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完形填空（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）
Many young people in the United States never finish high school. Exactly how many drop out is another issue. Recent studies of  36  rate have had conflicting results.
For one thing, schools define and measure their dropout rates  37 . Some researchers say about 15 to 20 percent of public school students do not  38  their education on time.  39   many other experts and policymakers believe that for the past 20 years, the dropout rate has been around 30 percent. For Latino and black students, the  40  are even larger. Researchers say almost half of them  41  school. At the same time, almost half of the states let students leave school  42  the age of 18 without informing their parents.
Finding a good job  43  a high school education is becoming more and more difficult. A Northeastern University  44  in 2002 found that almost half of all dropouts aged 16 to 24 did not have a job. The  45  of a high school education can also  46  other problems. It is estimated that two-thirds of prisoners in the United States dropped out of high school.
Recent studies have  47  that the majority of students who drop out do it because they are failing. Many are  48  with their classes or feel disconnected from their school and teachers. Some students feel that educators place low  49  on them.
During the past 20 years, there have been efforts to  50  graduation rate through education reforms. Some communities are working on dropout  51  programs. These include some alternative (其它的) high schools to meet special  52 .
Experts think “early warning systems” can help  53  young schoolchildren at the risk of dropping out of high school. They say schools also need to get  54  more involved, especially if their children are  55  school often.
36. A. research            B. finishing           C. dropout          D. completing
37. A. personally          B. individually         C. differently       D. similarly
38. A. complete                B. reach              C. practise          D. operate
39. A. And               B. Besides             C. Instead          D. But
40. A. people            B. students          C. dropouts          D. numbers
41. A. approach          B. leave             C. stay              D. enter
42. A. after              B. until              C. before           D. when
43. A. without           B. together with       C. out of           D. off
44. A. project            B. design            C. sketch           D. study
45. A. importance          B. lack            C. need             D. requirement
46. A. lead to             B. result            C. conclude         D. include
47. A. noticed            B. watched          C. shown           D. inspected
48. A. bored             B. interested         C. indifferent        D. unconcerned
49. A. outlook           B. prediction        C. remark           D. expectations
50. A. decrease          B. reduce           C. increase          D. unite
51. A. prevention        B. conservation      C. permission        D. admittance
52. A. needs            B. ways              C. advantages       D. means
53. A. receive            B. accept            C. get             D. identify
54. A. mates            B. teachers           C. parents          D. neighbors
55. A. missing           B. staying            C. leaving         D. studying