（1) By the time Laszlo Polagar’s first baby was born in 1969 he already had firm views
(1) By the time Laszlo Polagar’s first baby was born in 1969 he already had firm views on child-rearing. An eccentric citizen of communist Hungary, he had written a book called“Bring up Genius!”and one of his favorite sayings was“Geniuses are made, not born”.
(2) An expert on thetheory of chess, he proceeded to teach little Zsuzsa at home, spending up to ten hours a day on the game. Two more daughters were similarly hot-housed. All three obliged their father by becoming world-class players. The youngest, Judit, is currently ranked1stin the world, and is by far the best female chess player of all time.
(3) Would the experiment have succeeded with a different trio of children？ If any child can be turned into a star, then a lot of time and money are being wasted worldwide on tryingto pick winners.
(4) American has long held“talent searches”, using test results and teacher recommendations to select children for advanced school courses, summer schools and other extra tuition. This provision is set to grow. In his state-of-the-union address in 2006, President George Bush announced the“American Competitiveness Initiative”, which, among much else, would train 70,000 high-school teachers to lead advanced courses for selected pupils in mathematics and science. Just as the super powers’space race made Congress put money into science education, the thought of China and India turning out hundreds of thousands of engineers and scientists is scaring America into stimulating its brightest to do their best.
(5) The philosophy behind this talentsearch is that ability is innate; that it can be diagnosed with considerable accuracy; and that it is worth cultivating.
(6) In America, bright children are ranked as“moderately”,“highly”,“exceptionally”and“profoundly”gifted. The only chance to influence innate ability is thought to be in the womb or the first couple of years of line. Hence the craze for“teaching aids”such as videos and flashcards for newborns, and“whale sounds”on tape which a pregnant mother can strap to her belly.
(7) In Britain, there is a broadly similar belief in the existence of innate talent, but also an egalitarian (平等主义的) sentiment which makes people queasy about the idea of investing resources in grooming intelligence.
(8) Teachers are often opposed to separate provisionfor the best-performing children, saying any extra help should go to stragglers. In 2002, in a bid to help the able while leaving intact the ban on most selection by ability in state schools, the government set up the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth. This outfit runs summer schools and master classes for children nominated by their schools. To date, though, only seven in ten secondary schools have nominated even a single child. Last year all schools were told they must supply the names of their top 10%.
(9)Picking winners is also the order of the day in excommunist states, a hangover from the timeswhen talented individuals were plunked from their homes and ruthlessly trained for the glory of the nation. But in many other countries, opposition to the idea of singling out talent and grooming it runs deep. In Scandinavia, a belief in virtue like modesty and social solidarity makes people flinch from the idea of treating brainy children differently.
(10)And in Japan there is a widespread belief that all children are born with the same innate abilities-and should therefore be treated alike. All are taught together, covering the same syllabus at the same rate until they finish compulsory schooling. Those who learn quickest are expected then to teachtheir classmates.
(11)Statistics give little clues as to which system is best. The performance of the most able is heavily affected by factors other than state provision. Most states education in Britain is nominally non-selective, but middle-class parents try to live near the best schools. Ambitious Japanese parents have made private, out-of-school tuition a thriving business. And Scandinavia’s egalitarianism might work less well in places with more diverse populations and less competent teachers. For what it’s worth, the statistical data suggest that some countries, like Japan and Finland, can avoid selection and still thrive. But that does not mean that any country can ditch selection and do as well.
(12)Mr. Polger thought any child could be a prodigy given the right teaching, an early start and enough practice. Some say the key to success is simply hard graft. Judit, the youngest of the Polgar sisters, was the most driven, and the most talented, but she was the only one who did not achieve the status of grand master.“But she was lazy.”
81.In their childhood, the three daughters of Polagar________.
A.played chess in house all day long
B.had plenty of intense training on chess
C.took various lessonson games in house
D.revealed their talent in playing chess
82.In paragraph 3, the author tends toPolagar’s view on child-rearing________.
A.support
B.despise
C.question
D.defend
83.In America, student winners are usually picked out on the basis of________.
A.test results and praises from teachers
B.teacher recommendations and test papers
C.test scores and teacher recommendation
D.self-presentation and teachers’evaluations
84.The American“talent searches”is based on the belief that________.
A.there is no innate talent
B.few have inborn talent
C.education can help develop talent
D.one’s innate ability can be measured
85.In paragraph 7, the word“queasy”is closest in meaning to________.
A.curious
B.worried
C.unhappy
D.comfortable
86.According to the passage, in Britain,________.
A.state schools are allowed to select students by talent
B.state schools are allowed to select students by ability
C.secondary schools are eager to pick talented students
D.the government is entitled to picking talented children
87.In paragraph 8, the word“outfit”is closest in meaning to________.
A.corporation
B.community
C.government
D.organization
88.In Scandinavia, people value virtues like modesty and social solidarity, so they________.
A.approve of the idea of selecting different brains
B.single out the talented children from the dull ones
C.refuse to teach talented children in normal ways
D.avoid picking talented children for special
89.In paragraph 11, the word“ditch”is closest in meaning to________.
A.abandon
B.embrace
C.welcome
D.denounce
90.Of the Polagar sisters,________.
A.all achieved the status of grand master
B.two became world-class chess players
C.the youngest was themost diligent one
D.the eldest was under the greatest pressure
