Question

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(指示物) 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（学业水平）,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（潜力）. 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 will                             B．academic ability

C．full potentialities                        D．confidence in school work

2.Students’ self-respect is influenced by their     .

A．scores in the SAT                        B．achievements in mathematic

C．job opportunities                       D．money spent on education

3.“A prestigious university” is most probably      .

A．a famous university                      B．a technical university

C．a traditional university                    D．an expensive university

4.This passage is mainly about       .

A．how to prepare for the SAT                B．stress caused by the SAT

C．American higher education                D．the SAT and its effects

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.A

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：本文主要就是讲述了美国的SAT考试以及这种考试对学生的影响。

1.B 细节题。根据第一段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.说明SAT是一种决定学生能否上大学的考试，有由具体的分数，说明这个考试主要关注的是学生的学习成绩，与能力无关。故B正确。

2.A 细节题。根据第二段前4行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.说明这种考试给学生带来的影响很大，分数越低，学生感觉就越不好。故A正确。

3.A 推理题。根据本句And without a degree from a prestigious university, they fear that many of life’s doors will remain forever closed. 说明是指如果不能被名校录取，那么生活的大门就会关闭，故A正确。

4.D 主旨大意题。本文主要就是讲述了美国的SAT考试以及这种考试对学生的影响。故D项正确。

考点：考查社会知识类短文