When honesty disappears

當誠實消失時

1 "Is anybody truly honest?" As numerous accounts of cheating, lying, and fraud crowd our newspaper pages and TV news, it seems that honesty is a rapidly vanishing value. And the reports indicate that, around the globe, corruption and dishonesty are so widespread that the health and well-being of society are at risk. These reports include stories such as the students who faced criminal charges for selling in advance copies of a university final exam, a student who was expelled when he turned in a term paper with the purchase receipt for it still inside the pages, and a clerk who ran his own Christmas cards through the office postage meter and was found out when he sent one of the cards to the company treasurer! We have all read or heard accounts such as these, not to mention the stories of dishonesty amongst all layers of society as exemplified by consumers who steal and politicians who demand bribes. Travelers ripped off so many towels last year that it cost a major hotel chain $3 million to replace them. Especially troubling are the reports that dishonesty is increasing amongst student populations around the world.

“有真正誠實的人嗎？”我們的報紙版面和電視新聞充斥著不計其數(shù)的有關欺騙、說謊和詐騙的報道，誠實似乎已經成為正在迅速消失的價值觀。而且這些報道表明，全球范圍內腐敗和不誠實現(xiàn)象蔓延范圍之廣已經危及到了社會的安康。這些報道中包括諸如此類的故事：學生因考試前販賣大學期末考題而面臨犯罪指控；一名學生因提交買來的、還夾著收據(jù)的學期論文而被勒令退學；一名職員用公司的郵資機來郵寄自己的圣誕賀卡，他在寄了一張賀卡給公司的財務主管后被發(fā)現(xiàn)！我們都讀過或聽過類似的事情，更別說社會各層面存在的種種不誠實行為，如偷竊東西的顧和索取賄賂的政客。去年一年，一家大型連鎖酒店的大量毛巾被游客偷走，酒店因此花費了300萬美元來添置新毛巾。尤其令人擔憂的是，世界范圍內有關學生不誠實行為的報道越來越多。

2 But are these reports truly accurate or do they exaggerate the situation? Should we be alarmed by these accounts of falling standards of principles and morality? The assumption is that student dishonesty is more extensive now than it was 20, 50, 100 years ago. If so, what's behind it? If this is indeed the case, it's deeply troubling as today's students are tomorrow's leaders! It's possible that the desire to cheat is no greater than in the past. However, the critical importance of having a university degree may have increased the pressure to cheat in academic environments. Undoubtedly, modern technology facilitates the means and opportunities to cheat. The demanding task of writing term papers has always been a source of tense nerves and frustration, if not the ultimate homework nightmare. But now, with Internet access, illegal resources are just a few links away.

不過這些報道確實是真實的還是言過其實了呢？我們該不該因這些關于行為準則和道德水準下降的報道而感到不安呢？人們認定現(xiàn)在學生中的不誠實現(xiàn)象比20年、50年或100年前更為廣泛。如果是這樣，其背后的原因是什么呢？如果情況確實屬實，那就令人十分擔心了，因為今天的學生就是未來的領袖！也許現(xiàn)在學生騙人的欲望并不比從前大。然而，由于大學學位至關重要，這可能給學生帶來更大的壓力，使他們在學術上造假。毫無疑問，現(xiàn)代科技使人更容易獲得造假的方法和機會。寫學期論文這一艱巨的任務即便不是最可怕的作業(yè)，也一直是導致學生神經緊張和沮喪的原因之一。但是現(xiàn)在，網(wǎng)絡唾手可得，點擊幾下鼠標就能找到非法的資源。

3 Modern students who want to fake a term paper don't have to browse long. They only have to locate the appropriate website, purchase or order online papers, or even download them for free. One web service offers "highest quality papers at the lowest possible prices", only $5.95 per page. Busy, cost-conscious students will find other "low-priced" term papers on websites that promise consumers "You will be happy and successful." Some people worry that the Internet, once hailed as the ultimate learning tool, could become the best aid yet for cheating.

