「考試領導教學」並不是問題
在台灣，考試領導教學的問題一直存在，入學考試的題目都會成為課堂的教材，因此命題品質對英語教學的影響不言可喻。之前筆者曾經就指考、學測、基測的英文試題做過評析( 見English Career第32、34 期及書林網站)，指出其中不少問題。檢視今年的技術校院四年制與專科學校二年制統一入學測驗英文試題，我們發現與前述之測驗一樣，四技二專入學測驗英文也有不少問題。
統測之後，網路上雖有名校英文老師及補教名師提供解題，但對考題英文本身卻都沒有提出任何疑義。其實，跟指考、學測、基測的英文試題一樣，四技二專入學測驗英文試題中也存在許多不地道、甚至不正確的英文句子及用法。以下列舉一些例子:
字彙題
5. Patrick has just got a next-week an ______ for a comedy movie and he looks very happy right now.
(A) attraction
(B) audition
(C) applicant
(D) appendix
a next-week audition 非英文習慣說法，如要強調下星期試演，可以說an audition for nextweek。
Google 搜尋：
♦ 找不到「a next-week audition 」的結果
♦「 an audition for next week」約有1,570項結果
C 18. Jack： What are you going to do for this weekend?
Tom： I am going to the park for aparty.
Jack：A party in the park? __________?
Tom： There will be a musical concert featuring Mozart. I love his music.
(A) Is the park going to be big?
(B) It's a piece of cake, isn't it?
(C) What do you mean?
(D) How far is the park from here?
1) 本題this weekend 前的for 應略去，只有特定指涉某個假日，如耶誕節、復活節時，才需要加for，如：What are you going to do for Christmas/Easter?
2) concert 就是音樂會、演唱會的意思，前面的musical 應刪去。
Google 搜尋：
♦「 a musical concert featuring Mozart」7項結果（ 皆出自101 四技二專試題）
♦「 a concert featuring Mozart」約有3,190項結果（ Google July 31, 2012）
B 19. Jack： Finally, my job is done.
Tom： What do you think of it?
Jack： At the first sight, I believe it is thought it was terrific. But…
Tom： ____________________.
(A) But the boss is about to take it as a jewel.
(B) But the boss thinks it still has a lot to be desired.
(C) But the boss likes it very much.
(D) But the boss will have no regrets about it.
「I thought it was… 」是英文習慣句型，表一開始「以為」如何。
B 20. Jack： What do you think is the best way to start making friends?
Tom： I believe that a proper good joke can break the ice.
Jack： Telling a joke?________________ .
And I'll try it later.
(A) Don't be silly!
(B) It makes sense.
(C) I won't count on it.
(D) I can't stand it any longer.
習慣上說A good joke can break the ice.
A 22. Interviewer：Do you think consider yourself a talent, winning all these games?
Jeremy Lin：No. It's just incredible. I don't think anyone, including myself, saw this coming.
Interviewer： _________________?
Jeremy Lin：Basketball's so fun when you play on a team where people pitch in and work through tough times.
(A) How do you like the game?
(B) Would you like to talk aboutbaseball?
(C) How much money do you make?
(D) When will you retire?
Do you consider yourself a xxx? 是習慣上較禮貌的說法。
Do you think yourself a xxx? 有時是「你自以為是xxx 嗎？」
綜合測驗
▲第31 ～ 35 題
A few interesting similarities can be found between the two great philosophers： Confucius and Socrates. They indicated that virtue can cause bring happiness in life. … They believed that careful self-examination can analyze and 34improve our personal characters character, aims, methods and attitudes. For both Confucius and Socrates, 35integrating learning and wisdom with other virtues, one can have leads to a good and productive life. They pointed out that wisdom obtained from learning can be used as guidance for all good deeds.
最後一句不自然而且囉唆，應刪去。
Google 搜尋：
♦「 can cause happiness in life」7 項結果（皆出自101 四技二專英文試題）
♦「 can bring happiness in life」約有14,600 項結果（ Google July 31, 2012）
Google 搜尋：
♦ 找不到「self-examination can analyze and improve 」的結果
♦「 self-examination can analyze」7 項結果（ 皆出自101 四技二專英文試題）
♦「 self-examination can improve」約有39,800 項結果（ Google July 31, 2012）
Google 搜尋：
♦ 找不到符合搜尋字詞「can improve our personal characters 」的文件
♦「 improve our personal characters」4 項結果（ 皆出自101 四技二專英文試題）
♦「 can improve our character」約有130,000 項結果
Google 搜尋：
♦「 guidance for all good deeds」6 項結果（皆出自101 四技二專英文試題）
閱讀測驗
Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and continued continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. …We (Project Gutenberg team) love to hear about kids or grandparents taking each other to an Etext to of Peter Pan when they come back from watching HOOK at the movies, or when they read Alice in Wonderland after seeing it on TV.
這裡應用現在式continues，表示這個事實持續到現在。
讓台灣的學生學習自然、道地的英文
以上筆者所指出的問題都與母語人士仔細討論過，並從語料庫或Google 統計中找出證據來證明。英文不是我們的母語，要寫出地道的英文就很不容易，更何況出英文試題? 我們無意苛責命題老師，出試題要考慮的因素很多，試題不能抄襲，要自己寫，既要有高信度，又要有高效度，談何容易? 此外，命題時間往往非常緊迫，沒有外籍老師共同參與命題，闈場裡沒有母語人士及語料庫可供諮詢參考，都造成命題的困難，品質難以有效提升。
我們之前就呼籲過，入學英文考試命題不應由國人自己來出題目，應聘請英語為母語的測驗專家參與，或委由專業英文測驗機構命題，如美國的ETS， 英國的Cambridge ESOL， 台灣的LTTC，才是根本解決之道。試想，美國人若要測驗中文能力，題目有可能是美國老師自己寫的中文嗎?
幾十年來在台灣大家學到不少似是而非的英文，自己都不知道，其中許多都是從國人自己撰寫的課本、參考書及英文考題中學來的。以往大部分人學英文只是為了考試，有些家長與老師或許覺得英文不地道、不正確有什麼關係? 能在考試上得高分就好。但在全球化的時代學英文是要拿來應用，做為工具，學到的英文要能在生活及職場上發揮，才不算白學。因此，長久以來英文命題的問題希望能受到各界重視，並期盼能從制度面上來著手改善。
◎ 作者：蘇正隆∕台灣翻譯學學會前理事長
◎ 英文顧問：Lynn Sauve∕資深英文編輯