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  3. The contribution genes make intelligence increase as children grow older. This goes against the notion that most people hold tha

The contribution genes make intelligence increase as children grow older. This goes against the notion that most people hold tha

admin2014-02-22  57
问题     The contribution genes make intelligence increase as children grow older. This goes against the notion that most people hold that as we age, environmental influences gradually overpower the genetic legacy we are born with and may have implications for education. "People assume the genetic influence goes down with age because the environmental differences between people pile up in life," says Robert Plomin. "What we found was quite amazing, and goes in the other direction."
    Previous studies have shown variations in intelligence are at least partly due to genetics. To find out whether this genetic contribution varies with age, Plomin’s team pooled data from six separate studies carried out in the US, the UK, Australia and the Netherlands, involving a total of 11, 000 pairs of twins. In these studies, the researchers tested twins on reasoning, logic and arithmetics to measure a quantity called general cognitive ability, or "G". Each study also included both identical twins, with the same genes, and fraternal twins, sharing about half their genes, making it possible to distinguish the contributions of genes and environment to their G scores.
    Plomin’s team calculated that in childhood, genes account for about 41 percent of the variation in intelligence. In adolescence, this rose to 55 percent; by young adolescence, it was 66 percent. No one knows why the influence from genes should increase with age, but Plomin suggests that as children get older, they become better at exploiting and manipulating their environment to suit their genetic needs, and says "Kids with high G will use their environment to foster their cognitive ability and choose friends who are like-minded." Children with medium to low G may choose less challenging pastimes and activities, further emphasizing their genetic legacy.
    Is there any way to interfere with the pattern? Perhaps. "The evidence of strong heritability doesn’t mean at all that there is nothing you can do about it," says Susanne Jaeggi, "From our own work, the ones that started off with lower IQ scores had higher gains after training."
    Plomin suggests that genetic differences may be more emphasized if all children share an identical curriculum instead of it being tailored to children’s natural abilities. "My inclination would be to give everyone a good education, but put more effort into the lower end," he says. Intelligence researchers Paul Thompson agrees: "It shows that educators need to steer kids towards things drawing out their natural talents."
The study by Plomin’s team aims to find out______.
选项 A、whether variations in intelligence are caused by genetic differences
B、how to overpower genetic factors with new educational approaches
C、whether genetic contribution to one’s intelligence varies with age
D、the relationship between environment and genes
答案C
解析 细节题。根据第二段第二句话中的“To find out whether this genetic contribution varies with age．Plomin’s team pooled data from six separate studies…”可知，Plomin团队的目的是找出基因贡献是否随着年龄增长而变化。因此正确答案是C选项。
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