2023年上半年教師資格認(rèn)定考試初級(jí)中學(xué)英語(yǔ)真題及答案

試題來源于網(wǎng)絡(luò)整理，如有侵權(quán)請(qǐng)聯(lián)系刪除試題來源于網(wǎng)絡(luò)整理，如有侵權(quán)請(qǐng)聯(lián)系刪除試題來源于網(wǎng)絡(luò)整理，如有侵權(quán)請(qǐng)聯(lián)系刪除2023年上半年教師資格認(rèn)定考試初級(jí)中學(xué)英語(yǔ)真題及答案單選題第1題、Whichofthefollowingtwo-syllablewordshasa

differentstresspattern

fromthe

others?A.typhoonB.balloonC.shampooD.crayon參考答案：D第2題、Whichofthefollowing

isashortvowelin

English?A./j/B./e/C./au/D./w/參考答案：B第3題、Mr.SmithissurprisedtolearnthatSiamakhas

written______essayson

Victoriannovelsinhisclass.A.thenextB.theotherC.themostD.themore參考答案：C第4題、Thatprestigiousuniversityhasmadeitcleartoall

applicantsthatnobodycanbe______forascholarship

thisquarterwithoutagoodinternship.A.eligibleB.legibleC.compliableD.compliant參考答案：A第5題、Wouldyou

like

acupofcoffee______shallweget

downtobusinessright

away?A.orB.andC.thenD.otherwise參考答案：A第6題、Alexspecializesin______medicalscienceinthis

graduateschoolandplans

toworkas______doctorupon

graduation.A.a;theB.the;aC./;aD.a;/參考答案：C第7題、The

reason

why

I

want

to

give

up

the

plan

is

______

if

I

don't,

my

employer

will

be

mad

at

me.A.becauseB.thatC.forD.since參考答案：B第8題、Whichofthefollowingcorrectlydescribesthe

semantic

featuresoftheword“girl”?A.[-Human-Male-Adult]B.[+Human+Male-Adult]C.[+Human-Male+Adult]D.[+Human-Male-Adult]參考答案：D第9題、Whatistherelationshipbetweenthetwo

sentences“Thestressisondocumentaryand

rightlyso.

Artyphotographsareabore.”A.Phenomenon-reasonB.Problem-solutionC.Instrument-achievementD.Cause-consequence參考答案：A第10題、“Like”

and

“bike”,

“bat”

and

“pat”,

“l(fā)ook”

and

“book”

are

examples

of

______

used

in

teaching

pronunciation.A.alliterationB.rhythmC.weakformsD.minimalpairs參考答案：D第11題、Whenstudentsare

askedtolistentoarecordingandreadafterit,theyaredoing______.A.freepracticeB.guidedpracticeC.meaningfulpracticeD.controlledpractice參考答案：D第12題、When

designingatask,teachersshouldtakethefollowing

aspectsintoconsiderationEXCEPT______.A.pacingandgroupingB.materialsandsourcesC.learningskillsandstrategiesD.teachers’interestandpreferences參考答案：D第13題、Whichof

thefollowingactivitiesissuitabletobeconductedatthe

“production”

step?A.Debating.B.Mimicking.C.Reciting.D.Repeating.參考答案：A第14題、Whichofthe

followingmightbethemostappropriateindevelopingstudents’criticalthinkingthrough

reading?A.Studentsreadastoryandstudygrammarrules.B.Studentslistentoastoryandreaditaloud.C.Studentsreadastoryandevaluateit.D.Studentsreadastoryandreciteit.參考答案：C第15題、When

a

teacher

says,“Sorry,

I

didn't

get

what

you

said.Can

you

say

it

again?”

