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Genes Don't Just Influence Your IQ — They Determine How Well You Do in School
基因不仅影响IQ，也影响学习表现
Science
If you sailed through school with high grades and perfect test scores, you probably did it with traits beyond sheer smarts. A new study of more than 6,000 pairs of twins finds that academic achievement is influenced by genes affecting motivation, personality, confidence, and dozens of other traits, in addition to those that shape intelligence. The results may lead to new ways to improve childhood education.
“I think this is going to end up being a really classic paper in the literature, ”says psychologist Lee Thompson of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, who has studied the genetics of cognitive skills and who was not involved in the work. “It's a really firm foundation from which we can build on. ”
Researchers have previously shown that a person's IQ is highly influenced by genetic factors, and have even identified certain genes that play a role. They've also shown that performance in school has genetic factors. But it's been unclear whether the same genes that influence IQ also influence grades and test scores.
In the new study, researchers at King's College London turned to a cohort of more than 11,000 pairs of both identical and non-identical twins born in the United Kingdom between 1994 and 1996．Rather than focus solely on IQ, as many previous studies had, the scientists analyzed 83 different traits, which had been reported on questionnaires that the twins, at age 16, and their parents filled out. The traits ranged from measures of health and overall happiness to ratings of how much each teen liked school and how hard they worked. Then, the researchers collected data on how well each individual scored on the General Certificate of Secondary Education （GCSE） exam, an exam that all students in the United Kingdom must take and which is used for admission to advanced classes or colleges.
The team found nine general groups of traits that were all highly hereditary — the identical twins were more likely to share the traits than non-identical twins — and also correlated with performance on the GCSE．Not only were traits other than intelligence correlated with GCSE scores, but these other traits also explained more than half of the total genetic basis for the test scores.
In all, about 62% of the individual differences in academic achievement — at least when it came to GCSE scores — could be attributed to genetic factors, a number similar to previous studies' findings, the team reports online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“It's really important to understand why children differ in academic achievement, ”says developmental psychologist Kaili Rimfeld of King's College London, an author of the new paper. “These twin studies show that there's a genetic basis for the differences in how easy or enjoyable children find learning. ”Understanding that there's a genetic basis for why people differ in not only intelligence, but also their drive to learn, she says, underscores the need for personalized classrooms where students can learn in different ways — from computer programs to hands-on projects — that are most fitted to their own personalities.
The results, Thompson points out, would likely differ in less-developed countries where children don't have equal access to education; academic achievement in these places is shaped more by opportunities than genetics. And the new study gives little information on what the genes might be that influence test scores. “Each one of these traits is very complex, ”she says, “so we're talking about hundreds of genes that are acting together. ”Future studies, she says, may be able to shed light on specific genes that affect academic achievement, which could help diagnose or treat learning disabilities.
提纲挈领
众所周知，基因影响智商，而智商是学习表现的重要决定因素。伦敦国王学院的一项研究发现，除智商以外，还有很多品质影响学业成就，如积极性、自信心、性格等，而这些特性在很大程度上也是遗传性基因决定的。该研究总结了九组影响学生学业表现的品质，但没有确定影响学业水平的基因分别是什么。未来的研究方向将致力于确定这些基因，从而帮助治疗学习障碍症。
障碍词汇
sheer [ʃiə] a. 绝对的
【搭配】sheer nonsense一派胡言
【例句】I had enrolled in the seminar out of sheer curiosity.
我加入这研讨会纯粹出于好奇心。
solely [ˈsəʊlli] ad. 唯一地；仅仅
【搭配】hold you solely responsible 唯你是问
【例句】She was motivated solely by self-interest.
她完全是出于私利。
hereditary [hiˈredit（ə）ri] a. 遗传的；世袭的
【搭配】hereditary factor 遗传因子；遗传因素
【例句】The position of the head of state is hereditary.
国家元首是世袭制。
underscore [ˌʌndəˈskɔː（r）] vt. 画线于……下；强调
【搭配】underscore character 下划线字符
【例句】The conference underscored the importance of modern industry.
会议强调了现代工业的重要性。
shed [ʃed] vt. 流出；洒；散发出光
【搭配】shed light on 阐明；使……清楚地显出
【例句】However, the report also shed light on some grim realities of begging.
然而, 这项调查也揭示了一些乞讨行为中严酷的现实。
cohort [ˈkəʊhɔːt] n. 一组；一群；一批
难句翻译
The traits ranged from measures of health and overall happiness to ratings of how much each teen liked school and how hard they worked.
译文：这些品质包括健康程度、整体幸福感、对学校的喜爱程度以及工作的努力程度等。
Not only were traits other than intelligence correlated with GCSE scores, but these other traits also explained more than half of the total genetic basis for the test scores.
译文：这些除智力以外的品质不仅与会考成绩紧密相关，而且占到了影响成绩的所有基因因素的一半以上。
Understanding that there's a genetic basis for why people differ in not only intelligence, but also their drive to learn, she says, underscores the need for personalized classrooms where students can learn in different ways — from computer programs to hands-on projects — that are most fitted to their own personalities.
译文：人们的智力和学习动力都受基因影响这一事实，强调了对个性化教学方式的需求。个性化教学能够使学生按照适合他们个性的方式学习，如借助电脑程序，或亲自动手实践等。
文化背景小链接
GCSE：General Certificate of Secondary Education，即普通中等教育证书，是英国学生完成第一阶段中等教育所参加的主要会考。GCSE是英国中学10年级和11年级的学习课程，会考成绩是进入高中甚至大学的重要参考