美文赏析
Good changes?
FOR Beijing students hoping to gain an edge (优势)on the national college entrance examinations with their good English skills，it's bad news：English will not be as important as Chinese
or math on the big exam starting from 2016.
Beijing's education authorities have decided to cut the English test
score from 150 to 100 but raise that of Chinese from 150 to 180.
“I have been told since I was able to speak
that English is very important，but all of a sudden，it isn't any longer，”complained one of my classmates，who usually scores highly on English tests.
As Senior 3 students already，we both feel lucky that English will weigh as much as Chinese and math for two more years，but a few of our
classmates who don't do well on English tests complained about being born in the wrong year.
“What if② I had
been born two years later，”said Xiao Li，“or even
later，when we might not have to learn English at all.”
Teachers in my high school are divided over the changes to gaokao scoring.“The message has been delivered③ that English will not be as important as other subjects，”said English
teacher Madame Zheng, adding，halfjokingly，“I might lose my job.”
My neighbor Mr Luo even pulled his 11yearold daughter out of an
expensive English training program at a private weekend school，getting a
refund(退款)of 3,500 yuan from his 5,000 yuan tuition，“We'll spend the money on extra courses like Chinese writing and math，”he said.
Beijing is not alone in playing down the importance of English in the college entrance examinations.Other provinces are considering changes to English testing too.For example，Shandong will cancel the listening part of the English test next year.
The Chinese capital's
reforms④ are meant to reduce the workload of students and call for more time and energy
to be spent on
Chinese language and
culture.
Still，in my opinion, changes to English testing scores are sure to
dampen students'
enthusiasm for learning English and make China，which ranked⑤ fairly low on Education First's 2017 English Proficiency Index(英语水平指数)，an even worse place for English speaking and even less capable⑥ of
connecting with the
rest of the world.
By Cao Ruge，
Beijing No 31 High School
【解题导语】 本文主要讲述了高考英语改革的情况，对于此项改革有人欢喜有人忧。
一、阅读与积累
1．攻克疑难词汇
①all of a sudden突然地
We were driving along，when all of a sudden a car pulled straight out
in front of us.
我们正开着车子往前走，冷不防一辆汽车在我们前面冲了出来。
②What if...？如果……怎么样？(用于提出建议)
What if we go and see a film tomorrow night?
我们明天晚上去看电影，你觉得怎么样？
③deliver v．递送，传送；发表，宣布；履行诺言
④reform n．&v.改革
⑤rank v．把……分等级；排列
⑥capable adj.有能力的，足以胜任的
2．攻克疑难句
For Beijing students hoping to gain an edge on the national college
entrance examinations with their good English
skills，it's bad news：English
will not
be as important as Chinese or math on the big exam starting from 2016.
结构分析 for Beijing students hoping to gain an edge on the national college entrance examinations with their good English skills 是介词短语作状语，其中hoping
to gain...是现在分词作后置定语，该句主要结构是it's news，English will not as...是同位语。
尝试翻译 对于那些希望用好的英语技能来获得在高考中的优势的北京的学生来说，从2016年开始在高考中英语将不如汉语和数学那么重要了，这是一则坏消息。
二、理解与尝试命题
1．理解文章主旨
The main idea of the passage is about_some_reforms_about_English_in_the_college_entrance_examinations.
2．完形填空尝试命题
文中画线的部分是完形填空命题中最易挖空的地方，请你和你的同桌依据首句常识自主写出三个干扰项，并比较一下谁的更符合高考命题特点。
A.________
B．starting
C．________
D．________
参考答案 A．starts C．started D．to start
A.________
B．________
C．________
D．but
参考答案 A．and B．however C．or
3．解题方法技巧点拨
完形填空解题技法之一：解码首句(段)，洞察解题方略
首句往往是整篇文章的引领句，概括了整篇文章的中心和作者的写作意图，细读首句可以判断文章体裁，预测文章大意和主旨；读懂首句可以帮助考生建立正确的思维导向，对理解全文起着至关重要的作用。完形填空的命题原则一般是文章第一句不设空，以使考生快速进入语境，并通过这一“窗口”，把握整篇文章。一般来说，记叙文类的文章的首句会交代4个W(when，where，who，what)，说明文类的文章的首句会解释要说明的对象，议论文类的文章的首句会提出一个论点。
[真 题 典 例]
(2017·江西卷)Diane Ray was completely selfcentred and very spoilt.Her parents gave her __36__ she wanted，knowing that she would throw a temper tantrum(耍小孩脾气)if they did not.She would scream and kick and__37__on the floor drumming her heels.Her parents always__38__.
36．A.either
B．neither
C．nothing
D．everything
37．A.jump
B．lie
C．spin
D．sleep
38．A.set out
B．set in
C．gave in
D．gave out
答案 36.D 37.B 38.C
【分析】 由文章首句“Diane Ray was completely selfcentred and very spoilt.”可知，Diane Ray完全以自我为中心而且被宠坏了，她的父母会给她想要的一切(everything)，否则，她会躺(1ie)在地上尖叫、踢腾，因此，父母总是向她让步(gave in)。
[学 以 致 用]
(2017·合肥模拟)Soon it would be the holidays，but before that，there were endofyear exams.All the __1__had been working hard for some time，reviewing their lessons for the exams.If they didn't __2__，they would have to retake them in September.There were usually a few who__3__，but Jane didn't want to be one of them.She had worked hard all year, __4__just before the exams
she was working so hard that her sister Barbara was__5__about her.
1．A.teachers
B．students
C．classmates
D．schools
答案 B [根据reviewing their lessons for the exams可推知是students。]
2．A.prepare
B．miss
C．join
D．pass
答案 D [一般来说，如果一位学生考试不及格需要补考。由have to retake them可推知是pass。]
3．A.succeeded
B．failed
C．ended
D．called
答案 B [由Jane didn't want to be one of them和前一句话可推知本空应填failed。]
4．A.but
B．so
C．and
D．because
答案 A [前后形成对比，全句意思为：她已刻苦学习整整一年，可是临考前还得努力，故but是最佳答案。]
5．A.excited
B．frightened
C．worried
D．pleased
答案 C [根据上下文之间的逻辑关系判断，看到简学习这么努力，她姐姐芭芭拉担心她的身体，故worried是最佳答案。]
【分析】 通过阅读首句，我们可知本文是一篇记叙文，接下来，作者一定是描述某次考试的情景。所以做题时，一定要依据您平常应对考试时的表现和一般心理感受，把词汇锁定在与考试有关的单词或短语上。