IntelligencE.aChanged View Intelligence was believed to be a fixed entity,some faculty ofthe mind that we all possess and which determines in some way the extent of

our achievements.Itsvalue therefore,was as a predic-tor of children's future learning. If theydiffered markedly in their ability to learn complex tasks, then it was clearly

necessary to educatethem differently and the need for different types of school and even differentability groups within school was obvious.Intelligence tests could be used

for streaming childrenaccording to ability at an early age;and at 11 these tests were superior tomeasures of attainment for selecting children for different types of secondary

education. 2.Today,we are beginning to think differently. In the last few years,research hasthrown doubt on the view that innate intelligence can ever be measured and onthe

very nature ofintelligence it-self. There is considerable evidence now which shows the greatinfluence of environment both on a-chievement and intelligence.Children with

poor homebackgrounds not only do less well in their school work and intelligence testsbut their performance tends to deteriorate gradually compared with that oftheir more

fortunateclassmates. 3 .There are evidences that support the view that we have to distinguishbetween genetic intelli- gence and observed intelligence.Any deficiency in the

appropriate geneswill restrict development no matter how stimulating the environment. We cannotobserve and measure innate intelligence, whereas we can measure the

effects of theinteraction of whatever is inherited with whatever stimu-lation has beenreceived from the environment. Researches have been investigation what happensin

this interaction. 4.Two major findings have emerged from these researches.Firstly,the greater partof the devel-opment of observed intelligence occurs in the earliest years of

life.It is estimatedthat 50 per cent of measurable intelligence at age 17 is already predictable bythe age of four. Secondly,the most important factors in the environment are

language andpsychological aspects of the parent-child re- lationship.Much of the differencein measured intelligence between“privileged”and“disadvan- taged”children may

be due to thelatter's lack of appropriate verbal stimulation and the poverty of theirperceptual experiences. 5. These research findings have led to a revision inour

understanding of thenature of intelli- gence.Instead of it being some largely inherited fixed powerof the mind,we now see it as a set of developed skills which a person copes

with anyenvironment. These skills have to be learned and, indeed,one of them islearning how to learn. 6 .The modern ideas concerning the nature ofintelligence are bound

to have some effecton our school system.In one respect a change is already occurring.With the movetoward comprehensive education and the development of unstreamed

classes,fewerchildren will be given the label “low IQ”which must inevitably condemn a childin his own,if not society's eyes.The idea that we can teach children to be

intelligent in thesame way that we can teach them reading or arithmetic is ac-cepted by more andmore people.It was oncebelieved_______,and thus we can tell how successful he/she will be in thefu-ture according to his/her intelligence.

A.born to be moreintelligent or less intelligent

B. have a better chanceto develop his intelligence

C.taught to be moreintelligent

D.that intelligencewas something a baby was born with

E. and because ofthe lack of communication with his classmates