“Ipromise.”“Isweartoyouit’llneverhappenagain.”“Igiveyoumyword.”“Honestly.Believeme.”SureItrust.Whynot?IteachEnglishcompositionataprivatecollege.WithacertainexcitementandintensityIreadmystudents’essayshopingtofindthepersonbehindthepen.Aseachsemesterprogressesplagiarism(剽窃)appears.NotonlyismyintelligenceinsultedasoneassumesIwon’tdetectapolishedpieceofprosefromanotherwise-averagewriterbutIfeelasadnessthatastudenthasresortedtobuyingapaperfromapeer.WritershavestyleslikefingerprintsandafterseveralassignmentsIcanmatchastudent’sworkwithhisorhername.
Whyislearninglessimportantthanahighergrade-pointaverage(GPA)?Whenwe’rethreatenedorsickwemakeconditionalpromises.“IfyouletmepassmathIwill…”“LordifyougetmeoverthisbeforethebighomecominggameI’ll…”Oncethesituationisbehindussoarethepromises.Humannature?Perhapsbutwedousethatcliché(陈词滥调)togetusoutofuncomfortablebargains.
SixyearsagoItookastudentbeforethedean.HehadturnedinanessaywiththevocabularyandsentencestructureofPhDthesis.Upuntilthattimebothhisout-of-classandin-classworkwereborderlinepassing.
Iquestionedthepersonregardinghisessayandhesworeitthatitwastheconsequenceofhishardworkbut hehadalreadyhadagivensheetofpapersoheunderstoodwhatwasasked.Hesatonehourthenturnedinpartofapageofunskilledwritingandfaultylogic.Iconfrontedhimwithboththeessays.“Ipromise…I’mnotlying.IsweartoyouthatIwrotetheessay.I’mjustnervoustoday.”
TheheadoftheEnglishdepartmentagreedwithmyfindingandthemeetingwiththedeanhadtheboy’sparentspresent.Afteranhourofdiscussiontouchingoneightoftheboy’spreviousessaysandhisgrade-pointaveragewhichindicatedhewasalreadyonacademicprobation(留校察看)thedeanagreedthatthestudenthadplagiarized.Hisparentsprotested“He’sonlyachild”andweinstructorsarewiserandshouldbecompassionate.Collegepeoplearenotreallychildrenandmosttimeswouldresentbeinglabeledassuch…exceptinthisuncomfortablecircumstance.
61.Accordingtotheauthorstudentscommitplagiarismmainlyfor_____.
A.money B.degree
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