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(B)
About PISA
The Program for International Student Assessment(PISA) is a triennial international survey which aims to evaluate education systems worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students. To date, students representing more than 70 economies have participated in the assessment. What makes PISA different
PISA is unique because it develops tests which are not directly linked to the school curriculum. The tests are designed to assess to what extent students at the end of compulsory education, can apply their knowledge to real-life situations and be equipped for full participation in society. The information collected through background questionnaires also provides context which can help analysts interpret the results.
What the assessment involves
Since the year 2000, every three years, fifteen-year-old students from randomly selected schools worldwide take tests in the key subjects: reading, mathematics and science, with a focus on one subject in each year of assessment. The students take a test that lasts 2 hours. The tests are a mixture of open-ended and multiple-choice questions that are organized in groups based on a passage setting out a real-life situation. A total of about 390 minutes of test items are covered. Students take different combinations of different tests. Additional PISA initiatives
PISA-based Test for Schools(PTS)
As interest in PISA has grown, school and local educators have been wanting to know how their individual schools compare with students and schools in education systems worldwide. To address this need, the OECD(The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) has developed the PISA-based test for schools. It is currently available in the United States and the OECD is in discussions with governments to make the test available in other countries such as England and Spain.
70. PISA is different from other programmes because __________.
A. its test is closely related to the school curriculum.
B. its test aims to assess whether students can solve real-life problems.
C. its test can equip students for full participation in school.
D. test scores directly determine the analysis of the test.
71. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. Test-takers are carefully selected.
B. Test-takers answer the same questions.
C. Test-takers are tested on three key subjects.
D. Test-takers spend about 390 minutes on the test.
72. What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. Students of all ages will be able to take PTS in the future.
B. More countries are likely to have PTS in the future.
C. School and local educators show little interest in PISA at present.
D. PISA provides evaluation of education system within a certain country.
73. Where can we most probably find the passage?
A. On the Internet B. In a newspaper
C. In a magazine D. In an advertisement
(C)
YANG YUANQING, Lenovo’s boss, hardly spoke a word of English until he was about 40: he grew up in rural poverty and read engineering at university. But when Lenovo bought IBM’s personal-computer division in 2005 he decided to immerse himself in English: he moved his family to North Carolina, hired a language tutor and -- the ultimate sacrifice -- spent hours watching cable-TV news.
Lenovo is one of a growing number of multinationals from the non-Anglophone world that have made English their official language. The fashion began in places with small populations but global ambitions such as Singapore and Switzerland.
Corporate English is now invading more difficult territory, such as Japan. Rakuten, a cross between Amazon and eBay, and Fast Retailing, which operates the Uniqlo fashion chain, were among the first to switch. Now they are being joined by old-economy companies such as Honda, a carmaker, and Bridgestone, a tyremaker. Chinese firms are proving harder to handle/crack: they have a huge internal market and are struggling to enroll/recruit competent managers of any description, let alone English-speakers. But some are following Lenovo’s lead. Huawei has introduced English as a second language and encourages high-flyers(ambitious employees) to become fluent.
There are some obvious reasons why multinational companies want a lingua franca(共同语). Adopting English makes it easier to recruit global stars (including board members), reach global markets and assemble global production teams. Such steps are especially important to companies in Japan, where the population is shrinking.
Tsedal Neeley of Harvard Business School says that “Englishnisation” can stir up a hornet’s nest of emotions. Ms. Neeley argues that companies must think carefully about implementing a policy that touches on so many emotions. Senior managers should explain to employees why switching to English is so important, provide them with classes and conversation groups, and offer them incentives(刺激) to improve their fluency, such as foreign postings. Those who are already proficient in English should speak more slowly and try not to dominate conversations. And managers must act as referees and enforcers, resolving conflicts and discouraging staff from returning to their native tongues.
Intergovernmental bodies like the European Union are obliged to pretend that there is no predominant global tongue. But businesses worldwide are facing up to the reality that English is the language on which the sun never sets.
74. Lenovo’s boss made all the efforts to familiarize himself with English except __________.
A. hiring a language tutor B. resettling in an English-speaking environment
C. expanding the business overseas D. exposing himself to English Cable-TV news.
75. What can we infer from the passage?
A. Most Chinese firms would like to introduce corporate English.
B. Chinese firms are in great need of English majors as their managers.
C. Huawei followed Lenovo as the second largest multinational in China.
D. Adopting corporate English is more difficult in places with a large population.
76. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. The decrease in population pushes the Japanese to learn English well.
B. Neither the governmental bodies nor businesses will regard English as a global tongue.
C. Companies should handle employees’ emotions carefully during the switch.
D. Those good at English should be encouraged to speak more in the company.
77. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A. English-Global Tongue in Business. B. English-Chinese Business Leaders’ New Fashion.
C. English-The Best Tool in Communication. D. English-Dominating Factor of Successful Business.
