PassageOneQuestions52to56arebasedonthefollowingpassage.The35percentofAfrican-Americanyouthlivinginpovertyarethemostvisiblevictimsofwhatisoftencalledtheachievementgap.Butblackchildrenofallsocioeconomiclevelsperformworseonnationaltestsandgraduateinfewernumbersthantheirwhitemiddle-classpeers.A2009studybytheU.S.DepartmentofEducation’sNationalCenterforEducationStatisticsfoundthatAfrican-Americanstudentsscored,onaverage,26pointslowerthanwhitestudentsontheirreadingandmathtests.Somesay,asHarvardpsychologistRichardJ.HerrnsteinandAmericanEnterpriseInstitutepoliticalscientistCharlesMurraydidintheir1994book,TheBellCurve,thatthecauseisgenetic.AndthoughTheBellCurvehasbeendiscreditedinscientificcircles,theideathatIQissomehowlinkedtoracehasbeenslowtoretreat.Others,likeCornellUniversityresearchersGaryEvansandMichelleSchamberg,believethat“physiologicalstressisaplausiblemodelforhowpovertycouldgetintothebrainandeventuallyinterferewithachievement,”astheywroteinProceedingsoftheNationalAcademyofSciences.Ourbesteffortsatnarrowingthegapnationally—thinkNoChildLeftBehind—haven’tworked.Butlocally,therearenowsignsofhope.AttheHarlemChildren’sZone’sPromiseAcademycharterschools,atleast97percentofthirdgradersscoredatorabovegradelevelonastatewidemathtestin2008,outperformingtheaveragescoresofbothblackandwhitechildreninNewYorkCityandNewYorkState.WhattheHCZdoesisfirstrecognizethattheamelioration(改善)ofpovertydoesnotbeginandendwithanexcellenteducation,butalsorequiresafullbelly,parentaleducation,safety,advocacy,andtheexpectationthateverystudentwillsucceed.“Wehelpparentsandkidsthroughthesystem,”HCZfounderGeoffreyCanadasays.“Wegetthempasteveryhindranceputintheirway,whetheritbeathomeorwithsocialservices.Wecanadvocateonachild’sbehalf,whetheritbeathomeorintheclassroomorwiththejuvenilejusticesystem.”Indeed,theHCZstartsearly:itprovidesnewparentswithaBabyCollegetoteachparentingskillsduringthecrucialfirstthreeyearsofachild’slifeandapreschoolGemsprogram,wherekidslearnnotonlyFrenchandSpanishbuthealthyeatinghabitstocombatchildhoodobesity.TheZonealsoofferstheHCZAsthmaInitiativetoprovidemedicalcareandeducationtofamilies,thusdrasticallycuttingdownonthenumberofschooldaysmissedbystudentssufferingfromasthma(哮´).Andithasanetworkofafterschoolprogramsthatteachmedialiteracy,karate(空手道),andcomputerskills.It’scalledthepipeline—oncefamiliesenter,it’shopedthatthey’llstayuntiltheirchildgraduatesfromcollege.Theideaistocreateasafetynetwovensotightlythatkidscan’tslipthrough.52.WhatdoestheauthorsayaboutAfrican-Americanyouthasawhole?A)Theyhavemoregraduatesfromcommunitycolleges.B)Theyscorefarbelowtheaverageeducationlevel.C)TheyobviouslyarevictimsoftheAmericaneducationsystem.D)Theiracademicperformancesareworsethantheirwhitepeers.53.Accordingtothepassage,thebookTheBellCurve________.A)hassparkedaheateddebateinthescientificfieldB)leadstothestudyonthelinkbetweenraceandIQC)statesthatintelligencehasalottodowithraceD)isagainsttheideathatintelligenceisdecidedbyrace54.ExpertslikeMichelleSchambergthinkthat________.A)theachievementgapcanbenarrowedeasilyB)itisunreasonabletorelatelowachievementtopovertyC)physiologicalstressworksonachievementindirectlyD)itisimpossibletoachievethegoalofequalperformance55.Whenitcomestofightingpoverty,theHarlemChildren’sZone________.A)stressesmoreoncrimepreventionB)emphasizesanall-aroundsystemC)cond...
