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新编大学英语阅读部分第二册Unit6-2

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Unit 6
Nature and Nurture1

After-Class Reading

PASSAGE I Science Looks Twice at Twins

Proper Names

Chevrolet
雪佛兰(轿车品牌)

Cleveland
克利夫兰(美国俄亥俄州东北部港市)

Jim
(男子名)吉姆

Nancy Segal
(女子名)南希.西格尔

Thomas J. Bouchard Jr.
(男子名)小托马斯.J.布查德

Twinsburg
双胞胎城(位于美国俄亥俄州东北部)

University of Minnesota
明尼苏达大学(位于美国明尼苏达州)


New Words

accurately2 *
adv. exactly 精确地,准确地
e.g. In this way he could tell accurately whether he was progressing fast enough.

chew *
v. 嚼,咬
e.g. She sat chewing on the end of a pencil, waiting for inspiration.

coincidence *
n. 巧合

combine *
v. join together 使结合
e.g. None of us has much money so let's combine what we've got.

contest *
n. competition 比赛,竞赛
e.g. He won a gold medal in an international contest.

controversial *
adj. causing disagreement or discussion 引起争议的
e.g. James Joyce's Ulysses (《尤利西斯》) was a controversial book.

data *
n. facts, information 资料,数据
e.g. The data is/are still being analysed.

dedicated3 *
adj. giving time, effort and loyalty4 to an aim, a job, etc.; committed 忠诚的,热忱的,一心一意的

dentist *
n. 牙科医生

excel
v. be extremely good at 擅长

exert *
v. use (strength, skill, etc.) to gain a desired result 发挥,施加
e.g. My wife's been exerting a lot of pressure on me to change my job.

festival *
n. 节日, (定期在某地举行的) 音乐节、戏剧节等
e.g. I ) the Spring Festival 春节
II ) the Cannes Film Festival 戛纳电影节

fingernail *
n. 手指甲

fingerprint5 *
n. 指纹

flame *
n. 火焰
e.g. The flames of the fire were comforting on such a cold day.

glaucoma
n. 青光眼

imagination *
n. 想像力
e.g. You must have imagination to write a good play.

intensive *
adj. involving a lot of activity, effort or careful attention in a short period of time 深入细致的,精深的
e.g. The problem was solved by intensive research.

invade *
v. enter a place in large numbers 大批涌入
e.g. Tourists invade Paris during the summer.

nonconformist
n. 不 (求) 符合惯例、准则或规范的人

notably6 *
adv. 值得注意地,显著地
e.g. notably successful

nurture *
n. education, training, and care, especially of those concerning development 培养,培育

parade *
n. 游行
e.g. May Day parade 五一节游行

persuasive7
adj. having the power to make others believe or do what one wishes 有说服力的

pose *
n. the position in which someone stands, sits, etc. (身体呈现的)样子,姿势
e.g. He sat in a relaxed pose.

posture8 *
n. the general way of holding one's body, especially the back, shoulders and head, when standing9, walking, and sitting 姿势,姿态,体态,举止

reckless *
adj. not thinking of the consequences or of danger 鲁莽的,不顾后果的
e.g. He is very reckless when he is drunk.

reunite *
v. 重新团聚
e.g. The children were reunited with their parents.

