Question

Anne Whitney, a sophomore (大学二年级学生) at Colorado State University, first had a problem taking tests when she began college. "I was always well prepared for my tests. Sometimes I studied for weeks before a test. Yet I would go in to take the test, only to find I could not answer the questions correctly. I would blank out because of nervousness and fear. I couldn't think of the answer. My low grades on the tests did not show what I knew to the teacher. “Another student in biology had similar experiences. He said, "My first chemistry test was very difficult. Then, on the second test, I sat down to take it, and I was so nervous that I was shaking. My hands were moving up and down so quickly that it was hard to hold my pencil. I knew the material and I knew the answers. Yet I couldn't even write them down!"
　　These two young students were experiencing something called test anxiety. Because a student worries and is uneasy about a test, his or her mind does not work as well as it usually does. The student cannot write or think clearly because of the extreme tension and nervousness. Contrary to people’s common belief that poor grades are often a result of poor study habits, sometimes test anxiety plays a role in students’ achieving low grades. Recently, test anxiety has been recognized as a real problem, not just an excuse or a false explanation of lazy students.
　　Special university advising courses try to help students. In these courses, advisors try to help students by teaching them how to manage test anxiety. At some universities, students take tests to measure their anxiety. If the tests show their anxiety is high, the students can take short courses to help them deal with their tensions. These courses teach students how to relax their bodies. Students are trained to become calm in very tense situations. By controlling their nervousness, they can let their minds work at ease. Learned information then comes out without difficulty on a test.
　　An expert at the University of California explains, " With almost all students, relaxation and less stress are felt after taking our program. Most of them experience better control during their tests. Almost all have some improvement. With some, the improvement is very great. "
小题1:To "blank out" is probably______.

A．to be like a blanket	B．to be sure of an answer
C．to be unable to think clearly	D．to show knowledge to the teacher

小题2:Poor grades are usually believed to be the result of______.

A．poor sleeping habit	B．laziness
C．test anxiety	D．inability to form good study habits

小题3:Test anxiety has been recognized as______.

A．an excuse for laziness	B．the result of poor study habits
C．a real problem	D．something that cannot be changed

小题4:A University of California advisor said______.

A．all students could overcome the anxiety after taking a special test anxiety program

B．almost all students felt less stress after taking a University of California advising course

C．students found it difficult to improve even though they had taken a special test anxiety course

D．students found it easy to relax as soon as they entered a University of California advising course

Answer 1

小题1:C
小题2:D
小题3:C
小题4:B

试题分析：本文叙述了学校的学生在考试期间出现了考试焦虑症，不能在考场上正常作答试卷，即使会做题因为手在抖，也无法正常进行作答，有些学校针对这种情况对学生进行了培训和疏导，结果表明几乎所有的学生都没有了焦虑症或者已经大大地减轻了症状。
小题1:词义猜测题。根据I couldn't think of the answer.不能够清晰地想出答案，故选C。
小题2:细节理解题。根据poor grades are often a result of poor study habits，考试分数低往往被认为没有良好的学习习惯，故选D。
小题3:细节理解题。根据test anxiety has been recognized as a real problem, 考试焦虑已经被认为是真实存在的问题，故选C。
小题4:细节理解题。根据With almost all students, relaxation and less stress are felt after taking our program. 在培训后，几乎所有的学生都没有或减轻了考试焦虑症了，故选B。
点评：词义猜测题体现了应用英语的重要能力，也是高考阅读理解中必考的题型。它不但需要准确无误地理解上下文，而且要有较大的泛读量，掌握或认识较多的课外词汇。考生应学会通过构词、定义、同位、对比、因果、常识、同义、反义及上下文线索等确定词义。