新SAT考試有哪些變化？

請看《中國日報》的報道：

The newly overhauled SAT exam, which puts a heavier emphasis on reading comprehension, may affect the performance of Chinese students, who have traditionally excelled in the math part of the test and relied heavily on rote memorization and cramming.

新改革的SAT考試更注重閱讀理解，這將影響中國學生的表現(xiàn)。中國學生一向擅長數(shù)學測試部分，并且十分依賴死記硬背。

SAT全稱Scholastic Assessment Test，意為學術能力評估測試，由美國大學理事會(College Board)主辦，其成績是世界各國高中生申請美國大學入學資格及獎學金的重要參考，它與ACT(American College Test，美國高等院?？荚?都被稱為美國高考。

SAT主要考察學生們在大學階段所必須的閱讀和寫作能力。考試科目分別為閱讀(Critical Reading)、數(shù)學(Mathematics)和寫作(Writing)。寫作由作文(Essay)和語法選擇題(multiple choice)組成。

自引入SAT考試以來，已經進行過多次改革。新的SAT考試改革將于3月份啟動，被稱為有史以來最大的一次改革(one of the greatest overhauls of the exam in its history)。那么，新舊SAT到底有什么不同?

1. 記分改變(Different scoring)

The new SAT is going back to the old 1600 scale (400-1600) and doing away with the 2400 scale (600-2400).

新SAT考試將重回之前的1600分制(400-1600)，取消2400分制(600-2400)。

2. 答錯不倒扣分(No more penalty for wrong answers)

Students will earn points for the questions they answer correctly but will not lose points for incorrect answers, as they did on the old test.

新的SAT考試中，學生們答對得分，答錯也不倒扣分。舊的SAT考試中，答錯要倒扣分。

3. 考試時長變短(Shorter test)

Not only will there be fewer questions, but students can spend less time taking the SAT. The old test took 225 minutes, but the new one takes 180 minutes, if you skip the essay.

新的SAT考試不僅題數(shù)變少了，學生們的考試時間也變短了。舊的SAT考試時長為3小時45分鐘，，如果考生不考作文的話，新的SAT考試時長為3小時。

4. 作文變選考(Essay now optional)

The College Board has made several changes to the SAT essay, the biggest of which is that it's now optional. Students are no longer required to write an essay, but some colleges and still require it.

美國大學理事會對SAT作文考試做了很多變革，其中最大的變化就是作文變成選考。學生們不再被強制要求要寫作文，不過一些大學仍要求考生寫作。

5. 晦澀用詞變少(No more obscure vocabulary)

Instead of quizzing students on words they’ll never use again like “abrogate” or “plaudit”.

新的SAT考試不再使用學生不常用到的詞，例如“abrogate”、“plaudit”。

6. 計算器只在某些數(shù)學部分被允許使用(No-calculator math section)

The new SAT has two math sections, one where you can use a calculator and one where you can't. The no-calculator section is new and was designed to make it easier for colleges to assess students' understanding of math concepts, according to The College Board.

新的SAT考試有兩個數(shù)學部分，其中一部分可以使用計算器，另一部分不可以。不可以使用計算器的部分是新設的，美國大學理事會表示，設立該部分是為了讓大學更簡單地考察考生對數(shù)學概念的理解能力。

7. 圖形圖表變多(More graphs and charts)

The new test will have an increased emphasis on questions that make students infer information from graphs and charts, especially in the reading section.

新SAT考試的題目將注重讓考生從圖形和圖表中推斷出信息，尤其是在閱讀部分。