To Develop A Fast Reading Test In The College English Test Band-4 And Band-6

Reading is one of the efficient ways of acquiring information and knowledge. There are two types of reading activities, namely, careful reading and fast reading. Today, fast reading abilities become more and more important, because the renewing cycle of knowledge turns shorter and shorter, and more and more knowledge and information to which people are exposed, present in more diversified ways. However, college English classroom teaching and learning, to a large extent, ignore the training of fast reading skills/strategies. The lack of an adequate and appropriate assessment tool may be the major reason for this neglect. It is welcome news that fast reading test (FRT) will be included in the CET in near future. In China, the CET test is a criterion-related, norm-referenced high-stakes education test, which has powerful washback effects on college English teaching and learning. But FRT has not been included in the reading component in the CET since its inception. Therefore, the researcher expects the emphasis both on the training of careful reading and fast reading in college classrooms by developing an FRT in the CET and then to improve students'integrated language abilities. This thesis begins with reviewing related reading theories and practice. Then a fast reading needs analysis is carried out. Based on the review and needs analysis, the strategies that should be covered in the expected FRT have been defined; the test specifications have been developed. Last, a prototype FRT-6 test paper is developed followed by validity and reliability analysis. The research findings show that the test paper has a relatively high validity and reliability. It is hoped that with further improvement and research, the test paper can be applied to a wider range of population. And a high valid and reliable FRT-4 is then developed.