Abstract: The general three dimensional concepts of civic scientific literacy and related test items from Jon Miller and OECD's PISA are reviewed in this paper.It points out that there are still a lot of theoretical and practical problems to be considered and the basic framework involved should come from science studies,and that China should set up its own measurement and explanation system to cope with the serious asymmetry of its regional social and educational development.The problems found in the test partly reveal the limits of"deficient model"in the public understanding of science.