EDUCATION REPORT - SAT Examination

By Nancy Steinbach
EDUCATION REPORT -July 25, 2002: SAT Examination¹

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Each year, millions of people around the world apply to study at American colleges or
universities. The most widely used college admissions² test is called the S-A-T. More than
three-million of the tests were given last year.

The S-A-T was first used for college admissions in nineteen-twenty-six. Its purpose was to
help college officials identify which students would be successful in college.

Critics say the test has not always done this. Research suggests that students from rich families do
better on the S-A-T test than students whose parents are poor. For example, many rich students are
able to improve their scores on the test after taking costly³ preparation classes.

Critics also say many African-American and Hispanic teenagers score lower on the test than
students of other ethnic⁴ groups.

The College Board is a non-profit higher education association⁵ that owns the S-A-T. It recently
announced major changes in the test. It says the new S-A-T will better test a student’s reasoning
and thinking skills. Education experts say the new test will show how well students have learned⁶
material taught in high school.

The first change will end analogy⁷ questions on the S-A-T. Analogies⁸ are words with meanings that are linked.
Critics have said that such questions show only a knowledge of words, not reasoning skills. The analogy
questions will be replaced with questions that better show the student ’s reading ability.

The second major change will add higher level mathematics questions. The final change will add a writing test.
Students will have about thirty minutes to write about their reactions to a question or statement.

Last year, the president of the University of California, Richard Atkinson, called on his school to stop using the
S-A-T as an entrance requirement. He said the skills it tests are not taught in high school. He said the results of
the test do not show if students are prepared to attend college.

College Board officials say those comments caused them to move quickly to change the test. However, they say
they had been discussing such changes for some time. They say students will begin taking the new S-A-T in
March, two-thousand-five. It will affect students planning to enter college in the fall of two-thousand-six.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by Nancy Steinbach.

Email this article to a friend

Printer Friendly Version

1 examination   

n.考试，考查，试题；检查，调查

参考例句：

• Teachers always judge their students on the final examination.老师常根据期末考试来评价他们的学生。
• He put up a good show in the final examination.他在期末考试中表现得不错。

2 admissions   

n.准许进入( admission的名词复数 )；入场费；入场券；承认

参考例句：

• a need-blind admissions policy 不考虑经济能力的录取政策
• He's the Dean of Admissions for the University of Michigan. 他是Michigan大学的新生注册主任。 来自辞典例句

3 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

4 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

5 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

6 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

7 analogy   

n.类似，相似，类比，类推

参考例句：

• It is not always reliable to argue by analogy.靠类推法论证并不总是可靠的。
• A close analogy with the art of singing can be made.可以用歌唱艺术作类比。

8 analogies   

类似( analogy的名词复数 )； 相似； 类推； 类推法

参考例句：

• His efforts involved thought experiments and analogies, rather than detailed experimentation. 他所进行的是思维实验及类推，而不是细致的实验。
• Historical analogies,as between Napoleon and Hitler,ought not to be carried too far. 历史的类比，如拿破仑与希特勒之间的类比，不应做过头。