有这样一道题：Nowadays each group member get the same grade, is it a good method to evaluate students? To give the same grade to all the members who do the same project together. What do you think of the way of evaluation?

每次在课上讲到这道题，很多同学第一反应都是「不喜欢group work」，因为「有一些摸鱼的不干活」。刚好在听力校园对话中也有这么一篇讲的是这种情况（看来不管是国内还是国外，浑水摸鱼的现象都不少见）。

托福听力TPO4-Conversation2

『....

Professor: Right, OK. And it’s not going well?

Student: Not really. I’m worried about the other two people in my group. They are just sitting back, not really doing their fair share of the work and waiting for an A. It’s kind of stressing me out, because we are getting close to the deadline and I feel like I’m doing everything for this project.

Professor: Ah, the good old free rider problem.

Student: Free rider?

Professor: Ah, it’s just a term that describes this situation, when people in the group seek to get the benefits of being in a group without contributing to the work. Anyway, what exactly do you mean when you say they just sit back? I mean, they’ve been filing following the weekly progress reports with me.

Student: Yes, but I feel like I’m doing 90% of the work. I hate to sound so negative here, but honestly, they are taking credit for things they shouldn’t be taking credit for. Like last week in the library, we decided to split up the research into 3 parts and then each of us was supposed to find sources in the library for our parts. I went off to the stack and found some really good material for my part, but when I got back to our table, they were just goofing off and talking. So I went and got materials for their sections as well.

Professor: Um … you know you shouldn’t do that.

Student: I know, but I didn’t want to risk the project going down the drain.

....』

从这个对话中，我们可以提取出一些可用的素材：

首先，这种评分方式可能会产生一些free riders. To be specific, 并不是每个人都有很强的责任感，所以it is highly likely that 有些学生不会devote wholeheartedly into the project, 反而是take advantage over其他学生, like just sitting back, not really doing their fair share of the work and waiting for an A, 而剩下的对学业分数更加重视的学生则不得不do everything for this project. For example, 一个三人小组split up the research into three parts并且everyone is supposed to find sources in the library for their parts. However,其中两个人想要seek to get the benefits of being in a group without contributing to the work, so it is not surprising for the third and more arduous student to find that当他给自己的部分找到了some really good material 然后 got back to our table的时候, 发现另外两个just goofing off and talking, 所以他不得不get materials for their sections as well.这样这个学生也可能会因为stressed out & getting close to the deadline而无法保质保量地完成任务，最终影响分数。

4. 同门旁系师兄弟姐妹：GMAT，GRE