今年申请美高的孩子,要如何做好自己SSAT考试方面的规划?
一直有家长有这样一个疑问:申请美高时候备考SSAT的意义在哪里?
答案其实很简单,申请美高所必需的SSAT考试,从一方面来讲,是学校用来筛选优秀学生的一个标准;从另外一方面来讲,也只有凭自己的能力拿到了对应的SSAT考试分数,才能够具备确保在美高出类拔萃所需要的词汇量,阅读能力和数学水准。
★ 藤校招生办如何衡量美高学生素质
对于在美国读中学的同学,大学在衡量这些小朋友的学术素质和发展潜能的时候,主要是从下面的几个角度来入手的:
1. 在校读书期间的成绩;
2. 标准化考试分数;
3. 体育/艺术/音乐/社区活动/领导能力/竞赛/实习这些方面的课外活动;
4. AP考试的门数。
其中大学最为看重的,就是小朋友在读书期间,每个学期的成绩,也就是GPA。如果一个孩子在美高的GPA能够在年级的前10%,那么进入藤校的机会是非常大的!
★ 如何在寄宿美高课程里拿到 A/A+ 的评价?
我们在和Phillips Exeter Academy教授英文和人文课程的某位老师在交流的时候,问过这位老师这样一个问题:
中国大陆的孩子要如何才能够在寄宿美高的文科课程拿到A甚至是A+的评价?
这位老师的回答非常简洁:足够的词汇量,具备每天30-50页文学名著的阅读能力,可以在3-5天内完成一篇6-9页高质量英文学术报告的写作能力就可以了。
这里要注意的一点是,每天30-50的文章阅读,并非是中国大陆所流行的《Harry Potter》系列小说,或者是《The Giver》这样相对比较简单的读物,而是美高寄宿高中所选取的有相当难度和词汇量要求的原版读物。
我们在这里举一个例子:Herman Melville(赫尔曼·梅尔维尔, 1819年8月1日~1891年9月28日),是19世纪美国最伟大的小说家、散文家和诗人之一,与纳撒尼尔·霍桑齐名。
Herman Melville生前没有引起应有的重视,却在20世纪20年代声名鹊起被普遍认为是美国文学的巅峰人物之一。英国作家毛姆认为他的《白鲸》是世界十大文学名著之一,其文学史地位更在马克·吐温等人之上。梅尔维尔也被誉为美国的”莎士比亚”。
他的很多作品在美国高中里面都是必读读物。比如他的短篇小说《Bartleby, the Scrivener》,是一篇公认的世界文学经典,其中对人物的刻画和主题的挖掘尤为突出。每次阅读都感觉它构思精巧,思想深邃,尤其是对人类困境的准确描述更见梅尔维尔超凡的文学功底。但这部短篇小说里面所需要的词汇量,就远非托福110+所具备的词汇量所能cover的了。
下面是这篇小说的三段节选:
I am a rather elderly man. The nature of my avocations for the last thirty years has brought me into more than ordinary contact with what would seem an interesting and somewhat singular set of men, of whom as yet nothing that I know of has ever been written:—I mean the law-copyists or scriveners. I have known very many of them, professionally and privately, and if I pleased, could relate divers histories, at which good-natured gentlemen might smile, and sentimental souls might weep. But I waive the biographies of all other scriveners for a few passages in the life of Bartleby, who was a scrivener the strangest I ever saw or heard of. While of other law-copyists I might write the complete life, of Bartleby nothing of that sort can be done. I believe that no materials exist for a full and satisfactory biography of this man. It is an irreparable loss to literature. Bartleby was one of those beings of whom nothing is ascertainable, except from the original sources, and in his case those are very small. What my own astonished eyes saw of Bartleby, that is all I know of him, except, indeed, one vague report which will appear in the sequel.
Ere introducing the scrivener, as he first appeared to me, it is fit I make some mention of myself, my employees, my business, my chambers, and general surroundings; because some such description is indispensable to an adequate understanding of the chief character about to be presented.
Imprimis: I am a man who, from his youth upwards, has been filled with a profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best. Hence, though I belong to a profession proverbially energetic and nervous, even to turbulence, at times, yet nothing of that sort have I ever suffered to invade my peace. I am one of those unambitious lawyers who never addresses a jury, or in any way draws down public applause; but in the cool tranquility of a snug retreat, do a snug business among rich men’s bonds and mortgages and title-deeds. All who know me consider me an eminently safe man.
在这篇仅有三段的小说节选里面,出现了如下所示的17个SSAT词汇,我们在后面附加了对应的释义:
1. Scrivener = someone employed to make written copies of douments and manuscripts
2. Avocation = hobby
3. Waive = give up
4. Astonish = to strike with sudden and usually great wonder or surprise
5. Vague = not clearly expressed
6. Indispensable = essential
7. Adequate = sufficient for a specific need or requirement
8. Imprimis = in the first place
9. Profound = deep
10. Conviction = a strong persuasion or belief
11. Energetic = operating with or marked by vigor or effect
12. Proverbially = commonly spoken of
13.Turbulence = irregular atmospheric motion especially when characterized by up-and-down currents
14. Tranquility = peacefulness
15. Snug = compact
16. Retreat = withdraw
17. Eminently = very
SSAT词汇并非是日常生活中常见的词汇,但是在高大上的场合,美高所需要阅读的文学名著上面,SSAT考试和SAT考试里面,出现的频率还是非常高的。
让我们设想下,假如在美高读书的孩子,就算有原版读物阅读习惯,但是阅读时候如果不断出现大量不认识的SSAT词汇,阅读效率高不到哪里去吧。这就是为什么凭借自己真正能力拿到SSAT考试高分的孩子,更加容易顺利融入美高,拿到超高GPA的最重要的原因。