8 The / Its method / way / value / wisdom s now being questioned / challenged by more and more people.

8.1 Throwing criminals in jail is an ancient and widespread method of punishment, but is it a wise one? It does seem reasonable to keep wrongdoers in a place where they find fewer opportunities to hurt innocent people, and where they might discover that crime doesn't pay. The system has long been considered fair and sound by those who want to see the guilty punished and society protected. Yet the value of this form of justice is now being questioned by more and more people.

把罪犯丟進監獄是個古老又被廣泛采用的懲罰方法。但這個方法是否明智？把做壞事的人關在一個地方，使他們沒有機會再損害無辜的人，使他們感到犯罪劃不來，似乎確實有道理。這種制度一直被那些希望罪惡得到懲罰，社會得到保護的人視為公平而有效。但是這種司法形式的合理性現在正受到越來越多的人的質疑。

8.2 Required class attendance, like an old custom, is so common in in Chinese colleges and universities that many teachers and even students themselves simply assume it is a good thing. But is it a wise method? It does contribute to the rise in the number of students attending class. But is there any proven co-relation between attendance and performance in a course? The value of required attendance is now being questioned by more and more teachers and students.

上課點名制，如同一種古老習俗，在中國的大學里非常普遍，許多教師甚至學生自己都認為這種做法是對的。但這種方法是否明智？上課點名確實有助于學生出勤率的上升，但是到教室上課和這個學生在這門課上的學習表現，兩者之間是否已證實有聯系？上課點名制度的合理性已受到越來越多的教師和學生的懷疑。