HINTS:
Act One

Act Two

11.5-month-old

A scientific team is studying the thinking ability of 11.5-month-old children. The test is a simple one. The baby watches a sort of show on a small stage. In Act One of the show, a yellow cube is lifted from a blue box, and moved across the stage. Then it is returned to the box. This is repeated 6 times. Act Two is similar except that the yellow cube is smaller. Baby boys do not react at all to the difference in the size of the cube. But girls immediately become excited. The scientists interpret the girls' excitement as meaning they are trying to understand what they have just seen. They are wondering why Act Two is odd and how it differs from Act One. In other words, the little girls are reasoning. This experiment certainly does not definitely prove that girls start to reason before boys, but it provides a clue that scientists would like to study more carefully. Already it is known that bones, muscles and nerves develop faster in baby girls. Perhaps it is early nerve development that makes some infant girls show more intelligence than infant boys. Scientists have also found that nature seems to give another boost to girls. Baby girls usually talk at an earlier age than boys do. Scientists think that there is a physical reason for this. They believe that the nerve endings in the left side of the brain develop faster in girls than in boys, and it is this side of the brain that strongly influences an individual's ability to use language and remember things.
一組科學家正在研究十一個半月孩子的能力。測試很簡單。孩子們看著一個平臺上的一組展示。在首輪展示中,一個黃色的立方體從一個藍色的盒子中升起,穿越整個平臺,然后回到盒子里。這個動作會重復六次。第二輪展示和第一輪很相像,除了黃色的立方變小了。小男孩們對立方體的大小變化一點也沒有反應。但是女孩們立刻變得興奮起來??茖W家們解釋說女孩們的興奮表示她們想弄明白她們所看到的,她們奇怪為什么第二輪這么奇怪和它與第一輪的不同。換句話說,女孩們在思考。這個實驗當然還不能明確的證實女孩們比男孩們早開始思考,但它提供了一個線索而科學家們將進行更深入的研究。已經被發(fā)現(xiàn),女孩子的骨頭、肌肉和神經成長的更快??赡苁亲钤绲纳窠浬L讓女嬰比男嬰更聰明。科學家也發(fā)現(xiàn)了另一項自然界讓女孩們更早生長之處。小女孩總比小男孩早開始說話??茖W家認為,這有一個科學的解釋。他們相信這是由于女孩的左腦的神經末梢的生長比男孩快,而且左腦對個人能力即運用語言和記憶有強烈的影響。 ——譯文來自: 905783722