《中英對照讀新聞》Cambridge University set to scrap written exams because students’ handwriting is so bad 劍橋大學考慮廢除紙筆考試，因為學生字跡難以辨識

◎陳正健

Cambridge University is seeking to scrap exams written with a pen and paper due to the deterioration of students’ handwriting. Examiners find it harder and harder to read internet generation’s scripts.

劍橋大學有意廢除使用紙筆的寫字考試，因為學生的字跡退化。考官發現，愈來愈難讀懂網路世代的筆跡。

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A growing reliance on laptops has led to students’ writing becoming increasingly illegible. The problem has become so bad the university is preparing to switch to examinations on laptops – ending 800 years of handwritten exams.

對於筆記型電腦的依賴增長，已導致學生的書寫變得日益難以辨認。這項問題愈來愈糟糕，以致該校準備將考試轉換至筆電上進行—終結已有800年歷史的紙筆測驗。

Dr Sarah Pearsall, a lecturer at the university’s history department, told The Telegraph： ’’As a faculty we have been concerned for years about the declining handwriting problem. There has definitely been a downward trend.’’

該校歷史系講師莎拉．皮索爾博士告訴《電訊報》：「身為教職員，我們多年來一直關切書寫衰退問題。這顯然是每況愈下。」

She said students still wrote by hand several hours daily 15 or 20 years ago, but now mostly do not do that except during exams. When examiners could not read scripts, a growing number of students had to return to university during the summer period to read their answers aloud to administrators.

她指出，15到20年前，學生仍每日以手書寫數小時，但現在多數學生除考試外已不這麼做了。當考官無法閱讀字跡，愈來愈多學生必須在暑假回到學校，向行政人員大聲朗讀他們的答案。

新聞辭典

scrap：動詞，扔棄，廢除。例句：They’re considering scrapping the tax and raising the money in other ways.（他們正考慮廢除這項稅收，並以其他方式集資。）

examiner：名詞，考官，主考者。例句：The candidates have failed to satisfy the examiners.（這些候選人未能通過審核。）

illegible：形容詞，難以辨認的，字跡模糊的。例句：His writing is almost illegible.（他的字跡幾乎難以辨認。）