets in the coming years, even as schools continue to recover from the pandemic.

A state law prevents Chicago from closing or combining its schools until 2025. Across the U.S., COVID-19 relief money is helping fund shrinking schools. It is unclear what will happen to those schools when the funding runs out. In many districts like Chicago, small schools sometimes struggle to pay for costs like the head teacher or building upkeep. To deal with that, many school systems send extra money to small schools, taking money from larger schools. In other cities, leaders have continued to invest in small schools. In Los Angeles and New York City, officials say they are centering their efforts on bringing students back into school, not closing them. But the relief money will run out in two years. Districts must use the money by September 2024. When the money is no longer there, it may be difficult for districts to keep small schools open.

“It’s a huge problem,” said Bruce Fuller, an education researcher. “It’s going to be increasingly difficult for people to justify keeping these places open as the number of these schools continues to rise.”

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1.Chalmers School of Excellence offering one-on-one teaching probably indicates that________.

A they have received a lot of aid money

B they want to attract more students

C they have very special teaching service

D there are too few students in the school

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。 根据第一段的“shrinking(减少) numbers of students”以及第二段的“But school head teacher Romian Crockett worries the school is becoming too small. Chalmers lost almost one-third of its enrollment”可知，学校的学生人数在减少，由此可知提供一对一教学是因为学生人数太少了。故选D。

2.Which is NOT the factor that makes many schools smaller?

A Many children study at home.

B School systems cut the budgets.

C Some students turn to private schools.

D The COVID pandemic broke out.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据第三段的第二三四句可知，新冠疫情爆发、很多学生在家接受教育或者转到私立学校，搬家或者无故辍学，这些都造成了学校学生人数的急剧下降。而削减预算是因为学校学生人数变少学校规模变小而导致的。故选B。

3.What is mainly described in the fourth paragraph?

A The problems that New York City’s small schools face now.

B US’s efforts to help the shrinking schools.

C The ways of bringing students back into small schools.

D Things happening to American schools when relief money runs out.

解析：选B。B段落大意题。根据本段中的“COVID-19 relief money is helping fund shrinking schools”“many school systems send extra money to small schools”“leaders have continued to invest in small schools”以及“they are centering their efforts on bringing students back into school, not closing them”等可知，本段主要描述美国一些地区为帮助这些规模变小的学校所作出的努力。故选B。

4.What’s the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A To attract more workers to small schools.

B To call on students to attend small schools.

C To state the problems small schools face.

D To provide solutions for the small schools.

解析：选C。C推理判断题。本文主要描述了美国一些学校由于学生人减少，学校规模变得越来越小这一问题。故选C。