While a new school term is about to begin, perhaps we should reconsider the matter of examinations. In July, two writers (Letters to the Editor) praised the cancellation of exams because they believe “tests don’t tell the whole story.” As a teacher who has worked in four countries, I have had the experience that a student who earns good marks is generally a good student, and that a student’s final mark in a subject is usually a grade average of the year’s work. Of course there are exceptions, but they do not have the frequency that would give an unfair picture of a student’s ability. The simple fact is that proper class work, diligent exam studies and good marks are almost certain indicators of a student’s future performance. The opposite is, almost certainly, incompetence. There is no acceptable substitute for competition and examination of quality. How can teachers and future officials determine what a student has learned and remembered? Should we simply take the student’s word for it? Any institution that “liberates” students from fair and formal exams is misguided, if not ignorant. And surely the “graduates” of such institutions will lack trustworthiness, not to mention being rejected by foreign universities for graduate or other studies. When all is said and done, I sense that a fear of failure and a fear of unpleasant comparison with others is at the bottom of most ban-exams ( 废除考试 ) talk. Excellence and quality fear nothing. On the contrary, they seek competition and desire the satisfaction of being the best. 31. Which of the following will the author of this passage probably agree with? A) Tests are not effective in measuring the students’ abilities. B) Tests are an effective measure of the students’ abilities. C) Tests can only measure some of the students’ abilities. D) Tests may not be useful for measuring students’ abilities. () 32. The two writers mentioned in the first paragraph ________. A) opposed judging students by the results of exams B) must have proposed other ways of testing students C) regarded exams as a way of punishing students D) seemed to be worried about the poor marks of their students () 33. According to the letter, a student’s final mark ________. A) is often encouraging B) often gives a fair picture of the year’s work C) often proves unreliable D) often tells whether he likes the subject or not () 34. If a student graduated from a university which does not require exams he would ________. A) have to continue his studies C) be incompetent B) have a feeling of failure D) not be admitted by foreign institutions () 35. According to the letter, those who dislike the idea of examinations are probably afraid of ________. A) competing with other students C) working too hard B) being graded unfairly D) being dismissed from school () Passage Four Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage: Time was—and not so many years ago, either—when the average citizen to ok a pretty dim view of banks and banking. That this was so, it should be said, was to no small extent the fault of banks and bankers themselves. Banks used to be—and a few still are — forbidding ( 令人生畏的 ) structures. Behind the little barred windows were, more often than not, elderly gentlemen w hose expression of friendliness reflected the size of the customer’s account, and nothing less than a few hundred thousand in the bank could have inspired the suggestion of a smile. And yet the average bank for many years was, to the average citizen, a fearful, if necessary, instrument for dealing with business—usually big business. But somewhere in the 1930’s banks started to grow human, even pleasant, and started to attract the little man. It is possible that this movement beg an in medium-sized towns, or in small towns where people know each other by their first names, and spread to big towns. At any rate, the results have be en remarkable. The movement to “humanize” banks, of course, received a new push during the war, when more and more women were employed to do work previously performed by men. Also more and more “little” people found themselves in need of personal loans, as taxes became heavier and as the practice of installment ( 分期付款 ) buying broke down the previously long-held concept that there was something almost morally wrong about being in debt. All sorts of people began to discover that the intelligent use of credit ( 信贷 ) could be extremely helpful . 36. The author believes that the unfriendly atmosphere in banks many years a go was chiefly due to ________. A) the attitude of bankers B) unfriendliness of customers toward banks C) economic pressure of the time D) the outer appearance of bank buildings () 37. The banks of many years ago showed interest only in ________. A) rich customers C) friendly businessmen B) regular visitors D) elderly gentlemen () 38. When did banks begin to grow human? A) In the last century. C) Sometime before the war. B) A few years ago. D) During the war. () 39. What helped the “humanization” of banks? A) The elderly gentlemen in banks were replaced by younger men. B) More and more “little” people became customers of banks. C) More banks were set up in small and medium-sized towns. D) The size of the customer’s account was greatly increased. () 40. Ordinary people seldom borrowed money from banks in the past because ________. A) the bank buildings looked forbidding B) they were comparatively rich before the war C) they thought it was not proper to be in debt D) they rarely spent more than they could earn ()