,

he/she

is

______.A.offeringanopinionB.askingforadviceC.askingforclarificationD.checkinginstruction參考答案：C第16題、Whenstudentstakeanend-of-termexamtoassess

howwelltheyhavelearntinthepastterm,they

aretakinga(n)

______.A.aptitudetestB.proficiencytestC.placementtestD.achievementtest參考答案：D第17題、Whichofthe

followingisleastimportantin

developingschool-based

teachingmaterials?A.Students'levelandinterest.B.Teachers'professionalexpertise.C.Theaimandneedofyourschool.D.Theformoftheteachingmaterials.參考答案：D第18題、Whichofthe

followingstrategieswould

bestfacilitate

peerlearninginwriting?A.Askingstudentstogradetheirpeers'writing.B.Providingstudentswithanevaluationchecklist.C.Encouragingstudentstogiveonlypositivefeedback.D.Instructingstudentstofocusononlyonetypeoferror.參考答案：A第19題、AccordingtotheInputHypothesis,ateacher

should

______.A.providestudentswithwhatevermaterialshe/shecanfindB.chooselanguagematerialslowerthanstudentcurrentlevelC.providestudentswithasmuchauthenticlanguageaspossibleD.chooselanguagematerialsalittlehigherthanstudents'currentlevel參考答案：D簡(jiǎn)答題第20題、簡(jiǎn)述朗讀(Readingaloud)在英語(yǔ)教學(xué)中的兩個(gè)作用（8分），寫出教師需從哪兩個(gè)方面指導(dǎo)學(xué)生朗讀（6分）以及在指導(dǎo)過程中兩個(gè)應(yīng)該注意的事項(xiàng)。（6分）參考答案：（1）朗讀在英語(yǔ)教學(xué)中的作用：①朗讀活動(dòng)同時(shí)調(diào)動(dòng)多種器官，從而加強(qiáng)對(duì)英語(yǔ)的理解和記憶。我們學(xué)習(xí)英語(yǔ)的時(shí)候，進(jìn)行朗讀活動(dòng)的同時(shí)，就調(diào)動(dòng)了多個(gè)人體器官。在這一復(fù)雜過程中，在整個(gè)朗讀活動(dòng)中完成了同一語(yǔ)言材料理解的兩次處理，尤其是整個(gè)過程中，發(fā)音器官的參與和對(duì)于聲音的辨別和識(shí)記可以強(qiáng)化和鞏固語(yǔ)言材料，也就是深化了對(duì)于語(yǔ)言材料的處理，那么可以深刻地記憶語(yǔ)言材料和語(yǔ)言信息。②朗讀活動(dòng)與語(yǔ)音聽覺記憶的關(guān)系促進(jìn)發(fā)展英語(yǔ)聽力和閱讀能力。通過大量的朗讀發(fā)聲練習(xí)，從而習(xí)得詞匯，短語(yǔ)和句子等方面內(nèi)在的語(yǔ)音印象記憶，形成語(yǔ)音與語(yǔ)義的結(jié)合，可以明顯地促進(jìn)發(fā)展學(xué)習(xí)者的英語(yǔ)聽力和閱讀能力。