Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
Is it ever OK to cheat? Most people would probably say no. Not ever! Cheating is inexcusable, and it’s not fair to the people who studied. But cheating definitely happens, and there are people who believe that it’s no big deal to get the answers to a test beforehand. How can people feel so differently about something so serious?
The fact is that what seems serious to one person isn’t a big issue to someone else. If your friend believes that she won’t get into the university she wants to attend if she doesn’t cheat a little on her exam, she might do it. In her opinion, no one is getting hurt, so it’s OK. But another friend might feel that cheating is always foolish and wrong. He might tell his teacher about your friend who cheated. People’s feelings about cheating are definitely on a spectrum.
Marni cheated on her test, and Jessica is shocked. Read what she says in today’s English lesson about the choices people make.
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
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Marni: So, I had to take this huge test the other day, and I kind of cheated on it a little bit.
Jessica: Marni!
Marni: What?
Jessica: Cheating is inexcusable!
Marni: Really? Oh, come on. It was no big deal.
Jessica: Did you just glance at somebody’s paper? Or…
Marni: I just happened to see a few of the answers beforehand, and so I went in knowing.
Jessica: I guess you couldn’t help yourself if you didn’t prepare for it, Marni.
Marni: Well, I did study and everything, but I…
Jessica: That’s better.
Marni: ...I just thought “This is a gift.” The teacher was foolish enough to just leave the answers lying out. So I happened to glance over, and that’s not my fault!
Jessica: Well, it’s true. And you usually get good grades. It’s not like plagiarism or anything.
Marni: Well, no, but… do you think it’s inexcusable?
Jessica: Kind of.
Marni: I knew you were going to say that.
Jessica: It’s OK. Don’t do it again, though.
Marni: All right. I won’t.
Grammar Point
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Discussion
Marni did something that Jessica believes is inexcusable. She cheated on a test. Marni says that she saw a few of the answers to the test because her teacher forgot to put them away. She says that seeing the answers was like getting a gift.
Jessica knows that Marni wants to hear that it’s OK that she cheated, but Jessica doesn’t really believe that. She asks Marni to promise that she’ll never cheat again, and Marni agrees. The conversation is awkward and difficult for the two friends.
Do you know anyone who has cheated on a test? Is it a serious problem, or is it no big deal?
Comments
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