Passage Fifteen (Contribution of Coeducation)

       Imagining being asked to spend twelve or so years of your life in a society which consisted only of members of own sex. How would you react? Unless there was something definitely wrong with you, you wouldn’t be too happy about it, to say the least. It is all the more surprising therefore that so many parents in the world choose to impose such abnormal conditions on their children – conditions which they themselves wouldn’t put up with for one minute!

       Any discussion of this topic is bound to question the aims of education. Stuffing children’s heads full of knowledge is far from being foremost among them. One of the chief aims of educations is to equip future citizens with all they require to take their place in adult society. Now adult society is made up of men and women, so how can a segregated¹ school possibly offer the right sort of preparation for it? Anyone entering adult society after years of segregation² can only be in for a shock.

       A co-educational school offers children nothing less than a true version of society in miniature. Boys and girls are given the opportunity to get to know each other, to learn to live together from their earliest years. They are put in a position where they can compare themselves with each other in terms of academic ability, athletic³ achievement and many of the extra-curricular activities which are part of school life. What a practical advantage it is ( to give just a small example ) to be able to put on a school play in which the male parts will be taken by boys and the female parts by girls! What nonsense co-education makes of the argument that boys are cleverer than girl or vice-versa. When segregated, boys and girls are made to feel that they are a race apart. Rivalry⁴ between the sexes is fostered. In a coeducational school, everything falls into its proper place.

       But perhaps the greatest contribution of co-education is the healthy attitude to life it encourages. Boys don’t grow up believing that women are mysterious creatures – airy goddesses, more like book-illustrations to a fairy-tale, than human beings. Girls don’t grow up imagining that men are romantic heroes. Years of living together at school dispel⁵ illusions of this kind. There are no goddesses with freckles⁶, pigtails, piercing voices and inky fingers. There are no romantic heroes with knobbly knees, dirty fingernails and unkempt hair. The awkward stage of adolescence⁷ brings into sharp focus some of the physical and emotional problems involved in growing up. These can better be overcome in a co-educational environment. Segregated schools sometimes provide the right conditions for sexual deviation⁸. This is hardly possible under a co-educational system. When the time comes for the pupils to leave school, they are fully⁹ prepared to enter society as well-adjusted adults. They have already had years of experience in coping with many of the problems that face men and women.

1.       What is the best title for this passage?
[A] only co-education can be in harmony with society.
[B] people are in great need of co-education.
[C] any form of education other than co-education is simply unthinkable.
[D] co-education has many features.

2.       what does co-education offer to children?
[A] A society.
[B] A true small model of society.
[C] A real life.
[D] True version of social condition.

3.       According to the passage, what is one of the chief aims of education?
[A] It is for students to acquire knowledge.
[B] It is to equip future citizens with scientific technology.
[C] It is to equip future citizens with what is required in getting a position in society.
[D] It is for students to get academic achievements.

4.       Why do boys and girls in co-education have no illusion about each other?
[A] They live together and know each other too well.
[B] Years of living together at school dismiss such illusion.
[C] co-education encourage them to have an healthy attitude toward life.
[D] They are familiar with each other’s problems.

Vocabulary

1.       to be in for = receive                           接受
       He is in for punishment.  他受到惩罚。

2.       miniature                                            缩样，雏形，微型画

3.       freckle                                               雀斑

4.       pigtail                                                 鞭子

5.       knobbly = knobby                               多节的                                             

6.       unkempt                                             乱七八糟，蓬乱的

7.       sharp focus = clear view                     
      bring into focus          使集中在焦点上，对光
      bring into sharp focus     这里的意义是：一目了然，明显突出

8.       deviation                                             越轨，偏离，入歧途

难句译注

1.       all the more
越发，格外。

2.       a co-educational school offers children nothing less than a true version of society in miniature.
【参考译文】男女合校至少给孩子提供了一个社会真正缩影。

3.       The awkward stage of adolescence brings into sharp focus some of the physical and emotional problems involved in growing up.
【参考译文】棘手的青春期把成长过程中出现的某些身体上合感情上的问题清晰地摆出来。

写作方法与文章大意

       文章论及“男女合校制的优越性和男女分校制的缺陷。”采用因果、对比写法。首先假设单一性别社会，人所不能容忍，那单一性别的学校培养的人又怎能适应社会。因为社会是男女组成的。然后分别对比合校和分校的优缺点。比较合校的优点，分校的缺点，最后得出结论：之后合校的学生，在离校进入社会，已做好一切准备，而不会感到震惊，因为他们已有好几年的经验，会处理面临男女的许多问题。

答案详解

1.       C 除了男女合校，其他形式的教育简直难以想象。答案见第一段“设想请你在一个只有你一样性别的人存在的社会生活12年光景，你会如何反应呢？除非你本人确实有毛病，否则，你至少不会太高兴。因此，世界上有那么多的父母愿意把这种不正常的环境（他们自己一分钟都受不了的环境）强加给他们的孩子们，这太令人惊讶！”第二段讲“教育的目的之一就是为未来的公民在成人社会中找一席之地，准备好需要的一切。而社会由男女组成，那分校又怎能准备？”后两段讲合校之优点，分校之缺点，具体对比突出主题。这都说明C 最合适。
A. 只有合校才能和社会相协调。D. 合校有许多特点。这两项文章内容涉及到，但作为最佳标题则不确切。B. 人们非常需要合校。文内没有直接谈到。

2.       B 一个真实社会的缩影。这在第三段第一句“男女合校确实能给孩子们提供一个社会真实的缩影。”下面的内容都是围绕这个主题而写的具体情况。如：生活在一起，彼此了解，对比等。
A. 社会。C. 一种真实的生活。D. 真实的社会情况。都没有B项那样确切。

3.       C 为未来公民在社会上拥有一席之地，准备好所需要的一切。这在第二段“这个话题的讨论必然会引出教育目的的问题。把各种知识塞进孩子头脑远不是教育主要的目的，教育的主要目的之一是为未来公民在成人社会求得一席之地，准备好所需一切。”
A. 学生学到只是。B. 以科技武装未来公民。C.为学生缺德学术成就。都只是知识学习的一个部分。