VOA慢速：住房对孩子上学的重要性
Housing Important for Keeping Children in School
刘立军 供稿
TRANSCRIPT
Last year, 40 percent of students in Los Angeles public schools missed more than 10 percent of the school year.
That information comes from the Los Angeles Unified School District, which says about 429,000 students are enrolled in its schools.
In addition to the attendance numbers, the district’s website says its officials did not know where 2,500 students were. These students stopped attending class and did not appear to enroll anywhere else.
Elmer Roldan is executive director of Communities in Schools of Los Angeles, a nonprofit group that aims to keep children in school. He said, “Housing is the biggest reason kids aren’t going to school or we can’t find them.”
The Associated Press (AP) recently reported on a case of one of those children whose housing situation led to problems at school.
Fifteen-year-old Deneffy Sánchez has faced housing problems with his family for years. An AP reporter spoke with the teenager and his family.
Deneffy lives with his mother Lilian Lopez and a 3-year-old sister. Lopez had been having a hard time keeping up with monthly rent payments in an earlier apartment. So the family of three shared a small living space with Fabiola Del Castillo, someone they did not know.
As they fell behind on rent payments again, Del Castillo wanted to give up the apartment and pressured the family to leave. To fight the threat of losing their home, Deneffy stayed in the apartment ― and missed school.
Federal data shows that the majority of students the government considers “homeless” have a place to stay. But the situation is often complex with shared roommates and an unsure future. In Los Angeles, the city’s superintendent said last spring that 13,000 students were homeless and 2,000 of them stayed in city shelters.
In Deneffy’s case, his family was struggling to stay in their small apartment. His father has not been with them. His mother immigrated from Guatemala 22 years ago. In 2020, after his mother gave birth to Jennifer, his sister, the family was homeless.
That year, schools across the country closed because of the spread of COVID-19. Deneffy tried to attend seventh-grade classes online through Zoom but said he could not pay attention. “I felt like they were judging me,” he said.
By ninth grade, classes became more difficult, and his family did not have internet service at home. Deneffy’s grades crashed. His school offered help with homework. But AP reported the boy said that he really wanted a therapist.
Deneffy spoke to the school’s “psychiatric social worker” to see if she could help him get mental health counseling. But demand for such help increased sharply during the pandemic.
In 2021, an opinion study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 42 percent of high school students said they felt sad or hopeless a lot compared to 28 percent ten years before.
After leaving the apartment shared with Castillo, Deneffy’s family had another bad experience sharing a place. Then they found a place where they could live without roommates through an old friend. The apartment is small and costs $1250 to rent each month. That is more than Deneffy’s mother makes from government assistance and cleaning jobs.
The 15-year-old now has a laptop computer provided by the school and a wireless connection to help with schoolwork. He has the most trouble with writing. “I never know where to put the commas and other punctuation,” he said.
He also sees a therapist at school once a week. But he is worried that his family’s new living situation might change. His mother needs to find a full-time job to meet the rent payments.
Speaking of his mother, Deneffy says she tells him not to worry. “But I do,” he said. “What if we don’t have money, and we get kicked out again?”
I’m Mario Ritter, Jr.
VOCABULARY
1. unify v. to bring together or combine into one; to make unified or cohesive. 统一，使统一
2. superintendent n. a person who oversees or manages an organization, especially in an educational setting. 负责人，主管
3. Zoom n. 一款在线会议软件
4. psychiatric adj. relating to the study and treatment of mental illness or disorders. 精神病学的，心理治疗的
QUESTIONS
Listen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.
1. According to the Los Angeles Unified School District, what percent of students missed more than 10% of the school year last year?
A. 20%.
B. 30%.
C. 40%.
D. 50%.
2. How many students were reported lost by the district’s officials?
A. 1,500.
B. 2,000.
C. 2,500.
D. 3,000.
3. What is stated as the biggest reason kids aren’t going to school or can’t be found according to Elmer Roldan?
A. Lack of internet connection.
B. Mental health problems.
C. The COVID-19 pandemic.
D. Housing issues.
4. What was Deneffy’s family’s living situation after leaving the apartment shared with Castillo?
A. They were homeless.
B. They found a place without roommates through an old friend.
C. They stayed in city shelters.
D. They moved to another shared apartment.
5. Based on the information in the text, what could be a potential problem for Deneffy’s family in the future?
A. They might struggle to meet rent payments due to financial problems.
B. They may have issues with their internet service.
C. Deneffy may get expelled from school due to his poor performance.
D. The family might face another housing shortage due to COVID-19.
KEY
1. According to the Los Angeles Unified School District, what percent of students missed more than 10% of the school year last year?
A. 20%.
B. 30%.
C. 40%.
D. 50%.
【答案】C
【解析】细节题。题目的命题出处在文本的第一句：Last year, 40 percent of students in Los Angeles public schools missed more than 10 percent of the school year. 根据这句话，我们可以确定C选项”40%”是正确答案。
2. How many students were reported lost by the district’s officials?
A. 1,500.
B. 2,000.
C. 2,500.
D. 3,000.
【答案】C
【解析】细节题。题目的命题出处在文中的一段话：In addition to the attendance numbers, the district’s website says its officials did not know where 2,500 students were. 这句话告诉我们C选项2500是正确答案。
3. What is stated as the biggest reason kids aren’t going to school or can’t be found according to Elmer Roldan?
A. Lack of internet connection.
B. Mental health problems.
C. The COVID-19 pandemic.
D. Housing issues.
【答案】D
【解析】细节题。题目的命题出处在文中的一段话：Elmer Roldan is executive director of Communities in Schools of Los Angeles, a nonprofit group that aims to keep children in school. He said, ‘Housing is the biggest reason kids aren’t going to school or we can’t find them.’ 根据这句话，我们可以确定D选项“住房问题”是正确答案。
4. What was Deneffy’s family’s living situation after leaving the apartment shared with Castillo?
A. They were homeless.
B. They found a place without roommates through an old friend.
C. They stayed in city shelters.
D. They moved to another shared apartment.
【答案】B
【解析】细节题。题目的命题出处在文中的一段话：After leaving the apartment shared with Castillo, Deneffy’s family had another bad experience sharing a place. Then they found a place where they could live without roommates through an old friend. 这句话说明了他们在离开与Castillo共享的公寓后，通过老朋友找到了一个可以不需要合租的地方，所以B选项是正确答案。
5. Based on the information in the text, what could be a potential problem for Deneffy’s family in the future?
A. They might struggle to meet rent payments due to financial problems.
B. They may have issues with their internet service.
C. Deneffy may get expelled from school due to his poor performance.
D. The family might face another housing shortage due to COVID-19.
【答案】A
【解析】推理题。题目的命题出处在文中的一段话：The apartment is small and costs $1250 to rent each month. That is more than Deneffy’s mother makes from government assistance and cleaning jobs. 和 “His mother needs to find a full-time job to meet the rent payments.” 这两句话都提到了Deneffy’s family可能会在满足房租付款方面遇到困难，所以A选项“他们可能因财务问题而努力满足租金付款”是正确答案。
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