undiscovered
adj. 未被发现的

unreported
adj. 没有报道的,未经报道的

woodworking
n. 木工活

Science Looks Twice at Twins

If twins interest you, Twinsburg will fascinate you.
Every summer since 1976, this little town outside Cleveland, Ohio, has been invaded by twins. Last summer 2,356 sets of twins showed up from around the world to watch and take part in parades, fireworks, magic acts, a 5K race[1], and more than 100 contests: contests to honor the oldest twins, the youngest, the most alike, the least alike, the twins with the widest combined smile[2].
Had you been there, you might have noticed a large group of scientists who also attend the festival. Some come seeking clues to the causes of health problems—skin diseases, cancer, and heart attack, for example. Others are interested in how it feels to be a twin. But of all the scientists, perhaps the ones doing the most important-and most controversial-work are those who study nature and nurture, that age-old question of how we come to be the kind of people we are.[3]
Why are some of us good at math, or writing, while others excel at art or basketball? What causes the differences in our intelligence, talents, and tastes? Are they largely determined10 by the genes11 we inherit from our parents (nature)? How much do our experiences in life (nurture)—the social environment we grow up in—have to do with it?
If you were a scientist interested in this question, wouldn't you love to study identical twins? Just think of it: two people who developed from the same fertilized12 egg. That is, two people with the exact same set of genes. Any differences between such identical twins would have to be the result of differences in their environment. But could you also say that any similarities were the result of having the same genes?
Not really. Remember, most twins share a similar environment—same house, food, relatives, and so on. The only way you could accurately measure the effects of nature and nurture would be to study identical twins raised apart, in different environments.
Over the last ten years, a team of scientists led by psychologist Thomas J. Bouchard Jr.[4] has studied about 65 pairs of identical twins who were raised apart. They've also studied about 45 fraternal twins who were raised apart.
The scientists bring each pair of twins to the University of Minnesota for a week of intensive testing. Doctors and dentists on the team give the twins thorough physical examinations. They record the twins' height, weight, eye color, ear shape, and head length.
Meanwhile, psychologists give the twins IQ[5] and personality tests. To measure personality, the psychologists try to determine things like how much the twins worry, whether they are cautious or reckless, and how creative they are. They measure these and other traits by the twins' responses to statements such as "I rarely, if ever, do anything reckless" and "The flames of a wood fire stimulate13 my imagination". By the end of the week, each twin has answered about 15,000 questions.
Bouchard's team has been startled by the similarities between twins raised apart. The twins often have surprisingly similar gestures and postures14, for instance. In pictures, many of the twins strike[6] nearly identical poses. And some of the identical twins discover they have led remarkably15 similar lives.
The first set of identical twins Bouchard studied, the "Jim twins", were adopted by different families four weeks after they were born. They grew up in Ohio, 45 miles away from each other. When they were reunited at the age of 39, they discovered a series of striking similarities. Both were named Jim. Both drove the same model blue Chevrolet, liked woodworking, chewed their fingernails, and owned dogs named Toy. Both started having late-afternoon headaches at the age of 18.
The sort of similarities the Jim twins discovered are common with the twins the Minnesota team has studied. Some critics of the Minnesota study say the coincidences are not surprising. They argue that everyone's life has enough details that a number of coincidences are bound to exist. What's more, for every coincidence discovered by a pair of identical twins raised apart, a skeptic16 could point to a vast number of undiscovered differences. The same two twins might have different model television sets and support different football teams. But the differences would go unreported since they would not surprise anyone.
But beyond the coincidences, the Minnesota scientists have gathered and analyzed17 a mountain of data about the twins' health, intelligence, and personalities18. And according to Bouchard, the data on the identical twins raised apart show clearly that nature—the genes we inherit—exerts a notably strong influence over our lives. The Minnesota team has found that these identical twins are remarkably similar in physical traits such as height, fingerprints19 and heart rates. Adult identical twins also tend to have similar medical histories, developing the eye disease glaucoma at the same time, for example.
The Minnesota team has reported that intelligence also seems to be influenced much more by genes than by environment. Despite being raised by different families, separated identical twins studied by Bouchard's team earned identical or nearly identical scores on adult intelligence tests.
But most surprisingly, the Minnesota team finds that genes play a big part in shaping our personalities—helping to determine whether we respect tradition and like to follow rules, for example, or whether we're dedicated nonconformists. According to Bouchard, the genes you were born with have a lot to do with whether you are confident, cheerful, and optimistic, or whether you have a negative view of the world. "The study shows in a very persuasive way that genes influence every aspect of behavior," says Nancy Segal, a psychologist with the Minnesota team.
Other scientists disagree. How can you study whether intelligence is inherited, they ask, when there are so many different ways just to define intelligence? The same problem applies to other traits, they say.
Bouchard himself makes the point that even the most closely matched twins he has studied are different from each other. So even though genes may have a strong influence over our lives, they're not the only influence. Our day-to-day experiences help to mold us too.
You know what that means: you still have to study for tests!

