Supplementary Reading >> Culture Notes

I. The SAT

Directions: Listen to several short passages about SAT and then tell the class what you have got about the exam.

1) Definition

The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test which is required for college admission by many colleges and universities in the United States. More colloquially, the test is usually just called “the SAT”. As an alternative to the SAT, some colleges allow students to take the ACT, another standardized test, and some schools have an “SAT optional” policy, meaning that students may submit scores, but they are not required.

2) Development

The first form of the SAT was administered in 1901, when the College Board tested just under 1,000 students. The College Board continues to manage the SAT today, along with an assortment of other standardized tests used in university; the test itself is designed and published by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Since 1901, the SAT has undergone a number of changes which were designed to streamline the testing process and to compensate for shifts in the education system. As of 2007, the last major SAT overhaul was in 2005, when the ETS retooled the SAT in response to harsh criticism from the University of California system, which considered dropping the test from their admission requirements.

3) Structure

There are three sections in the SAT:

- Mathematics:

It is divided into three sub-sections. Most of the questions have multiple choice answers, although several questions require test-takers to fill in their numerical answers on an answer sheet.

- Critical reading:

It requires test-takers to read short passages and fill out the correct responses to multiple choice questions. Students must also be able to fill in the blanks in sentences using a list of word choices, demonstrating vocabulary skills.

- Writing:

It requires students to write a brief essay, and to respond to questions which test the writing and editing skills of the test-taker.

4) Score 

The current SAT includes three sections, each of which can earn a maximum score of 800 and a minimum score of 200. For the test-taker’s final score, the College Board adds the three scores together; typically, a percentile is included with the score, calculated on the basis of scores from students who took comparable tests. Traditionally, top-flight universities such as the Ivy Leagues have demanded very high SAT scores from their applicants.

5) A Table About the SAT

II. The ACT

Directions: Listen to a passage about ACT, then answer the following questions:                  

1. What is the ACT mainly for?

(For high school achievement and college admissions in the U.S.)

2. When did the ACT come into being?

(In 1959.)

3. How many tests does the ACT have now? What are they?

(Five. They are English, Math, Reading, Science Reasoning and an optional Writing test.)

4. Do all colleges and universities in U.S. regard the result of ACT as the only way to accept students?

(No. They will place emphases on different factors.)

Script:

The ACT, the abbreviation of American College Testing, is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. It was first administered in fall 1959 by Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the College Board’s Scholastic Aptitude Test, now the SAT Reasoning Test. Some students who perform poorly on the SAT find that they perform better on the ACT and vice versa. The ACT test has historically consisted of four tests: English, Math, Reading, and Science reasoning. In February 2005, an optional writing test was added to the ACT, mirroring changes to the SAT that took place later in March of the same year. All four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. accept the ACT, but different institutions place different emphases on standardized tests such as the ACT, compared to other factors of evaluation such as class rank, G.P.A., and extracurricular activities.

III. Differences Between the ACT and SAT

You are required to listen to a passage, fill in the gap and then tell the class the differences between the ACT and SAT.

The differences between the ACT and SAT are as follows:

1) The ACT is an achievement test, measuring what a student has learned in school. The SAT is more of an aptitude test, testing reasoning and verbal abilities.

2) The ACT has up to five components: English, Mathematics, Reading, Science, and an optional Writing Test. The SAT has only three components: Critical Reading, Mathematics, and a required Writing Test.

3) The College Board introduced a new version of the SAT in 2005, with a mandatory (强制的) writing test. ACT continues to offer its well-established test, plus an optional (可选择的) writing test. You take the ACT Writing Test only if required by the college(s) you’re applying to.

4) The SAT has a correction for guessing. That is, they take off for wrong answers. The ACT is scored based on the number of correct answers with no penalty (惩罚) for guessing.

5) The full score of ACT is 36 while SAT 2,400.

