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.
        
        62. A) shaking B) waving C) nodding D) speaking
        
        63. A) in B) after C) for D) up
        
        65. A) historical B) educational C) cultural D) political
        
        68. A) sense B) doubt C) reason D) idea
        
        71. A) Even B) Though C) Thus D) So
        
        72. A) hardly B) just C) still D) ever
        
        73. A) exclusively B) practically C) shortly D) directly
        
        74. A) competitiveness B) comprehension C) community D) commitment
        
        75. A) of B) for C) with D) as
        
        76. A) fine B) nice C) surprising D) good
        
        77. A) to B) with C) on D) of
        
        78. A) consulting B) coaching C) teaching D) instructing
        
        79. A) done B) dealt C) met D) reached
        
        80. A) therefore B) or C) and D) as
        
        Exercise 3
        
        Shopping habits in the United States have changed greatly in the last quarter of the 20th century. __1_ in the 1900s most American towns and cities had a Main Street, which was always in the heart of a town. This street was 2 on both sides with many 3 businesses. Here, shoppers walked into stores to look at all sorts of merchandise: clothing, furniture, hardware, groceries. __4__, some shops offered __5__. These shops included drugstores, restaurants, shoe repair stores, and barber or hairdressing shops.__6_ in the 1950s, a change began to 7 . Too many automobiles had crowded into Main Street 8 too few parking places were 9 shoppers. Because the streets were crowded, merchants began to look with interest at the open spaces 10 the city limits. Open space is what their car driving customers needed. And open space is what they got __11__ the first shopping centre was built. Shopping centers, or rather malls, 12 as a collection of small new stores 13_ crowded city centers. 14 by hundreds of free parking space, customers were drawn away from _15_ areas to outlying malls. And the growing 16 of shopping centers led 17 to the building of bigger and better stocked stores.__18 the late 1970s, many shopping malls had almost developed into small cities themselves.In addition to providing the _19_ of one stop shopping, malls were transformed into landscaped parks, _20_ benches, fountains, and outdoor entertainment.