When Melania Trump recently spoke at the Republican convention, she used some of the same words that Michelle Obama had used at the Democratic convention in 2008. Within hours, news spread around the world with the claim that Melania Trump had plagiarized Michelle Obama's speech.One of Trump's aides said she unintentionally included sentences from Michelle Obama's speech. But students and teachers at universities in the U.S. and elsewhere were shocked. They learn from their early years in school that copying another writer's words is wrong.The word "plagiarism" comes from the Latin word plagiarius. It means "kidnapper, seducer, plunderer, one who kidnaps the child or slave of another," according to the Online Etymology Dictionary. We now use the word "plagiarist" to describe someone who steals another person's written work. That person could also be called a "literary thief."Why is plagiarism a serious problem? Virginia Unkefer is Manager of Academic Writing Services at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. Unkefer says that when students first come to the university, they do not realize how serious the problem is. "I think they don't realize how serious an offense it is. And until they're made aware that that offense is as serious as it is, they don't take it seriously at all."She teaches new students the Latin root of the word plagiarism to tell them how serious it is. "It means kidnapping. It's our own worst fear, to have that thing that we created stolen from us, and it's the same as our words. That thing that we created is essential to who we are, and when other people steal our words, it is as serious as if you were to steal someone's child."Academics are especially aware of the nature of plagiarism, Unkefer says, because their work is essentially the creation of ideas and putting them into words. "Maybe outside the university, where your currency is not your idea, maybe it seems silly to care about this so much. But inside the university where your ideas are who you are, we absolutely must protect them. That's why plagiarism is such a serious offense."For students in universities, copying is______.A absolutely wrongB unimportantC unimaginableD forgivable

In the digital age, copying someone else's words is easy, but getting caught copying is even easier. When Melania Trump recently spoke at the Republican convention, she used some of the same words that Michelle Obama had used at the Democratic convention in 2008. Within hours, news spread around the world with the claim that Melania Trump had plagiarized Michelle Obama's speech. One of Trump's aides said she unintentionally included sentences from Michelle Obama's speech. But students and teachers at universities in the U.S. and elsewhere were shocked. They learn from their early years in school that copying another writer's words is wrong. The word "plagiarism" comes from the Latin word plagiarius. It means "kidnapper, seducer, plunderer, one who kidnaps the child or slave of another," according to the Online Etymology Dictionary. We now use the word "plagiarist" to describe someone who steals another person's written work. That person could also be called a "literary thief." Why is plagiarism a serious problem? Virginia Unkefer is Manager of Academic Writing Services at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. Unkefer says that when students first come to the university, they do not realize how serious the problem is. "I think they don't realize how serious an offense it is. And until they're made aware that that offense is as serious as it is, they don't take it seriously at all." She teaches new students the Latin root of the word plagiarism to tell them how serious it is. "It means kidnapping. It's our own worst fear, to have that thing that we created stolen from us, and it's the same as our words. That thing that we created is essential to who we are, and when other people steal our words, it is as serious as if you were to steal someone's child." Academics are especially aware of the nature of plagiarism, Unkefer says, because their work is essentially the creation of ideas and putting them into words. "Maybe outside the university, where your currency is not your idea, maybe it seems silly to care about this so much. But inside the university where your ideas are who you are, we absolutely must protect them. That's why plagiarism is such a serious offense." For students in universities, copying is______. A absolutely wrong B unimportant C unimaginable D forgivable