2017年12月四级真题(第一套)答案解析
全文翻译

课上考试会让学生们学习更努力吗?

研究发现他们可能会更广泛地研究一些意想不到的事情,而不是寻求答震。

A) 我向来都不是一个会考试的人。(44) 因此,我重返大学去究成四十年前中断的学位看似有些奇怪。 我 在哥伦比亚大学学习,周围都是那些我还在读题而他们就已经给出口头答案的学霸们。

B) 由于无法躲避掉考试,所以我现在的问题是哪种考试是最累人也是最有益的。我已经在众多的课上期 中和期末考试中挥汗如雨, (40) 现在有一位教授布置课后测试。当我得知这件事的时候感到很兴奋, 心想我有 整周的时间去做研究、看文章,然后把它写出来。事实上,在上交作业的当天上午我还在奋笔疾书。说我没有 思路,这只是委婉的说法。

C) 就在我煎熬于一周的焦虑、线尽脑汁地思考材料以及猜想我掌握了多少时,我在学生和教授中做了一些 调查。(38) 大卫*艾森巴赫在哥伦比亚大学教授找一门有关美国总统的课程,很受欢迎,他更偏爱课上考试,他 相信学生最终会学到更多,并且鼓励他们组成学习小组。 “那样的话,他们可以在课下因历史学习而进行社交 如果没有课上考试的压力,这绝不可能发生,他解释说。“另外,课上考试可以促使学生学到如何在压力下工 作,这是一项必要的工作技能。

D) (30) 他还说,课上考试的作弊几率更低。 2012年的一个丑闻中,125名哈佛大学生被抓获,发现他们在一 门“国会介绍”的课程所留的课后考试中作弊了。有些大学有他们所谓的“荣誉准则”,尽管如果你足够聪明考进这 些学校,你要么足够聪明能避开这些准则,要么出于道德而不考虑这么做。在我整整两天都毫无头绪的时候,我突 然想到关于我所处理的这个课题,我是否可以请教专家或是曾经学过这门课程的人来帮助我渡过难关。

E) 在哈佛考试作弊丑闻之后,耶鲁大学的前教导主任马丽·米勒对她学校的教授们进行了饱含激情的呼 吁,呼吁他们不要课下考试。(37) “在老师们出没有明确时间限制的课后考试时,学生们牺牲了健康和幸福， 以及其他的期末功课,” 她告诉我。 “现在研究表明,一个学期当中定期的小测试、简短的论文和其他任务都能更 好地强化学习和记忆力。”

F) (43) 大多数大学教授都认同他们选择的考试类型很大程度上取决于课程。 比如,一门基于量化的课程 不大可能会布置课后考试,因为带回家学生可能会向哥哥和姐姐们寻求帮助。而另一方面,职业类的课程,如计 算机科学成新闻学,通常更加侧重研究,所以让学生们进行课后测试。克里斯·科克在马里兰州罗克韦尔市的 蒙哥马利社区大学教授“广播新闻学历史”,他指出报道是关于调查的而不是对片刻细节的记忆。“在我的领域 不是你知道什么,而是你知道如何去发现信息,”科克说道。“有太多的信息,而且每时每刻都会有更多的信息扑 面而来,这让人们很难记住。我希望我的学生能够通过使用各种资源去寻找问题的答案。”

G) (42) 学生们对考试类型的偏好也不尽相同,通常取决于科目和课程的难度。 巴纳德学院的一位大三学 生伊丽莎白·德雷瑟说,“我更喜欢课后论文,因为这是真正关于写作的,所以你会有时间去编辑和做更多的研 究。“其次,就是压力因素。明德学院的一位大四学生弗朗西斯卡·哈斯说,“我发现课上考试在短期看更有压 力,但是当你成狂地吸就所有信息后,会感到立即解脱,然后你就可以把它们全部忘掉。课后的功课则需要深思 熟,这会带来更长时间的压力,因为没有任务完成的确切时间。” 同时,埃默里大学的一个大二学生 奥利维亚·鲁宾说,她从来没把课后的功课当成是考试。“如果你能够理解材料,并且能表达自己的观点,那这 就是很轻而易举的事情。

H) 学生们最终会如何应对考试可能取决于他们个人的应试能力。(41) 有些人总是等到最后一分钟，让事 情变得比实际更困难。 然而,也有另外一些人不知道他们会遇到什么样的问题,也没有资源可以参考,这些人什 么都不做。此外,也有我们这种稀少的人群同时符合以上两种描述。

D) (36-1) 是的,我年长的年龄在等式中起到了作用,部分是由于我无法迅速地获取信息。 就像哥伦比亚大 学另一位返校学习的学生凯特·马伯告诉我的一样, “我们不仅学习所有这些信息,更重要的是如何再次学习的 能力。我们的同学都是刚刚从高中毕业的。(36- 2) 很多都和我们当时上学时大不一样。”

