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 segregated school possibly offer the right sort of preparation for it? Anyone entering adult society after years of segregation 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, athletic 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. Rivalry 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 dispel illusions of this kind. There are no goddesses with freckles, pigtails, piercing voices and inky fingers. There are no romantic heroes with knobbly knees, dirty fingernails and unkempt hair. The awkward stage of adolescence 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 deviation. This is hardly possible under a co-educational system. When the time comes for the pupils to leave school, they are fully 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. 他受到懲罰。

　　2. miniature 縮樣，雛形，微型畫

　　3. freckle 雀斑

　　4. pigtail 鞭子

　　5. knobbly = knobby 多節的

　　6. unkempt 亂七八糟，蓬亂的

　　7. sharp focus = clear view

　　bring into focus 使集中在焦點上，對光

　　bring into sharp focus 這里的意義是：一目了然，明顯突出

　　8. deviation 越軌，偏離，入歧途

　　難句譯注

　　1. all the more

　　越發，格外。

　　2. a co-educational school offers children nothing less than a true version of society in miniature.

　　【參考譯文】男女合校至少給孩子提供了一個社會真正縮影。

　　3. The awkward stage of adolescence brings into sharp focus some of the physical and emotional problems involved in growing up.

　　【參考譯文】棘手的青春期把成長過程中出現的某些身體上合感情上的問題清晰地擺出來。

　　寫作方法與文章大意

　　文章論及“男女合校制的優越性和男女分校制的缺陷。”采用因果、對比寫法。首先假設單一性別社會，人所不能容忍，那單一性別的學校培養的人又怎能適應社會。因為社會是男女組成的。然后分別對比合校和分校的優缺點。比較合校的優點，分校的缺點，最后得出結論：之后合校的學生，在離校進入社會，已做好一切準備，而不會感到震驚，因為他們已有好幾年的經驗，會處理面臨男女的許多問題。

　　答案詳解

　　1. C 除了男女合校，其他形式的教育簡直難以想象。答案見第一段“設想請你在一個只有你一樣性別的人存在的社會生活12年光景，你會如何反應呢?除非你本人確實有毛病，否則，你至少不會太高興。因此，世界上有那么多的父母愿意把這種不正常的環境(他們自己一分鐘都受不了的環境)強加給他們的孩子們，這太令人驚訝!”第二段講“教育的目的之一就是為未來的公民在成人社會中找一席之地，準備好需要的一切。而社會由男女組成，那分校又怎能準備?”后兩段講合校之優點，分校之缺點，具體對比突出主題。這都說明C 最合適。A. 只有合校才能和社會相協調。D. 合校有許多特點。這兩項文章內容涉及到，但作為最佳標題則不確切。B. 人們非常需要合校。文內沒有直接談到。2. B 一個真實社會的縮影。這在第三段第一句“男女合校確實能給孩子們提供一個社會真實的縮影。”下面的內容都是圍繞這個主題而寫的具體情況。如：生活在一起，彼此了解，對比等。A. 社會。C. 一種真實的生活。D. 真實的社會情況。都沒有B項那樣確切。

　　3. C 為未來公民在社會上擁有一席之地，準備好所需要的一切。這在第二段“這個話題的討論必然會引出教育目的的問題。把各種知識塞進孩子頭腦遠不是教育主要的目的，教育的主要目的之一是為未來公民在成人社會求得一席之地，準備好所需一切。”A. 學生學到只是。B. 以科技武裝未來公民。C.為學生缺德學術成就。都只是知識學習的一個部分。

　　4. B 幾年學校共同生活打消了幻想。答案在第四段中,“在學校中，幾年生活在一起消除這一類的幻想。沒有什么臉上有雀斑，梳著鞭子，涂著指甲，尖的噪音的女神，也沒有膝部有疙瘩，指甲臟兮兮，頭發亂蓬蓬的浪漫英雄。棘手的青春期明顯呈現出來的成長過程中身體上和感情上的問題，在男女合校環境中得到很好的解決。”A. 他們生活在一起，彼此太了解。此答案太過，不是太了解而不產生幻想，而是了解情況;真人就在眼前，人就實際了，消除了幻想。C. 合校鼓勵他們對生活有一種健康積極的態度。這是合校的大方向，不是消除幻想的根本原因。D. 他們熟悉彼此的問題。不全是消除幻想之因，而是處理問題的前奏。這在最后一段最后兩句話有說明“當學生離校的時刻來到時，他們已是很有適應性的成人，為進入社會做好了充分準備。他們已有幾年處理面臨男女的許多問題的經驗。”

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