阅读理解A
题干:“Ipromise.”“Isweartoyouit,11neverhappenagain.”“Igiveyoumyword.”“Honestly.Believeme.”Sure,Itrust.Whynot?IteachEnglishcompositionataprivatecollege.Withacertainexcitementandintensity,Ireadmystudents,essays,hopingtofindthepersonbehindthepen.Aseachsemesterprogresses,plagiarism(剽窃)appears.NotonlyismyintelligenceinsultedasoneassumesIwon'tdetectapolishedpieceofprosefromanotherwise-averagewriter,butIfeelasadnessthatastudenthasresortedtobuyingapaperfromapeer.Writershavestyleslikefingerprintsandafterseveralassignments,Icanmatchastudent'sworkwithhisorhernameevenifit’smissingfromtheupperleft-handcorner.Whyislearninglessimportantthanahighergrade-pointaverage(GPA)?Whenwe’rethreatenedorsick,wemakeconditionalpromises.“IfyouletmepassmathIwill…”“Lord,ifyougetmeoverthisbeforethebighomecominggameI’11…”Oncethesituationisbehindus,soarethepromises.Humannature?Perhaps,butwedousethatcliche(陈词滥调)togetusoutofuncomfortablebargains.Divineinterferenceduringdistressisasked;gratitudeisunpaid.Afterall,fewfulfillthecontract,sowhyshouldanyonebetheexception.Whynot?Sixyearsago,Itookastudentbeforethedean.HehadturnedinanessaywiththevocabularyandsentencestructureofPhDthesis.Upuntilthattime,bothhisout-of-classandin-classworkwereborderlinepassing.Iquestionedthepersonregardinghisessayandhesworeitwashisownwork.Igavehimtheidenticalassignmentandtoldhimtowriteinclass,andthatI,dunderstandthiscopywouldnothavethetimeandattentionanout-of-classpaperisgiven,buthehadalreadyafinishedpiecesoheunderstoodwhatwasasked.Hesatonehour,thenturnedinpartofapageofunskilledwritingandfaultylogic.Iconfrontedhimwithbothessays.“Ipromise…,I’mnotlying.IsweartoyouthatIwrotetheessay.I’mjustnervoustoday.”TheheadoftheEnglishdepartmentagreedwithmyfinding,andthemeetingwiththedeanhadtheboy’sparentspresent.Afteranhourofdiscussion,touchingoneightoftheboy,spreviousessaysandhisgrade-pointaverage,whichindicatedhewasalreadyonacademicprobation(留校察看),thedeanagreedthatthestudenthadplagiarized.Hisparentsprotested,“He'sonlyachild”andweinstructorsarewiserandshouldbecompassionate.Collegepeoplearenotreallychildrenandmosttimeswouldresentbeinglabeledassuch…exceptinthisuncomfortablecircumstance.
题目:The boy's parents thought their son should be excused mainly because_____.