Historians tend to tell the same joke when they are describing history education in America. It’’s the one (61)______ the teacher standing in the schoolroom door (62)______ goodbye to students for the summer and calling (63)______ them, "By the way, we won World War II."
The problem with the joke, of course, is that it’’s (64)______ funny. The recent surveys on (65)______ illiteracy (无知) are beginning to numb (令人震惊): nearly one third of American 17-year-olds cannot even (66)______ which countries the United States (67)______ against in that war. One third have no (68)______ when the Declaration of Independence was (69)______ . One third thought Columbus reached the New World after 1750. Two thirds cannot correctly (70)______ the Civil War between 1850 and 1900. (71)______ when they get the answers right, some are (72)______ guessing.
Unlike math or science, ignorance of history cannot be (73)______ connected to loss of international (74)______ But it does affect our future (75)______ a democratic nation and as individuals.
The (76)______ news is that there is growing agreement (77)______ what is wrong with the (78)______ of history and what needs to be (79)______ to fix it. The steps are tentative (尝试性的) (80)______ yet to be felt in most classrooms.