Are some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experiences? Strangely enough, the answer to both these questions is yes. To some extent our intelligence is given us at birth, and no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings. Thus the limits of a person's intelligence are fixed at birth, but whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This view, now held by most experts, can be supported in a number of ways.

　　It is easy to show that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with. The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be in intelligence. Thus if we take two unrelated people at random(随机地) from the population,it is likely that their degrees of intelligence will be completely different. If on the other hand we take two identical (完全相同的) twins they will very likely be as intelligent as each other. Relations like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth.

　　Imagine now that we take two identical twins and put them in different environments. We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring. We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this indicates that environment as well as birth playsa part. This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all, are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence.

Which of these sentences best describes the writer’s point in Para. 1?

　　A. To some extent, intelligence is given at birth.

　　B. Intelligence is developed by the environment.

　　C. Some people are born clever and others born stupid.

　　D. Intelligence is fixed at birth, but is developed by the environment.

It is suggested in this passage that_______.

　　A. unrelated people are not likely to have different intelligence

　　B. close relations usually have similar intelligence

　　C. the closer the blood relationship between people, the more different they are likely

　 　　to be in intelligence

　　D. people who live in close contact with each other are not likely to have similar degrees

　 　　of intelligence

In Para. 1, the word "surroundings" means_______.

　　A. intelligence 　　　　　B. life

　　C. environments 　　　　　D. housing

The best title for this article would be_______.

　　A. On Intelligence

　　B. What Intelligence Means

　　C. We are Born with Intelligence

　　D. Environment Plays a Part in Developing Intelligence

Geniuses amaze us，impress us and make us all a little jealous. How do they differ from the average person？Scientists are working hard to figure out that answer. Tune in to the National Geographic Channel to find out about the discoveries they’re making in the series My Brilliant Brain.

When Marc Yu was only two years old，he began to play the piano. After a year, he started learning pieces by Beethoven. Now he’s a world-famous concert pianist at age eight. He learns newer and more difficult pieces with ease and can identify any note he hears. He seems to be specially designed for music. In Born Genius, National Geographic looks at the science behind child prodigies （神童） to explain why some children seem to be born without limits.

Geniuses didn’t come naturally to Tommy McHugh. His came only after he nearly died from bleeding in his brain. After recovering, McHugh’s head was filled with new thoughts and picture. So, he began to express them in the form of poetry and art. Now, he’s a seemingly unstoppable creative machine. Suffers of brain injury have shown that great mental ability can sometimes come from damage or disease. Accidental Genius explores this puzzling relationship.

Can normal people be trained to be geniuses? Susan Polger has shown no sign of extraordinary intelligence. Yet, during her childhood, she studied thousands of chess patterns and learned to recognize them immediately. As a result, she was able to beat skilled adult players by age 10 and can now play up to five games at the same time without even seeing the boards. Make Me a Genius examines what is takes to turn an ordinary brain into that of a genius.

If becoming a genius were easy, we’d all be done. Yet, there is much more to super intelligence than simply being born lucky. Learn more about amazing brains this month on National Geographic’s My Brilliant Brain.

1. In paragraph 2, Marc Yu’s story tells us_________________.

A. a child prodigy can work easier than others.

B. a child prodigy is trained by family.

C. a child prodigy has an unbelievable listening skill.

D. a child prodigy always practise his skills.

2.In paragraph 3, the sentence “Geniuses didn’t come naturally to Tommy McHugh.” means that ______________.

A. Tommy McHugh could not be called a genius.

B. Tommy McHugh became a genius when he was young.

C. Tommy McHugh was a robot but not a real human being.

D. Tommy McHugh became a genius after a sudden accident.

3.The writer provides different examples to _____________.

A. show how people can be geniuses.     　B. show becoming a genius is easy.

C. show geniuses are common.            　D. show people know how to explain geniuses.

4.The passage may come from_________.

A. a report         B. a novel      　C. a TV program       　　D. a newspaper

Thomas Edison tried two thousand different materials to make the light bulb. When none worked satisfactorily, his assistant　 31　 , “All our work is in vain. We have learned nothing. ”

　 Thomas Edison replied very　 32 , “Oh, we have come a long way and we have 　 33 a lot. We now know that there are two thousand materials which we cannot 34　 to make a good light bulb. ”

　 If we learn from our mistakes, then we are　 35　 . If we learn from someone else’s mistakes, then we are genius. Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines 　 36　 daily and failure is nothing more than a few small　 37 　 repeated daily.

　 How　 38 the above lines are! Success takes 　 39 . We’ll make mistakes 40 　 we do things in too much of a hurry. When we do not practice disciplines in life, we don’t build enough confidence to 　 41 new and challenging tasks which are important and matter in life. Our confidence　 42 what we think of ourselves and whether we believe in ourselves. We are all born with exceptional　 43　 , but only a few really　 44　 their true potential and make efforts in life and the others just lead a(n)　 45　 life. Do you want to be exceptional?

　 Success is a fruit which everyone wants to 　 46　 but it is not found everywhere and no one can 　 47　 it without serious efforts.

　 Those who want to succeed will find a way; those who don’t will find a(n) 48　 !

　 Success depends upon previous　 49　 , and without it we will end in failure.

　 When you are　 50　 , please enjoy it and give your hand to others who want to accomplish something.

31. A. celebrated　　 B. complained

C. explained　　　　 D. answered

32. A. confidently　　　 B. madly

C. carelessly　　　　　 D. angrily

33. A. remembered　　 B. refused

C. learned　　　　　　 D. ordered

34. A. test　　 B. ignore

C. invent　　　 D. use

35. A. healthy　　 B. enthusiastic

C. intelligent　　　 D. generous

36. A. shown　　 B. prevented

C. recorded　　　 D. practiced

37. A. errors　　 B. machines

C. jobs　　　　 D. steps

38. A. common　　 B. strange

C. familiar　　　　 D. true

39. A. effect　　 B. time

C. drugs　　　　 D. roles

40. A. as though　　 B. so that

C. unless　　　　　 D. if

41. A. keep　　 B. attempt

C. give　　　　 D. see

42. A. depends on　　 B. sets aside

C. turns down　　　　 D. sets up

43. A. appearances　　 B. experiences

C. qualities　　　　　 D. feelings

44. A. own　　 B. realize

C. provide　　 D. research

45. A. active　　 B. hard

C. rich　　　　　 D. average

46. A. sell　　 B. draw

C. eat　　　　 D. praise

47. A. achieve　　　 B. watch

C. offer　　　 　　D. recognize

48. A. story　　 B. excuse

C. key　　　　 D. plan

49. A. preparation　　 B. influence

C. life　　　　　　　 D. generation

50. A. powerful　　 B. wonderful

C. successful　　　 D. hopeful