Supplementary Reading >> Reading

I. Difficult Sentences

1. The more I hear from the education establishment about the benefits of these devices in schools, the less surprised I am when middle- and high-school students who have difficulty with arithmetic call for tutoring in algebra and geometry. (Para. 2)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(我听到教育机构谈论学校里使用这些工具的好处，听到越多，对于算术有困难的初、高中生需要家庭教师辅导几何、代数一事，我就越觉得不足为怪了。)

2. Having a calculator doesn’t make it any easier for a student to decide how to attack a math problem. (Para. 4)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(计算器并不能方便学生确定解数学题的方法。)

3. Rather, it only encourages him to try every combination of addition, subtraction, multiplication or division without any thought about which would be more appropriate. (Para. 4)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(相反，计算器只会鼓励他乱试加减乘除的各种组合，而不去考虑哪种组合更加适当。)

4. Because they never felt comfortable working with numbers as children, they are seriously disadvantaged when they attempt the generalized math of algebra. (Para. 8)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(因为他们在孩提时代对数字计算从未感到过轻松，当他们试图攻读代数这一广义数学时就会处于极其不利的地位。)

5. We teach it for thinking and discipline, both of which expand the mind and increase the student’s ability to function as a contributing individual in society: the ultimate goals of education. (Para. 11)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(我们教数学是为了培养思维和训练心智，两者都能帮助学生扩展思维，增强他们为社会作贡献的能力，而这是教育的终极目的。)

II. Words & Expressions

off-limits: adj.  banned

- Footpaths are, of course, off-limits to bikers.

- 从1982年以来，唐宁街不对公众开放。(Downing Street has been off-limits to the general public since 1982.)

access: n.  the right to enter a place, use sth., see sb. etc. (followed by to)

- The facilities have been adapted to give access to wheelchair users.

- 该系统的设计使用户能够快捷方便地访问所需要的信息。(The system has been designed to give the user quick and easy access to the required information.)

benefit:

1. n.  advantage; profit; good effect

- We’re just beginning to reap the benefits of all our hard work.

- 他们没有意识到戴自行车头盔给骑车人安全带来的益处。(They didn’t realize the safety benefits of wearing bicycle helmets.)

2. v.  have a good or useful effect (on) 

- New regulations will greatly benefit the region’s poorest residents.

- Users can benefit in several ways from this product.

- 这个提议将使残疾人极大受益。(The proposal will benefit the disabled greatly.)

call for:  require, demand

- Lots of people called for the president’s resignation.

- 国会议员们都呼吁要对这件丑闻进行调查。(Congressmen are calling for an investigation into the scandal.)

discourage: vt.  take away courage, confidence or hope from (used in pattern: discourage sb. from doing sth.)

- My father was an athlete, and he discouraged me from entering the field.

- 有时候，女孩会对学习诸如工程和物理等学科失去信心。(Girls are sometimes discouraged from studying subjects like engineering and physics.)

in the first place:  in the beginning; to begin with

- In the first place you are professionally qualified for the job. And in the second place you know the city pretty well: it is your hometown.

- I’m not joining the health club because in the first place, I don’t like their hours, and in the second place, I can’t afford the dues.

- 首先，你并不老；其次，你还是一个非常有吸引力的人。(In the first place you are not old and in the second place you are a very attractive man.)

proceed: vi.  go to a further or the next stage; begin a course of action

- Let your companion enter first, and then proceed to follow her.

- 不久，我开始把家从意大利搬到这里。(In a short time, I proceeded to move my family here from Italy.)

competent: adj.  having the ability or skill needed for sth.

- It was not until he learned to think, to value knowledge and to apply it with competent skill that he began to dominate his environment.

- 我如何知道我的律师是称职的？ (How do I know if my lawyer is competent?)

essential: adj.  necessary; most important

- Writing the essential questions is the first part of the research process. They will be the focus of your research.

- 游戏是儿童发展的重要组成部分。(Play is an essential part of a child’s development.)

NB:

在 It is essential that … 句型中，that 从句中的动词要用虚拟语气，如：It is essential that a student should know something about a computer .  （大学生了解一些计算机知识是至关重要的。）或者，It is essential that he get up early.  （他有必要早起。）

concentrate on:  direct (one’s attention, efforts, etc.) towards

- His company concentrates on working with teachers, pupils and parents to develop and design products that assist primary school children to learn.

- 中国目前正在集中力量发展成为一个小康社会。(China is currently concentrating on developing into a well-off society.)

solve: vt.  come to an answer, explanation, or way of dealing with sth.

- A team of researchers from Purdue University solved the structure of the West Nile virus.

- DNA计算机已经解决了一个无法用人工解决的逻辑问题。(A DNA-based computer has solved a logic problem that no person could complete by hand.)

appropriate: adj.  suitable or right (opposite: inappropriate)

- Considering what he did, I think the punishment was appropriate.

- 一旦调查结束，我们将采取适当的行动。(We will take appropriate action once the investigation is over.)

cut down his work:

Paraphrase the phrase.

