As a professor at a large American university, there is a phrase that I often hear from students: “I’m only a 1,050.” The unlucky students are speaking of the score on the Schoolastic 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, 1,100 or 1,550, has become the focus at his 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 in 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 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. 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 the 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” in para.2 is most probably _______.

A. a famous school    

B. a technical school

C. a traditional school  

D. an expensive school

4. The 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

5. What is the writer’s attitude towards the SAT?

A. Subjective    

B. Objective

C. Critical 

D. Approving

I fell in love with Yosemite National Park the first time I saw it, when I was 13 . My parents took us there for camping. On the way out, I asked them to wait while I ran up to EL Capitan, a  36  rock of 3,300 feet straight up. I touched that giant rock and knew  37  I wanted to climb it. That has been my life’s passion ever since— 38  the rocks and mountains of Yosemite. I’ve long made Yosemite my  39 .

About 15 years ago I started seeing a lot of  40 , like toilet paper, beer cans, and empty boxes, around the area. It’s  41  me why visitors started respecting the place 42  and treated such a beautiful home-like place this way.

I tried  43 trash myself, but the job was too big. I would  44  an hour or two on the job, only to find the area trashed all over again weeks later. Finally, I got so  45  it that I decided something had to change.

As a rock-climbing guide, I knew  46  about organizing any big event. But in 2004, together with some climbers, I set a date for a  47 . On that day, more than 300 people  48 . Over three days we collected about 6,000 pounds of trash. It was amazing how much we were able to  49 . I couldn’t believe the  50  we made —the park looked clean!

Each year volunteers come for the cleanup from everywhere. In 2007 alone, 2,945 people picked up 42,330 pounds of trash and  51  132 miles of roadway.

I often hear people  52  about their surroundings. If you are one of them, I would say the only way to change things is by  53  rather than complaining. We need to teach by  54 . You can’t blame others  55  you start with yourself.

1.                A．narrow         B．loose           C．distant   D．huge

2.                A．gradually       B．recently        C．immediately   D．finally

3.                A．describing      B．climbing        C．imagining D．painting

4.                A．lab            B．palace          C．garden   D．home

5.                A．waste          B．goods          C．material  D．resources

6.                A．over           B．within          C．beyond   D．against

7.                A．less            B．least           C．more D．most

8.                A．breaking down   B．digging out      C．throwing away D．picking up

9.                A．wait           B．spend          C．kill  D．save

10.               A．tired of         B．used to         C．satisfied with   D．delighted in

11.               A．everything      B．nothing         C．something D．anything

12.               A．picnic          B．concert        C．cleanup   D．party

13.               A．looked around   B．called back      C．dropped out    D．showed up

14.               A．accomplish      B．overcome       C．demand   D．receive

15.               A．contact         B．difference      C．plan  D．visit

16.               A．covered        B．designed       C．crossed   D．measured

17.               A．argue          B．quarrel         C．talk   D．complain

18.               A．questioning     B．watching        C．doing D．thinking

19.               A．example        B．research        C．method   D．explanation

20.               A．when          B．unless          C．although   D．if

I fell in love with Yosemite National Park the first time I saw it, when I was 13 . My parents took us there for camping. On the way out, I asked them to wait while I ran up to EL Capitan, a  36  rock of 3,300 feet straight up. I touched that giant rock and knew  37  I wanted to climb it. That has been my life’s passion ever since— 38  the rocks and mountains of Yosemite. I’ve long made Yosemite my  39 .
About 15 years ago I started seeing a lot of  40 , like toilet paper, beer cans, and empty boxes, around the area. It’s  41  me why visitors started respecting the place 42  and treated such a beautiful home-like place this way.
I tried  43 trash myself, but the job was too big. I would  44  an hour or two on the job, only to find the area trashed all over again weeks later. Finally, I got so  45  it that I decided something had to change.
As a rock-climbing guide, I knew  46  about organizing any big event. But in 2004, together with some climbers, I set a date for a  47 . On that day, more than 300 people  48 . Over three days we collected about 6,000 pounds of trash. It was amazing how much we were able to  49 . I couldn’t believe the  50  we made —the park looked clean!
Each year volunteers come for the cleanup from everywhere. In 2007 alone, 2,945 people picked up 42,330 pounds of trash and  51  132 miles of roadway.
I often hear people  52  about their surroundings. If you are one of them, I would say the only way to change things is by  53  rather than complaining. We need to teach by  54 . You can’t blame others  55  you start with yourself.

As a professor at a large American university, there is a phrase that I often hear from students: “I’m only a 1,050.” The unlucky students are speaking of the score on the Schoolastic 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, 1,100 or 1,550, has become the focus at his 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 in 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 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. 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 the many methods used.
【小题1】 The purpose of the SAT is to test students’ _________.

－Miss Jones once _________ music at a local college for ten years and now is an actress.

－No wonder I often hear her sing some pop songs.

A．had taught         B．has been teaching   C．taught            D．is teaching