问答题 1.  Now many parents are sending their sons and daughters to single-sex schools believing that the educational environment fostered by a single gender is more conducive to learning than a coeducational school. Is it really the case? The following are the supporters' and opponents' opinions. Read carefully the opinions from both sides and write your response in NO LESS THAN  200 words, in which you should first summarize briefly the opinions from both sides and give your view on the issue.
    Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks.
YES NO
    Boys and girls distract each other from their
education, especially in adolescence as their sexu-
al and emotional sides develop. Too much time
can be spent attempting to impress or even sexu-
ally harassing each other.
    Academic competition between the sexes is
unhealthy and only adds to unhappiness and anxi-
ety among weaker students. As Tricia Kelleher, a
school principal, argues, "rather than girls defining
themselves by their interests, they define them-
selves by what the boys think of them or what
other girls think boys think of them".
    Furthermore, John Silber, President of Boston
University, declared that his university would pri-
oritize male applications in order to even up the
student composition and ensure the male popula-
Lion did not become "ungentlemanly" towards
women due to their numerical inferiority. A single-
sex environment is therefore a space where chil-
dren can learn without feeling pressurized by the
other sex. 		    In fact boys and girls are a good influ-
ence on each other, engendering good behav-
ior and maturity—particularly as teenage girls
usually exhibit greater responsibility than boys
of the same age.
    Academic competition between the sexes
is a spur to better performance at school.
Any negative effects of co-educational schools
have been explained away by studies as the
result of other factors, such as "classroom
size, economic discrepancies and cultural
differences".
    Furthermore, the separation of boys and
girls only serves to embrace sexual objectifi-
cation, for they exist for each other only as
dates rather than the classmates they would
be in a co-educational environment. Allowing
them into the same educational environment,
in part to permit them to distract each other,
is a welcome social development as well as a
beneficial learning curve.
【正确答案】[范文]
   
Should Boys and Girls Be Taught Separately?

   While single-sex education has long existed in many private schools, it's a relatively new option for public schools. It has triggered a debate among the public whether boys and girls should be taught separately. Some believed that single-sex education avoid sexual distraction and academic competition between the sexes and children can learn without feeling pressurized by the other sex. However, some supported coeducation is better for children's performance and social development. Personally, I think single-sex schools are more effective and desirable.
   Firstly, single-sex education enhances students' success when teachers use techniques geared towards the gender of their students. For instance, boys prefer to study in a competitive way while girls prefer a cooperative way. Secondly, we have good evidence that single-sex classrooms can break down gender stereotypes, particularly when teachers have appropriate vocational skills. Some research and reports from educators suggest that single-sex education can broaden the educational prospects for both girls and boys. Girls in single-sex educational settings are more likely to take classes in math, science and information technology. Boys, on the other hand, can more easily pursue traditionally "feminine" interests such as art, music, drama and foreign languages. Both girls and boys have more freedom to explore their own interests and abilities than in the co-educational schools.
   Though single-sex schools are relatively few in our nation's education system, they are offered as an option.
【答案解析】 本题的主旨是讨论单性别学校好不好，考生在下笔之前应先审题，总结正反方的意见，然后给出个人观点。文章结构可安排如下：
   第一段：简要概括支持单性别学校和反对单性别学校的观点，并表明自己的观点——单性别学校更有效，更令人满意。
   第二段：分两点论证观点。首先，单性别学校可以因材施教；其次，单性别学校能够消除性别成见。
   第三段：重申观点——单性别学校可以作为选择之一。