③朗讀有助于英語(yǔ)口語(yǔ)能力的提高通過數(shù)量足夠且質(zhì)量高的朗讀訓(xùn)練，可以同時(shí)掌握英語(yǔ)音素的準(zhǔn)確發(fā)音，并且準(zhǔn)確提高詞匯的讀音。而且大量的朗讀練習(xí)活動(dòng)為流利的口語(yǔ)交流提供了前提。④朗讀可以提高英語(yǔ)學(xué)習(xí)者的寫作水平朗讀解決語(yǔ)音發(fā)音問題的同時(shí)，可以使學(xué)習(xí)者有效地學(xué)習(xí)和掌握文章的句法風(fēng)格技巧，寫作是一種輸出語(yǔ)言材料的過程，朗讀是語(yǔ)言信息的輸入，沒有輸入就沒有輸出。朗讀通過提高學(xué)習(xí)者英語(yǔ)語(yǔ)感的構(gòu)建，從而影響著英語(yǔ)寫作的產(chǎn)出。（任選兩點(diǎn)即可）（2）教師需從以下兩方面指導(dǎo)學(xué)生朗讀：①確定朗讀任務(wù)：根據(jù)學(xué)生的不同層次，確定不同的朗讀任務(wù)，有的放矢。由淺到深，由易到難，讓各個(gè)層次的學(xué)生都有任務(wù)可做。②多鼓勵(lì)和示范：因?yàn)橛行W(xué)生比較內(nèi)向，缺乏自信，在進(jìn)行朗讀訓(xùn)練時(shí)，常常會(huì)產(chǎn)生一些思想障礙或心理障礙，不愿或不敢開聲朗讀英語(yǔ)。這時(shí)候老師應(yīng)該多示范，領(lǐng)讀，聽原聲錄音，多鼓勵(lì)和表?yè)P(yáng)。讓學(xué)生自信地開口朗讀。③創(chuàng)設(shè)情境：創(chuàng)設(shè)與課文匹配的情景，通過反復(fù)聽錄音、老師范讀、學(xué)生范讀等形式，讓學(xué)生揣摩文中人物的語(yǔ)氣，找準(zhǔn)詞句的重讀、弱讀和連讀，以及停頓點(diǎn)，多聽多模仿，在這一要求中特別強(qiáng)調(diào)讓學(xué)生學(xué)會(huì)“有感情地朗讀”。④通過競(jìng)賽，提高朗讀能力。語(yǔ)言運(yùn)用是一種技能，而技能是通過反復(fù)實(shí)踐養(yǎng)成的，所以經(jīng)常性地組織學(xué)生開展多樣的朗讀活動(dòng)，是提高學(xué)生朗讀水平的最有效的途徑。（任選兩點(diǎn)即可）（3）教師在指導(dǎo)學(xué)生朗讀過程中應(yīng)該注意的事項(xiàng)：①朗讀教學(xué)目標(biāo)要明確：在指導(dǎo)學(xué)生朗讀時(shí)，更多情況下課堂朗讀重形式，輕目的，學(xué)生的朗讀往往只停留在內(nèi)容層面，無法讀出文章感情和意圖也很少能讀出意群、停頓或節(jié)奏感。因此教師應(yīng)該培養(yǎng)學(xué)生從學(xué)習(xí)發(fā)音到能朗讀，從正確朗讀到流暢朗讀，明確不同階段朗讀教學(xué)的目標(biāo)和內(nèi)容。②選擇作品要適宜：要符合學(xué)生的年齡、性別、興趣愛好等，能夠引起他們的共鳴和興趣。同時(shí)，朗讀材料的文學(xué)價(jià)值也應(yīng)該是重要的選擇標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。③合理的評(píng)價(jià)：教師應(yīng)該對(duì)學(xué)生進(jìn)行合理的評(píng)價(jià)，既關(guān)注學(xué)生的技能表現(xiàn)，也重視學(xué)生的情感表達(dá)，讓學(xué)生能夠在評(píng)價(jià)中獲得成長(zhǎng)和進(jìn)步。④指導(dǎo)的循序漸進(jìn)：朗讀指導(dǎo)要有層次，隨著朗讀遍數(shù)的增加，朗讀要求要隨之提高。（任選兩點(diǎn)即可）教學(xué)情境分析根據(jù)題目要求完成下列任務(wù)，用國(guó)家通用語(yǔ)言文字作答。下面教學(xué)片段來自某初中英語(yǔ)教師的口語(yǔ)教學(xué)。T:OK.

