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 of following that tradition, a US study says.
Boys at single-sex schools are said to be more likely to get involved in cultural and artistic activities that help develop their emotional expressiveness, rather than feeling they have to follow the “boy code” of hiding their emotions to be a “real man”.
The findings of the study are so against received wisdom that boys do better when taught alongside girls.
Tony Little, headmaster of Eton, warns that boys are being faded by the British education system because it has become too focused on girls. He criticizes teachers for failing to recognize that boys are actually more emotional than girls.
The research argues that boys often perform badly in mixed schools because they become discouraged when their female schoolmates 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, writes the study’s author, Abigail James, from the University of Virginia.
Teachers can encourage boys to enjoy reading and writing with “boy-focused” approaches such as themes and characters that appeal to them. Because boys generally have sharper vision to learn best through touch, and are physically more active, they need to be given “hands-on” lessons where they are allowed to walk around. “Boys in mixed schools view classical music as feminine (女性的) and prefer what centers on violence and sexism, ” James writes.
Single-sex education also makes it less likely that boys would feel they have to follow the tradition that men should be “masterful and in charge” in relationships. “In mixed schools boys find themselves pushed to act like men before they understand themselves well enough to know what that means,” the study reports.
The author believes that a single-sex school will _________.

A．force boys to hide their emotions to be “real men”

B．help to develop masculine aggressiveness in boys

C．encourage boys to express their emotions more freely

D．naturally make boys accept the traditional image of a man

It is commonly believed that in a mixed school boys _________.

A．perform relatively better

B．grow up more healthily

C．behave more responsibly

D．receive a better education

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.

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 absent-minded

C．boys can choose to learn whatever they are interested in

D．teaching can be designed to promote boys’ team spirit

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