The Shift Of Reading Comprehension Item In NMET Of Zhejiang And Its Washback Effects On High School English Reading Teaching

“Washback effect” refers to the effect of tests on language teaching and learning. Language test aims to measure the testified language correctly and justly. Language test as a testing and evaluating system, plays an active role in promoting and evaluating language teaching. Scholars abroad have done a large amount of research on it theoretically and practically, resulting in not only promoting greatly the development of English teaching but also enriching the theories related to test. However, in domestic, there is few research on washback of language tests from theory to practice, especially in the field of NMET( National Matriculation English Test). NMET(Zhejiang) has undergone several changes since 2006, some of which are related to reading comprehension, however, there has been few research on its washback effect to date.Against this back ground, the thesis under the guidance of the second language acquisition and the test theory and with analyzing the question types and through interviewing teachers and students as well as a few NMET designers, conducting elementary research on washback effect of reading question types on English teaching and learning in high schools. In addition, the questionnaires have provided the thesis with great suggestions and advice from teachers and students on the problem of English reading teaching and learning in high school and the design of the questions. The subjects of research, questionnaires and interviews include 21 teaching researchers, 35 teachers, 221 students from three high schools(Xuejun High School, NO.2 Hangzhou High School and Fuyang High School) in Hangzhou and its neighbor towns.The results of research illustrate there are both positive and negative effects caused by the changes of the reading comprehension item in NMET(Zhejiang) on English teaching and learning. The positive effects are that they are able to fulfill the completion of teaching tasks and facilitate teachers’ teaching and students’ learning, thus boosting productivity in students’ solving practical problems and expand their vision. While the negative parts are that some of the question types stifle creativity, letting teachers and students find it monotonous and um-motivating and they are able to summarize the laws on how to remove the barrier from the tests. This matter of summarizing the laws, which is way more popular among teaching practice in high schools, may fail to develop the students’ comprehensive capability of language.Based on the results of the research, this thesis tries to give some suggestions and advice on the designing of the question types, attempting to maximize the positive effects and avoid negative ones in the English teaching and learning at high schools.