Why read this: This short story asks a big question in a simple way: where does our personality come from? Two twin brothers grow up apart but turn out to be very alike. The story shows that we are shaped by our genes and by our life. It is a soft, easy way to talk about a question that older students will see again in science and in psychology.
What to notice: Notice how the story uses a small example to make a big point. The two brothers are alike, even when they grow up apart. Notice the words "nature" and "nurture". They are short, but they hold the main idea of the text. Read the last paragraph slowly. It says the answer is "both". This is the main idea of the whole story.
Skills practised: Students practise reading a short story and finding the main idea. They learn three useful word groups: "nature or nurture", "identical twins", and "twin studies". They also practise finding small details, like what the brothers had in common. They answer simple "who, what, where" questions and learn to use a soft answer ("both") instead of a strong yes or no.
"Twins, Genes and the Big Question About You"
"Two brothers, one big question: where does our personality really come from?"
Tap any green word in the article to see its meaning.
Two brothers were born on the same day, and they were twinstwin: One of two children born at the same time to the same mother. — 双胞胎之一；孪生子 who looked the same. Soon after they were born, the babies were sent to livelive: To be alive; to have life — 活着；生存 with different families. The brothers grew up far apartapart: Separated by a distance in space or time. — 分开地；相隔, and they never met as children. They did not eveneven: Exactly, just, fully — 正好 know about each other.
Forty years later, the two brothers met for the first time, and they were very surprisedsurprised: Caused to feel surprise, amazement or wonder, or showing an emotion due to an unexpected event — 惊讶的. They were both quiet men, and they both liked the same kind of music. They both worked with their hands, and they even wore the same colour of shirt that day. People asked, "How can this be? They never lived together!"
This story makes people ask a big question. Where does our personalitypersonality: The qualities and characteristics that make a person who they are. — 个性；性格 come from? Some people think we are born with it, but other people think we learn it from the world around us. This question is called nature or nurture: the question of whether we are who we are because of our genes (nature) or because of our life and the people around us (nurture) — 先天与后天. Nature means the things we are born with, and nurture means the things we learn from our life.
Scientists have looked at many pairs of twins to find an answer. They look at identical twins: two babies born together who have exactly the same genes and look very alike — 同卵双胞胎, who share all the same genesgene: A unit of heredity that determines a particular characteristic of an organism. — 基因. They check how the twins are the same and how they are different. These twin studies: research that looks at twins to learn how much of a person comes from genes and how much comes from life — 双胞胎研究 show something interesting. Twins are often alikealike: In the same manner, form, or degree; in common; equally — 同样地;一样地, but they are not the same person. Even twins have their own way of feeling and actingact: To do something or behave in a particular way. — 行动；表演.
So what shapes who we are? Scientists now say the answer is both. Our genes give us a starting point. But our family, our friends, and the things that happen to us also shape us. One big sad event does not always change a person a lot. Insteadinstead: In place of something else. — 代替；反而, many small things shape us, day by day. Your personality comes from a mix of what you are born with and what you live through.
Two brothers were born on the same day, and they were twinstwin: One of two children born at the same time to the same mother. — 双胞胎之一；孪生子 who looked the same. Soon after they were born, the babies were sent to livelive: To be alive; to have life — 活着；生存 with different families. The brothers grew up far apartapart: Separated by a distance in space or time. — 分开地；相隔, and they never met as children. They did not eveneven: Exactly, just, fully — 正好 know about each other.
Forty years later, the two brothers met for the first time, and they were very surprisedsurprised: Caused to feel surprise, amazement or wonder, or showing an emotion due to an unexpected event — 惊讶的. They were both quiet men, and they both liked the same kind of music. They both worked with their hands, and they even wore the same colour of shirt that day. People asked, "How can this be? They never lived together!"
This story makes people ask a big question. Where does our personalitypersonality: The qualities and characteristics that make a person who they are. — 个性；性格 come from? Some people think we are born with it, but other people think we learn it from the world around us. This question is called nature or nurture: the question of whether we are who we are because of our genes (nature) or because of our life and the people around us (nurture) — 先天与后天. Nature means the things we are born with, and nurture means the things we learn from our life.
Scientists have looked at many pairs of twins to find an answer. They look at identical twins: two babies born together who have exactly the same genes and look very alike — 同卵双胞胎, who share all the same genesgene: A unit of heredity that determines a particular characteristic of an organism. — 基因. They check how the twins are the same and how they are different. These twin studies: research that looks at twins to learn how much of a person comes from genes and how much comes from life — 双胞胎研究 show something interesting. Twins are often alikealike: In the same manner, form, or degree; in common; equally — 同样地;一样地, but they are not the same person. Even twins have their own way of feeling and actingact: To do something or behave in a particular way. — 行动；表演.
So what shapes who we are? Scientists now say the answer is both. Our genes give us a starting point. But our family, our friends, and the things that happen to us also shape us. One big sad event does not always change a person a lot. Insteadinstead: In place of something else. — 代替；反而, many small things shape us, day by day. Your personality comes from a mix of what you are born with and what you live through.
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
What happened to the two brothers in the story when they were babies?
- 02
What did the brothers find when they met forty years later?
- 03
What do scientists now say shapes our personality?
- 04
Describe how the two brothers in the story were alike when they met again.
Suggested length: ~50 words
- 05
List three things that can shape a person's personality.
Suggested length: ~50 words
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
What happened to the two brothers in the story when they were babies?
- 02
What did the brothers find when they met forty years later?
- 03
What do scientists now say shapes our personality?
- 04
Describe how the two brothers in the story were alike when they met again.
Suggested length: ~50 words
- 05
List three things that can shape a person's personality.
Suggested length: ~50 words