Ⅲ.Reading comprehension (2*20) /MIe(,>Uh
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Text A FI)17i$
America’s most relentless examiner, the Educational Testing Service, has developed computer software, known as E-Rater, to evaluate essays on the Graduate Management Admission Test. Administered to 200,000 business school applicants each year, the GMAT includes two 30-minute essays that test takers type straight into a computer. In the past, those essays were graded on a six-point scale by two readers. This month, the computer will replace one of the readers with the proviso that a second reader will be consulted if the computer and human-reader scores differ by more then a point. ST|x23|O]
It’s one thing for a machine to determine whether a bubble has been correctly filled in, but can it read outside the lines, so to speak? Well, yes and no. E-Rater “learns” what constitutes good and bad answers from a sample of pregraded essays. Using that information, it breaks the essay down to its syntax, organization and contents. The software checks basics like subject-verb agreement and recognizes phrases and sentence structures that are likely to be found in high-scoring essays. hwPw]Ln/
Of course, the machine cannot “get” a clever turn of phrase or an unusual analogy. “If I’m unique, I might not fall under the scoring instructions,” concedes Frederic McHale, a vice president at the GMAT Council. One the other hand, E-Rater is mercilessly objective and never tired halfway through a stack of essays. The upshot: a pretrial tests, E-Rater and a human reader were just as likely to agree as were two readers. “It’s not intended to judge a person’s creativity,” says Darrel Laham, co-developer of the Intelligent Essay Assessor, a computer-grading system similar to E-Rater. “It’s to give students a chance to construct a response instead of just pointing at a bubble.” |J1$=s
That won’t reassure traditionalists, who argue that writing simply can’t be reduced to rigid adjective plus subject plus verb formulations. “Writing is a human act, with aesthetic dimensions that computers can only begin to understand,” says David Schaafsman, a professor of English education at Teachers Colleges of Columbia University. The Kaplan course, a leader in test prep, has taken a more pragmatic approach: it has issued a list of strategies for “the age of the computerized essay.” One of its tips: use transitional phrases like “therefore”, and the computers just might think you’re Dickens. 5[8xV%>;
51. E-Rater is described as __________.
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A. a substitute for GMAT a4mn*,
B. America’s most relentless examiner YDIG,%uv
C. a machine to grade bubble-filling papers S4Pxc
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D. a computer-grading system &DS/v)]
52. In paragraph two, the expression “read outside the lines” refers to the ability to __________. G'nmllB`]
A. understand student essays =Z{O<xw'
B. report scores c/:b.>W
C. recognize a wrong bubble 7LfA
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D. judge a person’s creativity `Syl:rU~y@
53. Frederic McHale implies that if the test taker is unique, he would __________. .ODU
A. get a top grade kGH }[w
B. get an average grade /Y/UM3/
C. be at an advantage 5us:adm[pD
D. be at a disadvantage f- K+]aZ)
54. It seems that Professor Schaafsman agrees with __________. w_ akn t T
A. traditionalists B. Darrell Laham A9[ F
C. supporters of E-Rater D. the Kplan course designers 'S20\hwt-
55. What is the implied meaning of “the computer just might think you’re Dickens”? ({ +!`}GY
A. It thinks you are great at tests. _no/F2>!/n
B. It thinks you are doing great. +xRK5+}9
C. It thinks your essay is with great wording. ^gN6/>]qrY
D. It thinks your essay is written by Dickens himself. v>6"j1Z
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Text B ,j#XOy`mzy
At some time in your life you may have a strong desire to do something strange or terrible. However, chances are that you don’t act on your impulse, but let it pass instead. You know that to commit the action is wrong in some way and that other people will not accept your behavior. ;
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Perhaps the most interesting thing about the phenomenon of taboo behavior is how it can change over the years within the same society, how certain behavior and attitudes once considered taboo can become perfectly acceptable and natural at another point in time. Topics such as death, for example, were once considered so upsetting and unpleasant that it was a taboo to even talk about them. Now with the publication of important books such as On Death and Dying and Learning to Say Goodbye, people have become more aware of the importance of expressing feelings about death and, as a result, are more willing to talk about this taboo subject. Ve8=b0&Y#j
One of the newest taboos in American society is the topic of fat. Unlike many other taboos, fat is topic that Americans talk about constantly. It’s not taboo to talk about fat; it’s taboo to be fat. The “in” look is thin, not fat. In the work world, most companies prefer youthful-looking, trim executives to sell their image as well as their products to the public. The thin look is associated with youth, vigor, and success. The fat person, on the other hand, is thought of as lazy and lacking in energy, self-discipline, and self-respect. In an image-conscious society like the U.S., thin is “in”, fat is “out”. 9G9t" {
It’s not surprising, then, that millions of Americans have become obsessed with staying slim and “in shape”. The pursuit of a youthful physical appearance is not, however, the sole reason for America’s fascination with diet and exercise. Recent research has shown the critical importance of diet and exercise for personal health. As in most technologically developed nations, the life-style of North Americans has changed dramatically during the course of the last century. Modern machines do all the physical labor that people were once forced to do by hand. Cars and buses transport us quickly from point to point. As a result of inactivity and disuse, people’s bodies can easily become weak and vulnerable to disease. In an effort to avoid such a fate, millions of Americans are spending more of their time exercising. Ij 79~pn
56. From the passage we can infer taboo is__. #?RU;1)Cw
A. a strong desire to do something strange or terrible. _1!7V3|^
B. a crime committed on impulse. m1j*mtu
C. behavior considered unacceptable in society’s eyes. AL[KpY
D. an unfavorable impression left on other people.
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57. Based on the ideas presented in the passage we can conclude “being fat” __ in American society. Cw~q4A6'
A. will always remain a taboo. j SHk{T!J
B. is not considered a taboo by most people. /hpY f]t
C. has long been a taboo. l\f*d6o
D. may no longer be a taboo some day. &PL8