For decades, Americans have taken for granted the United States' leadership position in the development of new technologies. The innovations (创新) that resulted from research and development during World War Ⅱ and afterwards were (36)_____ to the prosperity of the nation in the second half of the 20th century. Those innovations, upon which virtually all aspects of (37)_____ society now depend,were possible because the United States then (38)_____ the world in mathematics and science education. Today, however, despite increasing demand for workers with strong skills in mathematics and science,the (39)_____ of degrees awarded in science, math, and engineering are decreasing.
The decline in degree production in what are called the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and math) seems to be (40)_____ related to the comparatively weak performance by U.S. schoolchildren on international assessments of math and science. Many students entering college have weak skills in mathematics. According to the 2005 report of the Business-Higher Education Forum, 22 percent of college freshmen must take remedial (补习的) math (41)_____, and less than half of the students who plan to major in science or engineering (42)_____ complete a major in those fields.
The result has been a decrease in the number of American college graduates who have the skills, (43)_____ in mathematics, to power a workforce that can keep the country at the forefront (前沿) of innovation and maintain its standard of living. With the (44)_____ performance of American students in math and science has come increased competition from students from other countries that have strongly supported education in these areas. Many more students earn (45)_____ in the STEM disciplines in developing countries than in the United States.
