Wemightmarvelattheprogressmadeineveryfieldofstudy,butthemethodsoftestingaperson'sknowledgeandabilityremainasprimitiveasevertheywere.Itreallyisextraordinarythatafteralltheseyears,educationistshavestillfailedtodeviceanythingmoreefficientandreliablethanexaminations.Forallthepiousclaimthatexaminationstextwhatyouknow,itiscommonknowledgethattheymoreoftendotheexactopposite.Theymaybeagoodmeansoftestingmemory,ortheknackofworkingrapidlyunderextremepressure,buttheycantellyounothingaboutaperson'strueabilityandaptitude.
Asanxiety-makers,examinationsaresecondtonone.Thatisbecausesomuchdependsonthem.Theyarethemarkofsuccessoffailureinoursociety.Yourwholefuturemaybedecidedinonefatefulday.Itdoesn'tmatterthatyouweren'tfeelingverywell,orthatyourmotherdied.Littlethingslikethatdon'tcount:theexamgoeson.Noonecangiveofhisbestwhenheisinmortalterror,orafterasleeplessnight,yetthisispreciselywhattheexaminationsystemexpectshimtodo.Themomentachildbeginsschool,heentersaworldofviciouscompetitionwheresuccessandfailureareclearlydefinedandmeasured.Canwewonderattheincreasingnumberof'drop-outs':youngpeoplewhoarewrittenoffasutterfailuresbeforetheyhaveevenembarkedonacareer?Canwebesurprisedatthesuiciderateamongstudents?
Agoodeducationshould,amongotherthings,trainyoutothinkforyourself.Theexaminationsystemdoesanythingbutthat.Whathastobelearntisrigidlylaiddownbyasyllabus,sothestudentisencouragedtomemorize.Examinationsdonotmotivateastudenttoreadwidely,buttorestricthisreading;theydonotenablehimtoseekmoreandmoreknowledge,butinducecramming.Theylowerthestandardsofteaching,fortheydeprivetheteacherofallfreedoms.Teachersthemselvesareoftenjudgedbyexaminationresultsandinsteadofteachingtheirsubjects,theyarereducedtotrainingtheirstudentsinexamtechniqueswhichtheydespise.Themostsuccessfulcandidatesarenotalwaysthebesteducated;theyarethebesttrainedinthetechniqueofworkingunderduress.
Theresultsonwhichsomuchdependsareoftennothingmorethanasubjectiveassessmentbysomeanonymousexaminer.Examinersareonlyhuman.Theygettiredandhungry;theymakemistakes.Yettheyhavetomarkstacksofhastilyscrawledscriptsinalimitedamountoftime.Theyworkunderthesamesortofpressureasthecandidates.Andtheirwordcarriesweight.Afterajudge'sdecisionyouhavetherightofappeal,butnotafteranexaminer's.Theremustsurelybemanysimplerandmoreeffectivewaysofassessingaperson'strueabilities.Isitcynicaltosuggestthatexaminationsaremerelyaprofitablebusinessfortheinstitutionsthatrunthem?Thisiswhatitboilsdowntointhelastanalysis.Thebestcommentonthesystemisthisilliteratemessagerecentlyscrawledonawall:'Iwereateenagedrop-outandnowIareateenagemillionaire.'
1.Themainideaofthispassageis______
[A]examinationsexertaperniciousinfluenceoneducation.
[B]examinationsareineffective.
[C]examinationsareprofitableforinstitutions.
[D]examinationsareaburdenonstudents.
2.Theauthor'sattitudetowardexaminationsis______
3.Thefateofstudentsisdecidedby______
4.Accordingtotheauthor,themostimportantofagoodeducationis______
[A]toencouragestudentstoreadwidely.
[B]totrainstudentstothinkontheirown.
[C]toteachstudentshowtotackleexams.
5.Whydoestheauthormentioncourt?______
[C]Itshowsthatteachers'evolutionsdependontheresultsofexaminations.
[D]Itshowstheresultsofcourtismoreeffectise.
3.writeoff勾销，注销。确认某食物已损失或无效
5.cram塞入，把某物塞进，突击式学习(尤指应考)，以注入方式教人
8.scrawl写/画(的内容不工整，不仔细)潦草的笔迹，七扭八歪的字
1.Forallthepiousclaimthatexaminationstestwhatyouknow,itiscommonknowledgethattheymoreoftendotheexactopposite.
【参考译文】尽管所有那些虔诚的说法说考试能测定你所知道的东西，但其结果常常是适得其反，这是众所周之的常识。
2.Asanxiety-makers,examinationsaresecondtonone.
【结构简析】secondtonone固定搭配，义：不亚于任何人或事物。
【参考译文】(测)考试作为忧虑的制造者，真是出类拔萃。
3.inducecramming
诱人采用突击式学习方式。Cram尽力塞入，应试突击学习。EX:cramforachemistrytest.为应付化学考试而临时抱佛脚。Crampupils以填鸭式教学生。
4.Yetyouhavetomarkstacksofhastilyscrawledscriptsinalimitedamountoftime.
【参考译文】他们不得不在限定的时间内，给一大堆匆忙涂写而成的笔试答卷批分。
5.Andtheirwordcarriesweight.
【参考译文】可他们的话/文字(这里指分数)有份量(有影响)。
6.Thisiswhatitboilsdowntointhelastanalysis.
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