VOA慢速英語:SAT考試改革為難國際學(xué)生

所屬教程:Education Report

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[00:00.00]From VOA Learning English, [00:00.47]this is the Education Report. [00:03.56]The organization that administers a widely-used college entrance test [00:09.09]called the SAT will change examination in 2016. [00:14.81]The Not-for-Profit College Board [00:17.38]announced that it no longer will test students on rarely used words. [00:22.61]Students also will not be required [00:25.80]to provide a writing work called an essay. [00:29.51]And the new SAT will include passages from American historical documents [00:36.18]or from writings on issues like freedom and human rights. [00:41.43]The SAT is one of two major tests [00:44.84]for entrance to American colleges and universities. [00:49.63]The other test is called the ACT. [00:53.54]Test scores help colleges decide if the candidate can succeed at their schools. [00:59.74]More than 2 million students take the SAT yearly, [01:04.91]they include about 100,000 foreign students. [01:08.99]Nigerian student Peace Umoru is in her first year [01:14.33]at Howard University in Washington, D.C. [01:18.05]Ms Umoru says she thinks the new test will be easier, [01:22.20]because of the removal of rarely used words. [01:26.05]She says that is the hardest part for international students. [01:31.18]The College Board says words on the new test will relate to usage. [01:36.08]Students will be asked to identify the meaning of words [01:40.02]based on the way they are used in reading passages. [01:43.89]Eddie West is with the National Association for College Admission Counseling. [01:49.71]He says the new test will better predict a student's performance in college. [01:55.91]"Personally, I feel like the changes are moving the test [01:59.01]in a more positive direction insofar as they link up with skills [02:04.39]and abilities that students will need to succeed, [02:06.66]not just in getting into a college, university, [02:09.54]but in succeeding once there," said West. [02:11.54]But Mr West says the addition of material related to American historical documents [02:18.65]could make the test harder for international students. [02:22.59]"It is going to be relatively uncommon for an international student [02:26.64]to be really conversant with the Declaration of Independence [02:29.88]or Martin Luther King Jr.'s work, or anything else along those lines [02:34.71]that might be cited in the test," said West. [02:36.19]Jamaican Shanique Campbell is a second year student at Howard University. [02:42.32]She called the new material very scary for international students. [02:47.59]"We are already faced with knowing that we are taking an American-based exam, [02:51.78]and so there are a lot of things that we are not prepared for [02:54.53]in terms of what to expect on that exam— [for example], [02:56.48]cultural references that we will not be able to identify with," said Campell. [02:59.97]Bob Schaeffer of the National Center for Fair and Open Testing spoke to VOA by Skype. [03:07.20]"Students from other countries, [03:09.05]particularly those who did not grow up learning English, [03:12.02]are at a double disadvantage. [03:13.62]The test is in a foreign language for them, [03:16.39]and they didn't get test prep. [03:18.35]So, it is harder," said Schaeffer. [03:19.46]But the College Board says it has formed a free, online educational service. [03:25.95]Khan Academy will provide preparation material linked to the newly designed SAT. [03:33.62]And that's the VOA Learning English Education Report. [03:38.64]For more news of education, and for podcasts, [03:42.82]captioned videos and lessons to test your English skills, [03:47.81]visit our website at chinavoa.com. [03:53.99]I'm Jerilyn Watson.

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From VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report.

美國之音英語教學(xué)，這里是教育頻道。

The organization that administers a widely-used college entrance test called the SAT will change examination in 2016. The Not-for-Profit College Board announced that it no longer will test students on rarely used words. Students also will not be required to provide a writing work called an essay. And the new SAT will include passages from American historical documents or from writings on issues like freedom and human rights.

被稱為SAT的廣泛應(yīng)用于大學(xué)入學(xué)考試的管理組織在2016年會做出相應(yīng)的改革。非營利性的大學(xué)理事會宣布不再考非高頻詞匯。也不需要學(xué)生寫論文，新的SAT考試的文章將包括一些美國的文獻資料或者像自由和人權(quán)等的一些議題。

The SAT is one of two major tests for entrance to American colleges and universities. The other test is called the ACT. Test scores help colleges decide if the candidate can succeed at their schools. More than 2 million students take the SAT yearly, they include about 100,000 foreign students.

