VOA慢速英语:SAT Revisions Could Hamper International Students

The organization that administers a widely-used college entrance test called the SAT will change examination in 2016. The Not-for-Profit College Board announced that it no longer will test students on rarely used words. Students also will not be required to provide a writing work called an essay. And the new SAT will include passages from American historical documents or from writings on issues like freedom and human rights.
管理机构将于2016年对SAT这项应用非常广泛的大学入学考试做出改革。非营利性的美国大学理事会宣布不再测试学生生僻词汇。学生们也将不再被要求提供作文。新SAT考试将包括美国历史文献或有关自由人权等著作的节选。

The SAT is one of two major tests for entrance to American colleges and universities. The other test is called the ACT. Test scores help colleges decide if the candidate can succeed at their schools. More than 2 million students take the SAT yearly, they include about 100,000 foreign students.
SAT考试是美国大学两大入学考试之一，另一种被称为ACT考试。测试成绩有助于各大学判断考生是否可以在他们学校取得成功。每年有超过200万名学生参加SAT考试，他们包括约10万名国际学生。

Nigerian student Peace Umoru is in her first year at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Ms Umoru says she thinks the new test will be easier, because of the removal of rarely used words. She says that is the hardest part for international students.
尼日利亚学生Peace Umoru在华盛顿特区的霍华德大学上大一。Umoru女士称，她认为新SAT考试将变得更加容易，因为取消了生僻词汇，而这对国际学生来说是最难的部分。

The College Board says words on the new test will relate to usage. Students will be asked to identify the meaning of words based on the way they are used in reading passages.
美国大学理事会表示，新SAT考试中的词汇将和应用有关。学生们将被要求基于词汇在阅读段落中的应用确定其意义。

Eddie West is with the National Association for College Admission Counseling. He says the new test will better predict a student's performance in college.
Eddie West就职于美国大学招生咨询协会。他说新的考试将能更好的预测学生在大学里的表现。

"Personally, I feel like the changes are moving the test in a more positive direction insofar as they link up with skills and abilities that students will need to succeed, not just in getting into a college, university, but in succeeding once there," said West.
West说：“就个人而言，我觉得这些变化正使得这项考试向更积极的方向发展，只要它将考试与学生获得成功所需要的技能和能力联系起来，不只是帮学生进入学院或大学，而是让他们在那里获得成功。 ”

But Mr West says the addition of material related to American historical documents could make the test harder for international students.
但West先生说，新增有关美国历史文献的材料可能会使得该考试对国际学生来说更难。

"It is going to be relatively uncommon for an international student to be really conversant with the Declaration of Independence or Martin Luther King Jr.'s work, or anything else along those lines that might be cited in the test," said West.
West说：“真正做到熟悉独立宣言或马丁•路德•金作品的国际学生很少，或者其他类似可能出现在考试中的内容。”

Jamaican Shanique Campbell is a second year student at Howard University. She called the new material very scary for international students.
牙买加人Shanique Campbell是霍华德大学大二学生。她称这些新材料对国际学生来说非常可怕。

"We are already faced with knowing that we are taking an American-based exam, and so there are a lot of things that we are not prepared for in terms of what to expect on that exam — [for example], cultural references that we will not be able to identify with," said Campell.
Campell说：“我们早知自己参加的是美国的考试，所以在该考试的预期方面我们有很多东西都无法做好准备，比如文化背景我们就无法认同。”

Bob Schaeffer of the National Center for Fair and Open Testing spoke to VOA by Skype.
美国国家公平和公开测试中心的Bob Schaeffer通过Skype接受了美国之音的采访。

"Students from other countries, particularly those who did not grow up learning English, are at a double disadvantage. The test is in a foreign language for them, and they didn't get test prep. So, it is harder," said Schaeffer.
Schaeffer说：“其他国家的学生，特别是那些不是从小学英语的学生，将处于双重劣势。该考试对他们来说，是通过一门外语进行，而且他们没有得到考试准备，因此，它是很困难的。”

But the College Board says it has formed a free, online educational service. Khan Academy will provide preparation material linked to the newly designed SAT.
但美国大学理事会表示，它已经成立了免费的在线教育服务。美国可汗学院将提供有关全新设计的SAT考试的准备材料。