阅读理解   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 it-self 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.'
    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.
单选题     What is commonly regarded as the cause of grade inflation? ______
 
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】细节题。根据题干关键词commonly，is regarded as，grade inflation可定位到第一段第一句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. 题干commonly“通常地”对应原文often“经常”，题干is regarded as“被认为是”对应原文is considered“被认为是”，根据第一句可知，分数膨胀通常被认为是消费者时代的产物，原文a product of a consumer era“消费者时代的产物”对应D项The influence of consumer culture“消费者文化的影响”，故D项正确。A项无中生有，在第一段第二句仅提及catalogs，但未提及课程的改变。B、C两项无中生有，利用GPA干扰。故本题选D。 本文选自The Atlantic《大西洋月刊》2018年6月29日的文章，原文标题为The Rise of College “Grade Forgiveness”(大学“成绩宽容”的兴起)。本文主要探讨大学成绩宽容的问题。文章首先指出近年来大学的“成绩宽容”开始兴起，然后讲述其出现的原因和发展的方式，从最初只是为新生适应大学课程而设置的重修，因为学校、学生以及社会的期望最终导致其成为大学的主流，从而导致平均绩点的升高。 [参考译文] The Rise of College 'Grade Forgiveness' (编者加) 大学“成绩宽容”的兴起 在过去几十年里，分数膨胀，即平均绩点(GPA)逐渐上升，通常被认为是高等教育消费者时代的产物，在这个时代里，为了让学生满意，他们受到顾客般的对待。但另一项相关的政策，也就是通常隐含在课程中的所谓“成绩宽容”，正在使平均绩点逐渐升高。 成绩宽容允许学生重修他们得分较低的课程，而最新成绩或最高成绩是计算学生总平均绩点的唯一依据。 近年来，随着各大学一直尽最大努力让学生留在学校(并支付学费)，并提高毕业率，这种鲜为人知的做法越来越普遍。几十年前这种做法刚兴起时，通常仅限于大一新生，如果他们在向大学课程过渡的过程中遇到困难，他们可以有第二次上课的机会。但现在大多数大学，除了许多名牌大学外，都宽容本科生，甚至研究生的低分。 大学官员往往强调，成绩宽容不是为了分数本身，而是为了鼓励学生在不受到严惩的情况下去重修对他们的学士学位和毕业有重要影响的课程。俄亥俄州立大学注册办主任杰克·米纳说：“最终，我们看到学生们获得了成功，因为他们重新学习了一门课程，在随后的课程中表现得更好，或者掌握了能让他们按时毕业的知识。” 也就是说，在某种程度上，成绩宽容也能满足大学自身的需求。对公共机构来说，国家基金有时会与它们在毕业率和学生留校率等指标上的成功有一定关系，因此，通过提高分数，更好的成绩可能意味着更多的钱。任何提高平均绩点的举措，都可能会让那些最终要付账的学生觉得，他们的学费花得有价值，这是大学的另一个重要问题。 事实上，成绩宽容只是大学应对消费者对高等教育期望的另一种方式。由于学生和家长都希望大学文凭能带来工作，那么培养尽可能合格的，或至少看起来合格的毕业生才符合学校的利益。在这方面，学生和学校的动机似乎是一致的。
单选题     What was the original purpose of grade forgiveness? ______
 
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】细节题。根据题干关键词original，grade forgiveness可定位到第三段第二句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. 题干original“最初的”对应原文first“第一，最初”，原文this practice“这一做法”指代题干grade forgiveness“成绩宽容”。据第二句可知，“成绩宽容”这一做法最初只限于大一学生，以帮助他们顺利过渡到大学课程，原文freshmen“大一学生”对应A项freshmen“大一学生”，原文transition to college-level courses“过渡到大学课程”对应A项adapt to college learning“适应大学学习”，故A项正确。B、C、D三项答非所问，不是题干所问的original purpose“最初的目的”。故本题选A。
单选题     According to Paragraph 5, grade forgiveness enables colleges to ______
 
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】细节题。根据题干grade forgiveness可定位到第五段第一句That said, there is a way in which grade forgiveness satisfies colleges' own needs as well. 根据第一句可知，成绩宽容满足了大学自身的需求，但A、B、C、D四个选项中均未提及satisfies colleges' own needs，所以根据第五段第二句的具体阐述：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. 题干grade forgiveness“成绩宽容”对应第二句better grades“更高的成绩”，题干enables“使能够”对应第二句can“能够”。根据第二句可知，更高的成绩意味着更多的金钱，对应A项more financial support“更多的经济支持”，故A项正确。B、C两项无中生有。D项偷换概念，原文在第五段第一句提及satisfies colleges' own needs“满足了大学自身需求”，而不是local governments' needs“当地政府的需求”。故本题选A。
单选题     What does the phrase 'to be aligned' (Line 4, Para. 6) most probably mean? ______
 
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】含义题。根据第六段第二句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. 可知。“由于学生和家长都希望大学文凭能带来工作，那么培养尽可能合格的，或至少看起来合格的毕业生才符合学校的利益。”所以第六段第三句students' and colleges' incentives seem to be aligned的意思应该是“学生和学校的动机似乎是一致的”。C项中identical意为“同一的”，故C项正确。A项counterbalance“抗衡”，B项complement“互补”和D项contradictory“矛盾的”均不符合题意。故本题选C。
单选题     The author examines the practice of grade forgiveness by ______
 
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】篇章结构题。文章主题明确，结构清晰。首先提出“分数膨胀”这一现象，其次分析“成绩宽容”这一做法背后的原因、目的和动机，故B项analyzing the causes behind it“分析其背后的原因”正确。A项“评估其可行性”，C项“对比不同观点”和D项“列出其长远影响”均与文章不符。故本题选B。