Phrases and Expressions

a mountain of
a lot of 大量的
e.g. She has a mountain of dirty clothes to wash.

be bound to do something
be certain to do something 一定做某事
e.g. He's bound to fail the exam if he doesn't do any homework.

have nothing to do with...
和......无关
e.g. I had nothing to do with the party. I was home that night.

show up
出现,来到某处
e.g. Did Dick show up at the meeting last night?

what is more
in addition, more important 而且
e.g. He won the race, and what's more, he broke the world record.



PASSAGE II Talkative Parents Make Kids Smarter

Proper Names

Betty Hart
(女子名)贝蒂.哈特

Frances D. Horowitz
(女子名)弗朗西丝.D.霍罗维茨

Kansas City
堪萨斯城(美国堪萨斯州东北部城市)

the American Psychological Association
美国心理学会

the City University of New York
纽约城市大学(位于美国纽约市)

Todd Risley
(男子名)托德.里斯利

University of Alaska
阿拉斯加大学(位于美国阿拉斯加州)

University of Kansas
堪萨斯大学(位于美国堪萨斯州)


New Words

abuse *
n. wrong or bad treatment 虐待
e.g. Children may take a much longer time to recover from the emotional damage that accompanies the physical abuse.

codirector
n. 主任,董事

contend *
v. argue or state that something is true 声称,坚决地认为
e.g. The police contended that the difficulties they faced were too severe.

critical *
adj. 决定性的,关键的
e.g. It was a critical decision in his life.

designate *
v. choose somebody or something for a special purpose 指定,选定
e.g. He designated the place where we were to meet.

disturbingly
adv. 令人不安地

electrician *
n. 电工

element *
n. 要素,基本构成部分
e.g. There was an element of truth in what you said.

ethnic20 *
adj. 民族的;种族的

extensively *
adv. in a way that involves a lot of information and details 广泛地,大量地
e.g. He read history extensively.

guidance *
n. help or advice 指导
e.g. I need some guidance on my studies.

initial *
adj. of or at the beginning 开始的,最初的
e.g. Tom's initial effort at skating was a failure.

markedly
adv. noticeably 显著地
e.g. Her interests are markedly different from my own.

massive *
adj. 巨大的
e.g. We must make massive efforts to improve the condition.

minimal21 *
adj. very small in degree or amount, especially the smallest degree possible 最低限度的,最小的
e.g. a minimal cost

modest *
adj. not large in amount, size, etc. 中等的,过得去的
e.g. There has been a modest improvement in housing conditions for the poor.

plumber22
n. 水管工,铅管工

psychiatric *
adj. 精神病的

socioeconomic
adj. 社会经济的

subsist23
v. stay alive on only small amounts of food or money 维持生活

whoever *
pron.不论是谁
e.g. Whoever comes will be welcome.

yield *
v. supply or produce 产生
e.g. The talks with management failed to yield any results .




