The high school diploma (文凭) is losing its value quickly, as a growing number of students graduate (毕业) from school without the math and reading skills that colleges and companies require, according to a new report.
The high school graduation exams that most states (州) require students to pass before they graduate remain far too easy. Most of the exams generally test eighth-or ninth-grade level work.
Today, even high school graduates who are going to have blue-collar (蓝领) jobs need to study the math, research and writing courses. But in high school, only students who are going to college are now required to take these courses.
“If you want a good job with a good pay, it’s a high-skill job,” said Michael Cohen, a leading member of the America Diploma Project.
The project suggests that all graduates master a wide range (范围) of skills. “A high school diploma should mean something to a company and university,” said Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, who is Achieve’s co-chairman.
In Taft’s state, about 30% students who go directly to college from high school have to take
remedial classes of English or math, he said. It’s easy to see that the present high-school graduating standards are not preparing students for college education.
And with high-skilled jobs increasingly headed overseas to places like India and Ireland, states need to act, he said.
To prove why math and reading skills matter, the report includes real-life examples of problems students meet in college and that workers must solve each day on the job. ?
Some states are taking actions to upgrade the high school diploma. In Texas, all high school students, starting with the 2008 graduating class, will have to take the college-prep curriculum (大学预备课程) - unless a parent agrees to an easier course load. Other states are planning similar moves.
The report includes examples of reading and math skills that high-school students should have. Project leaders say they hope parents will use those examples to judge (评定) the coursework at their kids’ high schools.
小题1:Why is the high school diploma losing its value quickly?
| A．Because the number of high school students is growing fast. |
| B．Because high school students fail to reach the standards. |
| C．Because the graduation tests are easier than it should be. |
| D．Because difficult courses are not required in high schools. |
小题2:
Remedial classes in Paragraph 6 mean classes____.
| A．for good learners to study quickly and better |
| B．for slower learners weak in the subject |
| C．for learners to be taught one by one |
| D．for learners to reach a higher standard |
小题3:What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Colleges require higher math and reading skills than companies. |
| B．It is easier for companies to find high-skilled workers in India. |
| C．Math and reading skills help little for workers to solve daily problems. |
| D．Parents ask high schools to offer college-prep curriculum in Texas. |
小题4:What can be the best title for the passage?
| A．High School Diploma Means Little |
| B．Give Students More High-skill Jobs |
| C．Math and Reading Skills Really Matter |
| D．Judge Coursework at High Schools |
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