新世纪研究生公共英语教材阅读BUnit140.pptVIP

High Stakes Are for Tomatoes High stake a pun Background information The key features of a high-stakes test are: A single defined assessment A clear line drawn between those who pass and those who fail A direct consequence for passing or failing What do you think of exams? Is it an efficient way to evaluate students’ abilities? Advantages of exams: Tests stimulate students to work harder, and help them to see what they have learned and what they haven’t. And they also help teachers to find the effect of their teaching … ?Disadvantages of exams: The tests may mislead teachers into test-driven teaching and students into test-oriented learning, which may in the end stifle their innovativeness. Too many tests overstress the students and do harm to their health … Who is for “high stakes tests”, and who is against “it”? politicians and business leaders in general some parents, teachers, students (education liberals/conservatives) What does “high stakes tests” mainly mean to students and teachers or schools? Tests’ score will decide their graduation or their promotion in grade; Individual schools and teachers’ and principals’ salaries (funding) What are the complaints about the “high-stakes testing”? Obsessive preparation; kill creativity; vague standards; tests not based on material taught; unfair to poor and minority students; overstress young children; too long or too tough or simply not good enough. According to the author, what should the government and the advocates of “high stakes tests” do? provide more than one standard for graduation; bolster public’s understanding of the reform so as to make the system work. Assignment Preview Unit 15 Review Unit 14 Vocabulary Translation Practice 一分钟可以快速阅读一篇五六百字的文章。如果是浏览报纸，完全可以浏览一份40多版的日报；一分钟用来打字的话，可以打上百个字；一分钟跑400米没问题，如果用来做仰卧起坐，一分钟可做20多个，让人浑身舒畅。 一分钟能做多少事情？给了这么多答案。尽管如此，一分钟做的事情还是极其有限，我们不得不承认，一分钟过得太快，但是我们珍惜每一个一分钟，学会将其化零为整，那一分钟就能干出很多伟大的事情。 “一分钟能做多少事”蕴含的道理有很多，它包含了生活的真谛———既然一分钟能阅读、写作、推销、运动、休闲，那么我们为什么不可以随时随地享