60. The author wants to tell us ___________.

A. too many Americans do not finish high school

B. different methods to find graduation rates

C. services American children need to receive

D. the increase of the number of Americans who finish their high school

61. From Paragraph 1 we can infer that __________.

A. there are 8,360,000 people in the US’ fifty largest cities

B. Wichita in Kansas is the smallest city in the US

C. 50% of the people in the US don’t finish their high school education

D. high school graduation rates in or near the biggest cities are higher

62. The underlined word “picture” probably can be replaced by “_______”.

A. situation        B. scene         C. image         D. mood

63. From the last paragraph, we can draw a conclusion that _______-.

A. secretary of Education Margaret Spellings didn’t believe that number from the report

B. the government will stop using the cumulative promotion index to find graduation rates

C. secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced the start of a nationwide campaign to improve graduation rates

D. the low graduation rates should be paid attention to by the government and the society

C

Women are on their way to holding more than half of all American jobs. The latest government report shows that their share of nonfarm jobs nearly reached fifty percent in September.

Not only have more and more women entered the labor market over the years, but the depression has been harder on men. In October the unemployment rate for men was almost eleven percent compared to eight percent for women.

Industries that traditionally use lots of men have suffered deep cuts. For example, manufacturing and building lost more jobs last month. But health care and temporary employment services have had job growth. Both of those industries employ high percentages of women.

Thirty years ago, women earned sixty-two cents for every dollar that men earned. Now, for those who usually work full time, women earn about eighty percent of what men earn. And women hold fifty-one percent of good-paying management and professional jobs.

Yet a study released Thursday said men still hold about nine out of every ten top positions at the four hundred large companies in California. The results have remained largely unchanged in live years of studies from the University of California, Davis.

Also, a new research paper in the journal Sex Roles looks at the experiences of women who are the main earners in their family. Rebecca Meisenbach at the University of Missouri in Columbia interviewed fifteen women. She found they all valued their independence and many enjoyed having the power of control, though not all wanted it.

But they also felt pressure, worry and guilt. Partly that was because of cultural expectations that working women will still take care of the children. Also, men who are not the main earners may feel threatened.

The job market continues to suffer the effects of last year’s financial crash. Now, a judgment has been reached in the first case involving charges of criminal wrongdoing on Wall Street.

Last week, the government lost its case against two managers at Bear Stearns, the first investment bank to fail last year. A jury found Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin not guilty of lying to investors.

The hedge funds they supervised lost their value in two thousand seven. But jurors said there was no clear evidence that they meant to mislead investors.

The Justice Department continues to investigate other companies.

64. Why is the unemployment rate for men higher.

A. Because there are more men workers in industries.

B. Because many industries mainly employing men now don’t need so many workers.

C. More and more women take the place of men.

D. Because health care and temporary employment services don’t employ men.

65. It can be inferred from the passage that __________.

A. women haven’t got complete equality as men

B. only by becoming the main earners in their family can women gain a high position

C. all women now value independence and the power of control

D. taking care of children is now shared by men and women

66. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. Men hate that women earn more money.

B. It is commonly believed that women should take care of children.

C. The job market has recovered from the effect of the financial crisis.

D. Now women working full time earn more than men.

67. Why does the government accuse two managers?

A. They contributed to the financial crash.     B. They led a corrupt life.

C. They lied to investors.                   D. A jury found them misleading investors.