EDUCATION REPORT - Educational Testing Service Begins New TO

EDUCATION REPORT - Educational Testing Service Begins New TOEFL Test
By Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Thursday, October 13, 2005

I'm Shep O'Neal with the VOA Special English Education Report.

Last month, the Educational Testing Service began using a new TOEFL. TOEFL is the widely used Test of English as a Foreign Language. It already measured the ability to read, write and understand English. The new test does more to bring these skills together, and also measures speaking ability.

The TOEFL examination¹ is used by more than five thousand colleges and universities around the world. About seven hundred fifty thousand people took the test last year. American schools generally require it of foreign students seeking admission².

E.T.S. officials say the new test better measures how well students are able to communicate in English. Skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking are tested in combination³. There are questions where test takers must read, listen and then speak their answer. Or just listen and speak. Or read, listen and then write their answer to the question.

The students speak into a microphone⁴. Three to six examiners will listen to the recorded answers.

Experts have long said that one of the major required abilities for attending college in the United⁵ States is speaking English well. Many times, foreign students have earned high scores on the TOEFL but have had problems at school because they could not speak in class.

The new test is called TOEFL "iBT," for Internet-based test. E.T.S. officials say it is the first major test of English to be given over the Internet.

Students have already taken the new TOEFL at testing centers in the United States. It will be given on October twenty-second in Canada, France, Germany and Italy. It will come into use in testing centers in other parts of the world next year.

E.T.S. officials say they expect the new test to change how English is taught around the world. News reports say many Asian students are worried about the new test. Their English teachers prepare them mainly to read and write, not speak.

Companies are already offering⁶ preparation materials for the new Internet-based TOEFL. Educational Testing Service offers a free practice test on its TOEFL Web⁷ site. The address is ets.org/toefl.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by Nancy Steinbach.  I'm Shep O'Neal.

1 examination   

n.考试，考查，试题；检查，调查

参考例句：

• Teachers always judge their students on the final examination.老师常根据期末考试来评价他们的学生。
• He put up a good show in the final examination.他在期末考试中表现得不错。

2 admission   

n.允许进入；承认；入场费，入会费，入场券

参考例句：

• We attached a condition to his admission to our school.我们对准许他入校附加了一个条件。
• By her own admission,she was responsible for the accident.她自己承认，事故应该由她负责。

3 combination   

n.组合，合并，联合；

参考例句：

• He carried on the business in combination with his friends.他与朋友们合伙做生意。
• The materials can be used singly or in combination.这些材料可以单独使用也可以混合用。

4 microphone   

n.扩音器，麦克风，话筒

参考例句：

• He gave a tap at the microphone before speaking.他在讲话前先轻叩了一下扩音器。
• She behaved naturally before the microphone.她在话筒前表现自然。

5 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

6 offering   

n.提供，奉献物，牲礼

参考例句：

• What is your competition offering?你的竞争者提出的条件是什么？
• The police are offering a big reward for information about the robbery.警方出大笔赏金要求提供那起抢劫案的破案线索。

7 web   

n.网，蛛丝，蹼，织物，圈套，卷筒纸；vi.生蹼，形成网；vt.织蜘蛛网于，使落入圈套

参考例句：

• The spider weaves a web.蜘蛛织网。
• You mean the World Wide Web?你是说国际互联网？