Let'spracticethisdialogue.Ss:...(Ssdon'tknowwhattodo.)T:Well,youaskyourpartner

"Doyoulike

bananas?",yourpartneranswers"Yes,Ido."Ifhe

orshedoesn'tlike,thensay“No,Idon'tlikeit".

Understandnow?Ss:OK.(Ssreadoutthedialogueinthetextbookinpair)T:Now.(toonestudent)Doesyourpartnerlike

bananas?S1:Yes,

hedoes.T:(toanotherstudent)Doesyourpartnerlike

bananas?S2:No,hedon't.T:No,no,no,no.Hedoesn't!S2:Oh.Oh.Yes

.Hedoesn't.T:Youmustpayattentiontothat.

OK?Now

pleasereadafterme.Doyoulikebananas?Ss:(inchorus)Doyoulikebananas?T:Yes,Ido.Ss(inchorus)Yes,Ido.第21題、根據(jù)所給信息回答下面問題：（1）該教學(xué)片段屬于哪個(gè)教學(xué)環(huán)節(jié)（3分）？其教學(xué)目的是什么？(1分）（2）指出該教學(xué)片段存在的三個(gè)問題。（12分）（3）如何針對(duì)上述問題進(jìn)行相應(yīng)的改進(jìn)？（12分）參考答案：（1）該教學(xué)片段屬于口語(yǔ)教學(xué)的操練環(huán)節(jié)，教學(xué)目的是加深學(xué)生對(duì)新句型Do

you

like…？及其回答的理解和應(yīng)用，鍛煉其口語(yǔ)表達(dá)能力，促進(jìn)學(xué)生練習(xí)鞏固所學(xué)知識(shí)。（2）問題一：課堂指令不清晰，在操練前沒有解釋活動(dòng)的內(nèi)容、形式、要求等具體要求，導(dǎo)致學(xué)生不知從何練起；問題二：練習(xí)活動(dòng)單一，在練習(xí)階段僅進(jìn)行了機(jī)械性的操練問答活動(dòng)，讓學(xué)生照著書上的內(nèi)容進(jìn)行簡(jiǎn)單問答，不利于啟發(fā)式教學(xué)和培養(yǎng)學(xué)生的學(xué)習(xí)興趣；問題三：糾錯(cuò)方式不太合理，學(xué)生出現(xiàn)錯(cuò)誤時(shí)，教師采用直接糾錯(cuò)法，直接否定學(xué)生并給出正確答案，容易打擊學(xué)生的自尊心和自信心，不利于啟發(fā)式教學(xué)；問題四：教學(xué)評(píng)價(jià)單一，該活動(dòng)過程中僅出現(xiàn)對(duì)學(xué)生錯(cuò)誤的評(píng)價(jià)，而對(duì)于學(xué)生的練習(xí)和師生問答均未給出相應(yīng)的評(píng)價(jià)，未能發(fā)揮評(píng)價(jià)的積極作用，也不利于提高學(xué)生學(xué)習(xí)的積極性。（答出任意三點(diǎn)即可）（3）改進(jìn)建議：?jiǎn)栴}一：教師在設(shè)計(jì)指令語(yǔ)的過程中，應(yīng)該明確規(guī)范指令語(yǔ)的內(nèi)容，以便讓學(xué)生清晰準(zhǔn)確地了解指令語(yǔ)的目的，必要時(shí)可以進(jìn)行示范。因此在操練開始時(shí)，教師應(yīng)該明確指出同桌二人一組，就新學(xué)的句型Do

you

like…？進(jìn)行相互問答，并給出練習(xí)的時(shí)限，這樣學(xué)生可以清晰準(zhǔn)確地了解學(xué)習(xí)內(nèi)容，有效地進(jìn)行練習(xí)。問題二：新課講授后，應(yīng)通過游戲、情境創(chuàng)設(shè)等多種方式展開操練活動(dòng)，可以設(shè)置機(jī)械操練、意義練習(xí)和交際性練習(xí)等多層次練習(xí)活動(dòng)，循序漸進(jìn)、由淺入深地強(qiáng)化所學(xué)內(nèi)容，多角度地鞏固新知，提高學(xué)生的語(yǔ)言運(yùn)用能力；教師在設(shè)計(jì)指令語(yǔ)的過程中，應(yīng)該明確規(guī)范指令語(yǔ)的內(nèi)容，以便讓學(xué)生清晰準(zhǔn)確地了解指令語(yǔ)的目的，必要時(shí)可以進(jìn)行示范。因此在操練開始時(shí)，教師應(yīng)該明確指出同桌二人一組，就新學(xué)的句型Do

