单选题
In a few weeks, nigh school students face the prospect of taking the much-publicized new SAT Reasoning Test, which for the first time will require them to write a timed essay. Yet colleges continue to send confusing signals about whether students applying in the fall to attend college must take the new exam. Some schools, including Harvard, say they will accept scores from either the new test or the old SAT, which was administered for the last time in January and did not contain a writing section. The University of Central Florida, for example, will require the new test, which will be given for the first time on March 12. Still others, such as the University of Virginia, strongly recommend that prospective applicants take the new test but under some circumstances also will accept the old SAT. A number of colleges are delaying a decision. The College Board, which administers the SAT, surveyed more than 1,900 four-year schools and has heard back from slightly more than 500. Of those, 81% say they will require the new test, including schools such as Harvard that are giving students a choice in what will be a year of transition. "Anything new goes through a special lens of evaluation," says Lee Stetson, admissions dean at the University of Pennsylvania, which judiciously will use results from the new writing section until officials have a chance to study the revised SAT's predictive validity. A number of admissions deans are skeptical that the new exam will be an improvement. Charles Deacon, dean of undergraduate admissions at Georgetown University, says adding the essay "will create more barriers to poor kids who are less well-prepared". The test was rushed to market because the University of California system, a major College Board customer, threatened to stop requiting the SAT, he says. The test "was developed and marketed for all the wrong reasons". Deacon, who says he has been "badgered" by the College Board to endorse the new exam, has refused to do so. Some schools, including Georgetown, Iowa's Grinnell College and Pennsylvania's Franklin and Marshall College, say that at least for now, they will not even look at scores from the writing section when making admission decisions. "We have adopted a wait-and-see attitude," says Dennis Trotter of Franklin and Marshall. College Board officials counter that based on extensive field tests, they are confident the test is as reliable a predictor of freshman-year performance as the old SAT. Moreover, they say, well-trained scorers, many of them, high school English teachers, will grade the essays, which students have 25 minutes to write. Amidst all the confusion, what should students do? Admissions deans and school counselors say to be sure to check with each college for requirements.
单选题
If a student took the old SAT in January, he has to take another test if he applies for A. University of Virginia. B. Georgetown University. C. The University of Central Florida. D. Harvard University.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 本题考查细节理解。本题的问题是：“如果一位学生已于一月参加了老的SAT考试，他申请哪所学校时还必须再次参加考试”。这个问题实际上是问哪所学校只接受新的SAT测试的成绩。根据原文可以看出，这个问题出现在列举不同学校反应的第二段，选项中的四所学校，只有the University of Central Florida要求新SAT考试成绩。所以答案应为[C]。
单选题
What does the article tell us about Harvard University? A. It will only accept the new SAT this fall. B. It has not made a decision on whether to accept the old SAT this fall. C. It will require scores from the writing section this fall. D. It will ask all applicants to take the new test a year later.
单选题
An important reason for negative attitudes towards the new writing examination is that A. the examination will add to the difficulty for those students from financially underprivileged families. B. the examination was marketed much too quickly without careful consideration. C. the examination will cause short-term confusion and lead to no long-term benefits. D. the examination was a product of the College Board and various universities.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 本题考查细节理解。从原文中看出，只有第四段说的是反对写作测试的原因。文章提到两个关键的因素，一方面，将会给准备不够充分的差生带来更多障碍，另一方面，大学委员会为迎合重要客户的需求，将此项考试匆忙推向市场。我们来看选项，如果将poor理解错，很可能错选[A]；[C]项的后半部分不可能是正确的，因为该项测试的预测效度还未出来，虽然不能说一定是好的结果，但像该选项这样说太过武断。[D]项说该测试是大学委员会与几种大学共同的产品，这是不对的。大学委员会是测试的研发和推广者，各所大学都是潜在的用户。该题的正确答案是[B]，文中的关键词是“rash”，意思正好是“do something in a hurry，often too quickly and without much care”。
单选题
According to the author, what should students do at the moment? A. Students should make clear which test is acceptable. B. Students should contact the university for the arrangement of the test. C. Students should ask the College Board for the latest information about the program. D. Students should get prepared for the new examination in less than a year.
单选题
What can we infer from the passage about the test? A. Students who have taken the old test are strongly advised not to take the new test. B. As compared with the old test, the new one requires the student to write an essay in a shorter period of time. C. The College Board has decided to invite university teachers to grade the essays. D. The College Board has appealed to many universities to support the new examination.