多项选择题中的答案问题绝大多数是因为干扰项编制不严谨导致的,“写干扰项其实是MC题命题工作中最不容易的一步”(李筱菊,2001:155), 干扰无效的后果就是答案不惟一。题目设计中最忌讳的就是出现两个答案,这种题目就成了废题(刘润清、韩宝成, 2000:54)。设计多项选择题时,必须非常谨慎,特别是在设计冠词、情态动词、动词时态等考点时应万分谨慎,命题者在设计干扰项时,必须根据题干考虑到各种可能的语境和考生的各种理解角度和答题角度,否则,该考查考生语言知识的题就会起到桎梏学生思维的作用,误导学生钻牛角尖,如在设计主谓一致考点时就不能考查复数时间概念的谓语的数,因为其谓语用单复数形式都可以,但许多测试题甚至某省的普通高中课程标准英语实验教科书却将答案限定为单数谓语,在实际语言运用中却并非如此,如美国总统George W. Bush在演讲时习惯上用复数谓语,如Nearly five years have passed since these- those
initial days of shock and sadness -and we are thankful that the terrorists have
not succeeded in launching another attack on our soil(Bush, 2006).
①Item No. 1 (北京卷第25题)
―What’s the name?
―Khulaifi. I spell that for you?
A. Shall B. Would C. Can D .Might
该题答案不惟一,参考答案为A, 但“C. Can”也对,因为情态动词can可用于提供提议或帮助, 非常典型的一个句子如:Good morning. Can I help you, Madame? 两位专家Charles Alderson和Dan Douglas认为D也对,Alderson提到情态动词多项选择题非常难以设计,说话人的不同的意图可能导致多个答案。另外,请看词典对选can的解释:Macmillan(以下简称麦克米伦词典,见注)第290页:can义项之7:used in requests, offers etc spoken [口语] used in requests, or when
offering or suggesting something (用于表示请求、给予、建议)可以,能:Can I offer
you something to drink? 要我给你拿点什么饮料吗?
Oxford(以下简称牛津词典,见注)第230页:can义项之5:(spoken)used to
ask permission to do sth (请求允许)可以:Can I take you home?我送你回家好吗?
Longman(以下简称朗文词典,见注)第253页:can义项之3:especially spoken to
have permission to do something or to be allowed to do something [尤口]允许,可以:
Can we go home now please? 我们现在可以回家了吗?
②Item No. 2 (辽宁卷第26题)
——These books are too heavy for me to carry.
—— .
A. You may ask for help B. I’ll give you a hand C.I’will do you a favor
D. I’d come to help
③Item No. 3 (辽宁卷第32题)
School children must be taught how to deal with dangerous .
A. states B. conditions C. situations D. positions
参考答案为C, 但B也对。请先看词典对conditions的解释: 朗文词典第384页:
conditions(plural)the situation in which people live or work, especially the
physical things such as pay or food that affect the quality of their lives[生活或工作的]条件:working/driving/living etc conditions, under excellent/terrible etc conditions.
麦克米伦词典第422页:[plural用复数] the situation or environment in
which something happens or exists 环境;条件。
另外,用搜索引擎Google可检索出很多含dangerous conditions的句子。
Dan Douglas指出,可选conditions,特别是指天气状况时。
④Item No.4 (浙江卷第17题)
--- If you like I can do some shopping for you.
--- That’s a very kind ________.
A. offer B. service C. point D. suggestion
⑤ Item No.6 (山东卷第27题)
____ team wins on Saturday will go through to the national championships.
A. No matter what B. No matter which C Whatever D. Whichever
参考答案为D, 但C也对。该句题干出自麦克米伦词典第2390页:used for referring to who
or what will be chosen, done etc when there are two or more possibilities 那一个(指称将被选择或做的人或事):Whichever team wins on Saturday will go through to the
national championships.星期六获胜的那个队将参加全国锦标赛。
在英国国家语料库查找到有…in whatever order he chose,若按照该题命题人的想法,则应该用whichever才对。同时,请看Google搜索到的句子之一:It's a story in which the
heroes are transported to another planet, and they basically have to fight each
other, and whatever team wins gets to go back to earth.
专家问卷调查显示,所有外国专家和一位国内专家认为C、D都可选。
⑥Item No.7(安徽卷第35题)
Mr. Green stood up in defence of the 16-year-old boy, saying that he was not the one.
A.blamed B.blaming C.to blame D.to be blamed
参考答案为C, 但D也对。我国著名英语语法专家薄冰主编的高级英语语法(最新修订本)一书讲动词不定式时讲到:“请注意有些句子虽表被动,但习惯上却用主动式,如:(41)She’s to
blame for this. 这应怪她。(亦可说She is to be blamed for this)”(薄冰主编, 2000:305)。所有参加问卷调查的国外专家都认为该题有C、D两个答案。在英国国家语料库和Google搜索结果中,有非常多的语句含有to be blamed结构。
⑦Item No.8(广东B卷第23题)
I thought she was famous, but none of my friends have heard of her.
A. even B. ever C. just D. never
①Item No. 1(辽宁卷第29题)
No.29 I think it is necessary for my 19-year-old son to have his own mobile phone, for
I sometimes want to make sure if he home for dinner.
A. come B. comes C. has come D.will come [D]
该题题干语言不妥, 因为make sure后一般跟陈述句,而很少跟表示疑问的结构,在英国国家语料库中也没查到make sure if…结构。Spolsky建议改为to check if he will…;Jane Sunderland 建议改为want to know whether/if…
②Item No.2 (重庆卷第25题)
No. 25 Everywhere man has cut down _____ forests in order to grow crops,or to use
____ wood as fuel or as building material.
A. the; the B. the; / C. /;the D./;/ [C]
②选项经济原则:请看辽宁卷第23题:
No.23 I hear boys in your school like playing football in their spare time,
though others prefer basketball.
A. quite a lot B.quite a few C.quite a bit D.quite a little
③题干和选项相容问题:指选项代入题干后,语法上应该是可行的。请看湖南卷第29题:
No. 29 Although she did not know Boston well, she made her way________ to the
Home Circle Building.
A. easy enough B. enough easy C. easily enough D. enough easily
选项B, D显然和题干不相容,且仅仅根据选项本身考生就可立即排除干扰项B, D。
④选项同质问题: 请先看福建卷第32题:
No.32 The workers will go on strike if the demands they_______put forward are
turned down.
A. could B. would C.不填 D. had [C]
命题失误有命题和审题人员的主观因素,如责任心不够强,粗心大意,对语言测试实践工作抱有轻视心理等。对语言测试实践工作应该多点敬畏,少点轻视。语言测试自20世纪80年代(Bachman,
personal communication)起逐渐成为一门边缘学科, 创造专业水准的英语测试题需要责任心、扎实的语言基本功、一定的语言测试理论知识和丰富的实践经验。
注:本文所用的词典:
牛津词典:Hornby, A. S. 石孝殊等译.牛津高阶英汉双解词典(第6版)[Z]. 北京:商务印书馆/Oxford University Press,2004.
朗文词典:英国培生教育出版有限公司(编).朗文当代高级英语词典(英英?英汉双解新版)[Z]. 北京:外语教学与研究出版社/Pearson Education Asia Limited,2004.
麦克米伦词典:麦克米伦词典高阶英汉双解词典[Z].麦克米伦出版公司编;杨信彰等译. 北京:外语教学与研究出版社/Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2005.
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