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The Rapid Development of Advanced Placement Course in the American University is Very Worrying A survey of

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问题             The Rapid Development of Advanced Placement Course
                in the American University is Very Worrying
    A survey of teachers of Advanced Placement courses in American high schools has found that more than half are concerned that the program’s effectiveness is being threatened as districts loosen restrictions on who can take AP courses and as students flock to them to polish their resumes.
    The study, by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, noted the sharp growth in the AP program’s popularity. The number of high school students who took at least one college-level AP course increased by 45 percent, from 2004 to 2008.
    The number of AP exams those students took—with hopes, in part, of gaining exemption from some college class work, depending on how well they scored— increased by 50 percent.
    The study found that the teachers were generally satisfied with the program’s quality. But when they were asked to explain the growing attraction of AP classes and tests, 90 percent attributed it largely to more students who want their college applications to look better. Only 32 percent attribute AP growth to more students who want to be challenged at a higher academic level.
    And according to the study, it is not just the students who are motivated in that way. The researchers also noted teachers’ concerns about high schools’ seeking " to enhance their reputation by showcasing AP". For example, the study found that 75 percent of teachers believed that school administrators were expanding AP courses " to improve their school’s ranking and reputation".
    That the democratization of the AP curriculum has sometimes come at a price was evident in the response of teachers when they were asked if their students were ready and able to handle the work in such courses. More than half said they believed that "too many students overestimate their abilities and are in over their heads". Even more teachers said that "parents push their children into AP classes when they really don’t belong there".
    Fifty-two percent said such courses should be open only to students who could demonstrate that they could handle the work.
    Michael J. Petrilli, a vice President at the Fordham Institute, said he detected a tension within the results, given teachers’ hopes that a generally good program would not be weakened by making it too accessible. In that respect, the findings support Fordham’s general position that the nation’s current focus on raising basic skills sometimes neglects a need for the continued growth and challenging of high-achieving students.
    Trevor Packer, a vice president of the College Board, said he welcomed the report as a means of further illuminating the push pull between "equity and excellence". "We certainly see situations in which AP is provided in classrooms where students haven’t received adequate preparation and got low scores on the exams," Mr. Packer said. "In other situations, though, we see schools providing double the number of seats in AP classrooms they did several years ago, and the average exam scores have increased."
Mr. Packer meant to say, that______.
选项 A、students should have been fully prepared for exams
B、the expansion of AP program led to declining test scores
C、only the excellent students should be allowed to AP courses
D、the expanded AP courses were not a total failure
答案D
解析 推理判断题。由题干中的Mr．Packer meant to say定位到末段。派克尔先生说“我们注意到一些AP课程班的学生没有准备充分，考试成绩也很低”，“然而我们也发现一些学校AP课程班的人数与几年前相比增加了一倍，但平均考试成绩却提高了。”可见AP课程班扩招后，既有失败的经验也有成功的经验。由此可推知[D]“AP课程扩招没有完全失败”符合末段的意思表达。[A]“学生应该为考试做好充分准备”、[B]“AP课程扩招导致考试成绩的下降”和[C]“应该只允许优秀的学生上AP课程”，派克尔先生的话中没有提到，均排除。
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