填空题

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 with the exact words you have just heard. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.
About 700,000 children in Mexico dropped out of school last year as recession-stricken families pushed kids to work, and a weak economic recovery will allow only a 1 improvement in the drop-out rate in 2010, a top education official said.
Mexico’s economy suffered more than any other in Latin America last year, 2 an estimated 7 percent due to a plunge in US 3 for Mexican exports such as cars.
The 4 led to a 4 percent increase in the number of kids who left 5 or middle school in 2009, said Juan de Dios Castro, who heads the nation’s adult education program and keeps a close watch on drop-out rates.
" 6 rose and that is a factor that makes our job more difficult," Castro told Reuters in an interview earlier this month.
7 higher taxes and weak demand for its exports, Mexico’s economy is seen only partially recovering this year. As a result, drop-out rates will not improve much, Castro said.
"There will be some improvement, but not significant," Castro said.
Mexico has historically had high drop-out rate as poor families 8 kids out of school to help put food on the table, and children often sell candy and crafts in the streets or work in restaurants.
The nation’s drop-out problem is just the latest bad news for the long-term 9 of the Mexican economy. Mexico’s politicians have resisted mending the country’s tax, energy and labor laws 10 , leaving its economy behind countries such as Brazil and Chile.