For centuries, boys were top of the class, but these days, that’s no longer the case.
几世纪以来，男孩们一直是班里的尖子生。但近来，这一现象有所改变。
A new study by the OECD a club of mostly rich countries
经济合作与发展组织是一个主要由富裕国家组成的组织，它做了一项调查，
examined how fifteen-year-old boys and girls performed at the reading, mathematics and science.
研究15岁的男生和女生在阅读、数学和科学课上的表现。
Boys still scored somewhat better at math and in science the genders are roughly equal
男孩们的数学成绩略高于女生，但在科学课上，他们的表现相差无几。
but when it comes to the students who really struggle the difference is stark.
但如果研究对象是很勤奋的学生，那差距就会很明显。
Boys are 50% more likely than girls to fall short of basic standards in all three areas.
在所有三个领域，未达到该领域基本标准的学生中，男孩的数量比女孩多50%。
Why do girls perform better at school than boys?
为什么女孩在学校的表现优于男生呢？
First girls read more than boys. Reading proficiency is the basis upon which all other learning is built.
第一，女孩们的阅读量多于男孩。阅读是其他学科的基础。
When boys don’t do well at reading their performance in other school subjects suffers too.
如果男孩的阅读能力不够好，也势必会影响他在其他学科的发挥。
Second girls dedicate more times to homework.
第二，女孩在家庭作业上花费的时间更多。
On average, girls spend five and a half hours per week doing homework while boys spend a little less than four and a half hours.
平均每个女孩每周花费5.5个小时完成作业，而男孩只花费不到4.5个小时。
Researchers suggest that doing a homework set by teachers is linked to better performance in math, reading and science.
研究人员表示，认真完成老师布置的作业有助于学生在数学、阅读和科学课上得到更好的成绩。
Boys it appears spend more of their time in the virtual world.
男孩们花费更多的时间在虚拟世界中。
They are 17% more likely than girls to play collaborative online games every day. They also use the Internet more.
在喜欢玩协作类网络游戏的学生群体中，男孩的数量比女孩多17%。男孩们也更喜欢上网。
Third peer pressure plays a role.
第三，同伴压力也是一个重要的因素
A lot of boys decided early on that they are just too cool for school, which means they are more likely to be rowdy in class.
很多男孩刚入学时会自认为他们很酷，不需要上学，因此他们总是在课堂上吵吵嚷嚷。
Teachers mark them down for this. In anonymous tests boys performed better.
而老师会凭印象给他们打低分。在匿名考试中，男孩子的表现通常更优秀。
In fact, the gender gap in reading drops by 1/3 when teachers don’t know the gender of the pupil they are marking.
事实上，如果老师在改卷过程中不被告知学生的性别，男女孩阅读课的成绩差距可能会缩小1/3。
So what can be done to close this gap? Getting boys to do more homework and cut down on screen time would help.
因此，我们该怎样缩小这个差距呢？鼓励男生们少看电视多读书也许是个方案。
But most of all, abandoning gender stereotypes would benefit all students.
但更重要的，是教师们摒弃对学生性别的偏见。而这种做法无疑会使各方都受益。
Boys and countries with the best schools read much better than girls and girls in Shanghai excel in mathematics.
拥有顶尖教育资源的学校和男孩们，他们的阅读成绩可能远高于女孩。而上海女孩们的数学成绩，则要好过男孩。
They outperform boys from anywhere else in the world.
事实上，她们在各方面的表现都优于男生。
