Researchers have studied how birth order affects kid’s personalities in the past, but one study out of the United Kingdom has found that firstborns may have an educational advantage over their younger siblings (兄弟姐妹).
Researchers at the University of Essex’s Institute for Social and Economic Research surveyed 3,553 individuals and 1,503 groups of siblings, and discovered that firstborn children tended to have higher educational aspirations and attainment. Only children and firstborn twins were not included in the study.
For each family involved in the study, researcher Feifei Bu examined sibling birth order, the number of children in the family, age spacing, sex, health, relationships with one another and educational aspirations. She found that firstborns had a greater probability—16 percent higher—of attending further education, compared with later-born sibling.
“The advantage of firstborns in educational outcomes may be partially explained by the fact that firstborns tend to have higher aspirations which push them toward high education levels,” Bu wrote in the published study.
She further explained to The Guardian that parenting could play a role. “It could be that the parents simply devote more time and energy to them; it could be that they are actually more intelligent. For me, I tend to lean towards the theory that the amount of time, energy and involvement that parents put into caring for their children is possibly at work here,” she said.
She also found age spacing to be a contributing factor. The further apart in age the siblings—for example, a six year instead of one year difference—the more likely both kids were to be successful. The idea is that with widely spaced siblings, parents have the ability to spread out their resources. In other words, they have time to give each child more time and money.
But younger siblings shouldn’t worry. The world is full of successful middle and youngest children willing to prove this study wrong.
12. Who are more likely to complete higher levels of education according to Paragraphs 1 and 2?
A. Only children. B. Firstborn twins.
C. Younger siblings. D. Firstborn siblings.
13. What is possibly important for kids’ educational achievement according to Bu?
A. Parental investment. B. Parents’ intelligence.
C. Kids native intelligence. D. Kids’ school environment.
14. What is the influence of wider age spacing between two siblings?
A. It may cause conflicts between them.
B. It may place more pressure on parents.
C. Both of them are more likely to succeed.
D. They are likely to be different from each other.
15. How is the text mainly developed?
A. By listing examples. B. By giving descriptions.
C. By setting down general rules. D. By presenting research findings.
答案
Researchers at the University of Essex’s Institute for Social and Economic Research surveyed 3,553 individuals and 1,503 groups of siblings, and discovered that firstborn children tended to have higher educational aspirations and attainment. Only children and firstborn twins were not included in the study.
For each family involved in the study, researcher Feifei Bu examined sibling birth order, the number of children in the family, age spacing, sex, health, relationships with one another and educational aspirations. She found that firstborns had a greater probability—16 percent higher—of attending further education, compared with later-born sibling.
“The advantage of firstborns in educational outcomes may be partially explained by the fact that firstborns tend to have higher aspirations which push them toward high education levels,” Bu wrote in the published study.
She further explained to The Guardian that parenting could play a role. “It could be that the parents simply devote more time and energy to them; it could be that they are actually more intelligent. For me, I tend to lean towards the theory that the amount of time, energy and involvement that parents put into caring for their children is possibly at work here,” she said.
She also found age spacing to be a contributing factor. The further apart in age the siblings—for example, a six year instead of one year difference—the more likely both kids were to be successful. The idea is that with widely spaced siblings, parents have the ability to spread out their resources. In other words, they have time to give each child more time and money.
But younger siblings shouldn’t worry. The world is full of successful middle and youngest children willing to prove this study wrong.
12. Who are more likely to complete higher levels of education according to Paragraphs 1 and 2?
A. Only children. B. Firstborn twins.
C. Younger siblings. D. Firstborn siblings.
13. What is possibly important for kids’ educational achievement according to Bu?
A. Parental investment. B. Parents’ intelligence.
C. Kids native intelligence. D. Kids’ school environment.
14. What is the influence of wider age spacing between two siblings?
A. It may cause conflicts between them.
B. It may place more pressure on parents.
C. Both of them are more likely to succeed.
D. They are likely to be different from each other.
15. How is the text mainly developed?
A. By listing examples. B. By giving descriptions.
C. By setting down general rules. D. By presenting research findings.
答案
苏19057182-3号