听听美国人是如何评论新版SAT考试的,美国高中留学广场微信公众号文章

SAT考试变革牵动着每个打算进入美国高校读书的学生的神经。经过多年的运作和实践，SAT考试已经积累和沉淀了一大批往届考试题目和考试点评，供学生和培训学校老师用来辅导和学习。16年3月份即将登场亮相的新版SAT做出了重大调整，这让备考的学生们忧心忡忡，没有了官方指导和真题作为索引和参考，准备起来更是觉得一头雾水，失去了方向。今天小编就在这里为你指点迷津。还是看看美国SAT备考专家们对新版SAT的描述和体会吧。

Everything You Need to Know About the NewSAT

你需要了解的新版SAT 考试

The new SAT will soon arrive on a wave of bold promises. The College Board has said its redesigned admission test would contain “no more mysteries.”Instead of being a riddle to solve, it would correspond with high-schoolcurriculums and better reflect what students have learned.

新SAT考试（规避以往考试的弊端）带着许多重大的承诺向我们走来了。大学理事会说：经过重新设计的入学考试将不再包含“神秘的东西”。与其说是让大家猜谜，新SAT考试会与高中课程相一致，更好地反映学生学过的知识和能力。

The pitch sounds good. But is it true?

这听起来真不错，果真如此吗？

In the spirit of good prep, let’s review what we know so far. The new SAT, which debuts in March, will look a lot different from the current version. Instead of three sections, there will be two: Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing. Each will be scored on a 200-to-800 scale. There will no longer be a penalty for guessing, and the odds will be better (the number of possibleanswers will decrease from 5 to 4). The now-required essay will be optional.

在做好考前准备的情况下，让我们回顾一下我们所知道的情况。新SAT将于16年3月份登场，将和现行的SAT有许多不同的地方。首先，考试不再是3个部分，而是更改成了2个部分：数学以及基于事实的阅读和写作。每部分打分还是从200-800不等.对于猜错的题目不再有倒扣分，并且答对题的几率会提升。（由原先的5个选择答案改为4个）。而当前必须做的写作部分将变为为可选部分。

As for content, the revamped test draws heavily from the Common Core —math and reading benchmarks adopted by most states. Those standards emphasize evidence-based interpretations of texts, vocabulary used in college and careers, and depth-over-breadth math skills. And yes, although the exam will not be the mirror image of the ACT, the two are about to become much more similar.

至于考试内容，改革后的考试会重点考察核心内容– 即大多数美国各州采用的数学和阅读标准。这些标准强调基于事实的对文章的解读，大学及工作中常使用的词汇，以及更加注重数学技能的深度而不是广度。尽管说新SAT考试不会是ACT考试的翻版，但这两个考试看起来会更加接近。

The changes get mixed reviews. Some testing experts who’ve studied the College Board’s sample questions describe them as more relevant and less gimmicky. Others foresee problems, especially for those who struggle with reading.

对于SAT这些变化大家有不同的看法。一些研究过新SAT样题的考试专家认为考试将和所学到的东西更加相关并且弱化了考试中的陷阱考题。其它专家则预见到一些问题。尤其是对于阅读能力弱的学生。

“The new SAT will align better with what kids are learning in school,”said Ned Johnson, founder of PrepMatters, a test-preparation service in Bethesda, Md., andco-author of “Conquering the SAT.” “But if you haven’t gone to a school that's prepared you well, the test isn’t going to serve you well.”

Johnson 说：“新SAT考试将和孩子们在学校学到的东西更加关联一致。”但他同时警告说“如果你没有上一所好的学校–它没有为你做充足的准备，那么这个考试会让你头疼”

Although the SAT is evolving, not all of its stripes are changing.Test-taking savvy is still going to make a big difference when students pick up those No. 2 pencils. So let’s take a closer look at some of the changes — and why they matter.

尽管SAT在不断演变中，但并非所有要点都在变化。理解能力强的考生仍然会取得优异成绩。让我们仔细看看其中的一些变化并且分析一下为什么这些变化很重要。

First, the reading section won’t be so “recondite,” because obscure words like that are disappearing. The test will no longer ask students to complete sentences. Now they will have to derive the meaning of widely used words based on context. Test takers should expect to see words that can be used in different ways (“measured,” “disposed”). Instead of recalling a definition from vocabulary flash cards, they’ll have to read prose passages carefully to choose an answer.

