英语快速阅读练习题

Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15minites) (10*1)

Directions:In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet.

Free Online Test Targets English Learners

A. A private company has just launched what it calls "the world's first free standardized English

test." Anyone with an internet connection can take the test for free. The new exam is called the EFSET, which is short for Education First Standardized English Test. The company, Education First, is known by the letters EF. It operates schools and offices in more than 50 countries.

B.Minh Tran is EF's Director of Research and Academic Partnerships. He estimates there are

two billion English language learners worldwide. Many of them are interested in attending an American college or university. To do so, foreign students need to take the Test of English as

a Foreign Language – better known as TOEFL. Tran says many foreigners are not wealthy

enough to take the TOEFL, which can cost more than $250. In addition, test takers often have to travel overnight to reach an official testing site. For example, it costs $175 to take the TOEFL Internet-based test in Cambodia. The World Bank says the average Cambodian worker earns only about $1,000 per year. That means the cost of taking the TOEFL is about

17.5 percent of the average worker's yearly wages.

C.It is not just individuals who find the test pricey. Some governments find the costs to be

prohibitive. Mr. Tran says EF is in talks with education ministries in several countries. He hopes governments will use the EFSET to test millions of employees and students. He notes that not everyone needs official results from the TOEFL or IELTS – the International English Language Testing System. "Well, it depends on who you are. If you are a beginner, or if you are someone who does not need to send your certified English scores to a third party, such as

a school or an employer or immigration officer, then I would say the EFSET serves a unique

function."

D.Mr. Tran believes that EFSET meets the highest values in language testing. The test has been

through years of research and psychometric analysis. Psychometrics is the method or process of mental measurement. The new test was tested, or piloted, on thousands of students. The EFSET uses special computer software that makes the questions easier or harder, depending on one's performance. The EFSET measures all English levels, while the IELTS and TOEFL only measure from moderate to advanced.

E."The EFSET is unique and innovative and really groundbreaking in the sense that it gives

free online access very much like a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) would to anyone who interested in measuring their English proficiency level."There is a 50-minute and a two-hour version of the test, which its developers are calling the EFSET Plus. Both versions test only reading and listening skills. Will speaking and writing questions be added in the future? Mr. Tran is hopeful.

F."That's a very good question, and a question that our experts are working on right now. There

are many ways that you can test productive skills -- speaking and writing. What's difficult is standardizing those assessments and making sure the different graders have the same