J) 说到底,这次经历让我和我读大学的儿子有了共同的话题。当我问他对这件事情的看法时,他回答说 (45) “我喜欢课上考试,因为时间已经被留出来了,不需要在家里用我的课余时间去完成考试,”他回答道。 对 我而言,折中的方法是在考试前一两天提前得知题目,然后在课上按照规定时间完成考试。

K) 然而,更好的是,据说亨特学院的一个教授最近在她的期末考试中做了这样的事情:她鼓励学生不要感 到有压力,甚至不用学习,她承诺“这将会是一块蛋糕(很容易做到的事情)。”当学生走进教室,削好手中的铅笔 后,眼前却没有任何的试卷。相反,他们看到了一个巨型巧克力蛋糕,然后每人都分得了一块。

详解详析

36. Elderly students find it hard to keep up with the rapid changes in education.

(译文）年长的学生发现很难跟上教育的快速变化。

(定位）由题干中的关键词 Elderly students 和 changes in education定位 到原文画线处。

I) Yes, my advanced age must factor into the equation(等式), in part because of my inability to access the information as quickly. As another returning student at Columbia. Kate Marber, told me, "We are learning not only all this information, but essentially how to learn again. Our fellow students have just come out of high school. A lot has changed since we were last in school." ||| (详解) I)段第一句作者提到,自己的高龄对学习产生了一定的影响,部分是由于无法快速地获取信息。该 段最后一句也指出,现在的教育和作者当时上学时大不一样了。这两句话一方面说明了教育的变化,另一方 面也指出偏大的年龄让适应这种变化变得困难。题干是对这两句话的概括总结,故答案为I)。

37. Some believe take-home exams may affect students' performance in other courses.

(译文) 一些人认为课后考试也许 会影响学生在其他课程上的表现。

(定位) 由题干中的关键词 performance in other courses 定位 到原文画线处。

E) Following the Harvard scandal, Mary Miller, the former dean of students at Yale, made an impassioned appeal to her school's professors to refrain from take-home exams. "Students risk health and well being, as well as performance in other end-of-term work, when faculty offers take- home exams without clear, time-limited boundaries." she told me. "Research now shows that regular quizzes, short essays, and other assignments over the course of a term better enhance learning and retention."

(详解) E)段提到,耶鲁大学的前教导主任玛丽·米勒说,在老师们给出没有明确时间限制的课后考试时, 学生们牺牲了健康和幸福,以及其他的期末功课。题干中的Some对应原文中的 Mary Miller; performance in other courses对应原文中的 performance in other end-of-term work,故答案为E)。

38. Certain professors believe in- class exams are ultimately more helpful to students.

(译文) 一些教授认为课上 考试最终会对学生更有帮助。

(定位)由题干中的关键词 in-class exams 和 ultimately 定位到原文划线处。

C) As I was suffering through my week of anxiety, overthinking the material and guessing my grasp of it, I did some of my own polling among students and professors. David Eisenbach, who teaches a popular class on U.S. presidents at Columbia, prefers the in-class variety. He believes students ultimately learn more and encourages them to form study groups. "That way they socialize over history outside the class, which wouldn't happen without the pressure of an in-class exam," he explained. "Furthermore, in-class exams force students to learn how to perform under pressure, an essential work skill."

(详解) 定位句指出,哥伦比亚大学的教授大卫·艾森巴赫更偏爱课上考试,他相信学生最终会学到更多 并且鼓励他们组成学习小组。题干中的 are ultimately more helpful to students对应原文中的 students ultimately learn more,故答案为C)。

39. In-class exams are believed to discourage cheating in exams.

(译文) 课上考试被认为 能阻止考试作弊行为。

(定位) 由题干中的In- class exams 和 cheating定 位到原文画线处。

D) He also says there is less chance of cheating with the in-class variety. In 2012, 125 students at Harvard were caught up in a scandal when it was discovered they had cheated on a take-home exam for a class entitled "Introduction To Congress." Some colleges have what they call an "honor code," though if you are smart enough to get into these schools, you are either smart enough to get around any codes or hopefully, too ethical to consider doing so. As I sat blocked and clueless for two solid days, I momentarily wondered if I couldn't just call an expert on the subject matter which I was tackling, or someone who took the class previously, to get me going.

(详解) D)段第一句指出,课上考试的作弊几率更低。题干中的 discourage cheating对应定位句中的less chance of cheating,故答案为D)。

40. The author was happy to learn she could do some exams at home.

(译文)作者知道她能回家考试 时非常开心。

(定位) 由题干中的 happy和 do: some exams at home 定位到原文。 画线处。

B) Since there is no way for me to avoid exams, I am currently questioning what kind are the most taxing and ultimately beneficial. I have already sweated through numerous in-class midterms and finals, and now I have a professor who issues take-home ones. I was excited when I learned this, figuring I had a full week to do the research, read the texts, and write it all up. In fact, I was still rewriting my midterm the morning it was due. To say I had lost the thread is putting it mildly.

