万花筒 Kaleidoscope 2007-06-26&27, 第一胎的宝宝智商高？

Who is the smartest one in the Bernstein Family?

Me! me!

There is a debate between 10-year-old Madi and 8-year-old Zack.

But I'm older, so I've had, I've had 2 more years than him (I don't care!) to be alive and to learn.

Sorry Zack. Madi may be right, at least according to a study published today in the journal Science. Researchers studied 250,000 Norwegian 18 and 19 year old young men and found that, on average, the older child had an IQ a little more than 2 points higher than their younger siblings¹. The explanation? The older child has more undivided attention from parents during his or her first years.

When parents are able to spend a lot of time with their kids, it does really enhance their intellectual functioning. Their brain develops in that environment where they get lots of input².

A few points difference might not sound like much. But child experts say it could be the difference between a high B and a low A and that could mean the difference between getting into an elite³ college or landing a top job.

Famous first-borns including Albert Einstein, Franklin Roosevelt, and computer guru Steve Jobs seem to validate⁴ the study, but there are plenty of exceptions, so parents, don't worry. Consider Thomas Jefferson, the third of eight children, and Thomas Edison, the youngest of seven. The mother of Madi, Zack, Tess and Kevin agrees.

I am the youngest of four, so obviously I have a different take on the story. I think our youngest are the most intelligent.

And to show how smart she is, Madi didn't argue that point with her mom.

Kelly Wallace, CBS news, Sleepy Hollow, New York.

1 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

2 input   

n.输入(物)；投入；vt.把(数据等)输入计算机

参考例句：

• I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
• All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。

3 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

4 validate   

vt.（法律）使有效，使生效

参考例句：

• You need an official signature to validate the order.你要有正式的签字，这张汇票才能生效。
• In order to validate the agreement,both parties sign it.为使协议有效，双方在上面签了字。