新视野大学英语 读写教程第四册 unit7-c

　　Genetics and Environmental Factors in Creating Genius
Dr. Howard Gardner of Harvard University believes that geniuses are largely made. He has banned television from his home because he fears it might ruin the minds of his family. He makes time every day to listen to his seven-year-old son play the piano — even if it is no more than a few minutes during a phone call while he is away at a conference.
Dr. Sandra Scarr of Virginia University(弗吉尼亚大学), president of the Society for Research in Child Development(儿童发展研究会主席), believes geniuses are largely born. She says parents should not worry too much about whether to take their kids to a ball game or to a museum. Talent will out.
It seems experts are as divided as ever over the issue of which is more important, environment or genetics. This may, however, be about to change. A conference organized earlier this year brought to London some of the biggest names from both sides of the debate. Amazing results from unpublished work were revealed — and the beginning of agreement could be perceived.
The most exciting results came from those working on the biology of individual differences. Dr. Robert Plomin of Penn State University(宾夕法尼亚州立大学), hopes to announce within the next few months that he has tracked down one of the genes³ that plays a part in determining intelligence. A gene¹ has been identified but the results have yet to be confirmed.
At present, it is believed that genes account for at least half of what researchers call "g" — the general thinking ability that IQ tests are supposed to measure — while environmental influences account for the other half. But so far the only evidence for a genetic² component⁴ has been through statistics, the relationship being inferred mathematically from comparisons of twins and other such studies of close relatives. Plomin's method makes use of new gene mapping techniques and promises to provide direct evidence of the role that genes play.
Plomin stresses that the discovery of a first gene does not mean the puzzle of intelligence has been solved. A single gene will code for only one of the many molecules⁵ and cell proteins that are the building blocks of the brain. This means that hundreds, if not thousands, of genes must be involved in intelligence. The identification of even one gene does, however, have immense implications for the genetics/environment debate.
Another advance, a computer-controlled brain scanning device, has led to a second discovery by those seeking the biological component of mental abilities. Professor Camilla Benbow of Iowa State University(爱荷华州立大学) is head of a long-term study of children who are unusually good at math. For many years she has been puzzled as to why so many of the children in her study should be boys — at the top level, there are more boys than girls by a ratio of thirteen to one. In a soon-to-be-published paper, Benbow reveals that the talented boys' brains appear to process information concerning the location of objects in a very different way from those of average boys and even of talented girls.
The brains of children in the study were scanned while being presented with a simple visual puzzle. The boys of average ability and the gifted girls showed strong activity on both sides of their brains as they thought about the puzzle. However, the gifted boys responded very differently. There was a sudden drop in activity in the left side of the brain — the side most involved in language — and an exaggerated reaction on the right, the side strongest at thinking about the location of objects. It seems that the brains of boys with mathematical talent operate in a way that is physically⁶ unique.
Benbow says she was surprised that the talented girls should lack this pattern of response. The only explanation she has is that male brains have a tendency to become more divided during development, with different functions located on one side of the brain or the other. When this division is taken to an extreme, unusual mathematical abilities result.
Because females do not have this tendency (this brain division is known to be influenced by male sex chemicals), girls who perform well in mathematics are doing so because they are superior in their overall mental development. And because such all-round ability is less common, this would be the reason for there being fewer mathematically talented girls.
Benbow is quick to add, however, that cultural expectations probably exaggerate the difference. In China, where girls are more likely to get encouragement in mathematics, the number of gifted boys exceeds that of gifted girls by four to one, rather than the thirteen to one seen in the United States.
Both Plomin's and Benbow's findings would seem to give support to the argument that outstanding mental abilities are largely the result of genetics. But the conference heard equally strong evidence for the role that environmental factors play in creating genius. A theme repeatedly heard from the speakers was that special children invariably have special parents.
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1 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

2 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

3 genes   

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

4 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

5 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

6 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。