阅读理解。
American kids are talking more tests than ever before, and they're stressed out. Is help on the way? Just
the sight of a test makes some kids sweat. For others, it is a blank answer sheet. Then there are the frightening
words, "Take out your Number 2 pencil." All three fill 10-year-old Chelsea Logo with fear. "I start to tap my
pencil on the desk," says the fifth grader, "Then I feel the butterflies in my stomach."
Chelsea is not alone. In a recent survey, more than 70% of kids aged 9 to 13 said they worry about tests.
It's no wonder. Across the United States, public schools give more than 250 million standardized tests each
year.
Why do kids have to take so many tests? The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law requires that students in
grades 3 through 8 be tested each year. The law's goal is for all students to be at grade level by 2014. Students
must pass the tests and meet other requirements or their schools may be shut down.
US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan wants to change NCLB. But that doesn't mean he favors getting
rid of tests. Duncan believes tests should be used mainly to evaluate kids' strengths and weaknesses. Tests,
Duncan says, should not be used to punish kids or their schools for failure. "The goal is to focus on great
teaching and learning," Duncan said.
Under NCLB, each state sets its own standards for students to meet. The result, Duncan says, is that states
are making the tests easier. To fix this problem, 48 states are now working together to create common
standards. "I want to set a high bar for kids," Duncan says, "so they'll be in great shape to achieve their dreams."
Like them or not, tests are here to stay. So how can you handle test stress? Schools are teaching students
to relax through deep breathing and stretching. In Oakland, California, Principal Zarina Ahmad of Piedmont
Avenue Elementary leads her students in a cheer to get them excited about learning.
1. The underlined part "the butterflies in my stomach" in Para I can be replaced by _____.
A. guilty
B. nervous
C. exciting
D. proud
2. According to the passage, the NCLB law _____.
A. is focusing on teaching methods in schools
B. is requiring schools to make the tests more difficult
C. is trying to make schools be responsible for students
D. aims to evaluate kids' strengths and weaknesses by means of tests
3. We can learn from the passage that Arne Duncan _____.
A. is strongly against tests
B. suggests closing some schools
C. is concerned about students' development
D. suggests each state set its own standard
4. It can be concluded from the last two paragraphs that _____.
A. it's impossible to get rid of tests
B. schools have no good way to deal with students' stress
C. tests help assess what students have to learn
D. schools are aware of students' stress caused by tests