Question

As a junior at McGill University, Doreen Sykora had a difficult time when she first began college. She said, “I was always well prepared for my examinations. But when I go into class to take the exam, I would fall apart. I could just blank out because of nervousness and fear.” Hitoshi Sakamoto, an anthropology(人类学) student at Temple University in Tokyo reports similar experiences.

These two young students were experiencing something called test anxiety. Because a student worries and is stressed about a test, his or her mind does not work as well as it usually does. The student cannot write or think clearly because of the severe tension and nervousness.

Now there are special university courses to help students. In these courses, advisors and psychologists try to help students by teaching them to manage test anxiety. Such a course helps students learn to live with stress and not fail because of it. First students take a practice test to measure their worry level. If the tests show that their stress level is high, the students can take a short course to manage the fear. These courses teach students how to relax their bodies. They get training to become calm in very tense situations. By controlling their nervousness, they can let their minds work more easily. Learned information then comes out without difficulty on a test.

Doreen Sykora saw immediate results after taking such a course. She now has enthusiasm about the relaxation methods. “Mostly, what I do is imagine myself in a very calm place. Then I imagine myself picking up a pencil. I move slowly and carefully. I breathe easily and let all the tension out. With each breath, more worry leaves me. It really works too. My grades have improved greatly! I’m really doing well at McGill now. This relaxation method works not only on examinations, but it has improved the rest of my life as well.”

For Hitoshi in Tokyo, the results were much the same. He is enjoying school a lot more and learning more.

1.What is the similarity between Doreen Sykora and Hitoshi Sakamoto?

A. They both had experiences of test anxiety.

B. They failed in all the examinations.

C. They are students from the same university.

D. They both had the same poor studying habits.

2.The underlined phrase “blank out” in Paragraph 1 refers to “_______.”

A. get an extra paper

B. be unable to think clearly

C. lose interest in the exam

D. refuse to take the exam

3.What’s the purpose of some special university student-help courses?

A. To learn more knowledge about test anxiety.

B. To show a stress level experienced by students.

C. To help students to reduce test anxiety.

D. To have a better understanding of test anxiety.

Answer 1

1.A

2.B

3.C

【解析】

试题分析：本文是一篇关于考试焦虑的文章，主要讲述的是Doreen Sykora和Hitoshi两个患有考试焦虑的同学通过上一些特别的课程来帮助他们克服焦虑，及是如何帮助学生的。

1. two young students were experiencing something called test anxiety’’中可以看出这两个年轻学生都经历着同样的事情，即考试焦虑，故选A。

2. could just blank out because of nervousness and fear”可知因为紧张和害怕所以我不能.....，第二段最后一句“The student cannot write or think clearly because of the severe tension and nervousness.”可知因为非常紧张和不安，学生不能很条理清晰的思考和写作，故选B。

3. a course helps students learn to live with stress and not fail because of it”这种课程是帮助学生学会与压力共处并不再因为压力而考试失败；“These courses teach students how to relax their bodies.”这些课程教导学生如何放松他们的身体；“They get training to become calm in very tense situations”通过训练他们能在非常紧张的环境下冷静下来，可知这些课程的目的是帮助学生减少和克服考试焦虑，故选C。

考点：考查社会现象类阅读