Talkative Parents Make Kids Smarter

An exhaustive study of how "typical" parents talk with their children during the first few years of their life has yielded a mountain of valuable data and some initial findings with serious social implications.[1]
There are striking class differences in the nature and extent of parental24 interaction with children between the age of 9 months and 3 years. This results in a considerable intellectual boost for kids in white-collar families, a modest lift for those in blue-collar households, and a disturbingly weak assist for children in welfare families.[2] Young children whose parents talk extensively to them score much higher on later IQ tests than those exposed to minimal amounts of parental talk, assert study codirectors Betty Hart of the University of Kansas and Todd Risley of the University of Alaska.
"The more parents talk with their young children, the more good things happen intellectually to those kids later on,"Risley contends. "But the massive class differences in this parental behavior surprised us and suggest that children in welfare families face problems that cannot be reversed by a few hours of Head Start classes every week."[3]
Hart and Risley presented their findings, based on observations of forty-two families in their homes located in the Kansas City area, at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in Toronto last week.
The study has intensified25 an already intense debate over the relative influence of genes and environment on IQ and intellectual potential, both in individuals and racial groups. The 2.5-year investigation26, followed by 3 years during which researchers analyzed a mountain of written and tape-recorded observations, adds a new dimension to the nurture side of the controversy27.[4]
Families in Hart and Risley's study functioned well and exhibited no serious problems, such as child abuse or psychiatric illness. Thirteen professional families included at least one parent who worked in a white-collar occupation; in twenty-three working-class families, jobs included electrician and plumber; six families subsisted28 mainly on welfare. The families represented a range of racial and ethnic groups; eight were single-parent families. The families ranged in size from a single child to seven children.
Trained observers spent 1 hour every 2 months tape-recording and writing down the nature of all at-home interactions with a designated child in each family beginning at 9 months of age. Observers focused only on that child and whoever talked or interacted with him or her. They never offered advice to parents, even when asked.
The parent or parents in each family displayed a characteristic level of talk with their young children, month after month, Risley asserts. Overall, parents in professional families proved most talkative; they made nearly twice as many statements per hour to their kids as working-class parents did and about four times as many as welfare parents did.
Parents in all the families devoted29 approximately equal effort to controlling children and keeping them out of trouble and danger. But those parents who talked to children the most added critical elements to those interactions, such as reinforcing the child's efforts, responding to questions, providing guidance, and using a diverse vocabulary.
Children exposed to high levels of talk from their parents performed markedly better on a measure of intellectual development at age 3, even with socioeconomic and other influences taken into consideration. Follow-up[5] at age 9 found that those children had maintained their IQ advantage.
Although genes affect intellectual ability, the new data indicate that the ways in which parents talk to their children and communicate expectations about learning also have a very significant influence, holds psychologist Frances D. Horowitz of the City University of New York.
"This remarkable30 report represents a significant step toward a better understanding of normal child development," Horowitz argues.


Phrases and Expressions

devote...to...
give (one's time, energy, etc.) to...为......付出......
e.g. He has devoted his whole life to benefiting mankind.

