Question

Q: My daughter is a junior in high school and has been on an individualized education program since fourth grade. She plans to go to college and intends to finish with a master’s degree. Her performance in general is fairly good, but test scores are very low. She has held many leadership and volunteer positions. We have been advised to have her write an essay about how her learning disability is a barrier that she has to get over. Will that help or hurt her chances for admission?
---- Deborah
A: First let me answer the question on low standardized test scores (ACT/SAT). There are hundreds of colleges that are “test optional” which means students can choose not to release their test scores in the application process. Admission decisions at these colleges for students who do not submit their test scores are made based on other factors. A list of test optional colleges can be found at fairtest.org. It is important, however, to make sure that the college is the right fit academically regardless of the test optional policy.
You also asked if your daughter should write about her disability and if this would hurt her chances of being admitted. Please know that colleges do not deny admission based on disability. “Disclosing” a learning disability in a personal statement within the college application can certainly help. By writing a personal statement, students can potentially demonstrate, for example, their understanding of the challenge they face. They might also prove an improved grade trend in that subject area, and show interest in more complex courses in spite of this disability. More importantly, a student disclosure can show self-confidence, motivation and an understanding of the disability.
---- Ms. Kravis
【小題1】What do we know about Deborah’s daughter?

A．She is applying for a master’s degree.

B．She is very active in her high school.

C．Her disability prevents her studying well.

D．She has difficulty getting over her learning disability.

【小題2】The underlined word “demonstrate” in the last paragraph probably means “_____”.

A．show

B．develop

C．gain

D．change

【小題3】What is Ms. Kravis’ attitude towards one’s declaring his/her learning disability?

A．Supportive.

B．Critical.

C．Doubtful.

D．Unconcerned.

【小題4】According to the passage, Mr. Kravis is probably _____.

A．an editor	B．a school leader
C．a psychological doctor	D．an educational expert

Answer 1

【小題1】B
【小題2】A
【小題3】A
【小題4】D

解析試題分析：這篇文章是一位家長為女兒申請上大學，以及教育專家的回復。
【小題1】根據She has held many leadership and volunteer positions.故選B。
【小題2】根據for example, their understanding of the challenge they face.故選A。
【小題3】根據You also asked if your daughter should write about her disability and if this would hurt her chances of being admitted. Please know that colleges do not deny admission based on disability. “Disclosing” a learning disability in a personal statement within the college application can certainly help.所以答案為A。
【小題4】根據More importantly, a student disclosure can show self-confidence, motivation and an understanding of the disability.因此選D。
考點：日常生活類短文閱讀理解
點評：要想答好題目，重在理解全文意思。這篇文章比較難，先看問題，再帶著問題讀短文，找出各段落的主旨句，理解全文內容，總結全文中心，然后再回到問題上來，很容易選出正確答案。多了解一些常識性知識有利于閱讀理解。如果對文章的相關背景有所了解，讀起文章一定既省時又省力。因此，在學習過程中，了解各方面的背景知識是十分重要的。