Question

A Scottish university is considering allowing students to use their own computers in exams. Edinburgh University already has the equipment to allow a small number of students to use computers during exams. Senior officials at Edinburgh University say that it is unfair to expect students to use pens and paper in exams when the majority of their coursework is done on computers. Undergraduates at the School of Divinity have the choice of using computers with their final answers being collected on a USB stick, but the take-up stands at less than 10 per cent.

Dai Hounsell, professor of higher education at the university, said, “We’ve got to look at alternatives to the handwritten exam. Looking ahead ten years from now, I’m sure there will not be handwritten answers any longer in the exam of certain subjects, but how we get there from here isn’t easy. The plan doesn’t apply so much to science and engineering subjects where students have to use charts and mathematical formulae（公式）. There isn’t technology at the moment to allow them to do that on a computer.” He adds that the approval of students is the key before anything is carried out. He also said, “We don’t want to put students’ future at risk by experimenting as there are technical things which can go wrong. There could be a power failure.”

Nora Mogey, head of Media and Learning Technology Service at the university, said, “A lot of students are not assured enough to make that step in such an important situation. They don’t feel they’ve had enough practice in typing on a computer with a time limit in a high-pressure environment. They think they do better with a pen in their hand than on a keyboard.”

Jennifer Cadiz, president at the National Union of Students in the UK, said, “It’s great to see universities recognizing that times have changed. Exams can be a really stressful time for students and it’s helpful to offer them a flexible（靈活的）way to complete exams.”

No other major Scottish universities have plans to follow in Edinburgh University’s footsteps and the Scottish Qualifications Authority says it has decided not to carry out the plan in its universities.

1.According to Para. 1, we know that in Edinburgh University _________.

A. computers are not allowed to be used during exams

B. students shouldn’t use their pens during exams

C. most coursework is done on computers

D. most students will use computers during exams

2.What’s Dai Hounsell’s attitude towards Edinburgh University’s new plan?

A. He opposes it.

B. He isn’t optimistic about it.

C. He is fond of it.

D. He thinks it necessary.

3.The underlined word “assured” in Para. 3 probably means “___________”.

A. confident B. ready

C. fortunate D. wealthy

4.We can infer from the passage that ____________.

A. other universities will try to carry out the challenging plan

B. universities shouldn’t make students stressful during exams

C. the use of computers in exams won’t spread widely in a short time

D. students should get ready to use computers in exams in future

 

Answer 1

1.C

2.B

3.A

4.C

【解析】

試題分析: 本文是一篇新聞報道類短文，介紹了蘇格蘭大學(xué)正在考慮允許學(xué)生在考試中使用自己的電腦，而且愛丁堡大學(xué)的高級官員對此也非常贊同，他們認(rèn)為在考試中使用電腦也是一種趨勢。但是有些習(xí)慣用紙和筆答題的學(xué)生卻對此沒有信心。

1.推理判斷題。根據(jù)文章首段Senior officials at Edinburgh University say that it is unfair to expect students to use pens and paper in exams when the majority of their coursework is done on computers..可知選C。

2.推理判斷題。從第二段He also said, “We don’t want to put students’ future at risk by experimenting as there are technical things which can go wrong. There could be a power failure.”可知Dai Hounsell認(rèn)為用電腦進行考試可能會出現(xiàn)問題，所以他對此不是很樂觀，故選B。

3.細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)該詞后面內(nèi)容They don’t feel they’ve had enough practice in typing on a computer with a time limit in a high-pressure environment. They think they do better with a pen in their hand than on a keyboard.可知學(xué)生們對在電腦上答題考試沒有信心，選A。

4.推理判斷題。根據(jù)文章內(nèi)容可知用電腦考試的相關(guān)方面還不完善，而且別的大學(xué)也沒有實行這種制度的打算，由此判斷在考試中電腦的使用在短時間內(nèi)不會普及，選C。

考點：考查教育類短文閱讀