you

like…？進(jìn)行相互問答，并給出練習(xí)的時(shí)限，這樣學(xué)生可以清晰準(zhǔn)確地了解學(xué)習(xí)內(nèi)容，有效地進(jìn)行練習(xí)。問題三：學(xué)生出現(xiàn)錯(cuò)誤時(shí)，教師應(yīng)該遵循糾錯(cuò)的鼓勵(lì)性、啟發(fā)性和策略性原則，比如該教師可以通過重述、強(qiáng)調(diào)、澄清等，啟發(fā)學(xué)生自己發(fā)現(xiàn)錯(cuò)誤并改正，教師再給出正面的評(píng)價(jià)。這樣既能防止學(xué)生產(chǎn)生過分的焦慮和挫折感，同時(shí)也保護(hù)了學(xué)生的自尊心、自信心和積極性。問題四：評(píng)價(jià)是及時(shí)監(jiān)控教學(xué)過程和教學(xué)效果的重要手段，教師要正確處理二者之間的關(guān)系，評(píng)價(jià)要服務(wù)教學(xué)、反饋教學(xué)、促進(jìn)教學(xué)。該教師應(yīng)注意在教學(xué)過程中多給予學(xué)生多維度的評(píng)價(jià)，也可以讓學(xué)生參與評(píng)價(jià)，從而推動(dòng)課堂教學(xué)，提高學(xué)習(xí)效果。（答出任意三點(diǎn)即可，與第二問匹配）教學(xué)設(shè)計(jì)第22題、設(shè)計(jì)任務(wù)：請(qǐng)閱讀下面的學(xué)生信息和語(yǔ)言素材，設(shè)計(jì)20分鐘的聽說教學(xué)方案。教案沒有固定格式，但須包含下列要點(diǎn)：Teaching

objectivesTeaching

contentKey

and

difficult

pointsMajor

steps

and

time

allocation

Activities

and

justifications教學(xué)時(shí)間：20分鐘學(xué)生概況：某城鎮(zhèn)普通中學(xué)八年級(jí)第二學(xué)期學(xué)生，班級(jí)人數(shù)40人，多數(shù)學(xué)生已經(jīng)達(dá)到義務(wù)教育英語(yǔ)課程標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的相應(yīng)水平三。學(xué)生課堂參與積極性較高。語(yǔ)言素材：Helpline:

Hello.Friendship

Helpline.

Who's

calling,

please?Lingling:

Hello.

This

is

Lingling

speaking.Helpline:

Hi,

Lingling!

How

can

I

help

you?Lingling:

I

have

a

problem

with

my

best

friend.

She

is

called...Helpline:

No,

don't

tell

me

who

she

is.

Tell

me

when

the

problem

started.Lingling:

Yes.

Well,

we've

been

friends

for

five

years.

We

got

separated

when

we

went

to

different

schools

last

term,

but

we

stayed

in

touch.Helpline:

So

could

you

explain

what

happened

then?Lingling:

This

term,

she

came

to

study

at

my

school.

I

was

so

happy

at

first.

But

she's

so

different.Helpline:

Can

you

tell

me

how

she's

different?Lingling:

She

doesn't

like

me

to

see

my

other

friends.Helpline:

Could

I

ask

if

you've

mentioned

this

to

her?Lingling:

Yes,

but

she

refused

to

listen.Helpline:

OK,

do

you

know

why

she

treats

you

like

that?Lingling:

No.

I

don't

know.Helpline:

Maybe

she

doesn't

feel

very

sure

of

herself

in

her

new

school.Lingling:

Maybe.Helpline:

She

probably

feels

lonely

without

you.

I'm

sure

she

regrets

hurting

you.

So

be

patient

with

her

and

explain

to

her

that

she

can

make

friends

with

your

other

friends

too.

Try

to

introduce

her

to

them.Lingling:

I

see.

I'll

encourage

her

to

join

in

more.Thanks.Helpline:

No

problem,

Lingling.You're

welcome.參考答案：1.Teaching

contentThis

is

a

listening

lesson.

