Assignment 2

Seeing DOUBLE

Before You Read

I. Completion. Look at the picture and read the caption. Then complete the sentences below
using the words in bold.

1. If your friends have things _______________, they are the same in some way.

2. If something can _______________ you, it can affect your feelings or behavior.

3. A person’s ____________ is a number that represents their intelligence, based on their

score on a special test.

4. If two things are exactly the same, we say they are _______________.

5. The growth of our bodies follows a plan contained in our _______________.

 II. Predict. The Jim Twins were separated as babies but met aged 39. Try to guess some
things they had in common. Then read the passage to check your ideas.

[1] Gene Theory

Many scientists once believed that physical similarities between identical twins are genetic,
while their personalities, intelligence, and other differences between them are an effect [5] of
their environment. Now scientists are discovering that the boundaries between genetics and
environment are not so clear.

The Jim Twins

Identical twins Jim Springer and Jim Lewis were adopted as babies and raised by different
couples. When the Jims finally [10] met at age 39, they discovered they had plenty in common.
Both were six feet tall, 180 pounds. They had the same smile and the same voice. When
psychologist Thomas Bouchard Jr. invited the Jim twins to his lab, his colleagues found it very
hard to tell them apart.
[15] But the similarities didn’t stop at the physical. They’d both had dogs named Toy. They had
both married women named Linda, and then divorced them. They’d both been sheriffs,1 enjoyed
carpentry,2 suffered severe headaches, and admitted to leaving love notes around the house for
their wives. They had so much [20] in common, it seemed unlikely these were just coincidences.

Genetics and Intelligence

The Jim twins were just one of 137 sets of separated twins Bouchard tested. When they
compared the twins’ IQ scores, Bouchard and his team reached a surprising conclusion. They
[25] concluded that intelligence was mostly connected to genetics rather than to training or
education. It seemed the differences in family and environment had little effect.
However, genes can’t control everything, argues geneticist Danielle Reed, who also studies
twins. Reed’s research shows [30] that though nothing can truly change our DNA, environmental
differences that a child experiences before birth and in their first year can sometimes affect the
way the DNA behaves, making even identical twins into very different people. “What I like to
say is that Mother Nature3 writes some things in pencil and some [35] things in pen,” she
explains. “Things written in pen you can’t change. That’s DNA. But things written in pencil you
can.”
Placed side by side (Lewis on the left, Springer on the right), the Jim twins’ faces are so alike
that they seem to make a single face. (Milner 194-196)

III. Inference. Look back at paragraphs 2–3 of the passage. Then read the sentences below. Can
you infer the information below from the information given in the passage? Circle Yes or No.
1. They both like dogs. Yes No
2. They both have sons, but no daughters. Yes No
3. They both believe keeping the law is important. Yes No
4. They frequently had to go to the hospital. Yes No
5. They are both romantic husbands. Yes No

IV. Inference. Look back at the passage. Answer the questions.

1. In Bouchard’s study, each of the people tested __________.

 a.looked exactly like their twin

 b.had the same kind of job as their twin
 c.had about the same IQ level as their twin
 2. What statement would Danielle Reed probably agree with?

 a.Only DNA affects a person’s development.

 b.Identical twins always have identical personalities.
 c.It’s possible to change some things about yourself.

(Milner 197)

Milner, Martin. ACP English as a Second Language: The Essentials GEEN 1101, 1102 and
1103. Cengage Learning, 06/2015. VitalBook file.