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.