Britain's got talent——but we're still wasting it. That's the main finding of a new report by researchers from Oxford University. Children of similar cognitive (认知) ability have very different chances of educational success； it still depends on their parents' economic, socio-cultural and educational resources. This contradicts a commonly held view that our education system has developed enough to give everyone a fighting chance. The researchers looked at data from groups of children born in three decades: 1950s, 1970s and 1990s.
They found significant evidence of a wastage of talent. Individuals with high levels of cognitive ability but with disadvantages in their social origins are unable to translate their ability into educational achievement to the same extent as their more advantaged counterparts (对照组). The research, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, found that only about half of the difference in educational achievement between children from advantaged and disadvantaged parental backgrounds is due to differences in their cognitive ability. The other half is due to other factors (因素)associated with their backgrounds.
“If we compare the educational achievement of children born in the 1990s to those in the late 1950s and early 1970s, we see that parents' economic resources have become a less important factor, but their socio-cultural and educational resources have grown in significance," says Dr. Bukodi. “That means that your parents' place in society and their own level of education still play a big part in how well you may do."
These experts are now calling for policy-makers to acknowledge that formal qualifications is only one channel for upward mobility (流动性)for high-ability individuals of disadvantaged backgrounds. Dr. Bukodi says, “These findings show that there are limits to how far inequalities of opportunity can be reduced through educational policy alone. Changes in educational policy aren't having the powerful effect we want."
76. What is the main finding of the research?
A. We're wasting talent due to education system.
B. Children of similar cognitive ability have different chances of educational success.
C. Children's cognitive ability depends on different educational resources.
D. Education system has developed enough to give chilidren a fighting chance.
77. How does the author mainly develop the text?
A. By making a comparison.
B. By discussing a result.
C. By giving examples.
D. By presenting reasons.
78. According to Dr. Bukodi, what affects children's educational achievement greatly?
A. Children's cognitive ability.
B. Parents' economic resouces.
C. Educational policy.
D. Parents' socio-cultural and educational backgrounds.
79. What is the author's attitude towards the finding of the new report?
A. Favorable. B. Objective.
C. Doubtful. D. Negative.
【答案】76. B    77. A    78. D    79. B
【解析】