雅思阅读第095套P2-Single-Gender Education: A CaseMade?

Reading Passage 2

You should spend about 20minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage Two.

Single-Gender Education: A CaseMade?

A. All modern democracies, instilled as theyare with the ethics of freedom and equality of the sexes, nevertheless offerthe option of single-sex education. This separates the genders into their ownclassrooms, buildings, and often schools. Traditionally, women had to fighthard and long to achieve equal opportunities in education, and thesingle-gender controversy is mostly in relation to them. The question iswhether this educational system advances or retards their cause, and there aresupporters on both sides, each convinced that the case is made.

B. Given that the word 'segregation’ has suchnegative connotations, the current interest in single-gender schooling issomewhat surprising. In the same way that a progressive society would neverconsider segregation on the basis of skin colour, income, or age, it seemsinnately wrong to do this on gender. Yet in the real world and the society inwhich we live, segregation of some sort happens all the time. Clubs inevitablyform - for example, of clerical workers, of lawyers, of the academicallygifted, and of those skilled in music or the arts. Exclusionary cliques,classes, and in-groups, are all part of everyday life. Thus, it may simply bean idealistic illusion to condemn single-gender settings on that basis alone,as do many co-educational advocates.

C. This suggests thatsingle-gender education must necessarily be condemned on other grounds, yet theissue is complicated, and research often sinks into a morass of conflictingdata. and. occasionally, emotional argument. Thus, one study comes out withstrong proof of the efficacy of single-gender schooling, causing a resurgenceof interest and positive public sentiment, only to be later met with aharshly-titled article. 'Single-Sex Schooling: The Myth and the Pseudoscience’,published and endorsed by several respected magazines. Similarly, the argumentson both sides have apparent validity and often accord, on the surface at least,with common sense and personal observation. What then can parents do?

D. Proponents of separating thegenders often argue that it promotes better educational results, not only inraw academic scores but also behaviour. The standard support for this is theclaim of innate gender differences in the manner in which boys and girls learnand behave in educational settings. Separation allows males to be taught in a'male way' and in accordance with the 'male' developmental path, which is saidto be very different to the female one. Such claims demand hard evidence, butthis is difficult to come by. since statistics are notoriously unreliable andsubject to varying interpretations.

E. Of course, one of the keyfactors'that leads to superior performance at single-gender schools is oftenthe higher quality of the teachers, the better resources at hand, and the moremotivated students, often coming as they do from wealthier or more privilegedbackgrounds. Single-gender schools are often the most prestigious in society,demanding the highest entry marks from their new students, who, in turn,receive more deference and respect from society. When taking these factors intoaccount, large-scale studies, as well as the latest findings ofneuroscientists, do not support the claims of superior results or persistentgender differences, respectively. Those who make such claims are accused ofemphasising favourable data, and drawing conclusions based more on anecdotalevidence and gender stereotyping.

F. Yet the single-sex educationalists comeout with other positives. One of the most common is that girls are free fromthe worry of sexual harassment or negative behaviour originating from thepresence of boys. Girls are said to develop greater self-confidence, and apreparedness to study subjects, such as engineering and mathematics, which wereonce the exclusive province of males. Conversely, boys can express a greaterinterest in the arts, without the possible jibe, 'That’s a girls’ subject’. Butlogically, one senses such stereotyping could equally come in single-gendersettings, since it is the society outside of school, with all its relatedexpectations, which has the greatest influence.

G. Among this welter of conflicting argument,one can, at least, fall back on one certainty - that the real world isco-gendered, and each side often misunderstands the other. Supporters ofco-education argue that positive and co-operative interaction between thegenders at school reduces such divisions by de-emphasising gender as a factorof concern. In theory, stereotypes are broken down, and inclusion isemphasised, providing benefits for society as a whole. But such sentiments,admittedly, do sound as if we are retreating into self-promotional propaganda.In other words, these statements are just glib and unreal assertions, ratherthan a reflection of what actually happens in the co-educational classroom.

H. The key point is whether the interactionin co-educational settings is indeed positive and co-operative. Some would sayit could equally be the opposite, and surely it must occasionally be so (if weabandon the rosy picture painted in the previous paragraph). But I would saythat that interaction, whether good or bad, whether academically enhancing orretarding, still constitutes education, and of a vital nature. It presentsexactly the same subset of challenges that students, male or female, willultimately have to deal with in the real world. This is the most importantpoint, and would determine my choice regarding in which educational setting Iwould place my children.

SECTION 2: QUESTIONS 14-26

Questions 14-19

Reading Passage Two has eightparagraphs, A-H.

Choose the correct heading forParagraphs B-E and G-H from the list of headings.

List of Headings

i

Another argument in favour

ii

Conflicting evidence

iii

Negatives are positives

iv

An emotional argument

v

Does it help or not?

vi

Looking at the other side

vii

A counter-argument

viii

It's happening anyway

ix

The problems with genders

x

An argument in favour

Write the correct number,i-x, for each answer.

Example

Answer

Paragraph A

......v......

Paragraph F

.......i....... (Example)

14 ___________Paragraph B

15 ___________Paragraph c

16 ___________Paragraph D

17 ___________Paragraph E

18 ___________Paragraph G

19 ___________Paragraph H

Questions 20-24

Complete the sentences with thecorrect ending, A-E.

Write the correct letter, A-E,for each answer.

A

have some strong views

B

think boys and girls are similar

C

often have idealistic views

D

are surprising in some ways

E

often receive much respect

20 ___________   Neuroscientists

21 ___________   The magazines

22 ___________   Students from single-gender schools

23 ___________   People in society

24 ___________  Supporters of co-education

Questions 25-26

Choose the correct letter, A,B, C, or D.

25The author believes co-education has

Aclear statistical support.

Bless stereotyping.

Cmuch positive interaction.

Dgenerally lower-quality teaching (comparedto single-gender schools).

26The author believes

Asingle-gender schooling is better.

Bco-educational schooling is preferable.

Cwe cannot say which sort of schooling isbetter.

Dmore evidence is needed.

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雅思阅读第095套P2-Single-Gender Education: A Case Made?

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雅思阅读第095套P2:Single-Gender Education: A Case Made?