sharing a womb in the first nine months alcohol and bad housing on fetal of life intelligence; quite another to think we can boost the brains of perfectly healthy Indeed, the research suggests that fetuses by accentuating the sitIve he single biggest environmental influence on a person's iQ is not home This is because researchers have life or mum and dads parenting skills, little idea what positive "means in this or even the school they attend, but the context. It may be the size or position of quality of those first nine months. If the the placenta that matters. Or a subtle researchers are right, what happens to us interplay between diet and the mothers in the womb could account for up to 20 genetic make-up. Or something different per cent of variation in IQs The general idea here seems sound Nor is this the only reason for enough. There is increasing evidence to remaining skeptical about the idea that suggest that malnourished fetuses are we can rad ically improve healthy more likely to develop heart disease, childrens IQs in the womb. The new diabetes and- according to the very study's figure of 20 per cent is based on latest find have permanently the IQs of twins, whose prenatal impaired immune systems. So why environment is scarcely typical. The shouldnt intelligence (or at least the presence of two fetuses, each competing part of it that IQ tests measure)also be for resources, sometimes from a shared shaped in the womb? It is here, after all, placenta, could lead to all sorts of that the brains architecture is variations in the quality of prenatal life established and the first of its trillions of that seldom effect single fetuses synapses forged And let s not forget either that while The news is not as good as it might the research highlights a component of seem for ambitious parents. Whatever nurture that has so far been overlooked American entrepreneurs might say about nature remains very much part of the IQ the new research, it doesn't mean we equation. The new study confirms what can turn fetuses into potential geniuses most geneticists already believe-that by stimulating them with cassette genetic differences explain about half of devices strapped to pregnant women. all variations in IQ Nor does it mean we should now be able to develop less obviously suspect Prospective parents need not resigN methods for producing superbabies. It is themselves to the misery of genetic fatalism. But neither should they buy effects of maLnutrition. smok ing. drugs. into the idea that little Timmys place at Oxford will be won or lost in the womb 16. Twins share much-vaunted similarity in IQ, according to American researchers mainly because of A. their joint environment B. the womb they shared C. their shared genes D. their parents 17. The notion reasons that A. the womb can shape intelligence permanently B. both the womb and intelligence are shaped simultaneously C. malnourished fetuses can suffer permanently impaired immune systems D. just as fetuses can be nutritionally affected in the womb, so can their intelligence be affected there 18. Researchers are not in a position9 sharing a womb in the first nine months of life. Indeed, the research suggests that the single biggest environmental influence on a person’s IQ is not home life or mum and dad’s parenting skills, or even the school they attend, but the quality of those first nine months. If the researchers are right, what happens to us in the womb could account for up to 20 per cent of variation in IQs. The general idea here seems sound enough. There is increasing evidence to suggest that malnourished fetuses are more likely to develop heart disease, diabetes and — according to the very latest finding — have permanently impaired immune systems. So why shouldn’t intelligence (or at least the part of it that IQ tests measure) also be shaped in the womb? It is here, after all, that the brain’s architecture is established and the first of its trillions of synapses forged. The news is not as good as it might seem for ambitious parents. Whatever American entrepreneurs might say about the new research, it doesn’t mean we can turn fetuses into potential geniuses by stimulating them with cassette devices strapped to pregnant women. Nor does it mean we should now be able to develop less obviously suspect methods for producing superbabies. It is one thing to eliminate the negative effects of malnutrition, smoking, drugs, alcohol and bad housing on fetal intelligence; quite another to think we can boost the brains of perfectly healthy fetuses by accentuating the positive. This is because researchers have little idea what “positive” means in this context. It may be the size or position of the placenta that matters. Or a subtle interplay between diet and the mother’s genetic make-up. Or something different again. Nor is this the only reason for remaining skeptical about the idea that we can radically improve healthy children’s IQs in the womb. The new study’s figure of 20 per cent is based on the IQs of twins, whose prenatal environment is scarcely typical. The presence of two fetuses, each competing for resources, sometimes from a shared placenta, could lead to all sorts of variations in the quality of prenatal life that seldom effect single fetuses. And let’s not forget either that while the research highlights a component of nurture that has so far been overlooked, nature remains very much part of the IQ equation. The new study confirms what most geneticists already believe—that genetic differences explain about half of all variations in IQ. Prospective parents need not resign themselves to the misery of genetic fatalism. But neither should they buy into the idea that little Timmy’s place at Oxford will be won or lost in the womb. 16. Twins share much-vaunted similarity in IQ, according to American researchers, mainly because of ________. A. their joint environment B. the womb they shared C. their shared genes D. their parents 17. The notion reasons that ________. A. the womb can shape intelligence permanently B. both the womb and intelligence are shaped simultaneously C. malnourished fetuses can suffer permanently impaired immune systems D. just as fetuses can be nutritionally affected in the womb, so can their intelligence be affected there 18. Researchers are not in a position ________