Major Changes in SAT Announced by College Board

　　美国大学理事会将对SAT考试进行重大改革

　　Theoverall scoring will return to the old 1600 scales, based on a topscore of 800 in reading and math.

　　考试的最高分将重回1600分，其中阅读和数学各占800分。

　　Thechanges coming to the exam are extensive: The SAT’s rarefiedvocabulary words will be replaced by words that are common incollege courses, such as “empirical”and “synthesis.” The mathquestions, now scattered widely across many topics, will focus morenarrowly on linear equations, functions and proportional thinking.The use of a calculator will no longer be allowed on some of themath sections. The new exam will be available on paper andcomputer, and the scoring will revert to the old 1600 scale, with atop score of 800 on math and what will now be called“Evidence-Based Reading and Writing.” The optional essay will havea separate score.

　　这次的改革大刀阔斧：一些偏难怪的词汇将被替换成大学课堂出现频率高的词，如“empirical”(实验性的) “synthesis”(整合)。现行的数学考试考点过于分散，新考试将集中考察一次方程、函数和比率。一些部分不许使用计算器。新考试有机考和笔考两种形式，总分回到了1600，数学和“有理性阅读和写作”各占800. 选作的论文写作有独立的分数。

　　Amongother changes, the new test will not ask students to define arcanewords, relying instead on vocabulary used in collegecourses.

　　新出炉的考试也不要求考生会解释晦涩的词汇，而是主要考察大学课程中会出现的词汇。

　　Some ofthe changes will make the new SAT more like the ACT, which for thelast two years has outpaced the SAT in test-takers and isincreasingly being adopted as a public high school test by stateeducation officials. Thirteen states use it that way now and threemore are planning to do so. The ACT has no guessing penalty, andits essay is optional. It also includes a science section, andwhile the SAT is not adding one, the redesigned reading test willinclude a science passage.

　　一些改革借鉴了ACT,ACT在过去的两年无论在备考人数上和州政府采纳情况上都超过了SAT. 13个州采纳ACT成绩作为标准高中考试，还有3个州也打算效仿。ACT猜错不扣分，论文写作不算入总分，还有一个“科学”部分，SAT没有打算加入一个“科学”部分，但会在阅读部分加入一篇相关文章。

　　Therevised essay, in particular, will shift in that direction.Students now write about their experiences and opinions, with nopenalty for incorrect assertions, even egregiously wrong ones.Going forward, though, students will get a source document and beasked to analyze it for its use of evidence, reasoning andpersuasive or stylistic technique.

　　特别是论文写作，更要朝此方向发展。现在考生在描述经历和发表意见时，不正确的言论甚至恶性错误的陈述都不会扣分。展望新的论文写作题目，考生将得到一份文件，并要求就其证据、推理、说服性和风格技巧进行分析。

　　The textwill be different on each exam, but the essay task will remainconstant. The required essay never caught on with most collegeadmissions officers. Few figure the score into the admissiondecision. And many used the essay only occasionally, as a rawwriting sample to help detect how much parents, consultants andcounselors had edited and polished the essay submitted with theapplication.

　　论文写作的文章各异，但要求是一致的。以前的论文写作成绩大多不被作为录取参考。许多大学只偶尔拿出来和递交上来的材料对比一下，看看到底有多少父母、咨询师和导师后期加工的成分。

　　The Key Changes 主要变化

　　Startingin the spring of 2016, some of the changes to the SAT willinclude:

　　2016年春新SAT开始实施，一些变化包括：

　　• Instead of arcane “SATwords” (“depreciatory,” “membranous”), the vocabulary words on thenew exam will be ones commonly used in college courses, such as“synthesis” and “empirical.”

　　摒弃偏难怪词汇(“depreciatory,”“membranous”)，着眼大学常见词汇，如“synthesis” “empirical.”

　　• The essay, requiredsince 2005, will become optional. Those who choose to write anessay will be asked to read a passage and analyze how its authorused evidence, reasoning and stylistic elements to build anargument.

　　2005年加入的论文写作将作为选做题。包括一篇文章和分析作者如何使用证据、推理、风格等元素支持自己的论点。

　　• The guessing penalty,in which points are deducted for incorrect answers, will beeliminated.

　　猜错答案不再倒扣分

　　• The overall scoringwill return to the old 1600 scales, based on a top score of 800 inreading and math. The essay will have a separate score.

　　总分回到1600，数学和阅读各占800，论文写作单另算分。

　　• Math questions willfocus on three areas: linear equations; complex equations orfunctions; and ratios, percentages and proportional reasoning.Calculators will be permitted on only part of the mathsection.

　　数学考点有三大块，一次方程;多元方程或函数;比率和比率推理。数学的一些部分不允许使用计算器。

　　• Every exam willinclude, in the reading and writing section, source documents froma broad range of disciplines, including science and social studies,and on some questions, students will be asked to select the quotefrom the text that supports the answer they have chosen.

　　考试的题目来源广泛，包括自然科学和社会科学研究，一些考题要求考生引用原文支持自己选择的答案。

　　• Every exam willinclude a reading passage from either one of the nation’s “foundingdocuments,”such as the Declaration of Independence and the Bill ofRights, or from one of the important discussions of such texts,such as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s “Letter from aBirmingham Jail.”

　　阅读必有一篇文章出自建国经典文献，如《独立宣言》 《人权法案》或基于这些文献的讨论文章，如马丁路德金的《伯明翰监狱来信》