Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.

　　答案：

　　36. slight

　　37. official

　　38. shrinking

　　39. plunge

　　40. decline

　　41. primary

　　42. heads

　　43. Poverty

　　44. Hampered by higher taxes and weak demand for its exports, Mexico's economy is seen only partially recovering this year.

　　45. Mexico has historically had high drop-out rates as poor families pull kids out of school to help put food on the table，

　　46. The nation's drop-out problem is just the latest bad news for the long-term competitiveness of the Mexican economy.

　　【解析】本篇文章談論的是墨西哥失學率問題。文章先開篇闡述了墨西哥失學情況的現狀，然后談到這一現狀的原因和所造成的嚴重后果。文中國家有關的Mexico、Mexican、Chile等部分考生可能不熟悉，而造成聽力困擾，但這些實際并非考點，切記死盯部分詞匯不放，而影響全篇理解。

　　最后，文中生詞不多，實際內容對于喜歡閱讀報刊雜志、關心時事熱點的考生而言，能夠根據日常經驗有所預判。這就提醒考生，聽力同樣也需要平時多多進行報刊閱讀。