Testing has replaced teaching in most public schools. My own children's school week is framed by pretests, drills, tests, and retests. They know that the best way to read a textbook is to look at the questions at the end of the chapter and then skim the text for the answers. I believe that my daughter Erica, who gets excellent marks, has never read a chapter of any of her school textbooks all the way through. And teachers are often heard to state proudly and openly that they teach to the mandated (国家指定的) state test.

    Teaching to the test is a curious phenomenon. Instead of deciding what skills students ought to learn, helping students learn them, and then using some reasonable methods of assessment to discover whether students have mastered the skills, teachers are encouraged to reverse the process. First, one looks at a commercially available test. Then, one distills (提取) the skills needed not to master reading, say, or math, but to do well on the test. Finally, the test skills are taught.

    The ability to read or write or calculate might infer the ability to do reasonably well on standardized tests. However, neither reading nor writing develops simply through being taught to take tests. We must be careful to avoid mistaking preparation for a test of a skill with the acquisition of that skill. Too many discussions of the basics of skills make this fundamental confusion because people are test-centered rather than concerned with the nature and quality of what is taught.

    Recently, many schools have faced what could be called the crisis of comprehension or, in simple terms, the phenomenon of students with phonic and grammar skills still being unable to understand what they read. These students are capable of taking tests and filling in workbooks. However, they have little or no experience reading or thinking, and talking about what they read. They know the details but can't see or understand the whole. They are taught to be so concerned with grade that they have' no time or ease of mind to think about meaning, and reread things if necessary.

1.As is indicated in the second paragraph, the author finds it strange that __.

    A. tests are used to assess students' skills

    B. skills are determined before tests are set

    C. teaching is aimed to prepare students for tests

    D. teachers use some reasonable methods of assessment

2.The crisis of comprehension most probably results from __.

    A. students' poor phonic and grammar skills

    B. teaching that takes up much of students' free time

    C. teaching that emphasizes details rather than the whole

    D. students' lack of ability to think about what they read

3.According to the author, we can infer that __.

    A. the basics of skills have been discussed too much

    B. the nature and quality of what is taught are fully concerned

    C. skills in general are not only useless but often mislead students

D. doing well in a test does not necessarily mean acquiring the skill

After my 21 second－graders finished reciting the text, they settled back in their seats. But Duane remained __1__. Duane was a bright and lovable student, __2__ his mother, a single parent, had many problems such as drinking. __3__ that he might have had a bad night, I walked over to him to see what was wrong. As he looked up, I could see the __4__ in his dark eyes.

“ Mrs. Brown, aren't you going to open my present？” he asked __5__. “I put it on your desk.”

Getting back his gift from my desk, he handed it to me. I noticed my gift __6__ to be a matchbox. Duane told me that this was really a jewelry box __7__ a matchbox. As I opened it, the __8__ of two beer caps surprised me. Duane __9__ me that they were two silver earrings. He had noticed that I  __10__ wore earrings and wanted me to have some pretty ones.

I was __11__ by Duane's creativity and thoughtfulness. __12__ birth, one of my ears was slightly deformed (畸形的). Fearing that wearing earrings might __13__ to the ear, I avoided wearing them. But how could I __14__ to wear these precious earrings given by this __15__ child?

As I placed the earrings on my ears, my __16__ clapped, and Duane stood proudly beside me.

Since then, the matchbox remained on my desk. It __17__ me of Duane's act of kindness and the lessons he taught me. Although his __18__ at home was bad,  Duane continued to see the good in life. Although poor, he still wanted to __19__. Whenever I see Duane's gift on my desk, I feel encouraged. If I am having __20__ reaching a student, I'll try to be like Duane and give that student a piece of my heart.

1. A. sitting            B. crying          C. standing       D. speaking

2. A. unless            B. though          C. so           D. since

3. A. Wondering         B. Thinking       C. Finding       D. Pointing

4. A. hope              B. joy             C. hurt         D. determination

5. A. disappointedly      B. angrily          C. happily      D. shyly

6. A. happened          B. appeared        C. used         D. ought

7. A. as well as          B. more than       C. except for   D. rather than

8. A. shape             B. color           C. design       D. sight

9. A. persuaded         B. fooled          C. told         D. encouraged

10. A. only             B. often           C. once         D. never

11. A. frightened        B. touched         C. knocked      D. influenced

12. A. Since             B. Until          C. Before       D. By

13. A. do harm           B. draw attention

C. add weight         D. have an effect

14. A. refuse            B. offer           C. agree         D. wait

15. A. generous          B. honest          C. special       D. sad

16. A. hands             B. class           C. audience      D. friends

17. A. convinced          B. reminded

C. proved            D. showed

18. A. performance       B. experience

C. situation           D. health

19. A please             B. take            C. give          D. accept

20. A. chance            B. possibility       C. intention      D. difficulty

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项中，选出一个最佳答案。

A shopkeeper in England was sent a telegram 1 him of the news 2 his 3 won 100,000 pounds in the Irish Sweepstakes(爱尔兰大马赛). He 4 to be home nursing a heart condition, and his wife opened the message. 5 that the 6 news might 7 a heart failure to her husband, she invited the family 8 to dinner and asked him 9 on the good news with professional tact(策略).After dinner, the doctor 10 his patient to one side.

“How are you 11 on with your business?” the doctor began.

“It could be better. I could use a few hundred pounds,” said the shopkeeper.

“Well,”the doctor said 12 ,“you have a sweepstakes ticket. What would you do if you 13 1,000 pounds?”

“Nobody 14  wins,”the an answered with a sigh(叹息).“But if I win, I will send my family to the seashore, and 15 off our debts.”

“ 16 you win 50,000 pounds…”

“I would buy this house and a villa(别墅) 17 the country.”

“What would you do if you won 100,000 pounds?”

The man looked up.“ Listen, my friend,” he said 18 .“I swear(发誓)I would give you half of it.”

19 this, the doctor gasped(喘粗气), opened his mouth, and dropped 20 .

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