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The standardized educational or psychological tests that are widely used to aid in selecting, classifying, assigning ,or promoting students, employees, and military personnel have been the target of recent attacks in books, magazines, the daily press, and even in Congress. 71. The target is wrong, for in attacking the tests, critics divert attention from the fault that lies with illinformed or incompetent users. The tests themselves are merely tools, with characteristics that can be measured with reasonable precision under specified conditions. Whether the results will be valuable, meaningless, or even misleading depends partly upon the tool itself but largely upon the user.
All informed predictions of future performance are based upon some knowledge of relevant past performance: school grades, research productivity, sales records, or whatever is appropriate. 72. How well the predictions will be validated by later performance depends upon the amount, reliability, and appropriateness of the information used and on the skill and wisdom with which it is always interpreted. Anyone who keeps careful score knows that the information available is always incomplete and that the predictions are always subject to error.
Standardized tests should be considered in this context. They provide a quick, objective method of getting some kinds of information about what a person learned, the skills he has developed, or the kind of person he is. The information so obtained has, qualitatively, the same advantages and shortcomings as other kinds of information. 73.Whether to use tests, other kinds of information, or both in a particular situation depends, therefore, upon the evidence from experience concerning comparative validity and upon such factors as cost and availability.
74. In general, the tests work most effectively when the qualities to be measured can be most precisely defined and least effectively when what is to be measured or predicted can not be well defined. Properly used, they provide a rapid means of getting comparable information about many people. Sometimes they identify students whose high potential has not been previously recognized, but there are many things they do not do. 75. For example, they do not compensate for gross social inequality, and thus do not tell how able an underprivileged youngster might have been had he grown up under more favorable circumstances.
【答案解析】这是个并列复合句，主要结构是：The target is wrong，for．．．from the fault that．．．。for连接两个并列的分句，在第二分句中包含一个由that引导的定语从句，修饰fault。句中的 target根据上下文应译为“把标准化测试作为抨击目标”，不应译成“靶子，目标”。lies with不可译为“躺、放”，应译为“在于”。
【答案解析】这是个主从复合句，主要结构是：How well the predictions．．．depends on．．．and on the skill and wisdom with which．．．。how引导的从句是主语从句；with which引导定语从句，修饰 skill and wisdom。句中的How well不可译成“有多好”，应译为“在多大程度上”。later performance不可译成“后来的表演”应译为“以后的表现”。
【答案解析】这是个并列复合句，句子的主要结构是：．．．they do not compensate．．．and thus do not tell how．．．had he grown up．．．。and连接了两个并列句，and后省略了主语they。how引导名词性从句，作tell的宾语，had he．．．是宾语从句中的条件状语从句；省略了连词if，采用了倒装语序。