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  3. Scientists have been interested for years in the observation that ratios of finger lengths differ in men and women. In men, the

Scientists have been interested for years in the observation that ratios of finger lengths differ in men and women. In men, the

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问题     Scientists have been interested for years in the observation that ratios of finger lengths differ in men and women. In men, the ring(fourth)finger is usually longer than the index(second); their so-called 2D : 4D ratio is lower than 1. In females, the two fingers are more likely to be the same length. Because of this sex difference, some scientists believe that a low ratio could be a marker for higher prenatal hormone(激素)levels, although it’s not clear how the hormone might influence finger development. The 2D:4D ratio has also been fingered in connection with brain-related characteristics—most often in males—such as depression, left-handedness, musical ability, and homosexuality.
    In the latest such study, psychologist Mark Brosnan and colleagues at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom photocopied the hands of 74 boys and girls aged 6 and 7. They compared the measurements of the second and fourth fingers with the children’s scores on a standard UK test of math and literacy. In boys, the lower the ratio, the better their math scores, the team reports in the May issue of the British Journal of Psychology. The boys with the lowest ratios also were the ones whose abilities were most skewed in the direction of math rather than literacy. These differences are small but significant, says Brosnan. With the girls, there was no correlation between finger ratio and numeracy, but those with higher ratios—presumably indicating low hormone levels—had better scores on verbal abilities.
    These sex-specific correlations show how tricky it is to define the roles of sex hormones, says psychologist S. Marc Breedlove of Michigan State University in East Lansing. The range of normal levels of the hormone is different in males and females, so comparable levels would have very different meanings depending on the sex of the individual. And the timing of hormone surges is as important as the levels.
    Nonetheless, Brosnan believes finger measurements might be useful for predicting cognitive abilities—although he acknowledges that "we are not suggesting that finger length measurements could replace SAT tests." Others are more cautious, pointing out that scientists still have not confirmed that finger ratio is a reliable marker for prenatal hormone levels.
What’s the main idea of this passage?
选项 A、Finger ratio is critical to people’s future.
B、Finger length measurements may be useful.
C、Finger length is related to children’s scores.
D、Finger ratio may be a reliable maker for prenatal hormone levels.
答案B
解析 主旨大意题。文章主要围绕测量手指长度的实验研究及其结果展开叙述，故本题正确答案为B)。
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