(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
From VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report.
Should girls go to school only with other girls? Is it better for boys to attend all boys schools? Educators at school for girls in Washington D.C. believe children in classes of the same sex do better, but other experts say there is no real evidence to support that idea. They believe there are other more important things that make a school effective.
Excel Academy is the first all-girl school in Washington, D.C. that is independently operated and supported by taxpayers. It was established in 2007 and opened its doors in 2008.
One of its students is Anyreah Clavijo who is 10 years old. Anyreah attended kindergarten in a classroom with boys. She says boys have different interests than girls. She has now been at Excel for the last five years and praises it.
"They would like support me and tell me that I can do it. They make me feel like I'm loved and that I'm the smartest person in the world," Anyreah said.
The Excel Academy provides free education to children from families without much money. It serves more than 600 girls from preschool, the youngest children to grade five. Three meals are served each day.
Kaye Savage established the school and leads it as its chief executive officer. She says that when boys and girls are taught together, the teachers teach for the boys. She says boys are a little louder and much more active than the girls. In her opinion that makes girls second-class citizens in their own classrooms and schools.
But Galen Sherwin at the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU, disagrees. She says the ACLU thinks that the evidence, in her words, is not really there to support claims that same sex classrooms produce better results.
"Similarities between boys and girls are much greater and more relevant than any differences. Certainly any differences that exist are not relevant from an educational standpoint," Sherwin said.
Elaine Weiss is an education expert at the Economic Policy Institute. She believes other considerations besides same sex classes have a bigger effect on children success in school.
Ms. Weiss says everything that happens in children's early development is important. This includes how their mothers * and felt during pregnancy, and she asks did the child attend a pre-kindergarten program to help get ready for school.
"They start for example in pre-school, so they're addressing some of that early gap before kids get to kindergarten. They keep their classes relatively small, so that teachers can have a one-on-one conversation and interaction with students. They have enriching after-school opportunities," Weiss said.
And Anyreah Clavijo is not sure if she will always attend an all-girl program, but she is happy what she is.
And that's the VOA Learning English Education Report. I'm Bob Doughty.
文本来自51voa，译文属可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载
词汇解释
1.standpoint n. 立场；观点
He believes that from a military standpoint, the situation is under control.
他认为从军事角度来看，局势已得到控制。
2.pregnancy n. 怀孕；丰富，多产；意义深长
It would be wiser to cut out all alcohol during pregnancy.
怀孕期间最好完全戒酒。
3.interaction n. 相互作用；[数] 交互作用 n. 互动
The interaction of the two groups produced many good ideas.
两个组的相互交流产生了许多好主意。
内容解析
1.She believes other considerations besides same sex classes have a bigger effect on children success in school.
have effect on 对…产生影响，影响
This budget will have a net expansionary effect on the economy.
本预算对经济的发展最终会有促进作用。
Cities have a powerful magnetizing effect on young people.
城市对青年人有着强大的吸引力。
参考译文
这里是美国之音慢速英语教育报道。
女孩子应该去上女校吗？男孩子上男校更好吗？华盛顿特区女校的教育者认为同性班级的学生学习更好，但也有专家称没有切实证据支持这一观点。他们认为还有其他东西可以让学校效率更高。
卓越学院是华盛顿特区第一家全女子学校，是由纳税人独立运作并支持的，成立于2007年，2008年开始招生。
10岁的Anyreah Clavijo是该校的学生，她上了一所有男生的幼儿园，她说男孩和女孩的兴趣不同，她过去5年都在卓越学院上学，她称赞了这个学校。
“他们会支持我，告诉我能做得好，让我感觉自己被关爱，感到自己是世界上最聪明的。”
卓越学院为来自穷人家的孩子提供免费教育，招收了从幼儿园到5年级的600多名女学生，每天还提供三餐。
凯·萨维奇创立了这所学校，并担任学校的执行总裁。她说当男孩和女孩一起上学时，老师是在教男孩子。她说男孩比女孩更吵闹些，也更活泼。在她看来，这就让女孩子觉得自己在班级和学校里是二等公民。
但美国民权联盟的盖伦·宣威有不同看法，她说美国民权联盟认为，这一证据不足以支持所谓同性班级教学质量更好的说法。
“男孩女孩之间的相似性比任何差异都更大，也更有意义。当然从教育的角度来看，任何差异都不没有意义。”
伊莱恩·魏斯是美国经济政策学院的教育专家，她认为同性班级之外的其他考虑对孩子学业的成功有着更大影响。
魏斯女士说儿童早期发育时经历的一切都很重要，包括母亲在孕期的感受，她会询问孩子上学前幼儿园课程能否为以后上学做好准备。
“比如，从学前教育开始就能解决孩子上幼儿园之前的一些差距，将课堂保持相对小的规模，这样老师可以与学生进行一对一的对话和互动，还能丰富课余的机会。”
Anyreah Clavijo不确定是否会一直上女校，但她很开心现在的状况。
这就是美国之音慢速英语教育报道，我是鲍勃·多迪。