It

talks

about

a

dialogue

about

how

to

get

on

well

with

best

friends

and

how

to

handle

the

barriers

in

the

daily

life

to

keep

the

good

friendship.

The

dialogue

mainly

introduces

Lingling's

problem

with

her

best

friend

and

the

suggestions

from

Helpline

towards

it.2.Teaching

objectives①Language

competence:Students

can

understand

the

new

words

and

phrases,

such

as

“have

a

problem

with,

explain,

feel

sure

of

and

so

on”.Through

listening,

students

will

understand

the

main

idea

of

the

listening

materials

and

be

able

to

use

the

target

language

to

talk

about

some

problems

with

one’s

best

friends.②Cultural

awareness:Students

can

have

correct

values,

positive

emotional

attitude

and

get

along

well

with

othersStudents

can

learn

to

stay

on

good

terms

with

their

friends

and

understand

the

nature

of

friendship.③Thinking

quality:

Students

can

sort

out

and

summarize

the

information

in

the

material.④Learning

ability:

Students

will

be

willing

to

take

part

in

the

class

activities

and

cooperate

with

other

group

members.3.Key

and

difficult

points①Key

pointsHelp

students

know

the

meaning

and

usage

of

the

new

words

and

phrases.Let

students

get

the

content

of

this

lesson

through

listening.②Difficult

pointsHow

to

guide

students

to

utilize

the

skills

to

extract

information.To

improve

the

confidence

of

speaking

English

and

help

students

realize

the

significance

of

friendship.4.Major

stepsStep

1

Pre-listening

(6

mins)(1)

New

knowledge

teachingWith

the

help

of

some

pictures,

the

teacher

will

guide

students

to

understand

the

meaning

and

usage

of

the

new

words

and

phrases,

including

“have

a

problem

with,

explain,

feel

sure

of

and

so

on”.(2)

PredictionBefore

listening,

the

teacher

will

organize

students

to

make

a

prediction.

Some

hints

will

be

provided

to

help

them.Hint

1:

Words

and

phrases

just

referred

to.Hint

2:

Some

pictures

in

which

students

can

see

some

problems

that

they

may

have

with

their

best

friends.【Justification】The

above

activities

can

help

students

recognize

the

new

words

and

phrases,

remove

the

barriers,

and

lay

the

foundation

for

the

next

step

of

“l(fā)istening”.Step

2

While-listening(10

mins)(1)Extensive

listeningStudents

will

listen

to

the

passage

for

the

first

time

to

check

their

predictions

and

conclude

the

main

idea

of

the

passage.(2)Intensive

listeningStudents

should

listen

to

the

passage

for

the

second

time

and

do

the

following

task:True

or

FalseLingling’s

friend

doesn't

feel

very

sure

of

herself

in

her

new

school.(T/F)Lingling

won’t

be

patient

with

her

friend

and

explain

to

her

that

she

can’t

make

friends

with

Lingling’s

other

friends

too.(T/F)Helpline

need

to

know

Lingling’s

friend’s

name.(T/F)(3)

Listening

and

repeatingStudents

will

listen

to

the

passage

for

the

third

time

and

read

after

it.

They

should

pay

attention

to

the

pronunciation

and

intonation.【Justification】In

the

process

of

completing

the

listening

tasks

at

different

levels,

students

can

not

only

understand

the

content

and

certain

details

of

the

passage,

but

also

improve

their

listening

skills.Step

3

Post-listening(4

mins)Group

discussionStudents

will

work

in

groups

to

discuss

the

following

question:

how

do

you

get

on

well

with

your

best

friends

and

how

do

you

handle

the

barriers

in

the

daily

life

to

keep

the

good

friendship?

Several

minutes

will

be

given.

When

time's

up,

several

students

will

be

invited

to

share

their

answers.

