高考改革与英语工具性本质回归

College Entrance Exam Reform and Instrumental Rationality of ESL Learning

近期在教育部关于高考改革总体方案的指导下,全国多省市先后公布了高考改革框架。尝试一年多考的社会化考试,引导英语学科回归工具性本质是本轮英语高考改革的核心。当前改革的目的在于减少学生压力、利用考试的反拔作用扭转英语教学、引导英语学习理性回归等;但若使新政发挥长远效果,必须从基础教育阶段的英语教学、英语考评体系、大学招生对英语的要求、社会对英语要求等方面实行相应的配套改革。

Recently,with the publication of Ministry of Education's( MOE's) general reform plan on the college entrance exam,many provinces or cities in China also have disclosed their own framework for reform. The reform emphasizes the instrumental rationality of English as a Second Language( ESL) learning,and plans to replace the once-in-a-lifetime exam with English tests that would be removed from the entrance exam system but held several times a year. This paper is to analyze the potential problems with such a reform,so far as its rationale and purposes are concerned. It is true that such a reform may help reduce students' study pressure and alter current English teaching in China from test-oriented to ability-oriented. However,it is also quite necessary to strengthen English learning in primary and middle school,improve English proficiency evaluation system,and specify both university's and job-market requirements for English proficiency at the same time,so as to maximize the benefits of such a reform.