2021年考研英语(一)阅读真题，在备考中，英语真题不能落下，每天都得做一遍真题，巩固自己的知识。
　　1)Grade inflation--the gradual increase in average GPAs (grade-point averages) over the past few decades—is often considered a product of a consumer era in higher education, in which students are treated like customers to be pleased. But another, related force—a policy often buried deep in course catalogs called “grade forgiveness”—is helping raise GPAs.
　　2)Grade forgiveness allows students to retake a course in which they received a low grade, and the most recent grade or the highest grade is the only one that counts in calculating a student’s overall GPA.
　　3)The use of this little-known practice has accelerated in recent years, as colleges continue to do their utmost to keep students in school (and paying tuition) and improve their graduation rates. When this practice first started decades ago, it was usually limited to freshmen, to give them a second chance to take a class in their first year if they struggled in their transition to college-level courses. But now most colleges save for many selective campuses, allow all undergraduates, and even graduate students, to get their low grades forgiven.
　　4)College officials tend to emphasize that the goal of grade forgiveness is less about the grade itself and more about encouraging students to retake courses critical to their degree program and graduation without incurring a big penalty. “Untimely,” said Jack Miner, Ohio State University’s registrar, “we see students achieve more success because they retake a course and do better in subsequent contents or master the content that allows them to graduate on time.”
　　5)That said, there is a way in which grade forgiveness satisfies colleges’ own needs as well. For public institutions, state funds are sometimes tied partly to their success on metrics such as graduation rates and student retention—so better grades can, by boosting figures like those, mean more money. And anything that raises GPAs will likely make students—who, at the end of the day, are paying the bill—feel they’ve gotten a better value for their tuition dollars, which is another big concern for colleges.
　　6)Indeed, grade forgiveness is just another way that universities are responding to consumers’ expectations for higher education. Since students and parents expect a college degree to lead a job, it is in the best interest of a school to turn out graduates who are as qualified as possible—or at least appear to be. On this, students’ and colleges’ incentives seem to be aligned.
　　26.What is commonly regarded as the cause of grade inflation?
　　[A]The change of course catalogs.
　　[B]Students’ indifference to GPAS.
　　[C]Colleges’ neglect of GPAS.
　　[D]The influence of consumer culture.
　　选项[D]正确。
　　细节题。根据题干中的关键词grade inflation 可以定位到首段一句，题干中的be regarded as对应原文中的is considered，题干中的the cause of（接结果）与原文中的a product of （前边接结果）都表示因果关系。选项[D]中consumer是原文中的复现。
　　27.What was the original purpose of grade forgiveness?
　　[A]To help freshmen adapt to college learning.
　　[B]To maintain colleges’ graduation rates.
　　[C]To prepare graduates for a challenging future.
　　[D]To increase universities’ income from tuition.
　　选项[A]正确。
　　细节题。根据题干中的关键词，定位到文章的第二段，但是第二段讲的是grade forgiveness具体是什么，并没有提及它的目的，第三段首句中this little-known practice指的就是grade forgiveness。而且题干中的the original purpose对应原文中的在第三段第二句话: “it was usually limited to freshmen, to give them a second chance to take a class in their first year if they struggled in their transition to college-level courses.”选项A中的freshmen是原词复现，help是对应原文中的give them a second chance，adapt to对应原文中的struggled in their transition to，college learning对应原文中的college-level courses。因此答案为A。
　　28.According to Paragraph 5, grade forgiveness enable colleges to_____.
　　[A]obtain more financial support
　　[B]boost their student enrollments
　　[C]improve their teaching quality
　　[D]meet local governments’ needs
　　选项[A]正确。
　　细节题。根据题干中的关键词paragraph 5，grade forgiveness和colleges定位到第五段一句，即grade forgiveness能够满足学生的需求，但是对应选项并没有对应的答案，所以接着往下看，提到了国家基金与他们的成功有关，得到更好地分数意为这拿到更多的钱。选项A中的financial support指的就是state funds。因此答案为A。
　　29.What does the phrase “to be aligned”(Para.6) most probably mean?
　　[A]To counterbalance each other.
　　[B]To complement each other.
　　[C]To be identical with each other.
　　[D]To be contradictory to each other.
　　选项[C]正确。
　　词义题。根据题干，定位到第六段后一句：“On this, students’ and colleges’ incentives seem to be aligned.”This指代的是前一句话，即：因为学生和家长都希望通过大学学历来找工作，所以学校的佳利益是尽可能地把学生培养成有能力胜任的人，或者至少看起来是那样。由此可以的出学生和学校的目标是一致的，选项[C]中的be identical with表示的是与…相同，因此答案为C。
　　30.The author examines the practice of grade forgiveness by_____.
　　[A]assessing its feasibility
　　[B]analyzing the causes behind it
　　[C]comparing different views on it
　　[D]listing its long-run effects
　　选项[B]正确。
　　主旨题。题干的字面意思是作者是通过什么样的方式来检验grade forgiveness的实践操作。阅读每段的段落大意句，可以得出作者主要是通过说明grade forgiveness的背后原因。因此答案为[B]。