Question

    Are you smarter than your parents and grandparents? According to James Flynn, a professor at a New Zealand university, you are! Over the course of the last century, people’s IQ test scores have gotten steadily higher --- on average, three points higher each decade. This improvement is known as the “Flynn effect”, and scientists want to know what is behind it.

IQ tests are designed to measure general intelligence rather than knowledge. Flynn believes that intelligence partly comes from our parents and partly is the result of our environment, but the improvement in test scores has been happening too quickly to be explained by heredity. So what has occurred in the 20th century to help people achieve higher scores?

Scientists have proposed several explanations for the Flynn effect. Some suggest that the improved test scores simply reflect an increased exposure to tests in general and the learning of test-taking techniques that help us perform better on any test. Others have pointed to better nutrition. Babies now are born larger, healthier, and with more brain development than in the past. Another suggested explanation is a change in educational styles, with teachers encouraging children to learn by discovering things for themselves rather than just memorizing information, which improves their problem-solving skills.

Flynn has limited the possible explanations after carefully examining test data and discovering that the improvement in scores has taken place in only certain parts of the IQ test. Test-takers are not doing better on the maths or vocabulary sections of the test; they are doing better on the sections requiring reasoning and problem solving. For example, one part of the test shows a set of shapes, and test-takers must find the patterns and connections between them.

According to Flynn, this visual intelligence improves as the amount of technology in our lives increases. Every time you play a computer game, you are exercising exactly the kind of thinking and problem solving that helps you do well on one kind of intelligence test. So are you really smarter than your parents? In one very specific way, you may be.

1.What is the function of the third paragraph?

A.To list the findings of Professor Flynn’s research.

B.To provide possible explanations that disprove Flynn’s ideas.

C.To outline different theories explaining the increase in IQ scores.

D.To describe how research was carried out in the measuring of intelligence.

2.According to the passage, newer educational techniques include _________.

A.exposing children to fewer tests

B.giving children clearer teaching instructions

C.getting children to memorize lots of information

D.encouraging children to find out things themselves

3.The writer believes that computer games _________.

A.have discouraged people from taking exercise

B.have made young people become less intelligent

C.have helped improve people’s visual intelligence

D.have caused young people to have poorer vocabularies

4.Which statement would Professor Flynn agree with?

A.People today are taking easier tests.

B.People today have fewer problems to solve.

C.Not all aspects of intelligence have increased.

D.The language ability of people has improved.

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.C

4.C

【解析】

本文是议论文。文章提出“Flynn effect(弗林效应)”的观点——在过去的一个世纪里，人们的智商测试分数稳步提高——平均每十年提高3个百分点。科学家们对“弗林效应”做出了不同的解释。Flynn认为测试分数只是在部分智商测试中有所提高。

1.

推理判断题。第三段第一句提到“Scientists have proposed several explanations for the Flynn effect.” 科学家对“Flynn effect（弗林效应）”提出了几种解释。下文说明三种不同的解释“Some suggest that the improved test scores simply reflect an increased exposure to tests…. Others have pointed to better nutrition…. Another suggested explanation is a change in educational styles。”一些人认为是更多地接触考试导致考试成绩的提高，有人指出是更好的营养导致智力提高，另一个解释是教育方式的改变。因此可以推断，该段的作用是概述关于智商测试分数增加的不同理论。故选C项。

2.

细节理解题。根据第三段中“…a change in educational styles, with teachers encouraging children to learn by discovering things for themselves rather than just memorizing information, which improves their problem-solving skills. (…教育方式的改变，老师鼓励孩子们通过自己去发现 而不是仅仅记忆信息来学习，这提高了他们解决问题的能力)”可知，新的教育方式和技巧包括鼓励孩子自己去发现。故选D项。

3.

细节理解题。 第五段中提到Flynn 的观点“this visual intelligence improves as the amount of technology in our lives increases（这种视觉智力随着我们生活中科技含量的增加而提高。）”；下文对这个观点做出进一步解释“Every time you play a computer game, you are exercising exactly the kind of thinking and problem solving that helps you do well on one kind of intelligence test. ”，作者认为在玩电脑游戏的时候，你可以锻炼一种思考和解决问题的能力，而这种能力有助于你在视觉方面的智力测试中取得好成绩。由此可知，作者认为玩电脑游戏有助于提高人们的视觉智力。故选C项。

4.

推理判断题。根据第四段中“Flynn has limited the possible explanations …discovering that the improvement in scores has taken place in only certain parts of the IQ test.”可以推断，在仔细检查测试数据后，Flynn发现只是在某些部分的智商测试中分数提高。因此可以推断，Flynn认为并不是智力的所有方面都提高了。故选C项。