Cheatingisnothingnew.ButtodaytheAdministrativeDepartmentforEducationfindsthatexamplesofacademicdishonestyonthepartofstudentshavebecomemorefrequent—andarelesslikelytobepunished--thaninthepast.Cheatingappearstohavegainedacceptanceamonggoodandpoorstudentsalike.

Whyisstudentcheatingontherise?Noonereallyknows.Someblamethetrendonagenerallooseningofmoralvaluesamongtoday’syouth.Othershaveattributed(归因于)increasedcheatingtothefactthattoday’syoutharefarmorepracticalthantheiridealisticancestors.Whereasinthelatesixtiesandearlyseventiesstudentswerefilledwithvisionsaboutchangingtheworldtoday’sstudentsfeelgreatpressuretosurviveandsucceed.Ininterviewswithstudentsathighschoolsandcollegesaroundthecountrybothyoungmenandwomensaidthatcheatinghadbecomeeasy.Somesuggestedtheydiditoutofhateforteacherstheydidn’trespect.Otherslookedatitasagame.Onlyiftheywerecaughtsomesaidwouldtheyfeelguilty.“Peoplearecom-petitive”saidasecond-yearcollegestudentnamedAnnafromChicago.“Thereisapotentialfear.Ifyoudon’tdowellyourlifeisgoingtoberuined.Thepressureisnotonlyfromparentsandfriendsbutfromyourself.Toachieve.Tosucceed.It’salmostasthoughwehavetosurpasspeopletoachieveourowngoals.”

EdwardWynneeditorofamagazineblamestheriseinacademicdishonestyintheschools.Heclaimsthatadministratorsandteachershavebeentoohesitanttotakeaction.DwightHuberchairmanoftheEnglishDepartmentatAmarilloseesthematterdifferentlyblamingtheriseincheatingonthewaystudentsevaluated.“IwouldcheatifIfeltIwasbeingcheated”MrHubersaid.Hefeelsthataslongasteachersgiveshort-answertestsratherthanessayquestionsandratestudentsbythenumberoffactstheycanmemorizeratherthanbyhowwelltheycancombineandprocessinformationstudentswilltrytobeatthesystem.“Theconceptofcheatingisbasedonthefalsebeliefthatthesystemislegalandthereissomethingwrongwiththeindividualswho’redoingit”hesaid“that’stooeasyananswer.We’vegottostartlookingatthesystem.”

( )1.Educatorsarefindingthatstudentswhocheat

A.havepooracademicrecords

B.usetheinformation