英语听力文摘 English Digest 42、聊聊性教育吧

　　This past November, a survey showed that over 65 percent of 3,614 children and young adults queried¹ said they had seen or read materials with sexual content, including pornographic films, Web sites, comics and computer games.
After these results were made public, Kao Sung-ching, president of the Taiwan Association for Sexuality Education, stressed the need for improved sex education in Taiwan.
"The majority of students questioned said they were simply curious about sex and that's why they viewed the pornographic materials. That's why better sex education is required," said Kao.
Now the Ministry² of Education (MOE) has set up a new sex education program for elementary school students. But instead of praising the forward-thinking new policy, members of various parent and cultural associations denounced the "explicit³ content" of these new schoolbooks.
At the heart of the dispute are two cartoon illustrations that show how parents make love and have children.
"It doesn't fit in our country," said Pan Li-hua, vice⁴ president of the Millennium⁵ Cultural and Educational Foundation.
But the overwhelming consensus⁶ among sex educators is that school curriculums must be open and honest. As one teacher noted⁷, "Sex education is a lot more than just teaching about the reproductive organs."
In today's era of AIDS, molestation⁸, and a culture that sexualizes children at ever-younger ages, the choice appears to be clear: Give kids the tools they need to survive, or deal with possibly tragic⁹ results.

1 queried   

v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问

参考例句：

• She queried what he said. 她对他说的话表示怀疑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"What does he have to do?\" queried Chin dubiously. “他有什么心事？”琴向觉民问道，她的脸上现出疑惑不解的神情。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

2 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

3 explicit   

adj.详述的，明确的；坦率的；显然的

参考例句：

• She was quite explicit about why she left.她对自己离去的原因直言不讳。
• He avoids the explicit answer to us.他避免给我们明确的回答。

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

6 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 molestation   

n.骚扰，干扰，调戏；折磨

参考例句：

• Michael Jackson is arrested by police on charges of child molestation. 2003年的今天，迈克尔·杰克逊因被警方指控有儿童性骚扰行为而被捕。 来自互联网
• Jackson pleads not guilty on the molestation charges. 2004年：杰克逊认罪不认罪的性骚扰指控。 来自互联网

9 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。