SSAT(Secondary School Admission Test)考试是美国、加拿大私立中学的标准化入学考试，由于针对的是当地学生，所以可以理解为中考的概念，但是不同于针对国际学生的托福考试，SSAT更小众，且很少释放真题，所以在备考和应试方面都比托福考难度高了很多。
2012年10月新改革的SSAT分为3个等级，新增了elementary level，主要用于美国小学4-5年级学生；原来的lower level变成了middle level用于5-7年级的学生，而原来的upper level依然是用于8-11年级的学生，也就是我们国内学生最常考的等级，新的SSAT改革重点在难度的大幅提升，不仅在词汇的难度增加范围变广，阅读文章变长，诗歌比重增加，还有题目深度变大，一般来说，阅读很难靠技巧提分，学生除非实力很强，否则只能依靠考题预测才能在短时间提分。
而词汇的部分由于涉及大量生活用语，而市面的单词书大多是学术性的单词，因此即使背的滚瓜烂熟，也难拿到高分。
以下是小站特别为学生搜集了一些阅读真题，通过真题讲评来看，SSAT的阅读到底考了些什么。以下真题来自2014年4月的考题。
第一篇阅读材料：
Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a coloured pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling. This, however, is not generally a part of the domestic apparatuson the premises. I think myself that the thing might be managed with several pails of Aspinall and a broom. Only if one worked in a really sweeping and masterly way, and laid on the colour in great washes, it might drip down again on one's face in floods of rich and mingled colour like some strange fairy rain;and that would have its disadvantages… My proposal to paint on it with the bristly end of a broom has been discouraged—never mind by whom; by a person debarred from all political rights—and even my minor proposal to put the other end of the broom into the kitchen fire and turn it to charcoal has not been conceded. Yet I am certain that it was from persons in my
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position that all the original inspiration came for covering the ceilings of palaces and cathedral swith a riot of fallen angels or victorious gods. I am sure that it was only because Michael Angelo was engaged in the ancient and honourable occupation of lying in bed that he ever realized how the roof of the Sistine Chapel might be made into an awful imitation of a pine drama that could only be acted in the heavens.试题：
1.In line 3, "apparatus" means
(A) utensils
(B) equipment
(C) necessities
(D) furnishings
(E) accoutrement
2. It can be inferred that in line 8, "never mind by whom" refers to the author's
(A) wife
(B) agent
(C) editor
(D) landlord
(E) roommate
3. The author's tone in the passage might best be described as
(A) realistic
(B) idealistic
(C) scientific
(D) whimsical
(E) educational
4. "Conceded" (line 10) most likely means
(A) lauded
(B) granted
(C) rejected
(D) ridiculed
(E) condemned
5. His primary purpose of this passage is to
(A) enable
(B) amuse
(C) inspire
(D) instruct
(E) distract
分析：
这篇文章是1874年出生的英国作家Gilbert K. Chesterton所写的，带有一种典型的浪漫主义的色彩，但作者又不失理性的思维，通篇文章充满了作者幻想和现实之间的冲突。
文章开篇，作者就奇思妙想地提出当人懒洋洋地躺在床上时拿出一支柄够长，能在天花板涂鸦的画笔那该是一件多么美妙的事情啊!(if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling.)
但转瞬就想到，那么长的画笔绝对不是家里的必备工具(This however, is not generally a part of the domestic apparatus…)；但作者还未善罢甘休，他立刻想到了长柄画笔的替代品：只要有些颜料和家里的扫帚不就行了？(that thing might be managed with several pails of Aspinall and abroom)。
相当有意思的作者，但如果你以为作者真会这样做那就大错特错了，该计划未能实施主要有两个原因：其一，如果画工不好，那颜料可就要从天花板上滴下来咯(it might drip down again on one’s face)；其二，作者的老婆，似乎没有答应她老公这突发奇想(My proposal to paint on it …..has been discouraged by a personde barred from all political rights.)。 好吧，看来作者是真的没戏了。
虽然作者没能完成在天花板上作画的愿望，但作者显然对自己的想法还是充满赞许，作者在文中说到：(Yet I am certain that it was from persons in my position ….for covering the ceilings of palaces and cathedrals with a riot of fallen angels or victorious gods)，就是从侧面表扬自己这种充满艺术幻想的人才是能够提出在宫殿和教堂天花板留下旷世奇作的人，即使像米开朗基罗这类文艺复兴的大家也和作者一样在不经意之间获得了改变人类艺术行为的想法。
答题：
第一题：答案为B。
这题为词汇题，apparatus有设备的意思。
第二题：答案为A。
文中作者写道：My proposal to paint on it with the bristly end of a broom has been discouraged…作者提出用扫把在天花板作画，被那人拒绝，那拒绝他的人一定是和他生活在一个屋檐下的人。
第三题：答案为D。
通篇文章作者都提出了许多不切实际，未被论证的想法，着实证明了作者是一个充满幻想的男人。
Whimsical这个单词有2个重要的解释，其一是Capricious（情绪多变的），和作者无太大关系;其二是Fanciful（充满幻想的），这个单词很好地诠释了作者写这篇文章时天马行空的思维逻辑。
第四题：答案为B。
Con-是“同时”的前缀，“cede”为拉丁语Go，concede是同意，认可的意思。
第五题：答案为C。
作者是已婚男人，写这篇文章时也是多带有调侃的以为，主要还是为娱乐，博人一笑。