2008年12月英语四级阅读倒计时练习 47天
2008-11-11来源:和谐英语
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, 这个几乎可以说是本文的中心思想. A)educators try to devise more reliable tests but in vain, 而原文相关部分是educators have still failed to devise anything more efficient and reliable than examinations; B)examinations account for the failure of many students, 太绝对了; D)the examination system should remain unchallenged, 完全违背本文的中心思想.
2.A)a reflection of an examinee’s knowledge and ability. 注意题干是Examinations are generally believed to be, 相对应的原文是For the entire claim that examinations test what you know it is common knowledge. 其他选项更贴近according to the author的情况.
3.正确答案为C)usually fail to evaluate students’ school performance. 但我认为正解应该是D)may determine a student’s future, 完美对应原文Your whole future may be decided in one fateful day. A是完全违背主题的; B的an army of(就是a great number of)首先比较夸张, 其次原文说的是the rising suicide rate among students, 数目和比率不是一个概念; C不能被我认定为完美答案的原因是students’ school performance, 难道考试成绩不是school performance的一部分么? 也许把students’ school performance换成原文第一段最后一句话中的a person’s true ability and aptitude, 才是最完美无缺的. 其实偶水平很一般, 以上意见仅供参考, 欢迎大家在回复中或本期讨论帖发表意见
4.A)harmful. 出现地点：The moment a child begins school, he enters a world of vicious competition where success and failure are clearly defined and measured. 结合本文的中心思想可以推出: 该词很可能是贬义的. 四个选项中只有A是贬义的.
5.B) argues against the assessment of students’ ability in terms of their test scores符合本文中心思想.
参考译文：
我们会对各个研究领域所取得的进步而感到惊讶。但是，测试人们知识和能力的方法却仍然一成不变。这么多年来，教育家们仍没能设计出比考试更可靠、更有效的方法，这真的太令人觉得奇怪了。尽管人们一再声称考试可以测试你的知识。然而，大家又不会不知道，实际情形正好相反。用来测试记忆力，或测试人们在很大的压力下快速学习的技能，考试也许是一种有效的方法，但它绝不可能考出一个人的真实能力。
说起给人们带来焦虑的事情，得首推考试。这是因为众多的决定都取决于考试的结果。考试标志着我们在社会中成功或失败。决定命运的一天也许就影响到你的整个将来。身体不舒服或者母亲去世都无关紧要。这类小事算不了什么，考试照常进行。要是极度恐惧或彻夜未眠，谁也不可能发挥出最佳水平，可这恰是现代考试制度要求人们做的。小孩从入学起，就步入了一个充满邪恶的竞争世界。在这个世界中，成功和失败的规定与判断划分得一清二楚。看到愈来愈多“中途退场的”年轻人还未参加工作就被认定没有出息而被学校除名，我们会感到奇怪吗？看到学生自杀率不断上升，我们还会感到吃惊吗？
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, 这个几乎可以说是本文的中心思想. A)educators try to devise more reliable tests but in vain, 而原文相关部分是educators have still failed to devise anything more efficient and reliable than examinations; B)examinations account for the failure of many students, 太绝对了; D)the examination system should remain unchallenged, 完全违背本文的中心思想.
2.A)a reflection of an examinee’s knowledge and ability. 注意题干是Examinations are generally believed to be, 相对应的原文是For the entire claim that examinations test what you know it is common knowledge. 其他选项更贴近according to the author的情况.
3.正确答案为C)usually fail to evaluate students’ school performance. 但我认为正解应该是D)may determine a student’s future, 完美对应原文Your whole future may be decided in one fateful day. A是完全违背主题的; B的an army of(就是a great number of)首先比较夸张, 其次原文说的是the rising suicide rate among students, 数目和比率不是一个概念; C不能被我认定为完美答案的原因是students’ school performance, 难道考试成绩不是school performance的一部分么? 也许把students’ school performance换成原文第一段最后一句话中的a person’s true ability and aptitude, 才是最完美无缺的. 其实偶水平很一般, 以上意见仅供参考, 欢迎大家在回复中或本期讨论帖发表意见
4.A)harmful. 出现地点：The moment a child begins school, he enters a world of vicious competition where success and failure are clearly defined and measured. 结合本文的中心思想可以推出: 该词很可能是贬义的. 四个选项中只有A是贬义的.
5.B) argues against the assessment of students’ ability in terms of their test scores符合本文中心思想.
参考译文：
我们会对各个研究领域所取得的进步而感到惊讶。但是，测试人们知识和能力的方法却仍然一成不变。这么多年来，教育家们仍没能设计出比考试更可靠、更有效的方法，这真的太令人觉得奇怪了。尽管人们一再声称考试可以测试你的知识。然而，大家又不会不知道，实际情形正好相反。用来测试记忆力，或测试人们在很大的压力下快速学习的技能，考试也许是一种有效的方法，但它绝不可能考出一个人的真实能力。
说起给人们带来焦虑的事情，得首推考试。这是因为众多的决定都取决于考试的结果。考试标志着我们在社会中成功或失败。决定命运的一天也许就影响到你的整个将来。身体不舒服或者母亲去世都无关紧要。这类小事算不了什么，考试照常进行。要是极度恐惧或彻夜未眠，谁也不可能发挥出最佳水平，可这恰是现代考试制度要求人们做的。小孩从入学起，就步入了一个充满邪恶的竞争世界。在这个世界中，成功和失败的规定与判断划分得一清二楚。看到愈来愈多“中途退场的”年轻人还未参加工作就被认定没有出息而被学校除名，我们会感到奇怪吗？看到学生自杀率不断上升，我们还会感到吃惊吗？
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