We might marvel at the progress made in every field of study, but the methods of testing a person’s knowledge and ability remain as primitive as ever they were. It really is extraordinary that after all these years, educators have still failed to devise anything more efficient and reliable than examinations. For the entire claim that examinations test what you know it is common knowledge that they more often do the exact opposite. They may be a good means of testing memory, or the knack(技能) of working rapidly under extreme pressure, but they can tell you nothing about a person’s true ability and aptitude.
As anxiety-makers, examinations are second to none. That is because so much depends on them. They are the mark of success of failure in our society. Your whole future may be decided in one fateful day. It doesn’t matter that you weren’t feeling very well, or that your mother died. Little things like that don’t count: the exam goes on. No one can give of his best when he is in mortal terror, or after a sleepless night, yet this is precisely what the examination system expects him to do. The moment a child begins school, he enters a world of vicious competition where success and failure are clearly defined and measured. Can we wonder at the increasing number of "drop-outs": young people who are written off as utter failures before they have even embarked on a career? Can we be surprised at the rising suicide rate among students?
1. We can infer from the passage that ____.
A) educators try to devise more reliable tests but in vain
B) examinations account for the failure of many students
C) examinations exert a harmful influence on the school system
D) the examination system should remain unchallenged
2. Examinations are generally believed to be ____.
A) a reflection of an examinee’s knowledge and ability
B) extremely anxiety-making
C) a very unfair competition among students
D) inefficient and unreliable
3. According to the author, examinations ____.
A) are a marvelous memory testing device
B) make an army of students kill themselves
C) usually fail to evaluate students’ school performance
D) may determine a student’s future
4. By "vicious"(Line5, Para.2) the author means ____.
A) harmful
B) virtual
C) significant
D) adequate
5. The author ____.
A) recommends the mark of success and failure in our society
B) argues against the assessment of students’ ability in terms of their test scores
C) offers educators advice on the design of some more reliable tests
D) emphasizes the importance of discipline on students
答案：
1.C)examinations exert a harmful influence on the school system, 這個幾乎可以說是本文的中心思想. A)educators try to devise more reliable tests but in vain, 而原文相關(guān)部分是educators have still failed to devise anything more efficient and reliable than examinations; B)examinations account for the failure of many students, 太絕對了; D)the examination system should remain unchallenged, 完全違背本文的中心思想.
2.A)a reflection of an examinee’s knowledge and ability. 注意題干是Examinations are generally believed to be, 相對應(yīng)的原文是For the entire claim that examinations test what you know it is common knowledge. 其他選項更貼近according to the author的情況.
3.正確答案為C)usually fail to evaluate students’ school performance. 但我認為正解應(yīng)該是D)may determine a student’s future, 完美對應(yīng)原文Your whole future may be decided in one fateful day. A是完全違背主題的; B的an army of(就是a great number of)首先比較夸張, 其次原文說的是the rising suicide rate among students, 數(shù)目和比率不是一個概念; C不能被我認定為完美答案的原因是students’ school performance, 難道考試成績不是school performance的一部分么? 也許把students’ school performance換成原文第一段最后一句話中的a person’s true ability and aptitude, 才是最完美無缺的. 其實偶水平很一般, 以上意見僅供參考, 歡迎大家在回復(fù)中或本期討論帖發(fā)表意見
4.A)harmful. 出現(xiàn)地點：The moment a child begins school, he enters a world of vicious competition where success and failure are clearly defined and measured. 結(jié)合本文的中心思想可以推出: 該詞很可能是貶義的. 四個選項中只有A是貶義的.
5.B) argues against the assessment of students’ ability in terms of their test scores符合本文中心思想.
參考譯文：
我們會對各個研究領(lǐng)域所取得的進步而感到驚訝。但是，測試人們知識和能力的方法卻仍然一成不變。這么多年來，教育家們?nèi)詻]能設(shè)計出比考試更可靠、更有效的方法，這真的太令人覺得奇怪了。盡管人們一再聲稱考試可以測試你的知識。然而，大家又不會不知道，實際情形正好相反。用來測試記憶力，或測試人們在很大的壓力下快速學(xué)習(xí)的技能，考試也許是一種有效的方法，但它絕不可能考試*大]考出一個人的真實能力。
說起給人們帶來焦慮的事情，得首推考試。這是因為眾多的決定都取決于考試的結(jié)果。考試標志著我們在社會中成功或失敗。決定命運的一天也許就影響到你的整個將來。身體不舒服或者母親去世都無關(guān)緊要。這類小事算不了什么，考試照常進行。要是極度恐懼或徹夜未眠，誰也不可能發(fā)揮出水平，可這恰是現(xiàn)*試制度要求人們做的。小孩從入學(xué)起，就步入了一個充滿邪惡的競爭世界。在這個世界中，成功和失敗的規(guī)定與判斷劃分得一清二楚。看到愈來愈多“中途退場的”年輕人還未參加工作就被認定沒有出息而被學(xué)校除名，我們會感到奇怪嗎？看到學(xué)生自殺率不斷上升，我們還會感到吃驚嗎？
As anxiety-makers, examinations are second to none. That is because so much depends on them. They are the mark of success of failure in our society. Your whole future may be decided in one fateful day. It doesn’t matter that you weren’t feeling very well, or that your mother died. Little things like that don’t count: the exam goes on. No one can give of his best when he is in mortal terror, or after a sleepless night, yet this is precisely what the examination system expects him to do. The moment a child begins school, he enters a world of vicious competition where success and failure are clearly defined and measured. Can we wonder at the increasing number of "drop-outs": young people who are written off as utter failures before they have even embarked on a career? Can we be surprised at the rising suicide rate among students?
