Low levels of literacy and numeracy
have a damaging impact on almost every aspect of adults, according to a survey
published yesterday, which offers{{U}} (1) {{/U}}of a developing
underclass. Tests and{{U}} (2) {{/U}}with hundreds of people born in a
week in 1958 graphically illustrated file{{U}} (3) {{/U}}of educational
underachievement. The effects can be seen in unemployment, family{{U}} (4)
{{/U}}, low incomes, depression and social inactivity. Those
who left school at 16 with poor basic skills had been employed for UP to four
years less than good readers{{U}} (5) {{/U}}they reached 37. Professor
John Bynner, of City University, who carried the research, said that today's{{U}}
(6) {{/U}}teenagers would even encounter greater problems because the
supply of{{U}} (7) {{/U}}jobs had shrunk. Almost one
fifth of the 1,700 people interviewed for yesterday's report had poor literacy
and almost half{{U}} (8) {{/U}}with innumeracy, a proportion{{U}}
(9) {{/U}}other surveys for the Basic Skills Agency. Some could not
read a child's book, and most found difficult{{U}} (10) {{/U}}written
instruction. Poor readers were twice as likely to be a low wage
and four times likely to live in a household where partners worked. Women in
this{{U}} (11) {{/U}}were five times as likely to be{{U}} (12)
{{/U}}depressed,{{U}} (13) {{/U}}both tended to feel they had no
control over their lives, and to trust others{{U}} (14)
{{/U}}. Those who had low literacy and numeracy were
seldom{{U}} (15) {{/U}}in any community organization and less likely
than others to{{U}} (16) {{/U}}in a general election. There had been
no{{U}} (17) {{/U}}in the literary level of{{U}} (18)
{{/U}}. Alan Wells, the agency's director, said: "The
results emphasize the dangers of developing an underclass people, who were out
of work,{{U}} (19) {{/U}}depressed and often labeled themselves as{{U}}
(20) {{/U}}. There is a circle of marginalization, with the dice
against these people and their families."
【答案解析】考查名词辨析与介词的搭配。首先注意所填词与with搭配，排除[A], investigation“调查，研究”虽与test语义并列，但多与of而不是with搭配；interview“采访，会见，面试”，interview with sb. “对某人进行采访”，符合语境；communication“交流，沟通”、conference“协商，会议”，这两个词虽然可与with搭配，但与进行调查(survey)与测试(test)时方式不符。
【答案解析】考查连接词辨析。四个短语都可以引导时间状语从句，the instant, the moment和the point均引导瞬间的时间，而文中是指“到三十七岁的时候”，所以应该用the time来引导，相当于when。
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】考核上下文语义衔接。文章主题是读写能力与算术能力偏低造成的不良影响，因此此处所指的 teenagers应该是low levels of literacy and numeracy，综合而言，即是“教育程度低的”，所以选[D] unqualified。illiterate“不识字的，未受过教育的”，没有包括算术能力低的，片面，所以排除；suffering“受苦的，生病的”与poor“贫穷的”均与语境不符。
【答案解析】考查形近词辨析。本题比较简单，四个形近词意思与搭配掌握即可作答。revlolve“围绕，旋转”，多与round搭配使用；dissolve“溶解，解散，解除”，及物动词，disolve sth. in sth. “将某物溶解于其他物主中”；resolve作“决心，决定”讲时与on搭配，作“解决”讲时为及物动词；involve常与in搭配，表示“牵涉，涉及，包括”。