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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 can we infer from Brosnan’s research?
选项 A、They just measured the length of the second and fourth fingers.
B、In girls, the lower the ratio, the better their math scores.
C、There was no relation between finger ratio and numeracy.
D、With the boys, there was a connection between finger ratio and numeracy.
答案D
解析 推理判断题。由定位段可知，心理学家Mark Brosnan和他的同事比较了6岁到7岁儿童的食指和无名指的测量结果和他们在数学和识字英国标准测试中的得分。研究发现，在男孩中，该比例越低，他们的数学成绩就越好，那些比率最低的男孩们的能力更倾向于数学而不是识字。由此可知，男孩的手指比例和计算能力之间存在联系，故本题答案为D)。
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