2019考研英語一真題閱讀理解text2原文及答案解析

　　Text 2

　　Grade inflation—the gradual increase in average GPAs (grade-point averages) over the past few decades—is often considered a product of a consumer era in higher education, in which students are treated like customers to be pleased. But another, related force—a policy often buried deep in course catalogs called "grade forgiveness"— is helping raise GPAs.

　　Grade forgiveness allows students to retake a course in which they received a low grade, and the most recent grade or the highest grade is the only one that counts in calculating a student’s overall GPA.

　　The use of this little-known practice has accelerated in recent years, as colleges continue to do their utmost to keep students in school (and paying tuition) and improve their graduation rates. When this practice first started decades ago, it was usually limited to freshmen, to give them a second chance to take a class in their first year if they struggled in their transition to college-level courses. But now most colleges, save for many selective campuses, allow all undergraduates, and even graduate students, to get their low grades forgiven.

　　College officials tend to emphasize that the goal of grade forgiveness is less about the grade itself and more about encouraging students to retake courses critical to their degree program and graduation without incurring a big penalty. “Untimely,” said Jack Miner, Ohio State University’s registrar, “we see students achieve more success because they retake a course and do better in subsequent contents or master the content that allows them to graduate on time.”

　　That said, there is a way in which grade forgiveness satisfies colleges’ own needs as well. For public institutions, state funds are sometimes tied partly to their success on metrics such as graduation rates and student retention—so better grades can, by boosting figures like those, mean more money. And anything that raises GPAs will likely make students—who, at the end of the day, are paying the bill—feel they’ve gotten a better value for their tuition dollars, which is another big concern for colleges.

　　Indeed, grade forgiveness is just another way that universities are responding to consumers’ expectations for higher education. Since students and parents expect a college degree to lead to a job, it is in the best interest of a school to turn out graduates who are as qualified as possible—or at least appear to be. On this, students’ and colleges' incentives seem to be aligned.

　　26. What is commonly regarded as the cause of grade inflation?

　　A. The change of course catalogs.

　　B. Students' indifference to GPAS.

　　C. Colleges' neglect of GPAS.

　　D. The influence of consumer culture.

　　27. What was the original purpose of grade forgiveness?

　　A. To help freshmen adapt to college learning.

　　B. To maintain colleges' graduation rates.

　　C. To prepare graduates for a challenging future.

　　D. To increase universities' income from tuition.

　　28. According to Paragraph 5, grade forgiveness enables colleges to

　　A. obtain more financial support.

　　B. boost their student enrollments.

　　C. improve their teaching quality.

　　D. meet local governments' needs.

　　29. What does the phrase "to be aligned"(Line 5, Para. 6) most probably mean?

　　A. To counterbalance each other.

　　B. To complement each other.

　　C. To be identical with each other.

　　D. To be contradictory to each other.

　　30. The author examines the practice of grade forgiveness by

　　A. assessing its feasibility.

　　B. analyzing the causes behind it.

　　C. comparing different views on it.

　　D. listing its long-run effects.

　　26. 答案【D】 The influence of consumer culture.

　　解析：本題目為原因細(xì)節(jié)題，考察具體細(xì)節(jié)。根據(jù)題干關(guān)鍵詞grade inflation定位到第一段第一句。Grade inflationis often considered a product of a consumer era in higher education，in which students are treated like customers to be pleased通常被認(rèn)為是高等教育消費時代的產(chǎn)物在這個時代，學(xué)生被當(dāng)作顧客來對待。確答案D的The influence of consumer culture.顧客文化的影響，為原文的同意替換，consumer為原詞。A 選項 The change of course catalogs. 課程目錄的變更，原文并未提及提到了教育，但沒有課程的變更，屬于干擾選項。干擾項B的 Students' indifference to GPAS. 學(xué)生對GPAS莫不關(guān)心和選項C的Colleges' neglect of GPAS 學(xué)生忽視GPAS，為無關(guān)信息;

　　27. 答案【A】 To help freshmen adapt to college learning.

　　解析：本題目為細(xì)節(jié)題，考察具體細(xì)節(jié)。根據(jù)題干關(guān)鍵詞 original purpose of grade forgiveness定位到第三段第二句， this practice指代上文的grade forgiveness，, it was usually limited to freshmen, to give them a second chance to take a class in their first year...給她們第二次機(jī)會去上課，.正確選項A To help freshmen adapt to college learning.幫助新生適應(yīng)大學(xué)學(xué)習(xí)，為原文的同意表達(dá)，選項B To maintain colleges' graduation rates.維持大學(xué)畢業(yè)率，選項C To prepare graduates for a challenging future 為畢業(yè)生準(zhǔn)備迎接充滿挑戰(zhàn)的未來。 選項D To increase universities' income from tuition.增加大學(xué)學(xué)費收入，均不正確

　　28. 答案【A】 obtain more financial support.

　　解析：本題目為細(xì)節(jié)題，考察具體細(xì)節(jié)。根據(jù)題干關(guān)鍵詞 Paragraph 5, grade forgiveness enables colleges定位到第五段第一，二句話，That said, there is a way in which grade forgiveness satisfies colleges’ own needs as well. 滿足了大學(xué)生自己的需要，具體需要在第二句， For public institutions, state funds are sometimes tied partly to their success on metrics such as graduation rates and student retention對于公共機(jī)構(gòu)來說，國家基金有時與它們在畢業(yè)率和學(xué)生留校率等指標(biāo)上的成功有部分聯(lián)系。so better grades can, mean more money所以好的成績意味著更多的錢。正確選項A obtain more financial support.獲得更多財政上的支持， financial替換more money

　　29 答案【C】 To be identical with each other

　　解析：本題目為猜詞題，考察學(xué)生對上下文的理解。根據(jù)題干信息Line 5, Para. 6精準(zhǔn)定位到第六段最后一句，在這一點上，學(xué)生和大學(xué)的激勵措施似乎是什么樣的，我們應(yīng)該定位到上一句話，因為學(xué)生和家長都希望大學(xué)學(xué)位能帶來一份工作，所以培養(yǎng)出盡可能合格的畢業(yè)生，或者至少看起來，符合學(xué)校的最佳利益。由此可知，學(xué)校和學(xué)生有著共同的目標(biāo)，C To be identical with each other彼此一致，A To counterbalance each other.互相制衡。B互相補(bǔ)充D To be contradictory to each other 互相矛盾，只有C符合原文。

　　30 答案【B】analyzing the causes behind it.

　　解析：本題目為主旨，表面問作者怎么樣來探討grade forgiveness的實際操作，其實是考全文主旨。前兩段都是談及背后的原因，第五段，第一句That said, there is a way in which grade forgiveness satisfies colleges’ own needs as well也是說grade forgiveness能夠滿足大學(xué)自身的需求，也是分析了grade forgiveness的原因，正確選項B analyzing the causes behind it.分析了背后的原因。

　　(本文為跨考教育教研室老師原創(chuàng)，轉(zhuǎn)載請注明出處。)