首先，阅读部分将不再会那么“深奥”，因为一些比如刚刚提到的这种晦涩高深的词汇会消失。考试也不再要求学生做完成句子的题目。而现在考试会强调学生基于上下文得出特定场合下常用单词的特定含义。考生会看到用在不同场合下的同一个单词或词组。这不是让你背诵词汇的定义而是让你在阅读文字的基础上选择答案。

How should students prepare? By reading often and diving into various kinds of texts, especially nonfiction, tutors say. That’s more a long-term strategy than a quick test-prep trick. Habitual reading can also help on the writing section, which will demand prolonged concentration. To answer questions about grammar, punctuation and usage, students will have to wade through extended passages relating to history, humanities and science.

学生该如何准备呢？一些辅导老师建议：通过经常阅读不同类型的文章，尤其是非小说类的文章。这是一种长期准备而不是短期速成的学习策略。习惯性的阅读对于写作部分也是大有好处的因为写作部分要求持久的专注。对于解答语法、标点和使用方面的问题，学生将需要涉猎有关历史，人文和科学方面的广泛短文。

What’s true of the writing section is true of the new SAT in general:There’s much more to read. “The most fundamental change is that there are many,many more words,” said Aaron Golumbfskie, education director for PrepMatters.“If you don’t read and read happily, this test isn’t going to be your friend.”

写作部分的精髓正是新版SAT总体所要求的东西：更大的阅读量。教育专家说：“最根本的变化是有更大更多的文字需要阅读，如果你平时不能好好开心的阅读，你不会取得好成绩。”

Even the math section will require more reading, with fewer questions based on equations and more word problems. Some prompts will present the same type of real-world situations that the Common Core emphasizes — “The recommended daily calcium intake for a 20-year-old is 1,000 milligrams (mg).One cup of milk contains 299 mg....” Mr. Golumbfskie describes the math sectionas “tighter in focus.” The current test covers a lot of ground, with a questionor two on each topic; the new one will drill down into a few key areas.Geometry is fading out. Algebra is stepping up: Prepare for linear equations and inequalities, and systems of equations in two variables.

即便是数学部分也要求更多的阅读，较少依靠数学公式来解答问题，更多的会是文字问题。一些文字提示语言将会体现学校教学大纲所推崇的面对现实世界的问题。比如“对于1个20岁的人来说，一天的钙摄取量推荐值是1000毫克。一杯牛奶含有299毫克的钙。。。”当前的SAT数学部分覆盖许多内容，每个内容下面涉及到1到2题。新版SAT数学将会考察几个重要的知识板块。几何部分将逐步淡出，代数部分得到强化：特别是线性方程和不等式，以及含两个变量的方程组。

The addition of more-advanced math, such as trigonometry, means the test will cover material from a greater number of courses. That will make it more difficult for students to take the SAT early. Some questions will require knowledge of statistics, a course relatively few students take in high school.And because one math section will prohibit the use of a calculator, students who use them in class may want to practice tackling calculations with pencil and paper.

更深数学内容的加入，比如三角，意味着说数学考试会覆盖更多数学课程的内容。这将让早期参加SAT考试的学生感到更加困难。一些问题会要求统计学知识，而很少有学生在高中时期就上这样的课。并且其中一个数学部分禁止使用计算器，上课使用计算器的学生需要练习使用铅笔和纸来完成题目。

After getting through all that math, test takers who opt to write the essay will have a much different assignment than they do today. The prompts,which will look familiar to those who’ve taken Advanced Placement English, ask for a critical response to a specific argument. In: analysis. Out: writing about your personal experiences. For example: Read excerpts from a 1967 speechby the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and explain how he used evidence,reasoning and/or stylistic elements to support his argument that American involvement in the Vietnam War was unjust.

在完成所有的数学部分之后，选择参加写作的考生将会遇到和当前考试版本完全不一样的任务。题目看起来很像AP英语考试的题目，它要求对于一个具体的论点做出一个决定性的回答。比如：通过阅读马丁路德金1967年演讲摘录，解释他是如何使用证据，推理和格式元素来支持他的论点：即美国卷入越战是非正义和不公正的。

As much as any other modification, the new essay captures the spirit of the new SAT, which underscores the importance of evidence. Questions throughout will require students to cite specific examples that support their answers. No longer can they get by on writing skills alone.

