S e c o n d e d I t I o n 1 Reading for the Real World 1

Fighting Migraines
Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1.
Was your last headache a primary or secondary headache? How did you treat it?
2.
Would you be willing to test a new headache drug that affects your brain 
activity? Why or why not?
Track 12
 

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Vocabulary Preview
 
Match each word or phrase with the correct definition.
1.
convince 
a.
to abandon an attempt or activity
2.
diploma 
b.
a report that examines and analyzes a topic
3.
drop out 
c.
a document certifying graduation
4.
economy 
d.
the condition of economic life
5.
philanthropic 
e.
to persuade
6.
study 
f.
characterized by acts of goodwill
Pre-Reading Questions
Think about the following questions.
1.
What is the high school dropout rate in your city?
2. 
What are some reasons why a student may drop out of high school?
3.
What are some ways to decrease the number of high school 
dropouts?
High School 
Dropout Rates 
on the Rise
 
S o c i a l I s s u e s
1
U N
I
T
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42
High School Dropout Rates 
on the Rise
5
10
15
20
25
H 
ow many students drop out of high school in the United States? 
Nobody seems to know with certainty, but statistics indicate it might 
be a lot more than most people think. Recent studies have found that 
only about 75 percent of all high school 
freshmen
receive a high school diploma 
and that in the fifty largest US cities, the number falls to 52 percent–barely more 
than half. Previous studies had shown that 85 percent of all high school students 
graduated. The US now has the highest dropout rate of all industrialized 
countries. It is estimated that more than 1 million students drop out of high 
school every year, or 7,000 each school day. According to one study, America is 
the only 
industrialized
nation in which children are less likely to graduate 
from high school than their parents.
The rising dropout rate has alarmed both