The use of this litle-known practice has accelerated in recent years, as colleges continue to do their utmost to keep students in school (and paying tuition) and improve their graduation rates.
近年来，随着高校一直竭尽全力维持在校学生数量（并让学生支付学费）和提高毕业率，这一鲜为人知的做法日益普及。
practice n.通常的做法；实践
accelerate v.加速；加快
utmost n.尽力；极度
tuition n.学费；讲授
When this practice first started decades ago, it was usually limited to freshmen, to give them a second chance to take a class in their firstyear if they struggled in their transition to college-level courses.
数十年前，这一做法刚开始实行时，通常仅面向大一新生，如果他们在向大学课程过渡的过程中遇到困难，该做法会给予他们一次在第一学年重修某门课程的机会。
limit vt.限制；限量
freshman n.大学一年级新生
struggle v.艰难地行进；吃力地进行
transition n.过渡；转变
But now most colleges,save for many selective campuses, allow all undergraduates,and even graduate students,to get their low grades forgiven.
不过现在，除了很多重点大学以外，大部分高校都允许所有的本科生，甚至研究生，获得低分“宽容”。
save prep.除了；除·······外
selective a.严格筛选的；选择性的
campus n.(大学、学院的）校园
undergraduate n.本科生
graduate student 研究生
forgive vt.宽恕；原谅
College officials also tend to emphasize that the goal of grade forgiveness is less about the grade itself and more about encouraging students to retake courses critical to their degree progream and graduation without incurring a big penalty.
高校管理人员往往强调，“成绩宽容”的目的不完全在于分数本身，更多是为了鼓励学生重修那些事关学位和毕业的重要课程而免受严重的惩罚。
emphasize vt.强调；重视
critical a.极重要的；批评的
incur vt.遭受；引起
penalty n.惩罚；害处
“Ultimately,”said Jack Miner, Ohio State University's registrar, “we see students achieve more success because they retake a course and do better in subsequent courses or master the content that allows them to graduate on time.”
俄亥俄州立大学的教务主任杰克·迈纳说：“最终，我们看到学生取得了更大的成功，因为他们重修了某门课程并在后续学习中表现得更好，或掌握了能让他们按时毕业的课程内容。”
ultimately 最终，根本上
register 教务主任，登记员
subsequent 随后的，后来的
master vt.掌握，控制，n.主人