1. Unit 6 Towards a Gender Free Society

2. Pre-reading questions 1. Are there any boy schools or girl schools in your city? 2. If the school only has boys or girls educated separately, what do we call it?

3. Debate—Group Work (8 minutes)  What are the pros and cons of single sex education?  Which works better? Single sex education or co-education?

4. About the text  A piece of argumentation  single sex schools vs. coeducation  To argue that coeducation is the most desirable / (the best) form of education because the single sex school does not realize the aim / goal of education.

5. Structure of the text  The text can be divided into 3 parts.  Part1--Para.1-2  Part 2—Para. 3-4  Part 3—Para.5

6. Structural analysis of the text  Part I: The writer states the existing gender stereotypes before he rejects the social sex norms on the ground that they are invented and imposed on man, but rest their logic nowhere. Clearly, he negates the artificially created gender norms by means of logical reasoning.

7. Question  What are the existing gender stereotypes mentioned in the first paragraph?

8. Language points  sharply  masculine  feminine  unwavering  considerable  stereotype  portray  conform to  predetermine

9.  permanent  attribute  distinction  denote  impose  rest on  grounds

10. Part 2—Para. 3-4  What is the aim of education?  Stimulate impulses  Encourage free thinking and boldness in thought  Keep alive various interests  What are disadvantages / defects/ weaknesses of single sex schools according to the author?

11.  Uniform  prescribe  Anything but  Nothing but  Accessible  segment

12. The education in single-sex schools may lead to the fragmentation of knowledge and unwholeness of individual identity.  lead to  Fragmentation  identity

13.  polarization : pole  polar  polar bear  polarization between the rich and the poor  sever  In a sense

14. Girls persuade themselves that they have no head for mechanical things. Boys are determined that they can never understand “sentimentality.” have no head for sth. head: mental abilities

15. Para. 4  What is the topic sentence of this paragraph?  What are the benefits / advantages of coeducation?

16.  desirable  integrated  spectrum  flower into full blossom

17. Para. 5  What does the author suggest a gender free society might be like?

18. Coeducation has survived as the best way to educate young people. As society moves ahead, the gender category becomes blurred.  moves ahead/on  blur