SAT是美國大學(xué)兩個主要的入學(xué)考試之一，另一個被稱為ACT。大學(xué)將把考試分數(shù)作為是否錄取學(xué)生的依據(jù)。每年有超過20萬學(xué)生參加SAT，其中大約10萬學(xué)生來自國外。

Nigerian student Peace Umoru is in her first year at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Ms Umoru says she thinks the new test will be easier, because of the removal of rarely used words. She says that is the hardest part for international students.

尼日利亞學(xué)生皮斯是華盛頓特區(qū)霍華德大學(xué)的大一新生。Umoru女士說她認為新的入學(xué)考試更簡單了，因為取消了非常見詞的考試。她說，那對于國外的學(xué)生來說是最難的一部分。

The College Board says words on the new test will relate to usage. Students will be asked to identify the meaning of words based on the way they are used in reading passages.

大學(xué)理事會表示新的詞匯考試將會跟平時應(yīng)用相關(guān)。測試方法是讓學(xué)生通過詞匯在文章中的應(yīng)用確定其含義。

Eddie West is with the National Association for College Admission Counseling. He says the new test will better predict a student's performance in college.

埃迪維斯特就職于美國大學(xué)招生咨詢協(xié)會。他表示新的入學(xué)考試將能更好的預(yù)測學(xué)生在大學(xué)的表現(xiàn)。

"Personally, I feel like the changes are moving the test in a more positive direction in so far as they link up with skills and abilities that students will need to succeed, not just in getting into a college, university, but in succeeding once there," said West.

維斯特先生說“我個人認為考試的改革目前正在朝著積極的方面發(fā)展，因為這和學(xué)生自身的技巧和能力相關(guān)，不僅僅是幫助學(xué)生進入大學(xué)而是讓他們在那里獲得成功。”

But Mr West says the addition of material related to American historical documents could make the test harder for international students.

但是新加入的美國歷史文獻對于外國學(xué)生來說考試變得更難了!

"It is going to be relatively uncommon for an international student to be really conversant with the Declaration of Independence or Martin Luther King Jr.'s work, or anything else along those lines that might be cited in the test," said West.

“對于國外學(xué)生來說，獨立宣言或者馬丁路德金的著作或者一些其他與考試相關(guān)的內(nèi)容，他們相對來說并不真正熟悉或者常見到”維斯特說到。

Jamaican Shanique Campbell is a second year student at Howard University. She called the new material very scary for international students.

牙買加人Shanique Campbell是霍華德大學(xué)一名大二學(xué)生。她說新加入的考試材料對國際學(xué)生來說非?？膳?。

"We are already faced with knowing that we are taking an American-based exam, and so there are a lot of things that we are not prepared for in terms of what to expect on that exam — [for example], cultural references that we will not be able to identify with," said Campell.

Campell 說“我們早知道面臨的是美國的考試，因此考試中可能會出現(xiàn)很多我們并沒有準備好的東西。比如說我們無法認同的文化背景。”

Bob Schaeffer of the National Center for Fair and Open Testing spoke to VOA by Skype.

國家公平公開測試中心的鮑勃舍費爾通過Skype與美國之音連線。

"Students from other countries, particularly those who did not grow up learning English, are at a double disadvantage. The test is in a foreign language for them, and they didn't get test prep. So, it is harder," said Schaeffer.

舍費爾表示“來自國外，尤其那些不是從小就學(xué)習(xí)英語的學(xué)生將處于雙重劣勢下。一方面測試是用外語測試，另一方面他們對考試沒做好準備。因此對他們來說考試更難!”

But the College Board says it has formed a free, online educational service. Khan Academy will provide preparation material linked to the newly designed SAT.

但是大學(xué)理事會表示他們建立了一個免費的在線教育服務(wù)平臺。可汗學(xué)院將提供與最新考試相關(guān)的準備材料。

And that's the VOA Learning English Education Report. For more news of education, and for podcasts, captioned videos and lessons to test your English skills, visit our website at chinavoa.com. I'm Jerilyn Watson.

這就是今天美國之音英語教學(xué)教育資訊，想了解更多訪問我們的網(wǎng)站chinavoa.com。

(本文由chinavoa.com翻譯整理，轉(zhuǎn)載請說明出處。)

SAT Revisions Could Hamper International Students