单选题
One of our expectations about education is that it will pay off in terms of upward mobility. Historically, the correlation between education and income has been strong. But in the early 1970s, a contradiction 26 between education and the economy. Our value of education and our average educational attainment outstripped the capacity of the economy to 27 the graduates. Experts have argued that this contradiction is at the heart of the problem of public education today. It is not, as business leaders claim, that the schools are failing to 28 educate students. The real problem is a dearth (缺乏) of economic 29 for students who are not continuing on to college. College graduates also are having difficulty finding jobs. Even when they do, the jobs may not be commensurate (相称的) with their 30 and expectations. Part of the problem is that too many young Americans aspire to have professional jobs, making disappointment and frustration 31 for some. Another part of the problem is the assumption that greater educational attainment guarantees career 32 . In fact, employers do not routinely reward educational attainment; 33 , they reward it only when they believe it will contribute to the employee's productivity. We should not overlook the fact that there is still a strong correlation between education, occupation, and income. College graduates have a strong advantage over those with less education. Despite the fact that the payoff is neither as large nor as 34 as it once was, we could still argue that all or at least the majority of Americans would 35 by some degree because higher education can enable them to think more deeply, explore more widely, and enjoy a greater range of experiences. A. absorb B. advancement C. benefit D. certain E. created F. developed G. failure H. gain I. inevitable J. opportunities K. properly L. rather M. thus N. timely O. training