We are all interested in equality, but while some people try to protect the school and examination system in the name of equality, others, still in the name of equality, want only to destroy it.
Any society which is interested in equality of opportunity and standards of achievement must regularly test its pupils. The standards may be changed — no examination is perfect — but to have no tests or examination would mean the end of equality and of standards. There are groups of people who oppose this view and who do not believe either in examinations or in any controls in schools or on teachers. This would mean that everything would depend on luck since every pupil would depend on the efficiency the values and the purpose of each teacher.
Without examinations, employers will look for employees from the highly respected schools and from families known to them — a form of favouritism will replace equality at the moment. The bright child from an ill-respected school can show certificates to prove he or she is suitable for a job, while the lack of certificate indicates the unsuitability of a dull child attending a well-respected school. This defense of excellence and opportunity would disappear if examinations were taken away, and the bright child from a poor family would be a prisoner of his or her school’s reputation, unable to pete for employment with the child from the favoured school.
The opponents of the examination system suggest that examinations are an evil force because they show differences between pupils. According to these people, there must be no special, different, academic class. They have even suggested that there should be no form of difference in sport or any other area: all jobs or posts should be filled by unsystematic selection. The selection would be made by people who themselves are probably selected by some puter.
【小题1】 The word “favouritism” in paragraph 3 is used to describe the phenomenon that .A．bright children also need certificates to get satisfying jobs.B．poor children with certificates are favoured in job markets.C．children from well-respected schools tend to have good jobs.D．children attending ordinary schools achieve great success.【小题2】. What would happen if examinations were taken away according to the author?A．Schools for bright children would lose their reputation.B．There would be more opportunities and excellence.C．Children from poor families would be able to change their schools.D．Children’s job opportunity would be affected by their school reputation.【小题3】. The opponents of the examination system will agree that .A．jobs should not be assigned by systematic selectionB．puters should be selected to take over many jobs.C．special classes are necessary to keep the school standardsD．schools with academic subjects should be done away with【小题4】. The passage mainly focuses on .A．schools and certificatesB．examination and equalityC．opportunity and employmentD．standards and reputationC
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(答案→)C
解析：
【小题1】C 推断题。由employers will look for employees from the highly respected schools and from families known to them 可知，C项“从好的大学毕业的孩子有好的工作”正确。故选C
【小题2】D 文章理解题。由文章第三段前4行Without examinations, employers will look for employees from the highly respected schools and from families known to them — a form of favouritism will replace equality at the moment. The bright child from an ill-respected school can show certificates to prove he or she is suitable for a job, while the lack of certificate indicates the unsuitability of a dull child attending a well-respected school可知，如果考试取消，工作的机会会被学校名声影响。故选D
【小题3】A 细节题。由all jobs or posts should be filled by unsystematic selection.可知A正确。
【小题4】B 文章理解题。根据文章主题段第一段We are all interested in equality, but while some people try to protect the school and examination system in the name of equality, others, still in the name of equality, want only to destroy it.
本文主要是关于“考试与公平”的话题。故选B