The Young and the Virtueless
By Emily Sohn
About half (1) _______ college students admit to cheating. Which turns (2) _______ to be great news — if you consider what they were (3) _______ doing in high school.
An astonishing 3 out of every 4 high school students do it on a test at least once in the past year, says Rutgers University professor Donald McCabe, who has surveyed 4,500 students at 25 high schools.
A (4) _______ percentage say they have handed (5) _______ work written by someone else. Beyond those outright cheaters, nearly 1 in 4 students admits to comparatively minor infractions, like working with others when teachers wanted each student to work alone.
The teenagers are master rationalizes. Some say that sports and other activities interfered with homework. They also claim that they cheated if the assignment seemed (6) _______ or boring. Many cited the pressure to get good grades. Indeed, to many of these kids, says McCabe, high school seems like simply a tedious hurdle. Once in college, though, many students appear to start taking school more seriously, at least when classes seem relevant (7) _______ their goals. Says McCabe: "They say, 'I've never cheated in my (8) _______ , but distribution requirements — those don't matter."'
Students also cite famous cheaters as examples of what it (9) _______ to succeed. As one student wrote: "This world is full of cheaters because cheaters are the ones who most often get to the (10) _______ . News flash: Cheaters do prosper!" In past surveys, names like Michael Milken and Donald Trump came (11) _______ . This year, a student put it this way: "If Clinton can do it and get (12) _______ with it, why can't we?"
# | A | B | C | D |
1 |
from |
out of |
of |
among |
2 |
out |
off |
down |
about |
3 |
improbable |
probability |
probable |
probably |
4 |
comparative |
comparing |
comparably |
comparable |
5 |
off |
in |
of | out |
6 |
mean |
rneaningless |
meaningful |
meaning |
7 |
about |
for |
to |
with |
8 |
major |
minor |
main |
central |
9 |
takes |
makes |
does |
lasts |
10 |
bottom |
top |
deep |
peak |
11 |
through |
in |
out | up |
12 |
around |
away |
ahead |
across |