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1、大学英语精读二大学英语精读二 第三版第三版UNIT2-88.honesty:is it going out of styleEver thought about cheating on a test? Of course not. But some students are not quite so honest Honesty: Is It Going Out of Style?Stacia RobbinsAccording to a recent poll, 61 percent of American high school students have admitted to cheat
2、ing on exams at least once. It can be argued such a response my not mean much. After all, most students have been faced with the temptation to peek at a neighbors test paper. And students can be hard on themselves in judging such behavior. However, there are other indications that high school cheati
3、ng may be on the rise.More and more states are requiring students to pass competency tests in order to receive their high school diplomas. And many educators fear that an increase in the use of state exams will lead to a corresponding rise in cheating. A case in point is students in New York State w
4、ho faced criminal misdemeanor charges for possessing and selling advance copies of state Regents examinations.Cheating is considered to be a major problem in colleges and universities. Several professors say theyve dropped the traditional term paper requirement because many students buy prewritten t
5、erm papers, and they cant track down all the cheaters anymore.Colleges and universities across the nation have decided to do more than talk about the rise in student cheating. For instance, the Department of Psychology at the University of Maryland launched a campaign to stop one form of cheating. A
6、s 409 students filed out of their exam, they found all but one exit blocked. Proctors asked each student to produce an ID card with an attached photo. Students who said theyd left theirs in the dorm or at home had a mug shot taken. The purpose of the campaign was to catch “ringers,“ students who tak
7、e tests for other students.The majority of students at the University of Maryland applauded the campaign. The campus newspaper editorial said, “Like police arresting speeders, the intent is not to catch everyone but rather to catch enough to spread the word.“We frequently hear about “the good old da
8、ys“, when Americans were better, happier, and more honest. But were they more honest? Maybe yes, a long time ago when life was very different from what it is today. School children used to know the story of how Abraham Lincoln walked five miles to return a penny hed overcharged a customer. Its the k
9、ind of story we think of as myth. But in the case of Lincoln, the story is true unlike the story of George Washington and the cherry tree. Washingtons first biographer invented the tale of little George saying to his father, “I cannot tell a lie. I did it with my ax.“ What is important in both stori
10、es, however, is that honesty was seen as an important part of the American character.And these are just two stories out of many. Students in the last century usually didnt read “fun“ stories. They read stories that taught moral values. Such stories pointed out quite clearly that children who lied, c
11、heated, or stole came to bad ends.Parents may have further reinforced those values. Its difficult to know. We do know that children didnt hear their parents talk of cheating the government on income taxes - there werent any.A clue as to why Americans may have been more honest in the past lies in the
12、 Abe Lincoln story. Lincoln knew his customer. They both lived in a small town. Would a check-out person at a large supermarket return money a customer? Its less likely. On the other hand, would overnight guests at an inn run by a husband and wife, steal towels? Its less likely.Perhaps this tells us
13、 that people need to know one another to be at their honest best.The vast majority of Americans still believe that honesty as an important part of the American Character. For that reason, there are numerous watch-dog committees at all levels of society. Although signs of dishonesty in school, busine
14、ss, and government seem much more numerous in recent years than in the past, could it be that we are getting better at revealing such dishonesty?There is some evidence that dishonesty may ebb and flow. When times are hard, incidents of theft and cheating usually go up. And when times get better such
15、 incidents tend to go down.Cheating in school also tends to ebb and flow. But it doesnt seem linked to the economy.Many educators feel that as students gain confidence in themselves and their abilities, they are less likely to cheat. Surprisingly, some efforts to prevent cheating may actually encour
16、age cheating - a person may feel “they dont trust me anyway,“ and be tempted to “beat the system.“ Distrust can be contagious. But, so can trust!诚实:它将离开时尚?- 以往考虑过考试中的做弊吗?当然没有。但一些学生并不那么诚实.作者:斯泰茜娅?罗宾斯按照最近的一次民意测验,61%的美国高中学生承认在考试时至少做弊一次。它被争论如此一个反馈并不意味着多少。毕竟,最多的学生已经面对窥视邻近考试卷的诱惑。并且学生几乎不能自主地判断如此的行为。不管怎样,有其他的显示高中做弊行为可能是在上升。越来越多的州要求学生通过能力测试为了接收他们的高中文凭。许多教育者担心在州测试的习惯中的一个增长将导致做弊行为的相应增长。一个适合的例子是纽约州的学生受到犯有轻罪的指控,即拥用并出售州董事考试的高级拷贝。做弊现在被认为是大专院校的主要问题。几名教授说他们已经放弃了传统的答题纸的需求因为许多学生购买事先写