The Side Effects of Examination

Nowadays the examination is used as a chief means of deciding whether a student succeeds or fails in mastering a particular subject in most colleges and universities. Although it is efficient, its side effects are also enormous.

On the one hand, examinations lower the standards of teaching. Since teachers are often judged by examination results, they are reduced to training their students in exam techniques. No subjects can be taught successfully with intent to take examinations. On the other hand, the most undesirable effect is that examinations encourage bad study habits. As the examination score is the only criterion for his academic performance, a student is driven to memorize mechanically rather than to think creatively.

In fact, few of us admit that examinations can contribute anything really important to the students' academic development. If that is the case, why cannot we make a change and devise something more efficient and reliable than examinations? (153 words)

结构剖析

文章分为三段

第一段引出话题： 许多学校将考试作为一名学生是否掌握知识的标准，但是考试的副作用也很大。

第二段用on the one hand... on the other hand...的结构给出了原因。首先考试降低了教学水准，另一方面考试将助长不良学习习惯。

第三段做出总结，最后提出建议：设计出一些比考试更有效、更可靠的东西。

考试的副作用

现在在大多数学院和大学，考试被用来衡量学生在学习某门课程上是成功还是失败的主要方法。虽然这很有效，但它也有很大的副作用。

一方面，考试降低了教学标准。由于经常通过考试成绩来评判老师，他们就会降低要求至只训练学生的考试技巧。以参加考试为目标的话，没有课程能被成功地教授。另一方面，最有害的影响就是，老师助长了学生不好的学习习惯。由于考试成绩是评断他学习表现的唯一标准，学生被迫机械地记忆，而不是进行创造性的思考。

事实上，我们中很少有人承认考试对学生学业的发展有任何真正重要的作用。如果真的是这样的话，为什么我们不做个改变，设计出一些比考试更有效更可靠的东西呢?

chief adj. 主要的

master v. 掌握

side effect 副作用

enormous adj. 巨大的

intent n. 意图，意向

undesirable adj. 不良的

criterion n. 标准

mechanically adv. 机械地

creatively adv. 创造性地

contribute to 为......作贡献

devise v. 设计

reliable adj. 可靠的

1. Nowadays the examination is used as a chief means of deciding whether a student succeeds or fails in mastering a particular subject in most colleges and universities. 现在在大多数学院和大学，考试被用来衡量学生在学习某门课程上是成功还是失败的主要方法。

2. Since teachers are often judged by examination results, they are reduced to training their students in exam techniques. 由于经常通过考试成绩来评判老师，他们就会降低要求至只训练学生的考试技巧。

3. As the examination score is the only criterion for his academic performance, a student is driven to memorize mechanically rather than to think creatively.由于考试成绩是评断他学习表现的唯一标准，学生被迫机械地记忆，而不是进行创造性的思考。