四级历年真题快速阅读汇总.docVIP

2011年12月 Why Integrity Matters 　　What Is Integrity? 　　The key to integrity is consistency- not only setting high personal standards for oneself (honesty, responsibility, respect for others, fairness) but also living up to those standards each and every day. One who has integrity is bound by and follows moral and ethical (道德上的) standards even when making lifes hard choices, choices which may be clouded by stress, pressure to succeed, or temptation. 　　What happens if we lie, cheat, steal, or violate other ethical standards? We feel disappointed in ourselves and ashamed. But a lapse (缺失) of integrity also affects our relationships with others. Trust is essential in any important relationship, whether personal or professional. Who can trust someone who is dishonest or unfair? Thus integrity must be one of our most important goals. 　　Risky Business 　　We are each responsible for our own decisions, even if the decision, making process has been undermined by stress or peer pressure. The real test of character is whether we can learn from our mistake, by understanding why we acted as we did and then exploring ways to avoid similar problems in the future. 　　Making ethical decisions is a critical part of avoiding future problems. We must learn to recognize risks, because if we cant see the risks were taking, we cant make responsible choices. To identify risks, we need to know the rules and be aware of the facts. For example, one who doesnt know the rules a about plagiarism (剽窃) may accidentally use words or ideas without giving proper credit or one who fails to keep careful research notes may unintentionally fail to quote and cite sources as required. But the fact that such a violation is unintentional does not excuse the misconduct, Ignorance is not a defense. 　　But Everybody Does It 　　Most people who get in trouble do know the rules and facts but manage to fool themselves about the risks theyre taking by using excuses: Everyone else does it. Im not hurting anyone, or I reall