(reduce the efforts he spent on calculation)

effective: adj.  producing the desired result

- This workshop will help you create an effective business plan to guide your business through the start-up or growth phase.

- 她的书提供了13条更有效地管理个人时间的窍门。(Her book offered 13 tips for more effective personal time management.)

confuse: vt.  make less clear or more difficult to understand

- The twins liked to confuse their teachers by switching seats.

- 课文我能理解，但图表把我搞糊涂了。(I understand the text but the diagrams are confusing me.)

what if:  what will happen if

- What if I’m pregnant? I don’t know if I’m ready to have a baby yet.

- “如果明天下雨怎么办？” “我们只好推迟进行。”(“What if it rains tomorrow?” “We’ll just have to postpone it.”)

… fell to such a low priority:

Paraphrase the phrase.

(… was reduced to such an unimportant position)

communicate: vi.  share opinions, feelings, information, etc. (used in pattern: communicate with)

- They communicate with each other in sign language.

- 许多父母发现很难与他们十几岁的子女们交流。(Many parents find it difficult to communicate with their teenage sons or daughters.)

multiplication table:

What is the meaning of this phrase in Chinese?

(乘法表)

at hand:  near in time or place

- Is peace at hand in the Middle East?

- 最近的经济情况显示，重大危机就要来临。(Recent economic performance suggests that a major crisis is at hand.)

without needing a stick to lean on:

Paraphrase the phrase.

(without relying on outside help)

claim: vt.  say that (sth.) is true or is a fact without having any proof

- The man claimed to be a bookkeeper of a certain store in the downtown area.

- 她声称，她曾在某个清晨的上学途中遭到袭击。(She claimed that she had been attacked early one morning on her way to school.)

factor:

1. vt. include sth. when you are doing a calculation, or when you are trying to understand sth.

- You’d better consider the interest rate and factor it into your decision-making.

- 这些病人的年龄和他们的整体健康状况等因素必须纳入到结果中去。(The age of the patients and their overall health must be factored into the results.)

2. n. fact, circumstance, etc. that help to produce a result

- The weather was almost a deciding factor in the final stage of the war.

contribute: v.

1) vt. give money , help, etc. to sth. that a lot of other people are also involved in

- The Song Dynasty contributed three great inventions to world civilization.

- 这些志愿者为这个项目贡献出大量的时间。(The volunteers contributed huge amounts of their own time to the project.)

2) vi. help to cause sth. (usu. used in pattern: contribute to)

- The Internet contributes to the rise of identity theft.

- 吸烟会导致肺癌吗？(Does smoking contribute to lung cancer?)

ultimate: adj.  last or final; basic

- The ultimate purpose of employee research is to bring about improvements in working conditions.

- 婚姻的目的和最终目标是什么？(What are the purpose and the ultimate goal of marriage?)

Supplementary Reading >> Comprehension Tasks

1. Listening Comprehension

You are going to listen to a passage about the use of calculator in SAT. After you listen to it, you are required to judge whether the following statements are true or false.

1) The use of calculator is allowed in the math section of SAT recently. (T)

2) Students only prefer using calculator for geometry problem. (F)

(They use calculator both for geometry problems and questions involving multiple calculations.)

3) The finding of the research shows that the more frequently students use calculator in the test the higher scores they can get. (T)

4) The attitude of this passage’s author towards students using calculator in the test is negative. (F)

(No, just opposite. The author’s attitude is positive. He supports the using of calculator in the test.)

Script:

With the recent changes to the content of the SAT math section, the need to save time while maintaining accuracy of calculations has led some to use calculator programs during the test. These programs allow students to complete problems faster than would normally be possible when making calculations manually.

The use of a graphing calculator is sometimes preferred, especially for geometry problems and questions involving multiple calculations. According to research conducted by the College Board, performance on the math sections of the exam is associated with the extent of calculator use, with those using calculators on about a third to a half of the items averaging higher scores than those using calculators less frequently. The use of a graphing calculator in mathematics courses, and also familiarity with the calculator outside of the classroom, is known to have a positive effect on the performance of students using a graphing calculator during the exam.

2. Debate

Now you have learned something about the use of calculators in SAT. You are required to have a debate on the following question:

Is it good for students to use calculators in math lessons and exams?

Tips:

The reasons in the following box are for both sides of the debate. They are only for reference and you can say something more by yourselves.