To Tell or Not to Tell (1)

Should you keep cheating a secret or tell a teacher?

Angela and Nick just finished a history test. They stop outside the classroom to talk.

Angela: That was such a difficult test! It's a good thing I studied so hard for it, or I probably would have failed.

Nick: Me, too. You go on ahead. I need to talk to Mr. Brown about something.

Angela: Oh, what about?

Nick: I saw a guy peering at a piece of paper under his desk during the test.

Angela: Really?

Nick: Yeah. I think it was a cheat sheet.

Angela: And you're going to tell the teacher? Why? He probably had a really busy week and didn't have time to study.

Nick: You and I were busy this week, too, but we still made time to study. If someone else didn't, that doesn't justify cheating.

Angela: It seems to me that this is really none of our business. After all, his cheating doesn't affect our grades on the test.

Nick: Maybe not directly, but it will affect the class ranks. It's not fair to hard-working students if someone else gets a high rank by cheating.

Angela: True. But I really feel that we shouldn't take matters into our own hands. What if he wasn't cheating?

Nick: Well, I'm just going to report what I saw to someone in authority. The teacher can take care of it.


Info Cloud
cram 填塞, 惡補, 填鴨式
burn the midnight oil 開夜車,挑燈夜戰
all night 整晚
all nighter 通宵K書或趕工作


Language Lab
peer v. [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]
to look very carefully at something, especially because you are having difficulty seeing it
- Nathan peered at his watch anxiously.
- The old lady peered through her window trying to see who had rung the doorbell.

cheat v.
to break a rule or law usually to gain an advantage at something
- Tony was caught cheating on his finals.
cheat sheet  n.
- The boy hid his cheat sheet in his shoe.
- The teacher found a double-side cheat sheet under the student's desk.

justify v.  [just adj. agreeing with what is considered morally right or good : fair]
to provide or be a good reason for (something) : to prove or show (something) to be just, right, or reasonable
to provide a good reason for the actions of (someone)
- Mark tried to justify his tardiness with all kinds of lame excuses.
- How can your department justify spending so much money on travel?

take matters into your own hands  接手, 親自處理
- When the police failed to find the killer, the victim's dad decided to take matters into his own hands.