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Boys' schools are the perfect place to teach young men to express their emotions and involve them in activities such as art, dance and music.

Far from the traditional image of a culture of aggressive masculinity (阳刚), the absence of girls gives boys the chance to develop without pressure to conform to a stereotype, a US study says.

Boys at single-sex schools were said to be more likely to get involved in cultural and artistic activities that helped develop their emotional expressiveness, rather than feeling they had to conform to the “boy code” of hiding their emotions to be a “real man”．

The findings of the study go against received wisdom that boys do better when taught alongside girls.

Tony Little, headmaster of the British boys-only school, Eton, warned that boys were being failed by the British education system because it had become too focused on girls.He criticized teachers for failing to recognize that boys are actually more emotional than girls.

The research argued that boys often perform badly in mixed schools because they become discouraged when their female peers do better earlier in speaking and reading skills.

But in single-sex schools teachers can tailor lessons to boys' learning style, letting them move around the classroom and getting them to compete in teams to prevent boredom, wrote the study's author, Abigail James, of the University of Virginia.

Teachers could encourage boys to enjoy reading and writing with “boy-focused” approaches such as themes and characters that appeal to them.Because boys generally have more acute vision learn best through touch, and are physically more active, they need to be given “hands-on” lessons where they are allowed to walk around, James found.

Single-sex education also made it less likely that boys would feel they had to conform to a stereotype that men should be “masterful and in charge” in relationships.“In mixed schools boys feel compelled to act like men before they understand themselves well enough to know what that means，” the study reported.

解题导语：美国一项研究表明，比起在混合学校，男孩子在男子学校学习会得到更好的发展。

1．The author believes that a single-sex school ________. A．forces boys to hide their emotions to be “real men” B．helps to cultivate masculine aggressiveness in boys C．encourages boys to express their emotions more freely D．naturally reinforces in boys the traditional image of a man

解析：细节理解题。根据第一段“Boys' schools are the perfect place to teach young men to express their emotions”可知选C。

答案：C

2．It is commonly believed that in a mixed school boys ______． A．perform relatively better B．behave more responsibly C．grow up more healthily D．receive a better education

解析：细节理解题。根据第四段“received wisdom that boys do better when taught alongside girls”可知选A。

答案：A

3．What does Tony Little say about the British education system? A．It fails more boys than girls academically. B．It focuses more on mixed school education. C．It fails to give boys the attention they need. D．It places more pressure on boys than on girls.

解析：细节理解题。根据第五段“because it had become too focused on girls”可知男孩子没有得到适当的关注，故选C。

答案：C

4．According to Abigail James, one of the advantages of single-sex schools is ________．

A．teaching can be tailored to suit the characteristics of boys

B．boys can focus on their lessons without being distracted C．boys can choose to learn whatever they are interested in D．teaching can be designed to promote boys' team spirit 解析：细节理解题。根据第七段“But in single-sex schools teachers can tailor lessons to boys' learning style”可知教学可以量身定做，以适合男孩的特点，故选A。

答案：A

5．Which of the following is characteristic of boys according to Abigail James' report?

A．They enjoy being in charge. B．They have sharper vision. C．They conform to stereotypes. D．They are violent and sexist.

解析：细节理解题。根据倒数第二段“Because boys generally have more acute vision learn best through touch”可知选B。

答案：B

书面表达

根据下列提示写一篇短文和美国笔友交流。 1．简述以下现象。 (1)健康之重要人尽皆知。

(2)许多青少年不注重健康问题，假期尤甚。长时间看电视，通宵上网聊天，玩游戏等。