現(xiàn)在的學生如果想要偽造學期論文的話不必在網(wǎng)上瀏覽太長時間。他們只需要找到合適的網(wǎng)址，然后購買或訂購網(wǎng)上論文，或者甚至免費下載論文。一個網(wǎng)絡服務站提供“質量最高、價格最低的論文”，每頁只需5.95美元。忙碌的、注重節(jié)約成本的學生還會找到其他出售“低價”論文的網(wǎng)站，這些網(wǎng)站向顧客許諾“你會既開心又成功。”有些人擔心，曾經被奉為最棒的學習工具的互聯(lián)網(wǎng)會成為作弊者最得力的幫手。

4 To cope with the growing plague of cheating, universities around the world now use anti-plagiarism software and have very strict cheating and plagiarism policies. If students are caught plagiarizing or cheating in any way, they will be immediately expelled from school. Some college faculty decided to do more than talk about rising student cheating. Professors at a major university launched a campaign to try to eliminate one form of cheating. As 409 students filed out of their Introduction to Psychology exam, they found all but one exit blocked. Test monitors asked each student to produce an ID card with an attached photo. If they provided a satisfactory ID, they were fine. If they had left their ID at home, the officials confronted them and took their picture. The purpose of the campaign was to reveal hired cheaters, students who take tests for other students. The majority of students at the university applauded the new strategy.

為解決作弊泛濫的問題，世界各地的大學現(xiàn)在都在使用反抄襲軟件，并且針對作弊和抄襲行為有嚴厲的懲罰政策。如果學生被抓到以任何方式抄襲或作弊，他們就會立刻被勒令退學。一些大學的教師不再只是談論日益增多的學生作弊行為，他們決定采取行動。一所重點大學的教授發(fā)起一項運動，努力消除一種作弊行為。當409名學生排隊離開“心理學入門”考試的考場時，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)除了一個出口以外，其他所有的考場出口都被堵上了?？脊賯円髮W生出示帶有照片的身份證件。如果他們能夠提供令人滿意的身份證件，他們就可以離開。如果他們把證件落在家里了，考官們就會當面質問他們，并拍下他們的照片。這項運動的目的就是要揭露那些雇來的作弊者，即替其他學生考試的學生。這所大學的大部分學生都對這個新舉措拍手稱快。

5 With awareness of increasing dishonesty in today's society, it's sometimes implied that in "the good old days" people were better, happier, and more honest. Were they more honest? Maybe yes, maybe no. Long ago, all American schoolchildren knew the historical story of how Abraham Lincoln walked five miles to return a penny he had overcharged a customer. It's the kind of story that we think of as myth. But in the case of Lincoln, the story is true.

隨著人們意識到當今社會的不誠實行為日益增多，有時這就暗示著在“過去的好時光”里，人們更好、更快樂、更誠實。過去的人更誠實嗎？也許是，也許不是。很久以前，所有的美國學童都知道亞伯拉罕?林肯步行5英里去歸還他多收顧客的一便士的歷史故事。這是那種我們認為是杜撰出來的故事。但是，發(fā)生在林肯身上的這個故事的確是真實的。

6 Like the Lincoln tale, every society has stories stressing the absolute value of honesty. It is these stories that students need to remember when temptation induces them to cheat. Whether discovered or not, dishonesty has an undesirable effect on anyone who practices it. Equally importantly, the ill effects are not confined to the dishonest person alone. Without trust, ordered societies would descend into chaos. It's important that we do what we say we will do, pay when we say we will, and create words that are our own. Perhaps the most important lesson our schools can teach is that we must trust each other. When honesty disappears, the affirmative, durable bonds of trust are eliminated and we all lose. The future of our society depends on mutual trust.

就像林肯的故事一樣，每個社會都有強調誠實的絕對價值的故事。這些故事正是學生在受到作弊的誘惑時需要記住的。不管是否會被發(fā)現(xiàn)，不誠實都會給任何一個作弊者帶來不利影響。同樣重要的是，作弊不僅僅只給作弊者帶來負面影響。沒有誠信，有序的社會就會陷入混亂。我們承諾要做的事就一定要做，我們承諾要付出的就一定要付出，自己的東西一定要自己寫，這些都是很重要的。也許我們的學校要教給學生的最重要的一課就是大家要彼此信任。當誠實消失時，信任這一積極的、持久的紐帶就會消失，我們都會迷失。我們社會的未來依賴于我們彼此間的相互信任。