Many young people in the United States never finish high school. Exactly how many drop out is another issue. Recent studies of  __1__ rate have had conflicting results.

For one thing, schools define and measure their dropout rates __2__. Some researchers say about 15 to 20 percent of public school students do not  __3__ their education on time. __4__  many other experts and policymakers believe that for the past 20 years, the dropout rate has been around 30 percent. For Latino and black students, the  __5__  are even larger. Researchers say almost half of them  __6__  school. At the same time, almost half of the states let students leave school  __7__  the age of 18 without informing their parents.

Finding a good job  __8__  a high school education is becoming more and more difficult. A Northeastern University  __9__  in 2002 found that almost half of all dropouts aged 16 to 24 did not have a job. The  __10__  of a high school education can also  __11__ other problems. It is estimated that two－thirds of prisoners in the United States dropped out of high school.

Recent studies have  __12__  that the majority of students who drop out do it because they are failing. Many are  __13__ with their classes or feel disconnected from their school and teachers. Some students feel that educators place low  __14__  on them.

During the past 20 years, there have been efforts to  __15__  graduation rate through education reforms. Some communities are working on dropout  __16__ programs. These include some alternative high schools to meet special  __17__.

Experts think “early warning systems” can help __18__ young schoolchildren at the risk of dropping out of high school. They say schools also need to get  __19__ more involved, especially if their children are  __20__  school often.

1. A. research    B. finishing    C. dropout  D. completing

2. A. personally  B. individually  C. differently  D. similarly

3. A. complete   B. reach       C. practise  D. operate

4. A. And       B. Besides      C. Instead  D. But

5. A. people     B. students  C. dropouts  D. numbers

6. A. approach  B. leave  C. stay  D. enter

7. A. after     B. until  C. before  D. when

8. A. without        B. together with

C. out of         D. off

9. A. project  B. design  C. sketch  D. study

10. A. importance     B. lack

C. need          D. requirement

11. A. lead to  B. result  C. conclude  D. include

12. A. noticed  B. watched  C. shown  D. inspected

13. A. bored  B. interested  C. indifferent  D. unconcerned 

14. A. outlook  B. prediction  C. remark  D. expectations

15. A. decrease  B. reduce  C. increase  D. unite

16. A. prevention      B. conservation

C. permission      D. admittance

17. A. needs  B. ways  C. advantages  D. means

18. A. receive  B. accept  C. get  D. identify

19. A. mates  B. teachers  C. parents  D. neighbours

20. A. missing  B. staying  C. leaving  D. studying

High school dropouts（辍学者）earn an average of $ 9,000 less per year than graduates. Now a new study dispels a common belief why they quit. It’s much more basic than flunking out（不及格）.

Society tends to think of high school dropouts as kids who just can’t cut it. They are lazy，and perhaps not two bright．So researchers were surprised when they asked more than 450 kids who quit school about why they left.

“The vast majority actually had passing grades and they were confident that they could have graduated from high school.” John Bridgeland, the executive researcher said. About 1 million teens leave school each year. Only about half of African-American and Hispanic（美籍西班牙的）students will receive a diploma（证书），and actually all dropouts come to regret their decision. So, if failing grades don’t explain why these kids quit, what does? Again，John Bridgeland："The most dependable finding was that they were bored.” “They found classes uninteresting; they weren’t inspired or motivated. They didn’t see any direct connection between what they were learning in the classroom to their own lives, or to their career aspirations.”

The study found that most teens who do drop out wait until they turn sixteen, which happens to be the age at which most states allow students to quit. In the US，only one state，New Mexico，has a law requiring teenagers to stay in high school until they graduate. Only four states: California, Tennessee, Texas and Utah, plus the District of Columbia, require school attendance until age 18, no exceptions, another researcher，says raising the compulsory attendance age may be one way to keep more kids in school．

“As these dropouts look back，they realize they’ve made a mistake. And anything that sort of gives these people an extra push to stick it out and it through to the end, is probably helpful measure.”

New Hampshire may be the next state to raise its school attendance age to 18. But critics say that forcing the students unwilling to continue their studies to stay in school misses the point－the need for reform. It's been called for to reinvent high school education to make it more challenging and relevant, and to ensure that kids who do stick it out receive a diploma that actually means something. 　

68. Most high school students drop out of school because          .

A. they have failing grades     

B. they take no interest in classes

C. they are discriminated against    

D. they are lazy and not intelligent

69. The underlined words “stick it out” probably means“         ”．

A. complete schooling                 B. solve the problem

C. love having classes                         D. believe in themselves

70. In the last paragraph, the writer is trying to          .

A. analyze the reason why students quit school

B. suggest raising the compulsory attendance age

C. raise awareness of reforming high school education

D. wish to make laws to guarantee no education

71. From the passage，we can infer the following EXCEPT that          ．

A. the grades of most dropouts at school were acceptable

B. about 500, 000 high school dropouts are black and Spanish

C. classes don't appeal to dropouts

D. on average dropouts cannot get good jobs

    One summer day my father sent me to buy wire for our farm. At 16, I liked 36 better than driving our truck, 37 this time I was not happy. My father had told me I’d have to ask for credit(赊账) at the store.

