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M: Good morning, everybody. Studies have shown that children from poor families have more difficulty in school than other boys and girls. Children with higher socioeconomic roots seem better prepared and perform better on school tests. Is this true? Today, we invite researcher Barbara Wolfe to share her views on this issue. She is a professor of economics, population health and public affairs at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
    W: Thank you, host.
    M: I have heard that American researchers may have found a biological reason for the difference of performance. What is it then?
    W: Yes. They found differences in the brains of students who had low standardized test scores. Their brains had less gray matter and their temporal lobes developed more slowly than other children. The findings were reported in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
    M: What are temporal lobes and gray matter then?
    W: Temporal lobes and gray matter are very important brain areas. The brain areas are critical in the sense that they keep developing until individuals are well into their adolescence or early 20s, and critical in the sense that they are important for executive function.
    M: What is the scope of this research?
    W: Researchers studied brain images of nearly 400 children and young adults. The youngest subjects were four years old. The oldest were 22. Researchers looked for a connection between the person’s socioeconomic status and his or her test results.
    M: What are their findings?
    W: On average, young people from poor families had test scores between three and four points below what is expected for their age group. The poorest students scored between eight and ten  points below the developmental norm.
    M: What can explain this?
    W: There are several reasons why poorer students often have lower scores. One reason could be poor children do not get the food they need for healthy development. Poor parents are less likely to stimulate their children’s brains through talk, play, and activities.
    M: So we should blame the stress that parents face in trying to deal with poverty, putting food on the table.
    W: You can say that again. The researchers say that up to 20 percent of the achievement gap, or difference in test performance could be tied to poverty.
    M: What is your suggestion to solve this problem then?
    W: Early action may improve the brain development of children living in poverty. Reaching out to children when they are very young could help raise their test scores and academic performance when they are older. When the source of the deficit is known, these areas of the brain can be developed.  It means that policies that overcome this deficit can be developed.
    M: I read a study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2016, "The Lifelong Effects of Early Childhood Adversity and Toxic Stress. " It shows that early experiences and environmental influences can leave a lasting signature on the genetic predispositions that affect emerging brain architecture and long-term health. The pediatric study links early adversity to later impairments in learning, behavior, and both physical and mental well-being. Does this study fully support your idea?
    W: Yes. Early childhood stress affects the developing architecture of the brain in ways that create a weak foundation for later learning, behavior and health. So we must do something before it is too late.
    M: Thank you for sharing your information with us.
    6. What is this interview mainly about?
    7. What have American researchers found about poor students?
    8. What can be associated with the difference in children’s test performance?
    9. What is the woman’s suggestion to solve the problem of children’s achievement gap?
    10. What affects the developing architecture of the brain?