Question

【题目】Scores on English tests are very important to students around the world. In order to make sure that they do their best, both students and teachers should stay informed of how these tests are changing.

Clive Roberts is a director at ELS Educational Services, one of the companies that trains students in English. Mr. Roberts says the tests are changing greatly in response to the global growth in the use of English as a lingua franca – the common language used among people with different native languages.

Mr. Roberts says English “is one of the keys now to international student mobility. So, for that reason, __【1】___; old tests are being revamped to meet the needs of universities and employers worldwide.”

In other words, students increasingly need English in order to study and work in other countries. So, schools and businesses are asking for more accurate tests.

___【2】___

Mr. Roberts says several parts of standardized tests have changed recently. Now, many tests are given on computers. And, he says, tests measure all four skills of language learning: reading, listening, speaking and writing.

"A lot of are now delivered online, all four skills are being tested, in some cases, by computer, in particular speaking and writing skills, which are the most difficult to assess on a computer environment."

Computer testing will reduce the length of time required for testing, because the tests adjust to the test-taker’s ability. These computer-adaptive tests also increase accuracy in scoring. Computer-adaptive tests change depending on the test-taker’s responses. They can become more or less difficult during the testing session. For this reason, the set of correct answers will be different for each test-taker.

___【3】__

Another change to language testing relates to cultural sensitivity. The term refers to material on a test that is based on a certain culture or is hard for test-takers from different cultures to understand.

Mr. Roberts says test development companies are now hiring people with intercultural communication backgrounds to review test items. The companies want to make sure the test does not upset test-takers. Having negative feelings may affect a student's performance on the test.

___【4】__

Changes to English proficiency tests make them better at measuring the learners' ability. However, Mr. Roberts says the changes may mean the tests are more difficult for some students.

"The tests have become more proficiency-oriented. The items are being designed in such a way that they test real-world proficiency and not simply sort of an artificial environment or a specific set of skills that are taught in a classroom. So a lot of authentic texts, a lot of authentic listening passages are being used.”

The changes mean students have to be able to understand English the way it is used in everyday life, not just in textbooks.

__【5】___

Another big change is the way in which a student's performance on the tests is measured. Mr. Roberts says that many tests are measured according to the Common European Frame of Reference (CERF) scale of language proficiency.

This measurement, Mr. Roberts says, “is similar to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) guidelines, which are used by American universities and government agencies, respectively.”

The rating scales and guidelines are designed to show what the learner is able to do in the areas of speaking, reading, listening and writing.

Mr. Roberts says, “It gives a description of what they can do with the language and then assigns a numerical value to that particular level.”

Mr. Roberts says he believes linking the scores and the scales means the tests provide more useful information about a learner’s ability than they did before.

In addition, changes to the tests will encourage schools to teach their students to use English for everyday life and study.

A.Cultural sensitivity

B.What the tests measure

C.a lot of new tests are being developed

D.Difficulties in language testing

E.Changes in language testing

F.new tests are being measured by some language experts

G.Accuracy in language testing

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】E

【3】A

【4】G

【5】B

【解析】

试题分析:这篇文章主要介绍了新的英语测试的相关变化，并总结出新的英语测试变得越来越完善，但是也越来越难。

【1】C.由后面的old tests are being revamped to meet the needs of universities and employers worldwide.句意为为了满足全球的大学生及雇员的需求，旧的考试都被更新了可以推断出许多新的考试出现了。故选C。

【2】E．由后面的several parts of standardized tests have changed recently.句意为最近标准的英语考试有几个部分已经改变了可以推断出这段是讲语言测试中的变化。故选E。

【3】A．由后面的Another change to language testing relates to cultural sensitivity .句意为语言测试的另一个变化与文化感受性有关可以推断出此处为文化的感受性。故选A。

【4】G．由后面的Changes to English proficiency tests make them better at measuring the learners' ability .句意为有效的英语测试的变化使它们能更好地评估学习者的能力可以推断出语言测试变得更精确了。故选G。

【5】B．由后面的Another big change is the way in which a student's performance on the tests is measured. .句意为另一个大的改变是学生在考试中的表现被评估的方式可以推断出该考试所评估的内容。故选B。