(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
From VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report.
The organization that administers a widely-used college entrance test called the SAT will change examination in 2016. The Not-for-Profit College Board announced that it no longer will test students on rarely used words. Students also will not be required to provide a writing work called an essay. And the new SAT will include passages from American historical documents or from writings on issues like freedom and human rights.
The SAT is one of two major tests for entrance to American colleges and universities. The other test is called the ACT. Test scores help colleges decide if the candidate can succeed at their schools. More than 2 million students take the SAT yearly, they include about 100,000 foreign students.
Nigerian student Peace Umoru is in her first year at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Ms Umoru says she thinks the new test will be easier, because of the removal of rarely used words. She says that is the hardest part for international students.
The College Board says words on the new test will relate to usage. Students will be asked to identify the meaning of words based on the way they are used in reading passages.
Eddie West is with the National Association for College Admission Counseling. He says the new test will better predict a student's performance in college.
"Personally, I feel like the changes are moving the test in a more positive direction insofar as they link up with skills and abilities that students will need to succeed, not just in getting into a college, university, but in succeeding once there," said West.
But Mr West says the addition of material related to American historical documents could make the test harder for international students.
"It is going to be relatively uncommon for an international student to be really conversant with the Declaration of Independence or Martin Luther King Jr.'s work, or anything else along those lines that might be cited in the test," said West.
Jamaican Shanique Campbell is a second year student at Howard University. She called the new material very scary for international students.
"We are already faced with knowing that we are taking an American-based exam, and so there are a lot of things that we are not prepared for in terms of what to expect on that exam — for example, cultural references that we will not be able to identify with," said Campell.
Bob Schaeffer of the National Center for Fair and Open Testing spoke to VOA by Skype.
"Students from other countries, particularly those who did not grow up learning English, are at a double disadvantage. The test is in a foreign language for them, and they didn't get test prep. So, it is harder," said Schaeffer.
But the College Board says it has formed a free, online educational service. Khan Academy will provide preparation material linked to the newly designed SAT.
And that's the VOA Learning English Education Report. For more news of education, and for podcasts, captioned videos and lessons to test your English skills, visit our website at learningenglish.voanews.com. I'm Jerilyn Watson.
文本来自51voa，译文属可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载
词汇解释
1.usage n. 使用；用法；惯例
The usage is now firmly established.
这种用法现已得到确认。
2.insofar adv. 在…的范围；在…情况下
I shall do what I can insofar as I am able.
在力所能及的情况下我将尽力而为。
3.conversant adj. 熟悉的；精通的；亲近的
Those in business are not, on the whole, conversant with basic scientific principles.
总体来说，经商的人不熟悉基本的科学原理。
内容解析
1.Students will be asked to identify the meaning of words based on the way they are used in reading passages.
base on 基于，以……为根据；在……基础上
The plan of our country is based on a rising economy.
我国的计划建立在不断发展的经济的基础上。
The movie is based on a real-life incident.
这部电影以现实生活中的一件事为基础。
参考译文
这里是美国之音慢速英语教育报道。
SAT考试管理机构将在2016年对这项广泛认可的大学入学考试进行改革，这家非盈利的大学理事会宣布不再考查学生对生僻词汇的使用。学生们也不需要提供作文这样的书写作业。新的SAT将包括美国历史文献及有关自由和人权等著作的节选。
SAT是美国两大入学考试之一，另一个考试叫ACT。考试分数帮助大学决定候选者是否能在本校取得优异的成绩，每年有200多万学生参加SAT考试，其中有大约10万外国学生。
尼日利亚学生Peace Umoru目前在华盛顿哥伦比亚特区的哈佛大学读一年级，她说新考试会容易些，因为去掉了生僻的词汇。她说这对国际学生来说是最难的部分。
大学理事会称新考试中的词汇将和用法关联起来，将要求学生们基于词汇在阅读篇章中的用法来确定其意思。
艾迪·威斯特就职于美国大学入学招生咨询协会，他说新考试将能更好地预测学生在大学的表现。
“我个人感觉这些变化使得考试往更积极的方向改变，因为它将考试与学生成功所需的技能联系起来，而不仅仅是进学院和大学，而是让他们在那里成功。”
但威斯特说其他的考试材料与美国历史文献有关，这对国际学生来说可能难些。
“对外国学生来说熟悉独立宣言或马丁路德金的著作或者考试中引述的其他内容都可能不太寻常。”
牙买加的夏妮可·坎贝尔在哈佛大学读第二年，她称这些新材料对国际学生来说很可怕。
“我们早就知道这是在参加美国考试，所以对于考试会考些什么我们都没做好准备，比如我们无法识别的文化背景。”
国家公平和公开考试中心的鲍勃·谢弗在Skype上接受了美国之音的采访。
“其他国家的学生，尤其是不是从小就学英语的学生都处于双重的劣势处境，对他们来说考试是用外语考的，同时他们无法做好准备，这样就更难了。”
但大学理事会称已提供了免费的在线教育服务，可汗学院将提供与新SAT考试有关的准备材料。
这就是美国之音慢速英语教育报道，登陆learningenglish.voanews.com获得测试英语技能的播客、视频和课程，我是斯塔普顿·沃森。
