单选题 According to South Korea"s new visa regulations, native speakers of English who intend to teach English in South Korea will be required to undergo criminal record checks, medical and drug tests, provide sealed academic transcripts and have their university diplomas inspected, The Korea Times has reported. The tightened regulations will affect an estimated 17000 foreigners that hold E-2 visas specifically for foreign language teachers.
The most controversial requirement is that English teachers residing outside South Korea will have to have an interview at a South Korean embassy before taking up their teaching posts. For applicants living in remote areas in Canada, Australia or the US, this is an additional travel burden. Meanwhile, foreign teachers currently living in South Korea must leave the country after their one-year contracts end and renew their visas at a South Korean embassy in their home country or third country. Before the changes, they could renew their visas by visiting a neighboring country and return without additional documentation.
The visa changes are a reaction to public concern about the suitability of some foreign teachers. A report from the South Korean Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development shows between 2001 and August of this year, 1481 foreign language teachers have been caught for a range of offenses including forged degrees, visa violations and general lawbreaking.
But the changes are likely to slow up the supply of teachers to South Korea"s English language education sector. According to Michael Duffy, manager of a teacher placement service in South Korea, applicants have to spend a few hundred dollars and several months on getting affidavits for documents. "South Korea has put up too many hoops to jump through." he said, adding that foreigners would seek work elsewhere. Most foreigners wonder if the experience of working in South Korea will be worth the burden of the paper work and increasing restrictions. "I don"t think (South) Korea has thought this through." said Scott McInnis, a Canadian teacher based in Incheon near Seoul. "This is a reactionary move by the government that will have strong implications for the EFL community."
As part of efforts to ease the discontent, the South Korean Ministry of Justice has granted a three-month grace period for current E-2 visa holders to prepare the necessary documents.
单选题 Which of the following is NOT required of an E-2 visa applicant?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 问题是以下哪一项不是对持有E-2签证的申请人的要求。从文章第一段第一句我们知道,申请人得做B项、C项和D项中提到的各种审核,但没有提到要参加韩语测试。
单选题 Before the change of visas regulation, foreign teachers living in South Korean can ______ to teach again.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 问题是在新的规定实行前,住在韩国的外籍教师在他们的一年合同期满后如果要继续任教要做什么。第二段的最后一句说到“...renew their visas by visiting a neighboring country...”因此,答案是C项。
单选题 In paragraph 4, the word "reactionary move" in the sentence means ______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 这是词汇题,考查对reactionary move的理解,从文中可看出,加拿大籍教师认为这是一个欠考虑的决定,也是一个颠覆性的决定,即和以前完全不同的规定,可以看出这一变化并不得人心。
单选题 What does EFL refer to?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 该题考查读者的常识,即EFL这个英语缩略词代表的含义,应该指英语作为外语,前三个选项都不对,因为它不涉及学习者。
单选题 The new visa policy aims at ______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 问题是新签证制度的目的是什么。文中第三段的第一句“The visa changes are a reaction to public concern about the suitability of some foreign teachers.”显然,有些外籍英语教师不合格,而此次政策的改变旨在提高韩国的外语教学水平,所以选B。