《2025年5年中考3年模拟英语湖南专版》

Passage 3(2024长沙明德模拟改编)
Many scientists once believed that physical similarities between identical twins(同卵双胞胎) are genetic. However, their personalities, intelligence, and other differences are the effect of their environment. But scientists are now discovering that the boundaries (界限) between genetics and environment are not so clear after all.
Identical twins Jim Springer and Jim Lewis were raised by different couples. When the two Jims finally met at age 39, they discovered they had a lot in common. Both were 182 cm tall and weighed 82kg. They had the same smile and the same voice. When psychologist(心理学家) Thomas Bouchard Jr. invited the Jim twins to his lab, his coworkers found it very hard to tell them apart.
But the similarities didn’t stop at the physical. They both had a dog named Toy. They both married a woman named Linda. They both enjoyed making things with wood and suffered headaches. They had so much in common that it seemed unlikely these were just coincidences(巧合).
The Jim twins were just one of 137 sets of separated twins Bouchard and his team tested. They compared the twins’ IQ scores and reached a surprising conclusion—intelligence was mostly connected to genetics rather than to training or education. It seemed the differences in family and environment had little effect.
However, genes can’t control everything, argues Danielle Reed, who also studies twins. Reed’s research shows that, though nothing can truly change our DNA, environmental differences that a child experiences can sometimes affect the way the DNA behaves. This can make even identical twins completely different. “What I like to say is that Mother Nature writes some things in pencil and some things in pen,” he explains. “Things written in pen cannot be changed, but things written in pencil can.”
8.In the past, scientists believed similar personalities between twins are mostly related to ______.
A.genetics B.environment C.DNA
9.What can we learn about the Jim twins?
A.They are similar in many ways.
B.They grew up together.
C.It’s easy to tell them apart.
10.Who does the underlined word in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A.The Jim twins. B.137 sets of twins. C.Bouchard and his team.
11.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A.“Things written in pen” refer to one’s genes.
B.A baby’s behavior is determined by the environment.
C.Environmental factors are essential to one’s growth.

答案： 8.B 9.A  10.C 11.A