(详解)定位句提到,当作者得知一位教授布置课后考试任务时,她感到很兴奋。题干中的 happy对应原文 中的 excited,故答案为B)。

41. Students who put off their work until the last moment often find the exams more difficult than they actually are.

(译文)那些把功课留到最后一刻才做 的学生往往会感觉考试比实际更难。

(定位)由题干中的 until the last moment 和 more difficult定位到原文画 线处。

H) How students ultimately handle tests may depend on their personal test-taking abilities. There are people who always wait until the last minute, and make it much harder than it needs to be. And then there are those who, not knowing what questions are coming at them, and having no resources to refer to, can freeze. And then there are we rare folks who fit both those descriptions.

(详解) H)段提到,学生们最终会如何应对考试可能取决于他们个人的应试能力。有些人总是等到最后 分钟,让事情变得比实际更困难。题干中的 the last moment是定位句中 the last minute的同义转述;题干中 的 find the exams more diffcult对应原文中的 make it much harder,故答案为H)。

42. Different students may prefer different types of exams.

(译文)不同的学生可能偏好不同的考试类型

(定位)由题干中的 prefer和 types of exams 定位到原文画线处。

G) Students' test-form preferences vary, too, often depending on the subject and course difficulty. "I prefer take-home essays because it is then really about the writing, so you have time to edit and do more research, says Elizabeth Dresser, a junior at Barnard. Then there is the stress factor. Francesca Haass, a senior at Middlebury, says, "I find the in-class ones are more stressful in the short term, but there is immediate relief as you swallow information like mad, and then you get to forget it all. Take-homes require thoughtful engagement which can lead to longer term stress as there is never a moment when the time is up." Meanwhile, Olivia Rubin, a sophomore at Emory, says she hardly even considers take-homes true exams. "If you understand the material and have the ability to articulate(说出) your thoughts, they should be a breeze."

(详解) G)段第一句指出,学生们对考试类型的偏好也不尽相同,通常取决于科目和课程的难度。题干中的 different对应原文中的vary; prefer对应原文中的 preferences,故答案为G)。

43. Most professors agree whether to give an in-class or a take-home exam depends on the type of course being taught.

(译文)大多数教授都认同是课上考试还是课后考试取决于所教授的课程的类型。

(定位)由题干中的Most professors agree 和 depends on定位到原文画线处

F) Most college professors agree the kind of exam they choose largely depends on the subject. A quantitative-based one, for example, is unlikely to be sent home, where one could ask their older brothers and sisters to help. Vocational-type classes, such as computer science or journalism, on the other hand, are often more research-oriented and lend themselves to take-home testing. Chris Koch, who teaches "History of Broadcast Journalism" at Montgomery Community College in Rockville, Maryland, points out that reporting is about investigation rather than the memorization of minute details. "In my field, it's not what you know-it's what you know how to find out," says Koch. "There is way too much information, and more coming all the time, for anyone to remember. I want my students to search out the answers to questions by using all the resources available to them."

(详解) F)段首句指出,大多数大学教授都认同他们选择的考试类型很大程度上取决于课程。题干中提到 的课上考试和课后考试就是这里指的考试类型,题干中的 the type of course being taught对应原文中的the subject,故答案为F)。

44.The author dropped out of college some forty years ago.

(译文)作者大约四十年前从大学辍学了。

(定位)由题干中的 college和 some forty years ago定位到原文画线处。

A) I have always been a poor test-taker. So it may seem rather strange that I have returned to college to finish the degree I left undone some four decades ago. I am making my way through Columbia University, surrounded by students who quickly supply the verbal answer while I am still processing the question.

(详解) A)段提到,作者重返大学去完成四十年前中断的学位,说明其四十年前从大学辍学了。题干是对定 位句的同义转述,故答案为A)。

45. Some students think take-home exams will eat up their free time.

(译文)一些学生认为课后考试会占用自己的业余时间。

(定位)由题干中的 take-home exams 和 free time定位到原文画线处。

J) If nothing else, the situation has given my college son and me something to share. When I asked his opinion on this matter, he responded, "I like in-class exams because the time is already reserved, as opposed to using my free time at home to work on a test," he responded. It seems to me that a compromise would be receiving the exam questions a day or two in advance, and then doing the actual test in class with the ticking clock overhead.

(详解) J)段提到,当作者问儿子关于考试类型这一话题时,儿子表示他喜欢课上考试,因为时间已经被留出 来了,不需要在家里用课余时间去完成考试。题干中的 eat up是对定位句中 using的同义转述,故答案为J)。