题目内容
Standardized exam in American public education are being reformed. Over the next four years, hundreds of university professors and testing experts will work together to design new assessment system.
The new tests will be computer-based and will measure higher-order skills ignored by the multiple-choice exams used in all states,including students’ ability to read complex texts, synthesize(合成)information and do research projects.
Because the new tests will be computerized and will be administered several times throughout the school year, they can provide faster feedback(反馈)to teachers.If these plans work out, It’ll turn the current testing system upside down.
One group,led by Florida,will be made up of 25 states and the District of Columbia.The group was awarded $170 million.The other group, whose membership over-laps the first,has31 states and is led by Washington.The group was given $160 million.Twelve of the 44 states are
participating in both groups but are expected eventually to choose one set of tests.
The two groups are supposed to work in a friendly competition,though their plans are very similar.Both groups will produce tests that rely heavily on technology and both groups’ tests will include so-called performance-based tasks,designed to mirror complex,real-world situations.
In performance-based tasks,students are given a problem-they could be told, for example, to suppose they are a mayor who needs to reduce a city’s pollution—and must write about how they would solve the problem.
The new tests could be useful to teachers by giving them information on what their students are learning, but it might also require some mid-course adjustments.
Over the past decade, the federal No Child Left Behind law has emphasized helping low-achieving students improve their basic reading and math by encouraging states to produce tests that measure relatively low-1evel skills. Although the Bush-era law is still on the books, two
years of Obama administration policy have been leading schools in new directions.
1.. . What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Obama’s education policy takes the lead.
B. A computer-based testing system is adopted.
C. American education system has been changed.
D. Experts are reinventing the student testing system.
2.. Why are multiple-choice exams to be given up?
A. Because they are not computer-based.
B. Because they can’t test students’ higher-order skills.
C. Because they can’t provide proper feedback for teachers.
D. Because they can’t test students’ general reading ability.
3.. The underlined part in Para. 4 probably means________.
A. the two groups have some shared members
B. the other group is more demanding than the first
C. the groups have different tasks of their own
D. the other group does better than the first group in the task
4.. According to the passage, performance-based tasks may refer to tasks that______.
A. are related to real-world problems
B. have to be performed in an imaginary world
C. teach us theories through complex problems
D. can only be completed by relying heavily on technology
5.. . From the last paragraph, we can infer that_________.
A. the No child Left Behind policy is not helpful
B. the Obama administration’s policy is highly praised
C. the two policies both emphasize math and reading abilities
D. the two policies both emphasize the development of practical skills
1..D
2..B
3..A
4..A
5..D
【解析】 略
From the health point of view we are living in a marvelous age. We are immunized (免疫) from birth against many of the most dangerous diseases. A large number of once deadly illnesses can now be cured by modern drugs and medical treatment. It is almost certain that one day cures will be found for the most stubborn remaining diseases. The expectation of life has increased enormously. But though the possibility of living a long and happy life is greater than ever before, every day we witness the unbelievable slaughter (屠杀) of men, women and children on the roads. Man vs the motor-car! It is a never-ending battle which man is losing. Thousands of people the world over are killed or horribly killed each year and we are quietly sitting back and letting it happen.
It has been rightly said that when a man is sitting behind a steering wheel (方向盘), his car becomes the extension of his personality. There is no doubt that the motor-car often brings out a man’s very worst qualities. People who are normally quiet and pleasant may become unrecognizable when they are behind a steering-wheel. They are ill-mannered and aggressive, willful as two-year-olds and absolutely selfish. All their hidden disappointments and regrets seem to be brought by the act of driving.
The surprising thing is that society smiles so kindly on the motorist and seems to forgive his behavior. Everything is done for his convenience. Cities are allowed to become almost impossible to live in because of heavy tragic; towns are made ugly by huge car parks; the countryside is ruined by road networks; and the mass annual slaughter becomes nothing more than a statistic, to be conveniently forgotten.
It is high time a world system of laws were created to reduce this senseless waste of human life. As for driving, the laws of some countries are not strict and even the strictest are not strict enough. Here are a few examples of some the things that might be done. The driving test should be standardized and made far more difficult than it is; all the drivers should be made to take a test every three years or so; the age at which young people are allowed to drive any vehicle should be raised to at least 21; all vehicles should be put through strict annual tests for safety. Even the smallest amount of alcohol in the blood can affect a person’s driving ability. Present drinking and driving laws (where they exist) should be made much stricter. Maximum and minimum speed limits should be introduced on all roads. Governments should lay down safety specifications (规范) for manufacturers, as has been done in the USA. All advertising stressing power and performance should be banned. These measures may sound inordinately severe. But surely nothing should be considered as too severe if it results in reducing the annual toll of human life. After all, the world is for human beings, not motor-cars.
【小题1】The main idea of this passage is _________.
A.Traffic accidents are mainly caused by motorists. |
B.Thousands of people the world over are killed each year. |
C.The laws of some countries about driving are not too strict. |
D.Only stricter traffic laws can prevent accidents. |
A.Society laughs at the motorists. |
B.Huge car parks are built in the cities and towns. |
C.Victims of accidents are nothing. |
D.Society forgives their rude driving. |
A.Driving can show his real self. |
B.Driving can show the other part of his personality. |
C.Driving can bring out his character. |
D.His car can express his temper. |
A.Build more highways. | B.Make stricter driving tests |
C.Test drivers every three years. | D.Raise age limit and lay down safety specifications. |
A.ironical | B.critical | C.appealing | D.favorable |