THE WORD “THIS” IN THE PASSAGE REFERS TO .A.UNIVERSITIES ESTABLISHING...

Câu 42:

The word “This” in the passage refers to

.

A.

universities establishing in industrialized centres

B.

women being banned from university

C.

German higher education

D.

model emphasing freedom

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the

correct answer to each of the questions from 43 to 50.

Are Human Beings Getting Smarter?

Do you think you are smarter than your parents or grandparents? According to James Flynn, a

professor at a New Zealand university, you might be. Over the course of the last century, IQ test scores of

people in some countries have got increasingly better - on average, three points better for every decade that

has passed. This trend of improving scores is known as “the Flynn effect,” and scientists want to know what

is behind it.

IQ tests and other similar tests are designed to measure general intelligence rather than knowledge.

Flynn knew that intelligence is partly inherited from our parents and partly the result of our environment

and experiences, but the improvement in test scores was happening too quickly to be explained by heredity.

So what happened in the 20

^th

century that led to higher test scores?

Scientists have proposed several explanations for the Flynn effect. Some suggest that the improved

test scores simply reflect an increased

exposure

to tests in general. Because we take so many tests, we learn

test-taking techniques that help us perform better.

Others

have pointed to better nutrition, which results in

babies being born larger, healthier, and with more brain development than in the past. Another possible

explanation is a change in educational styles - children are encouraged to discover things for themselves

rather than just memorizing information. This could prepare people to do the kind of problem-solving that

intelligence tests require.

Flynn himself suggested that learning new technologies may have improved people’s problem-

solving skills. This may be true for the first decade of his tests, when IQ scores in many countries increased.

However, in recent years, IQ test scores in some countries have begun to decline. Data from Norway, the

Netherlands, Australia, and Great Britain have shown that as these countries become more and more modern,

IQ scores have begun to drop.

While scientists aren’t sure what is causing this decline, they think technology is dramatically

changing the way that we learn and get information. For example, people are now able to access all kinds of

information easily using online resources like Google or Wikipedia. The danger is when they start to rely

too much on these sources of information, and not do any thinking for themselves. Lifestyle changes that

come with modem technology may also have a negative effect on intelligence, such as video games and

television making people less social. So while the world may have got smarter over the 20

^th

century,

improving technology and changing lifestyles may soon reverse that trend.

Note: heredity

(n) = the process by which features and characteristics are passed on to you from your

parents through your genes