2019年考研英语一阅读 Text 2 原文翻译及答案解析

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.

成绩通胀——过去几十年平均GPA（平均绩点）的逐渐上升——常被视为高等教育消费时代的产物，在这个时代，学生被当作需要取悦的顾客。但另一个相关因素，一种常深藏在课程目录中名为“成绩宽恕”的政策，正在帮助提高GPA。

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.

成绩宽恕允许学生重修一门他们得分较低的课程，并且只有最近的成绩或最高的成绩才会被计入学生的整体GPA计算。

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.

近年来，这种鲜为人知的做法的使用加速了，因为高校继续尽最大努力留住学生（并支付学费）并提高毕业率。当这种做法几十年前首次开始时，通常仅限于大一新生，以给他们第二次机会在第一年重修课程，如果他们在过渡到大学课程时遇到困难。但现在，除了许多录取标准较高的校园外，大多数高校允许所有本科生，甚至研究生，获得低分成绩的宽恕。

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. "Ultimately," said Jack Miner, Ohio State University's registrar, "we see students achieve more success because they retake a course and do better in subsequent courses or master the content that allows them to graduate on time."

高校官员往往强调，成绩宽恕的目标与其说是关于成绩本身，不如说是鼓励学生重修对他们的学位计划和毕业至关重要的课程，而不会遭受重大惩罚。俄亥俄州立大学注册主任Jack Miner说：“最终，我们看到学生取得更多成功，因为他们重修了一门课程，并在后续课程中表现更好，或掌握了让他们按时毕业的内容。”

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.

话虽如此，成绩宽恕也以一种方式满足了高校自身的需求。对于公立机构，州资金有时部分取决于它们在毕业率和学生保留率等指标上的成功——因此更好的成绩可以通过提高这些数字来意味着更多资金。而且，任何提高GPA的东西都可能让学生——最终支付账单的人——觉得他们的学费得到了更好的价值，这是高校的另一个重大关切。

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.

事实上，成绩宽恕只是高校回应消费者对高等教育期望的另一种方式。既然学生和家长期望大学学位能带来工作，学校最有利的做法是培养尽可能合格的毕业生——或者至少看起来合格。在这一点上，学生和高校的激励似乎是一致的。