keep...out of...
cause...to avoid... 使......避开......
e.g. I hope you'll keep him out of trouble while I'm away.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 nurture K5sz3     
n.养育,照顾,教育;滋养,营养品;vt.养育,给与营养物,教养,扶持
参考例句:
  • The tree grows well in his nurture.在他的培育下这棵树长得很好。
  • The two sisters had received very different nurture.这俩个姊妹接受过极不同的教育。
2 accurately oJHyf     
adv.准确地,精确地
参考例句:
  • It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
  • Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。
3 dedicated duHzy2     
adj.一心一意的;献身的;热诚的
参考例句:
  • He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
  • His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。
4 loyalty gA9xu     
n.忠诚,忠心
参考例句:
  • She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
  • His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。
5 fingerprint 4kXxX     
n.指纹;vt.取...的指纹
参考例句:
  • The fingerprint expert was asked to testify at the trial.指纹专家应邀出庭作证。
  • The court heard evidence from a fingerprint expert.法院听取了指纹专家的证词。
6 notably 1HEx9     
adv.值得注意地,显著地,尤其地,特别地
参考例句:
  • Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席,特别是连班长也没来。
  • A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小,一头银发,每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。
7 persuasive 0MZxR     
adj.有说服力的,能说得使人相信的
参考例句:
  • His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。
  • The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。
8 posture q1gzk     
n.姿势,姿态,心态,态度;v.作出某种姿势
参考例句:
  • The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。
  • He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣,摆出一副打架的架势。
9 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
10 determined duszmP     
adj.坚定的;有决心的
参考例句:
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
11 genes 01914f8eac35d7e14afa065217edd8c0     
n.基因( gene的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因,所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪
12 Fertilized 0f66e269f3e72fa001554304e59712da     
v.施肥( fertilize的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The study of psychology has recently been widely cross-fertilized by new discoveries in genetics. 心理学研究最近从遗传学的新发现中受益匪浅。
  • Flowers are often fertilized by bees as they gather nectar. 花常在蜜蜂采蜜时受粉。
13 stimulate wuSwL     
vt.刺激,使兴奋;激励,使…振奋
参考例句:
  • Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
  • Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。
14 postures a8fae933af6af334eef4208a9e43a55f     
姿势( posture的名词复数 ); 看法; 态度; 立场
参考例句:
  • Modern consciousness has this great need to explode its own postures. 现代意识很有这种摧毁本身姿态的需要。
  • They instinctively gathered themselves into more tidy postures. 她们本能地恢复了端庄的姿态。
15 remarkably EkPzTW     
ad.不同寻常地,相当地
参考例句:
  • I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
  • He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。
16 skeptic hxlwn     
n.怀疑者,怀疑论者,无神论者
参考例句:
  • She is a skeptic about the dangers of global warming.她是全球变暖危险的怀疑论者。
  • How am I going to convince this skeptic that she should attention to my research?我将如何使怀疑论者确信她应该关注我的研究呢?
17 analyzed 483f1acae53789fbee273a644fdcda80     
v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 );分解;解释;对…进行心理分析
参考例句:
  • The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程,因为对他来说,爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 personalities ylOzsg     
n. 诽谤,(对某人容貌、性格等所进行的)人身攻击; 人身攻击;人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
  • Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。
19 fingerprints 9b456c81cc868e5bdf3958245615450b     
n.指纹( fingerprint的名词复数 )v.指纹( fingerprint的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Everyone's fingerprints are unique. 每个人的指纹都是独一无二的。
  • They wore gloves so as not to leave any fingerprints behind (them). 他们戴着手套,以免留下指纹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
20 ethnic jiAz3     
adj.人种的,种族的,异教徒的
参考例句:
  • This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏,这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
  • The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。
21 minimal ODjx6     
adj.尽可能少的,最小的
参考例句:
  • They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
  • I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家,所以我的花费很小。
22 plumber f2qzM     
n.(装修水管的)管子工
参考例句:
  • Have you asked the plumber to come and look at the leaking pipe?你叫管道工来检查漏水的管子了吗?
  • The plumber screwed up the tap by means of a spanner.管子工用板手把龙头旋紧。
23 subsist rsYwy     
vi.生存,存在,供养
参考例句:
  • We are unable to subsist without air and water.没有空气和水我们就活不下去。
  • He could subsist on bark and grass roots in the isolated island.在荒岛上他只能靠树皮和草根维持生命。
24 parental FL2xv     
adj.父母的;父的;母的
参考例句:
  • He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
  • Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。
25 intensified 4b3b31dab91d010ec3f02bff8b189d1a     
v.(使)增强, (使)加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
  • The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
26 investigation MRKzq     
n.调查,调查研究
参考例句:
  • In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
  • He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。
27 controversy 6Z9y0     
n.争论,辩论,争吵
参考例句:
  • That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
  • We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。
28 subsisted d36c0632da7a5cceb815e51e7c5d4aa2     
v.(靠很少的钱或食物)维持生活,生存下去( subsist的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Before liberation he subsisted on wild potatoes. 解放前他靠吃野薯度日。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Survivors of the air crash subsisted on wild fruits. 空难事件的幸存者以野果维持生命。 来自辞典例句
29 devoted xu9zka     
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的
参考例句:
  • He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
  • We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
30 remarkable 8Vbx6     
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的
参考例句:
  • She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
  • These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。
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