大学英语四级考试中集库型完型填空和分题选择型完型填空题型的对比分析.pdf

Chapter One INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the Study Cloze procedure, christened by Taylor, appeared as an instrument for measuring the readability of written materials for school children in the United States. Being a format in language test, it usually consists of item types in which words are systematically deleted from a text and replaced by blanks, “requiring the test-takers to restore the word that has been deleted” (Alderson, 2000: 207). According to Cohen (1980), researchers and language testing designers firstly adopted cloze as a test format measuring reading proficiency among native speakers. Later on, the appeal of cloze test lies in the fact that it is regarded as an “integrative” method of assessment. Cohen (1984) insisted that cloze test is an effective example of an integrative activity in which the reader needs to use language knowledge and a number of skills to finish the task, such as knowledge of vocabulary and grammar and the skills of reading. Owing to the integrativeness, researchers began to focus on the value of cloze as a measure of overall EFL proficiency, and developed a variety of cloze forms such as rational cloze, fixed-ratio cloze, separate item multiple choice cloze (MC cloze for short), banked cloze, and etc. At present, MC cloze tests are commonly used in many major English tests, such as College English Test -- Band Four and Six (CET 4/6 for short) and Test For English Majors -- Grade Four and Eight (TEM 4/8 for short). CET-4, as a nationwide, high-stakes test for non-English majors, has been continuously employing MC cloze as an integrative test format. Banked cloze test, since 2006, has been employed as a brand-new test format in the Reading Comprehension part of the innovated College English Test Band 4 (CET-4).