1. We can infer from the passage that ____.
A) educators try to devise more reliable tests but in vain
B) examinations account for the failure of many students
C) examinations exert a harmful influence on the school system
D) the examination system should remain unchallenged
2. Examinations are generally believed to be ____.
A) a reflection of an examinee’s knowledge and ability
B) extremely anxiety-making
C) a very unfair competition among students
D) inefficient and unreliable
3. According to the author, examinations ____.
A) are a marvelous memory testing device
B) make an army of students kill themselves
C) usually fail to evaluate students’ school performance
D) may determine a student’s future
4. By "vicious"(Line5, Para.2) the author means ____.
A) harmful
B) virtual
C) significant
D) adequate
5. The author ____.
A) recommends the mark of success and failure in our society
B) argues against the assessment of students’ ability in terms of their test scores
C) offers educators advice on the design of some more reliable tests
D) emphasizes the importance of discipline on students
答案：
1.C)examinations exert a harmful influence on the school system, 這個幾乎可以說是本文的中心思想. A)educators try to devise more reliable tests but in vain, 而原文相關(guān)部分是educators have still failed to devise anything more efficient and reliable than examinations; B)examinations account for the failure of many students, 太絕對了; D)the examination system should remain unchallenged, 完全違背本文的中心思想.
2.A)a reflection of an examinee’s knowledge and ability. 注意題干是Examinations are generally believed to be, 相對應(yīng)的原文是For the entire claim that examinations test what you know it is common knowledge. 其他選項更貼近according to the author的情況.
3.正確答案為C)usually fail to evaluate students’ school performance. 但我認為正解應(yīng)該是D)may determine a student’s future, 完美對應(yīng)原文Your whole future may be decided in one fateful day. A是完全違背主題的; B的an army of(就是a great number of)首先比較夸張, 其次原文說的是the rising suicide rate among students, 數(shù)目和比率不是一個概念; C不能被我認定為完美答案的原因是students’ school performance, 難道考試成績不是school performance的一部分么? 也許把students’ school performance換成原文第一段最后一句話中的a person’s true ability and aptitude, 才是最完美無缺的. 其實偶水平很一般, 以上意見僅供參考, 歡迎大家在回復(fù)中或本期討論帖發(fā)表意見
4.A)harmful. 出現(xiàn)地點：The moment a child begins school, he enters a world of vicious competition where success and failure are clearly defined and measured. 結(jié)合本文的中心思想可以推出: 該詞很可能是貶義的. 四個選項中只有A是貶義的.
5.B) argues against the assessment of students’ ability in terms of their test scores符合本文中心思想.
參考譯文：
我們會對各個研究領(lǐng)域所取得的進步而感到驚訝。但是，測試人們知識和能力的方法卻仍然一成不變。這么多年來，教育家們?nèi)詻]能設(shè)計出比考試更可靠、更有效的方法，這真的太令人覺得奇怪了。盡管人們一再聲稱考試可以測試你的知識。然而，大家又不會不知道，實際情形正好相反。用來測試記憶力，或測試人們在很大的壓力下快速學(xué)習(xí)的技能，考試也許是一種有效的方法，但它絕不可能考試*大]考出一個人的真實能力。
說起給人們帶來焦慮的事情，得首推考試。這是因為眾多的決定都取決于考試的結(jié)果。考試標志著我們在社會中成功或失敗。決定命運的一天也許就影響到你的整個將來。身體不舒服或者母親去世都無關(guān)緊要。這類小事算不了什么，考試照常進行。要是極度恐懼或徹夜未眠，誰也不可能發(fā)揮出水平，可這恰是現(xiàn)*試制度要求人們做的。小孩從入學(xué)起，就步入了一個充滿邪惡的競爭世界。在這個世界中，成功和失敗的規(guī)定與判斷劃分得一清二楚。看到愈來愈多“中途退場的”年輕人還未參加工作就被認定沒有出息而被學(xué)校除名，我們會感到奇怪嗎？看到學(xué)生自殺率不斷上升，我們還會感到吃驚嗎？