USkidsdreamoftopgrades(P3).ppt

US kids dream of top grades (P3) ???  You and I go to different schools with different school systems. But exactly how are they different? For example, tests have great meaning for you, and may even make some of you afraid. For me it’s not so important. Not counting the ordinary tests that we all take during classes, reviewing the textbooks we’ve studied, there are just a few important tests in America. In junior year of high school, we take a math and language test called the PSAT/NMSQT. The results of this test decide if we can get certain scholarships. Some colleges will take it into their admission processes. Later, before we apply to college, we take the more famous SAT, which all colleges look at along with grades and other things. The SAT is like a longer version of the PSAT. There are other tests that people take after college, but I don’t even know the names of them yet. I think most American kids don’t associate those standardized tests with the tests they take in class. How about in China? But please don’t walk away with the idea that the school system is a joke in America! I think that pretty much every high school kid has had dreams of getting a 2,400 (full score) on the SAT. Curriculum focus Cross-cultural awareness: learning about the testing system in American schools Learning strategies: making comparisons Comprehension check Choose the best answer: ( ) 1. What’s the purpose of the ordinary tests in class? A. To make students afraid. B. To distinguish the smart and stupid students. C. To review the textbooks students have studied. D. All of the above. ( ) 5. Which is inferred in the article? A. American high school students are afraid of the tests in class. B. PSAT/NMSQT is a test about language, math and science. C. American students pay more attention to PSAT than to SAT. D. American colleges prefer students who are not only good at studies but also talented in other aspects. Vocabulary i