One question is often risen in response to international __1__
test comparisons: Do these results really mean anything? In
the past, international testing programs have been criticized
on variety of grounds. Two allegations, in particular, have __2__
been common: first, that other nations have not tested as large
a percentage of their student population, and nevertheless their __3__
scores have been inflated; and second, that our best students are
among the world’s best, with our average brought down by a __4__
large cohort of low-achievers.
Whatever the historic validity of such concerns, they are now, __5__
if anything, reversed. Particularly in the fourth and eighth grade,
education has become universal in all of the leading nations.
Therefore, in science, the percentage of randomly selected __6__
U.S. schools and students that actually did participate at the
eighth-grade level was just 73 percent—the third-lowest of all
45 participating countries, and 11 percentage points under the __7__
United States had third-lowest overall participation rate for both __8__
grades in both subjects. Japan, Taiwan and Singapore all had
participation percentages in the 90s.
How about our best and brightest? At the fourth-grade level,
there is some real truth to the idea that the best American students __9__
are among the best in the world. Looking only at the top 5 percent
of test-takers, American fourth-graders beat the average of wealthy
nations by 13 percentage points. By the eighth grade, however, the
tables have turned, with America’s brightest students fallen to __10__
percentage points behind their foreign peers.
答案:
1. risen—raised
提出问题应该用及物动词raise
2. ^variety—a
A variety of 为固定搭配
3.nevertheless—hence/thus/consequently
根据上下文，这里应该用表示结果关系的连接词，而不是转折关系的连接词
4.^brought—being
这里应该用表示被动的现在分词短语做独立主格结构
5.historic—historical
Historic是“历史上著名的；与过去时代有关的”这里应该用historical是“历史上的”
6.Therefore—Moreover/Furthermore
这里应该用表示递进关系的连接词，而不是结果关系的连接词。
7.under—below
低于平均值多少百分点用介词below
8.^third—the
序数词前应该用定冠词the
9.real--/
real 多余，应删除
10.fallen—falling
应该用现在分词作独立逐个结构
