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 if they have a chance to get a higher education at all.The SAT score,whether it is 800,1100 or 1550,has become 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 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 mathematics

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

解析：这是一道细节推断题。 根据第一段中的“which is used to determine whether they will be admitted to the college or university of their choice,or even if they have a chance to get a higher education at all”可判断出SAT测试的目的是测试学生的学习能力。

2.A

解析：这是一道细节推断题。根据第二段中的“It is obvious that if students value highly their test scores,then a great amount of their self-respect is put in the number.”可判断出SAT的分数对学生的自尊心造成了影响。

3.A

解析：这是一道细节推断题。根据第二段中的“they fear that many of life’s doors will remain forever closed”可推断出a prestigious university是一所著名的大学，因为如果在著名的大学毕业，就会找到好的工作，否则将会使生活的大门永远关闭。

4.D

解析：这是一道主旨题。这篇短文讲述了SAT的测试，而这种测试对学生的一生造成了极大的影响，所以这篇短文主要是关于SAT和它的影响。