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 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.
What is commonly regarded as the cause of grade inflation?
根据题干信息词定位到首段第一句，句子主干“Grade inflation is often considered a product of a consumer era in higher education”即高校成绩膨胀问题通常被认为是消费者至上时代的产物。选项The influence of consumer culture. “消费者至上文化的影响”正是该句原因的同义表达。故D选项正确。
What was the original purpose of grade forgiveness?
根据题干要求定位到第三段第二句。该句中的this practice对应题干中的grade forgiveness，first started对应题干中的original，而不定式短语to give them(freshmen)a second chance...if they struggled in their transition to college-level courses(如果大一新生在都向大学课程的过渡中有问题的话在给他们一次机会......)为目的，对应题干中的purpose，故正确答案应为[A]选项To help freshmen adapt to college learning(帮助大一新生适应大学学习)。
According to Paragraph 5,grade forgiveness enable colleges to_________.
细节题做题的技巧是“准确定位和匹配”。根据题干关键词 “paragrph 5”,以及“grade forgiveness”和“colleges”定位到第五段第一句话。通过第一句话可以看出，“grade forgiveness”满足了大学自己的需要，而具体的需要在第二句中体现，因此本题真正的答案出自于第二句即“For public institution…”。第二句话的意思是“对于大学来讲，国家的基金有时候是跟一些因素有关的，比如毕业率和学生在学率，因此好的分数意味着钱。题干中问题使“grade forgiveness”使大学能够…,而根据本段的第二句话，可知 “grade forgiveness”使大学能够获得更多的国家的基金，这与A选项“获得更多的经济支持”匹配，因此正确答案选A。
What does the phrase “to be aligned”(Line 5, Para.6) most probably mean?
根据题目定位到第6段最后一句：On this, students’ and colleges’ incentives seem to be aligned.解决本题的关键是this指代的内容，根据上文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. 即“由于学生和家长都希望通过大学学历找工作，因此符合学校最佳利益的便是尽可能地证明学生的能力——或者说至少看起来如此”。由此可知，学生和学校有着共同的利益目标，所以正确答案为C，学生和学校的倡议是一致的。
The author examines the practice of grade forgiveness by________.
根据题干，表面上问作者通过什么论述方式来探讨grade forgiveness的实践操作，其实是考全文的主旨写作手法，属于主旨大意题。方法即是串读每段段落大意句，把握作者的论述角度。尤其，在第一段第一句 Grade inflation-…. - is often considered a product of a consumer era…. 以及第二句 But another, related force -…… 谈及的都是背后的原因。第五段，第一句 That said, there is a way in which grade forgiveness satisfies colleges' own needs as well. 也是突出了grade forgiveness 能够满足大学自身的需求，这也是分析了grade forgiveness的原因。所以，该题答案是B项，analyzing the causes behind it.