哪国孩子最聪明？中国上海登榜首

 　　There's no simple answer to what constitutes 'smart'. These days, we're inclined to think you can't go by intelligence quotient (IQ) results alone, because while these tests are great for measuring separate mental faculties¹, an IQ number doesn't seem to predict overall intelligence accurately² enough.

　　“聪明”的组成要素是什么？该问题没有简单的答案。如今，我们倾向于认为不能单一靠智商测试结果来判断，因为这些测验只适用于测试独立的心智能力，IQ值目测无法精确地预测整体智力。

　　Then there is also a measurement called general intelligence or 'g factor'. It was first described by English psychologist Charles Spearman in 1904, and refers to the phenomenon that children who tend to do well at one subject also tend to excel at others; in simple terms, there is a positive correlation³ between kids' performance in unrelated school tests, which is referred to as a 'positive manifold'.

　　有种测量方法叫作“一般智力（general intelligence）”或称“g因素”。其最先由英国心理学家查尔斯·斯皮尔曼在1904年提出——指的是在一个学科上表现很好的儿童在其它科目上也可以超过其他人；简而言之，在无关联的各种学校测验中，孩子们在这些测试中的表现是相互联系的，被看成是一种“正极相关”（positive manifold'）。

　　Another commonly cited and prestigious⁴ comparison system is PISA, which measures "the competencies of 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics, and science (with a focus on mathematics) in 65 countries and economies", representing more than 80 percent of the world economy.

　　另一个常被人提到、富有盛名的比较系统是PISA（国际学生能力评估计划），PISA测试“65个国家和经济体中15岁青少年在阅读、数学和科学（以数学为中心）方面的能力”，受全球80%以上经济体的认可。

　　According to the latest PISA from 2012, Shanghai-China students are the highest performers across the board, with above OECD-average scores in mathematics, reading, and science. You'll also find super-smart kids in Singapore, Hong Kong-China, Japan, Korea, and Finland.

　　根据2012年国际学生能力评估计划（PISA）最新数据显示，中国上海的学生成绩全球最高，在数学、阅读和科学方面得分超过经济合作发展组织（OECD）的平均水平。新加坡、中国香港、日本、朝鲜和芬兰也有超级聪明的孩子。

1 faculties   

n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院

参考例句：

• Although he's ninety, his mental faculties remain unimpaired. 他虽年届九旬，但头脑仍然清晰。
• All your faculties have come into play in your work. 在你的工作中，你的全部才能已起到了作用。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 accurately   

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 correlation   

n.相互关系，相关，关连

参考例句：

• The second group of measurements had a high correlation with the first.第二组测量数据与第一组高度相关。
• A high correlation exists in America between education and economic position.教育和经济地位在美国有极密切的关系。

4 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。