单选题   Testing has replaced teaching in most public schools. My own children's school week is framed by pretests, drills, tests, and retests. They know that the best way to read a textbook is to look at the questions at the end of the chapter and then skim the text for the answers. I believe that my daughter Erica, who gets excellent marks, has never read a chapter of any of her school textbooks all the way through. And teachers are often heard to state proudly and openly that they teach to the mandated (国家指定的) state test.
    Teaching to the test is a curious phenomenon. Instead of deciding what skills students ought to learn, helping students learn by themselves, and then using some reasonable methods of assessment to discover whether students have mastered the skills, teachers are encouraged to reverse the process. First, one looks at a commercially available test. Then, one distills (提取) the skills needed not to master reading, math, but to do well on the test. Finally, the test skills are taught.
    The ability to read or write or calculate might infer the ability to do reasonably well on standardized tests. However, neither reading nor writing develops simply through being taught to take tests. We must be careful to avoid mistaking preparation for a test of a skill with the acquisition of that skill.  Too many discussions of the basics of skills make this fundamental confusion because people are test-centered rather than concerned with the nature and quality of what is taught.
    Recently, many schools have faced what could be called the crisis of comprehension or, in simple terms, the phenomenon of students with phonic and grammar skills still being unable to understand what they read. These students are capable of taking tests and filling in workbooks. However, they have little or no experience reading or thinking, and talking about what they read. They know the details but can't see or understand the whole. They are taught to be so concerned with grade that they have no time or ease of mind to think about meaning, and reread things if necessary.
单选题     What can we learn about Erica's performance in her study? ______
 
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】根据题干中的关键词Erica's performance可定位至原文第一段。 细节题。该段提到学生知道阅读教科书的最好方法是先看每一章最后的问题，然后通过略读文章找到答案。接着作者提到他的女儿埃丽卡，虽说考试得分很高，但是她一直以来也没有完整地阅读过书本里的任何一章。由此可知，埃丽卡在学校里只是学习到了如何找到答案(做题技巧)，故答案为B。A项、C项和D项原文均未提及，故排除。 [参考译文] 在很多公立学校，考试已经取代了教学。我家孩子每个教学周在学校里做的事情就是预测、训练、测试和再测试。他们知道阅读教科书的最好方法是先看每一章最后的问题，然后通过略读文章找到答案。我相信我的女儿埃丽卡虽说考试得分很高，但是她一直以来也没有完整地阅读过书本里的任何一章。同时，我们经常听到老师们还很引以为傲地公开声称他们为了国家指定的考试而教学。 应试教育是一种奇怪的现象。学校的老师不再决定学生应该掌握哪些技能，帮助学生去学习这些技能，并使用一些更合理的评估方法去检测学生是否真正掌握了技能，而是为了鼓励考试而颠倒了教学顺序。首先，老师找到一套市场上可以买到的试题。然后提取一些不需要掌握阅读技巧和数学知识也能在考试中取得高分的技能。最后，把这些应试技巧教给学生。 读、写、计算能力可以让学生在标准化测试中做得相当好。然而，无论是阅读还是写作能力都不能仅仅通过参加测试来获得。我们必须小心，避免把学到的应试技巧误认为真正获得了这项能力。太多有关基本技能的讨论造成了这种根本性的混乱，因为人们只关注考试，而不关注教授的知识的本质和质量。 近来，许多学校都面临着所谓的理解危机，简单来说，就是学生们虽然已经学习了语音和语法技能，但是他们还是不能理解他们阅读的东西。这些学生能够参加测试并填写练习册。然而，他们基本没有阅读、思考或讨论阅读内容的经历。他们知道所有的细节却不能理解整体。他们被教得如此地关注分数，以至于没有时间和精力去考虑文章的内涵和再次阅读，如果还需要通过再次阅读来理解的话。
单选题     What is teachers' attitude towards mandated state test? ______
 
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】根据题干中的关键词mandated state test可定位至原文第一段。 态度题。该段最后一句提到经常听到老师们还很引以为傲地公开声称他们为了国家指定的考试而教学。由此可知，老师们为了国家指定的考试而教学并以此为傲，故答案为A。B项、C项和D项原文均未提及，故排除。
单选题     According to the second paragraph, what strange thing dose the author find? ______
 
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】根据题干可定们至原文第二段。 细节题。第二段开头提到应试教育是一种奇怪的现象，并在最后三句提到老师应对应试教育的做法：首先，找到一套市场上可以买到的试题。然后提取一些不需要掌握阅读技巧和数学知识也能在考试中取得高分的技能。最后，把这些应试技巧教给学生。由此可知，奇怪的现象是测试决定了学生们需要学的技巧，故答案为C。A项与原文不符，原文提到的是先有测试，再确定技巧，故排除。B项与原文不符，这并不是第二段描述的奇怪的现象，故排除。D项原文未提及，故排除。
单选题     As it is indicated in the third paragraph, what does the 'fundamental confusion' mean? ______
 
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】根据题干可定位至原文第三段。 词义题。原文第三段最后一句提到太多有关基本技能的讨论造成了这种根本性的混乱，因为人们仅仅关注考试，而不是关注所教授知识的本质和质量。由此可知人们根本的困惑和混乱是把考试技巧等同于阅读、写作等能力，故答案为B。A项和C项是困惑的表现，D项是正确的认知，不是困惑，故均排除。
单选题     What probably leads to the crisis of comprehension? ______
 
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】根据题干中的关键词crisis of comprehension可定位至原文最后一段。 推理题。该段首句提到许多学校都面临着理解危机，虽然学生们已经学习了语音和语法技能，但还是不能理解阅读的东西，其原因是他们没有时间和精力去考虑文章的内涵并再次阅读。由此可知，导致理解危机的原因是学生没有能力去思考他们阅读的内容，故答案为D。A项、B项和C项原文均未提及，故排除。