    Sixteen is a 38 age, when a young man wants respect, not charity. It was 1976, and the ugly 39 of racial discrimination was 40 a fact of life. I’d seen my friends ask for credit and then stand, head down, while the store owner 41 whether they were “good for it.” I knew black youths just like me who were 42 like thieves by the store clerk each time they went into a grocery.

    My family was 43 . We paid our debts. But before harvest, cash was short. Would the store owner 44 us ?

    At Davis’s store, Buck Davis stood behind the cash desk, talking to a farmer. I nodded 45 I passed him on my way to the hardware shelves. When I brought my 46 to the cash desk, I said 47 , “I need to put this on credit.”

    The farmer gave me an amused, distrustful 48 . But Buck’s face didn’t change.   “Sure,” he said 49 . “Your daddy is 50 good for it.” He  51 to the other man. “This here is one of James Williams’s sons.”

    The farmer nodded in a neighborly 52 . I was filled with pride. James William’s son.  Those three words had opened a door to an adult’s respect and trust.

    That day I discovered that the good name my parents had  53  brought our whole family the respect of our neighbors. Everyone knew what to 54 from a Williams: a decent person who kept his word and respected himself 55 much to do wrong.

36. A. something                 B. nothing           C. anything                  D. everything

37. A. and                    B. so                    C. but                   D. for

38. A. prideful             B. wonderful                C. respectful                D. colorful

39. A. intention            B. shadow            C. habit                D. faith

40. A. thus                   B. just                  C. still                  D. ever

41. A. guessed              B. suspected         C. questioned        D. figured

42. A. watched            B. caught              C. dismissed          D. accused

43. A. generous           B. honest              C. friendly           D. modest

44. A. blame                B. excuse              C. charge             D. trust

45. A. until                  B. as                    C. once                 D. since

46. A. purchases          B. sales                 C. orders             D. favorites

47. A. casually             B. confidently       C. cheerfully         D. carefully

48. A. look                         B. stare                 C. response          D. comment

49. A. patiently            B. eagerly             C. easily               D. proudly

50. A generally             B. never               C. sometimes        D. always

51. A. pointed              B. replied             C. turned              D introduced

52. A. sense                        B. way                        C. degree              D. mood

53. A. earned               B. deserved          C. given               D. used

54. A. receive               B. expect              C. collect              D. require

55. A. very                         B. so                   C. how                 D. Too

Prison Break is a huge hit thanks to its handsome star, Wentworth Miller. His character, Michael Scofield, is the engine that drives the show.

Having committed a crime to get into prison and break out with his innocent brother, Michael Scofield is one of the most interesting personalities on TV today. But what about the man behind the character?

Miller, 35, is a hard guy to figure out. He does not come from a normal background and has never lived his life in a typical way.

Miller didn’t take direct path to fame and fortune. He graduated from Princeton University in 1995, not with a degree in theatre of film, but in English. He didn’t even act when he was in college. His only performance experience was in his university’s singing group. Yet, at graduation Miller still decided to make the move to Hollywood.

Miller has always been different. Although he is American, he was in Britain when his father was studying there. His family background is also a special mix of cultures. “My father is black and my mother is white. That means I have always been caught in the middle. I could be either one, which can make you feel out of place,” Miller says.

Following his unusual path, Miller did not start trying out for films and TV shows when he first went to Hollywood. Instead, he worked as a lowly production assistant. Not what you would expect from a Princeton graduate. However, it all paid off for Miller in the end. 

In 2002, Miller played a role in the drama Dinotopia（《恐龙帝国》）. He started as a thoughtful and shy man. Producers remembered his performance when they were casting Prison Break two years later. With a golden globe nomination（提名）and another season of Prison Break on his resume, Miller seems ready to take over all of Hollywood. 

1.What does the passage mainly talk about?

         A．Michael Scofield in Prison Break.

         B．Hollywood’s recent big hit—Prison Break.

         C．Miller’s unusual path to fame and fortune.

         D．The man who will take over all of the world.

2.The writer thinks “Miller is a hard guy to figure out” because ______ .

         A．it’s difficult to tell him from others

         B．he is a shy man and hard to cooperate with

         C．he always has ideas hard for people to understand

         D．his family background and life experience are very special

3.Which is the closest in meaning to the underlined sentence “it all paid off for Miller in the end”?

         A．Miller put a lot of extra work for his final success.

         B．Miller gained fame and fortune at last with his first film.

         C．Miller finally succeeded even if he has been in low position.

         D．Miller managed to pay off his debts with his small income in the end.

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE about Miller?

A．He is chosen to play the Michael Scofield due to his interesting personality.

         B．His performance in Dinotopia makes some contributions to his success.

         C．He has the same experience with the character Michael Scofield.

         D．He is angry about his being born into a mixed-cultural family.