As a professor at a large American university, there is a phrase that I hear often from students: “I’m only a 1050.” The unlucky students are speaking of the score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), which is used to determine whether they will be admitted to the college or university of their choice, or even have a chance to get a higher education at all. The SAT score, whether it is 800, 1 100 or 1550, has becomes the focus at this time of their life.It is obvious that if students value highly their test scores, then a great amount of their self-respect is put in the number. Students who perform poorly on the exam are left feeling that it is all over. The low test score, they think, will make it impossible for them to get into a good college. And without a degree from a prestigious university, they fear that many of life’s doors will remain forever closed.According to a study done in the 1990s, the SAT is only a reliable indicator of a student’s future performance in most cases. Interestingly, it becomes much more accurate when it is set together with other indicators——like a student’s high school grades. Even if standardized tests like the SAT could show a student’s academic proficiency, they will never be able to test things like confidence, efforts and willpower, and are unable to give us the full picture of a student’s potentialities. This is not to suggest that we should stop using SAT scores in our college admission process. The SAT is an excellent test in many ways, and the score is still a useful means of testing students. However, it should be only one of many methods used.1. The purpose of the SAT is to test students’ .A. strong willB. academic abilityC. full potentialitiesD. confidence in school work2. Students’ self-respect is influenced by their .A. scores in the SATB. achievements in mathematicC. job opportunitiesD. money spent on education3. “A prestigious university” is most probably A. a famous universityB. a technical universityC. a traditional universityD. an expensive university

Reference Answers:

BAA1. The purpose of the SAT is to test students’ .A. strong willB. academic abilityC. full potentialitiesD. confidence in school work
解析：B正确SAT的目的是测试学生的什么？这件文中有所体现：“Even if standardized tests like the SAT could show a student’s academic proficiency……”
2. Students’ self-respect is influenced by their .A. scores in the SATB. achievements in mathematicC. job opportunitiesD. money spent on education

解析：A正确学生的自尊心受到什么影响？a great amount of their self-respect is put in the number学生的自尊心与考试的分数联系在了一起，受其影响。

3. “A prestigious university” is most probably A. a famous universityB. a technical universityC. a traditional universityD. an expensive university

解析：A正确“A prestigious university”可能的意思是什么？这是考词汇的题型，认识prestigious就不难回答。同时也可以代入文中联系上下文，选择最合适的。参考译文：作为一所美国大学的教授，我经常听到学生的一句话是：“我只有1050分。”

这个不幸的孩子说的是学习能力倾向测验(SAT)，该测验用来决定他们是否能如愿进入自己心仪的大学，甚至决定是否有机会进一步深造。SAT分数，是800，还是1100或是1550，已经成为他们这一时期关注的焦点。显而易见，如果学生高度关注测验分数，那么他们很大一部分的自尊心也被投入到这些分数中。考试成绩不好的学生会觉得什么都完了。他们认为得了低分就不可能进入好大学。他们担心得不到名牌大学的学位，他们生命中的很多扇门将永久关上。

根据20世纪90年代的一项调查显示，在大多数情况下，SAT是一个学生未来表现的唯一可靠指标。有趣的是，这个测验和其他指标，如学生的高中成绩结合起来就变得更加准确。即便像SAT这样标准化可以显示学生的学业水平的测试，也它们无法测验信心，努力和意志力，因此就无法给我们一个学生潜力的完整资料。这并不是说我们要在大学入学程序中取消SAT。SAT在很多方面是一样很好的测验，也依然是测试学生的很有用的方法。

不过，它应该仅仅是众多方法中的一种。词汇及短语：prestigious: 受尊敬的, 有声望的, 有威信的 indicator: 指示者; 指示物standardize: vt. 使合乎规格;使标准化 proficiency: 熟练, 精通 potentiality: 可能力,(用复数)潜能,潜力.可能性admission: 准许进入，加入权，进入权