Does your older brother think he's cleverer than you ? Well, he's probably right. According to a new research published in the journal Intelligence, the oldest children in families are likely to have the highest IQs and the youngest the lowest. A number of studies have suggested that IQ scores decline with birth order. In the most recent study, at Vrije University, Amsterdam, researchers looked at men and women whose IQ had been tested at the ages of 5,12 ,and 18. The results , which show a trend for the oldest to score better than the youngest in each test, involved about 200,000 people. That showed that first-borns had a three-point IQ advantage over the second-born, who was a point ahead of the next in line. The order of birth can also affect personality, achievement, and career, with first-borns being more academically successful and more likely to win Nobel prizes. However, eldest children are less likely to be radical and pioneering. Charles Darwin, for example, was the fifth child of six. Exactly why there should be such differences is not clear, and there are a number of theories on environmental influences on the child. The so-called dilution  theory suggests that as family resources, both emotional and physical, as well as economic, are limited, it follows that, as a result , as more children come along, the levels of parental attention and encouragement will drop. Another theory is that the intellectual environment in the family favors the first-born who has, at least for some time, the benefit of individual care and help. The theory which enjoys the most support is that the extra time and patience that the earlier-borns get from their parents, compared with those arriving later, gives them an advantage. By using Charles Darwin as an example, the author wants to prove that  _  . A) eldest children are the smartest in a family B) youngest children will usually become experts C) first-borns are more likely to win Nobel prizes D) eldest children are less likely to try something new
D

Today, traditional opinions about men still exist. A man has to be strong, brave, sports loving and manly. Anything less would not be considered manly. Sports such as football, basketball and boxing all tend   to be men's sports. However, the dance of ballet is considered _ because it requires nice movements. This tradition is shown in the movie, Billy Elliot. Billy Elliot is a movie that protests against this traditional view of men. Billy Elliot is an eleven-year-old boy that has a natural talent for ballet dancing, but his father will not allow it. Billy's father wants him to take up boxing and become stronger, but Billy goes against his father's wishes and takes up ballet dancing. This difference of opinion makes Billy sad. What's more, his friends also laugh at him. After saving enough money, his father sends Billy to a weekly boxing course; however, Billy doesn't enjoy boxing because he always loses in matches and is often hurt. His ballet teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson thinks that men or women should not be judged by the activities they like to do, so she tells Billy's father that although he wants his son to make a good living, he should let his son do what he loves to do because he has a talent for it. When his father finally realizes the truth, Billy is surprised. In the end, with the help of his father, brother and all the people around him, Billy goes to the Royal Ballet Academy in London and becomes a very successful ballet dancer. From Billy's story, we can see that   _  . A) children should accept their parents' opinions B) we should try to fight against traditional opinions C) men and women play different sports D) parents should let their children do what they are interested in
D

If your child does well on a test,of course,you're going to praise or her-but if you focus too often on achievements, children may not get the right message.Why? An experiment by psychologist Carol Dweck at Columbia University in New York shows what happens when kids are praised for their efforts,and what happens when they're praised for their intelligence. Dweck got a group of ten--yearolds to do a series of puzzles easy enough so that all could do them well.Then they were told either,"You must be smart at this,"or,"You must have worked really hard." In the following tests,the kids praised for their efforts chose to do a harder set of puzzles.when give a task two years beyond their grade levels ,they worked hard and enjoyed the challenge , even when they didn't succeed. And in a final test at the same level as the first ,their scores improved by 25 percent. And the "smart" kids? They refused to try the harder puzzles, choosing the one that guaranteed them good scores. When they did work in the "too hard" tests , they became discouraged and upset. And when retested with the original puzzles, their scores declined by 20 percent. Dweck's conclusion:"When we praise kids for their intelligence,we tell them:  'Look smart,don't risk making mistakes.'"By contrast,"emphasizing effort gives children an inspiring factor that they can control." The passage is written mainly for A) children B) parents and teachers C) professors D) parents and children
B

As a first -year teacher at a Christian school ,I was expecting my fifth grade students to be prefect , perfect in behavior , in attitude , and I even expected the home-life of each student to be nearly perfect . I found , of course , that these students were not different from the children I taught in public school .These kids had behavior problems , bad attitudes ,and some even had strikingly difficult family lives . One of my students in particular stands out in my mind .I'll call him Timothy for safety's sake. During the first day of class , I noticed that Timothy was different .Not only in physical appearance , but he also spoke strangely , as though a 35-year-old man were trapped inside his tiny , weak body .On many occasions , I heard Timothy speak of hate, how he hated his family . I observed Timohy for several months and read up on his background and searched for any clue that would lead me closer to understanding this child's strange behavior .Finally I was directed to Timothy's older brother's cheating in an exam and had taken his anger out on Timothy at home .Timothy's parents , in turn , had contacted the school, blaming them for Timothy's problems. I had written a letter to the administration asking that Timothy see a counselor . The school was in the process of contacting a counselor when Timothy was transferred to another school. His father hurried around my room collecting Timothy's things and left. That is the last we have seen or heard from Timothy. I was left with an empty desk and a broken heart. I cried for days afterwards. I felt as though I had done Timothy a _ ...I did not help him when he needed me. I still think about Timothy every day, and pray for him every morning. What was Timothy like during the first day of class? A) He looked old in appearance but lively in spirit. B) He looked common but talked strangely. C) He spoke strangely and looked weak in body. D) He acted as if he were as experienced as a 35-year-old man.

C