正如其他部分的改动，新SAT作文抓住了新SAT考试的灵魂，即强调证据的重要性。纵观整个问题都要求学生举具体事例来支持其观点。不再是仅仅靠写作技巧就能获取高分。

With all the new stuff to consider, it’s easy to forget about what’s not changing. At 3 hours 50 minutes (with the essay), the SAT is still a long,exhausting test. Besides measuring what students have learned, it will measure how they perform under pressure in a high-stakes situation — just like the old model.

考虑到上述所有提到的，很容易让我们忘掉新SAT考试还有什么没有改变的。作为3小时5分钟的考试（含作文）SAT考试仍然会是一个既长又耗精力的考试。除了衡量学生学到的知识，还考核学生在压力之下的表现就像现行的SAT考试一样。

Adam Ingersoll, a founder of Compass EducationGroup, a California test-prep service, said the College Board has made the SAT more resistant to the beat-the-test strategies his industry is known for teaching: “The mysteriousness of the test — they are actively trying to bleed that out.”

Compass教育集团的创始人Adam说新版SAT让各种考试策略更加难以发挥功效。因为考试培训机构重点在于教授考试中的神秘高深难点，而新版考试将把这些部分剔除掉。

But maybe not completely. While poring over sample questions, Mr.Ingersoll spotted the same “trap doors” — questions designed to distract or confuse and to enhance the test’s difficulty — that he finds in the current version.

也许没有完全剔除掉。因为新版考试中应该还会保留一些当前版本中的陷阱问题– 迷惑和增加考试难度的题目

Colleges use the SAT to sort applicants, and a wide distribution of scores helps them do that. “You can’t have all students getting a 750,” Mr. Ingersoll said. “It needs to be a benchmark of students’ achievement, but that is at odds with selective colleges’ need to have a test that sorts and ranks. These quirks and trap doors make the test perform the way it needs to.”

美国大学使用SAT来筛选申请人，分数的拉开有助于学校找到合适的候选人。”“你不能让所有学生都得到750分。”“考试要有一个反映学生水平的衡量基准，但这个基准又和挑选候选人的大学的要求相矛盾，因此一些怪题和陷阱题目会帮助学校找到合适的大学候选人人选”

So the big question burning up the web: Which version should I take? The answer could come down to timing. Students have just three more chances to take the current SAT — the last testing date is Jan. 23.

那么在网上疯传的问题出项了：我应该参加哪个版本的考试？答案是取决于你的时间。学生目前还有3次机会参加当前版的SAT.现行SAT的最后一次考试日期是2016年1月23日。

One advantage of sticking with the current version: It’s a known quantity,and plenty of review materials exist. Those who were happy with their PSAT scores might want to take the soon-to-be-old SAT, which would look familiar to them. “There’s not a test-prep tutor anywhere who could look a family in the eye and say, ‘We can do as good a job for you on the new SAT this year,’” Mr. Ingersoll said.

现行的SAT有大量的历届考题供参考和索引，还有大量的复习资料。但对于新SAT来说，不再会有辅导老师说我们能给一样好的辅导就像辅导现行版的SAT一样。

Most students take the SAT for the first time in spring of their junioryear. Those who don’t want to rush might decide that the new test, though lessfamiliar, fits their schedule better. But remember this: The first cohort totake the new SAT, in March, won’t get their scores until after the next testdate, in May. That’s about double the current wait time.

The second question everyone is asking: Is the new test harder? No,several test preppers insist, though some students might stumble over thelonger reading passages, the deeper dive into math and questions that requiremultiple steps to reach an answer. Those concerns could drive many students totake the old test — or the ACT.

第二个问题是：新版SAT是否更难？虽然一些学生或许会被更长的阅读文章，更深的数学内容以及需要若干步骤才能完成的问题绊倒，但是好几个考试专家坚持说：并没有增加难度。

Some expect that the new SAT will be even more challenging for thedisadvantaged. By weaving more tightly into high-school curriculum, the test wouldseem to best serve students at high-performing schools, with the strongteachers who prepare them for state standards, as well as affluent studentswith access to test prep.

一些人预期新版SAT对于弱势学生来说会更具挑战性。由于考试更多牵扯到高中课程，考试似乎会更加垂青好学校，有好老师的学生，以及那些可以花钱参加考试辅导的富裕学生。

“There’s a new body style on the Chevrolet, but it has zero to do with performance — the engine’s the same,” said Jay Rosner, the Princeton Review Foundation’s executive director, who tutors low-income and underrepresented minority students. “It’s going to generate the same hierarchy of scores that exists now.”

其实考试的核心是一致的，只是外观及方式发生了变化。