Then

the

teacher

will

comment

on

students'

performances.【Justification】Group

activities

will

provide

students

with

the

opportunity

to

apply

what

they

have

learned

to

the

situation,

improve

their

comprehensive

language

skills,

and

boost

their

confidence

in

learning

English

and

strengthen

their

sense

of

teamwork.閱讀理解題閱讀理解，回答下面小題Passage2Asaspecies,humansareincrediblysmart.Wetellstories,createmagnificentartandastoundingtechnology,buildcities,andexplorespace.Wehaven'tbeenaroundnearlyaslongasmanyotherspecies,butinmanyrespectswe'veaccomplishedmorethananyspecies.Weeatthemandtheydon'teatus.Weevenrunscientificstudiesonthemandarethinkingaboutre-creatingsomeofthosethathavegoneextinct.Butourintelligencecomeswithacuriouscaveat:ourbabiesareamongthedumbest——or,rather,themosthelpless——thatexist.Ababygiraffecanstandwithinanhourofbirth,andcanevenpotentiallyfleepredatorsonitsfirstdayoflife.Ababymonkeycangraspitsmotherandhangonforprotectionandnourishment.Ahumaninfantcan’tevenholdupitsownhead.Theevolutionofhumanintelligenceisn'tsomethingthatCelesteKiddhadeverpondered.AdevelopmentalcognitivescientistwhocurrentlyworksattheUniversityofRochester,herworkhadfocusedmostlyonlearninganddecision-makinginchildren.Overyearsofobservingyoungchildren,shebecameimpressedwiththeaveragechild'slevelofsophistication.Butwhenshelookedattheinfantssheencountered,shesawabafflingdegreeofhelplessness:Howcouldtheybesoincompetentonesecondandsobrightsosoonthereafter?Oneday,sheposedthequestiontohercolleagueStevenPiantadosi."Bothofuswonderedwhatcouldpossiblyjustifythedegreeofhelplessnesshumaninfantsexhibit",shetoldmerecently."Evenotherprimatebabies,likebabychimps,whicharecloseinevolutionaryterms,canclingontotheirmoms."Shebegantoseeacontradiction:humansarebornquitehelpless,farmoresothananyotherprimate,but,fairlyearlyon,westartbecomingquitesmart,againfarmoresothananyotherprimate.Whatifthisweren'tacontradictionsomuchasacausalpathway?That'stheargumentthatKiddandPiantadosimakeintheirnewpaper,publishedinaJuneissueofPNAS.Humansbecomesointelligentbecausehumaninfantsaresoincrediblyhelpless,theyargue;theonenecessitatestheother.Thetheoryisstartling,butitisn'tentirelynew.Researchershavebeenponderingthepeculiaritiesofourbirthanditsevolutionarysignificanceforquitesometime.Humansbelongtothesubsetofmammals,calledviviparousmammals,thatgivelivebirthtotheiryoung.Thismeansthatinfantsmustgrowtoamatureenoughstateinsidethebodytobeborn,buttheycan'tbesobigthattheyareunabletocomeout.Thisleadstoatrade-off:themoreintelligentananimalis,thelargeritsheadgenerallyis,butthebirthcanalimposesanupperlimitonjusthowlargethatheadcanbebeforeitgetsstuck.Thebrain,therefore,mustkeepmaturing,andtheheadmustcontinuegrowing,longafterbirth.Themoreintelligentananimalwilleventuallybe,themorerelativelyimmatureitsbrainisatbirth.Researchershavelongknownaboutthistrade-off,andabouttheconnectionbetweenbrainsizeandneuraldensityandintelligence.Forinstance,RobinDunbarfoundthattheratioofneocorticalvolumetobrainsizecanpredictthesocial-groupsizeinanumberofspecies,includingbats,cetaceans,andprimates.whileSimonReaderhasdemonstratedlinksintooluseandinnovationtobrainsizeinprimates.KiddandPiantadosi’snewideaisthatincreasedhelplessnessinnewbornsmandatesincreasedintelligenceinparentsandthatarunawayselectiondynamiccanaccountforboth.Naturalselectionfavorshumanswithlargebrains,becausethosehumanstendtobesmarter.Thismaycreateevolutionaryincentivesforbabiesthatarebornatanevenearlierd