2011年12月英语四级快速阅读真题.pdfVIP

Why Integrity Matters What is Integrity? Integrity is defined as adherence to moral and ethical principles; honesty. The key to i ntegrity is consistency--not only setting high personal standards for oneself (honesty, resp onsibility, respect for others, fairness) but also living up to those standards each day. On e who has integrity is bound by and follows moral and ethical standards even when making lif es hard choices, choices which may be clouded by stress, pressure to succeed, or temptatio n. What happens if we lie, cheat, steal, or violate other ethical standards? We feel disappoint ed in ourselves and ashamed. But a lapse of integrity also affects our relationships with ot hers. Trust is essential in any important relationship, whether personal or professional. Wh o can trust someone who is dishonest or unfair? Thus, integrity must be one of our most impo rtant 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 fr om our mistake, by understanding why we acted as we did, and then exploring ways to avoid si milar problems in the future. Making ethical decisions is a critical part of avoiding future problems. We must learn to re cognize risks, because if we cant see the risks were taking, we cant make responsible cho ices. To identify risks, we need to know the rules and be aware of the facts. For example, o ne who doesnt know the rules about plagiarism may accidentally use words or ideas without g iving proper credit, or one who fails to keep careful research notes may unintentionally fai l to quote and cite sources as required. But the fact that such a violation is unintentiona l 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 ab out the risks theyre taking by