单选题 For decades, Americans have taken for granted the United States' position in the development of new technologies. The innovations(创新) that resulted from research and development during World War Ⅱ and afterwards were 26 to the prosperity of the nation in the second half of the 20th century. Those innovations, upon which virtually all aspects of 27 society now depend, were possible because the United States 28 then the world in mathematics and science education. Today, however, despite increasing demand for workers with strong skills in mathematics and science, the 29 of degrees awarded in science, math, and engineering are decreasing.
The decline in degree production in what are called the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and math) seems to be 30 related to the comparatively weak performance by U. S. schoolchildren on international assessments of math and science. Many students entering college have weak skills in mathematics. According to the 2005 report of the Business-Higher Education Forum, 22 percent of college freshmen must take remedial(补习的) math 31 , and less than half of the students who plan to major in science or engineering 32 complete a major in those fields.
The result has been a decrease in the number of American college graduates who have the skills, 33 in mathematics, to power a workforce that can keep the country at the forefront (前沿) of innovation and maintain its standard of living. With the 34 performance of American students in math and science has come increased competition from students from other countries that have strongly supported education in these areas. Many more students earn 35 in me STEM disciplines in developing countries, especially China, than in the United States.
A. accelerating
B. actually
C. closely
D. contemporary
E. courses
F. critical
G. declining
H. degrees
I. especially
J. future
K. led
L. met
M. procedures
N. proportions
O. spheres

问答题

【正确答案】F

【答案解析】此处应填形容词或者动词ing形式。根据全文第一句话以及全篇的内容可以看出，innovation“创新”是受到提倡的，所以从意思上和词性上选择，只剩“accelerating”和“critical”两个词，“be critical to sth.”是固定搭配，即“对某事来说很关键”，而“accelerate to”是“加速到……”的意思，所以选择“critical”，即F。

问答题

【正确答案】D

【答案解析】此处应填形容词。根据意思，修饰society“社会”，有“contemporary”和“future”可选，但这句话限定了社会的范围，now depend“现在所依靠”，所以只能选择contemporary“现代的”，即D。

问答题

【正确答案】K

【答案解析】此处应填动词ed形式。所以有“led”和“met”两个词，因为这句话前半句说“现代社会各个方面都离不开这些创新，而这些创新是可行的原因是美国……了世界的数学和自然科学教育。”所以选择led“带领”，“美国此后在数学和自然科学教育上处于世界领先地位”，“met”意思上不符合，所以选择K。

问答题

【正确答案】N

【答案解析】此处应填名词复数形式。有“courses”“procedures”“proportions”和“spheres”可选，根据这句话的前半句，“但是，今天，尽管在数学和自然科学领域，具备高超技能的工作人员的需要不断增加”，那么后半句是说获得学位的比例在不断降低，根据意思，只能选择“proportions”(比例)，所以选择N。

问答题

【正确答案】C

【答案解析】此处应填副词。有“actually”“closely”和“especially”可选，根据意思，STEM科目学术成果的减少，似乎与美国学龄儿童相对较差的成绩有……的联系，“be closely relatedwith”是“与……有密切联系”的意思，其它两个词意思不符合，所以选择C。

问答题

【正确答案】E

【答案解析】此处应填名词。有“courses”和“degrees”可选，但这句话说“大学新生要补习数学……”，所以选择courses“课程”，即E。

问答题

【正确答案】B

【答案解析】此处应填副词。有“actually”“closely”和“especially”可选，根据意思，“……只有不到一半的人能毕业”，只能选择actually“实际上，真正地”，即B。

问答题

【正确答案】I

【答案解析】此处应填副词。有“actually”“closely”和“especially”可选，根据原文，“have the skills，in mathematics”，可知是指“特别是在数学领域上具备技能”，所以选择“especially”，即I。

问答题

【正确答案】G

【答案解析】此处应填形容词。“performance of American students in math and science...”即“美国学生的数学成绩和自然科学的成绩……”，根据前后意思，只能选择declining“下降的”，即G。

问答题

【正确答案】H

【答案解析】此处应填名词复数形式。“earn...the STEM disciplines”即“在STEM科目中获得……”，根据意思，选择degrees“学历，学位”，即H。