就算不是禁忌，无论在学校还是家里，它也一直是个敏感话题。但一套课本正在试图改变此种状况。
Cherish Life (《珍爱生命》), a series of primary school textbooks designed for students between first and sixth grade to teach them
《珍爱生命》是一套为一至六年级的小学生设计的性教育课本。这套书也引发了什么样的性教育内容才适合教给孩子的激烈讨论。
One mother in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, was angry after she found her son, a second-year primary school pupil, was reading one of the textbooks. She thought the content of the book was improper as it contains illustrations (插图) of sexual organs and introductions to sensitive topics such as sexual harassment (骚扰).
浙江省杭州市的一位母亲发现她小学二年级的儿子在读这本课本后勃然大怒。她认为这本书包含了性器官的插图以及关于性骚扰等敏感话题的介绍，内容尺度太大。
The textbooks are now in use in 18 elementary schools in Beijing and are being sold in bookshops.
这套课本目前被北京市的18所小学采用，并在书店上架销售。
“Is it right for a textbook to be compiled (编写) like this? I blushed (脸红) when reading it,” she said in a Sina Weibo post. A number of parents also agreed that the content went too far.
“这书这样编辑真的好吗？我看的时候脸都红了，”她在一条微博中写道。许多家长也认为这样的内容太过了。
In response to public concern over the books, publisher Beijing Normal University defended the books. “The textbooks went through nine years of testing. They are strictly designed, tested, revised (修改) and checked. We have consulted (咨询) with parents, students and teachers throughout the process,” the university explained in a statement.
该书的出版方北京师范大学就公众对于这套书的关注做出了回应，并为其辩解。“这套课本经历了九年的教学试验，经过了严谨的设计、试验、修订以及审查。在这一过程中，我们对家长、学生以及老师都进行了咨询，”该大学在一份声明中解释道。
“The need for sex education, as well as child sexual development, is hugely neglected (忽视) [in China] as there is a lack of sex education both at home and in school.”
“在家庭性教育缺失，学校性教育缺位的情况下，儿童性发展的需求、性教育的需求被大大忽视了。”
According to a survey by the China Family Planning Association last year, 44 percent of Chinese university students say they hadn’t gone through sex education before.
据中国计划生育协会去年发布的一项调查显示，44的中国大学生表示他们此前没有接受过性教育。
But some people have expressed support for the books. A teacher surnamed (姓) Yu at the Xingzhi Elementary School in Beijing, who uses the textbook for her classes of 12 to 13-year-olds, told CNN they had been “well received”.
但还是有一些人对这套书表示了支持。北京市行知小学一名姓于（音译）的老师在她的课堂上使用了这一课本，学生们大多在12-13岁之间。她在接受CNN采访时表示，学生们都“很好地接受了（这些知识）”。
“I think the textbooks play a positive role in guiding children towards having a healthy attitude to sex,” she said.
“我认为，这套课本在引导孩子们形成健康的性观念方面，有着积极的作用。”
And Li Yinhe, one of China’s best-known sociologists (社会学家) and sex educators, said the books were “very proper”.
而我国著名社会学家、性教育家李银河则表示，这套书“相当妥当”。
She pointed to government guidelines calling for greater sex education, but said more needs to be done.
她指出，政府的一系列指导纲要虽然呼吁要加强性教育，但需要做的还有很多。
“We are lacking in trained teachers, dedicated (投入的) class hours, and systematic textbooks,” she said. “This collection makes up for the textbook part.”
“我们缺乏专业的师资、投入的课时以及系统的教材，”她说道。“而这套丛书填补了性教育课本的空缺。”
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