Cheating

我们从今年第七期开始陆续刊登第二届“北外杯”中学生英文写作大赛的部分获奖作文。本期选登的是大连市第八中学高三(十)班李峰同学的文章。

I walked into the examination room, tired and stressed. I had been up late the night before, preparing for our first arithmetic test of the year.

When everyone sat down, test papers were handed out and I began. Less than ten minutes later, our teacher announced he had an errand to run, and told us to keep working until he returned. As soon as he walked out of the door, however, I knew exactly what was going to happen.

I continued concentrating on the questions in front of me, but suddenly the room was not so quiet any more. With a sigh I lifted my head, and looked around the room.

Now that the teacher had gone, many of the students began sharing answers and discussing the problems together. Although this was far from the first time, once again I was filled with a feeling of disappointment. I tried to continue working, but my mind was now clogged with confusion and disappointment. After all, this was an important exam, and we were seniors in high school. Shouldn't we be trustworthy enough to be left alone in the classroom without the teacher having to worry about us cheating?

Cheating. The word brings to mind many different connotations, from deception to dishonesty to corruption. I have always been against cheating and have worked hard to earn my grades honestly, seeing what have happened all around me is very difficult to accept. I have never really understood how difficult it can be to resist cheating, until I began to witness my peers doing it on a daily basis. For many, cheating has become just a part of everyday life, and they don't even think twice about doing it. I can't even explain how disappointing it feels to put all my effort into a homework assignment or studying for a test, and then see someone else cheat to get a better grade. To me, the grade one receives should represent not only his intelligence, but also how much effort and hard work he has applied to honestly earn the grade.

A few weeks later, when our class ranks were disclosed, I was very excited to rank 2nd in my class. I honestly felt that the amount of work and commitment I had made to my studies throughout high school earned me this place, and I was proud to have come this far. However, I was wondering about those who had cheated to get where they were. Many of them were ranked close to me, and even at the top of t
he class.

I have contemplated many times whether it is right to let all these acts go unreported and to let these students continue to think that cheating is the best solution. Of course the temptation to cheat will always be there, but as a result many of these students will never be able to experience how good it feels to earn a
good grade through hard work. Cheating may seem like the easiest solution now, but in the future it will make things much more difficult. These students who become accustomed to cheating on a regular basis will find it may progress far beyond their schoolwork. They will continue to deceive others in all aspects of their lives, from personal to business relationships. I just hope that some day they will be able to realize that cheating and misleading others cannot be kept up forever. Eventually, they will realize for themselves that the only way to success is to work honestly, and to honestly earn what they want. All I can do is to pray and hope that some day, somehow, people will be fair and honest. It's a simple wish,but a sad one that is probably beyond my grasp.

As for my first arithmetic test, I ended up getting a 142 on it. As I sat in class that day, I listened to the students around me, who had cheated, bragging about their grades each other. I have now realized that no matter how angry I get, orhow much I complain about it, some of these students will continue to cheat, as
long as they can get away with it. Although my 142 may not be perfect, I can walk out of the room feeling good about myself, and being proud that I worked to the best of my ability. I feel confident in what I believe is right will help me grow better as a human being, and hopefully it can help me to advance one step furt her on the long, complicated path of life.