One of the most important social developments that helped to make possible a shift in thinking about the role of public education was the effect of the baby boom of the 1950s and 1960s on the schools. In the 1920s， but especially in the Depression conditions of the 1930s， the United States experienced a declining birth rate—every thousand women aged fifteen to forty-four gave birth to about 118 live children in 1920， 89.2 in 1930， 75.8 in 1936， and 80 in 1940. With the growing prosperity brought on by the Second World War and the economic boom that followed it， young people married and established households earlier and began to raise larger families than had their predecessors during the Depression. Birth rates rose to 102 per thousand in 1946， 106.2 in 1950， and 118 in 1955. Although economics was probably the most important determinant， it is not the only explanation for the baby boom. The increased value placed on the idea of the family also helps to explain this rise in birth rates.The baby boomers began streaming into the first grade by the mid-1940s and became a flood by 1950. The public school system suddenly found itself overtaxed. While the number of schoolchildren rose because of wartime and postwar conditions， these same conditions made the schools even less prepared to cope with the flood. The wartime economy meant that few new schools were built between 1940 and 1945. Moreover， during the war and in the boom times that followed， large numbers of teachers left their profession for better-paying jobs elsewhere in the economy.

　　Therefore， in the 1950s and 1960s， the baby boom hit an antiquated and inadequate school system. Consequently， the “custodial rhetoric” of the 1930s and early 1940s no longer made sense; that is， keeping youths aged sixteen and older out of the labor market by keeping them in school could no longer be a high priority for an institution unable to find space and staff to teach younger children aged five to sixteen. With the baby boom， the focus of educators and of laymen interested in education inevitably turned toward the lower grades and back to basic academic skills and discipline. The system no longer had much interest in offering nontraditional， new， and extra services to older youths.

　　1. What does the passage mainly discuss?

　　[A] The teaching profession during the baby boom.

　　[B] Birth rates in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s.

　　[C] The impact of the baby boom on public education.

　　[D] The role of the family in the 1950s and 1960s.

　　2. The public schools of the 1950s and 1960s faced all of the following problems EXCEPT____.

　　[A] a declining number of students

　　[B] old-fashioned facilities

　　[C] a shortage of teachers

　　[D] an inadequate number of school buildings

　　3. According to the passage，why did teachers leave the teaching profession after the outbreak of the war?

　　[A]They needed to be retrained.

　　[B]They were dissatisfied with the curriculum.

　　[C]Other jobs provided higher salaries.

　　[D]Teaching positions were scarce.

　　4. The“custodial rhetoric”mentioned in the last paragraph refers to____.

　　[A] raising a family

　　[B] keeping older individuals in school

　　[C] running an orderly household

　　[D] maintaining discipline in the classroom

　　5. Where in the passage does the author refer to the attitude of Americans toward raising a family in the 1950s and 1960s?

　　[A]Lines 1～3

　　[B]Lines 9～10

　　[C]Lines 20～21

　　[D]Lines 24～26

　　核心詞匯

　　prosperityn.繁榮 cope vi.應付，處理 consequently adv.從而，因此

　　priority n.優先權 staffn.全體職員laymann.外行 discipline n.學科，紀律

　　Profession n.職業 institution n.公共機構 academic n.學院的，理論的

　　促使人們在對公共教育之作用的思考上發生轉變的最重要的社會狀況之一就是，20世紀50年代和60年代生育高峰對學校的影響。在20世紀20年代，尤其是在30年代經濟大蕭條的情況下，美國經歷了一次出生率的降低——在1920年，每1，000名15～44歲的婦女生育了大約118個嬰兒，1930年為89.2個，1936年為75.8個，到了1940年為80個。隨著第二次世界大戰以及其后的經濟復蘇所引發的日益發展和繁榮的景象，年輕人提前結婚成家，開始比他們處于大蕭條時代的前輩們供養更大的家庭。出生率在1946年增長到102%，1950年為106.2%，1955年為118%盡管經濟因素很可能是最重要的決定因素，但它并非是對生育高峰的惟一解釋。人們家庭觀念的增強也有助于解釋這種出生率的升高。

　　在生育高峰中出生的一代到20世紀40年代中期開始涌入學校一年級，到1950年呈泛濫之勢。公共學校體系突然發現自己負荷過重。戰時和戰后狀況一方面使得入學兒童數量增多，但同樣的狀況卻使學校在應對如洪水般的入學兒童方面缺乏準備。戰時的經濟狀況意味著在1940年和1945年間新建學校的數量微乎其微。此外，在戰時以及在隨后的經濟繁榮時期。，大量教師離開了教職，到經濟體系中的其他領域尋求報酬更優厚的工作。因此，在20世紀50年代和60年代，生育高峰沖擊了一個陳舊且不完整的學校體系。其結果是，20世紀30年代和40年代早期的“監護之說”開始失去意義;也就是說，因為教育機構無法為年齡在5～16歲的兒童提供學習所需的空間和教員，因此，讓那些年齡在16歲及其以上的孩子待在學校以使他們處于勞動力市場之外，不再是一個優先的選擇。

　　在生育高峰的沖擊下，教育者和對教育感興趣的外行所關注的焦點不可避免地轉向了低年級，轉回到了基本的學術技能和學科上。這一體系對于向年齡較大的年輕人提供非傳統的、新式的和額外的服務不再抱有太多的興趣。

　　參考答案：

　　1.A 細節題。由題干關鍵詞babyboom定位文章第一段倒數第二句，該句提到…economics was probably the most impoItant deterrninant.一可知，經濟的繁榮導致了baby boom，故選A.

　　2.C 細節題。由題干關鍵詞t11e.teaching profession定位第二段最后一句…teac】3ers leR their professionforbettei‘-payingjobs…(很多老師為了高薪離開了教師崗位)，由此可推斷出答案應為C.

　　3.B 語義題。由題干關鍵詞custodial rJaetoric定位文章第三段，第二句說到，三四十年代custodial rhetoric不再合理，該句中that is后就是custodial dletorjc的內容，即keeping youths aged sixteen antl older out oftlle lal)or mar-ket by keeping t】aem in scla00l，選項B正是該句的同義轉述，故為答案。

　　4.B 推斷題。作者在第三段首句提到生育高峰沖擊了學校體系，可排除A;最后一段提到教育者的焦點也轉向了低年級，轉回到了基本的學術技能和學科上，而對向年齡較大的年輕人提供非傳統的、新式的和額外的服務不再抱有太多的興趣，言外之意，在生育高峰之前教育者的焦點不在基本的學術技能和學科上，故排除c，D與文意正好相反，只有B符合文意。

　　5.C 主旨題。本題針對文章的大意。文章開篇作者就點明了主題“促使人們在對公共教育的作用的思考上發生轉變的最重要的社會狀況之一，就是20世紀50年代和60年代生育高峰對學校的影響”。由此可見，本文的主旨應為C.

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