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Next time you raise an eyebrow at the views of your partner, friend, brother, sister or colleague, remember they could be helping to make you smarter. New research shows that intelligence (智力)is not fixed but can be improved throughout adulthood by family members, bright mates and intellectually challenging careers. The study challenges the commonly held belief that intelligence is fixed by the age of about 18.

Scientific consensus (共识)suggests intelligence is controlled by genes, with environmental factors (因素)such as schooling and nutrition playing a part up to this age. After this point, IQ scores remain unchanged. But James Flynn, professor at the University of Otago in New Zealand, argues that people can "upgrade" their intelligence throughout their lives. He believes intellectual stimulation (刺激)from other people is important as the "brain seems to be rather like a muscle --the more you use it, the stronger it gets". So people who share a home or workplace with the intellectually challenged risk seeing their IQ levels nosedive as a result.

Professor Flynn analyzed US intelligence tests from the last 65 years and created new IQ "age tables". He found a bright ten-year-old with brothers and sisters of average intelligence will suffer a five to ten point IQ disadvantage compared to a similar child with equally bright brothers and sisters. However, children with a low IQ could gain six to eight points by having brighter brothers and sisters and special educational treatment to help pull them up.

Professor Flynn concluded that although genetics and early life experiences determine about 80% of intelligence, the remaining 20% is linked to lifestyle. This means people can raise their IQ, or allow it to fall, by ten points or more.

He suggests the best way to improve IQ levels is to socialize with bright friends, and find an intellectually challenging job.

When Millet was a boy he worked on his needy father's farm. At the rest hour in the fields the other workers would all take naps, but young Millet would spend time drawing. Finally, the village where he lived gave him a little money to Paris to study art.

When Millet reached Paris, he had a tough time. Fortunately, when he was almost starving, someone bought one of his peasant paintings, which enabled his family to leave for Barbizon.

Millet's pictures of peasants at work were painted in a unique way. The painter would go out on the farms and watch them carefully—digging, hoeing, spreading manure, sawing wood, or sowing grain. Then he would come home and paint what he had seen. So astonishingly accurate was his memory that he could paint at home without models and get all the movements of his figures right. When he did need a figure to go by, he would ask his wife to pose for him.

One of his noted artworks is called "The Sower", which shows a man seeding. He reaches into his bag for seed and then swings backward to scatter the seed, and with each swing of his hand the sower strides forward. In Millet's picture the sower has been working hard, but his swinging step and arm still move smoothly, like a machine. Only the man's head reveals his great tiredness.

Another masterpiece is called "The Gleaners". A gleaner is someone picking up the leftover in the field after the wheat harvest. When farmers near Barbizon are extremely badly-off, even the little the gleaners can find is a help. You can see from Millet's picture what back-breaking work gleaning must be.

The definition of community has evolved (升华)for me from childhood to the young adult I am now. My mom was born in America but both her parents were from the Bahamas. It was their culture to take care of the elderly and the sick. And my mom has taught me to be caring to those around us because we're all a part of the "community" , an extension of family.

When I was 9 years old, my family moved to Cape Coral, Florida. Both mom and dad worked full-time, so they registered me to attend an after-school program at the Youth Center. Youth counselors (辅导员) would help me with my homework and play games with me and this was where my interest took root. Community service started with me giving back at the Youth Center.

Then illness struck at home. My grandmother had to have heart surgery and needed hospital treatment. This experience brought me to volunteer at Cape Coral Hospital. I asked if I could learn from the nurse how to give my grandma her medicine and it started here.

I loved being at Cape Coral Hospital. I would bring paperwork to other doctors, bring food to the patients, and make sure the patients were attended. I would help direct visitors to see patients. I would always tell what would cheer the patients up because I had built a relationship with them and their loved ones. I grew to feel the hospital was a part of my community.

After volunteering at the Youth Center and at the Hospital, I've learned that people become sort of an extended family when you care about them. Now I am more considerate of those close to me, neighbors and even strangers who share my resources.

British Museum

Located in Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG, the British Museum houses a vast collection of world art and artifacts and is free to all visitors. The British Museum's remarkable collection spans over two million years of human history and culture, and it has more than 7 million objects, so it would probably take a week to see everything.

Over 6 million visitors every year experience the collection, including world-famous objects such as the Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies.

Admission and opening times

Free, open daily 10:00 to 17:30.

Open until 20:30 on Fridays, except Good Friday.

Closed on 24, 25 and 26 December and 1 January.

Large luggage, suitcases and cabin baggage

For everyone's safety, all bags, packages and personal items may be searched before entry. Wheeled cases and large items of luggage are not allowed in the British Museum for safety and security reasons. Storage for luggage is available at major rail stations, including Euston, King's Cross and Charing Cross.

Membership

Membership allows you to discover 2 million years of human history with free unlimited entry to special exhibitions, an exclusive discount offer on magazine subscription and many more benefits.

Individual membership:￡74

Under 26 membership:￡54

Young friends (aged 8—15):￡25

Shops

The museum has four shops where you can buy books, souvenirs, and family gifts.

注意： 1. 词数100左右；2. 标题已给出，不计入总词数；3. 可适当增加细节以使行文连贯。

advocate: 支持，提倡 facial recognition: 人脸识别

Should We Advocate Artificial Intelligence?

 time, some plants develop features which help them to  in particular conditions. Plants with helpful features are more likely to survive and . Plants without these features often die . This process is called natural .

Countries around the are spending billions of dollars and lots of time on various space missions, whether to Mars or other planets much further away. Some people argue that we should stop wasting time and money space., we should feed the world's poor and find immediate solutions to other problems, such as pollution and diseases. However, others feel this is a view which fails to realise how exploring space helps us.