Passage 21
Are smarter kids smart enough to avoid alcohol and drugs? For decades scientists had documented that those with lower IQ and less education were more likely to become addicted to alcohol or other drugs, probably because lower levels of education and lower IQ are associated with the _1_effects
of poverty and because having less intelligence offers fewer mental resources to allow users to moderate and avoid problems.
The latest data, published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, doesn’t _2_ those findings. Drug use is not the same as drug addiction-higher intelligence is a protective factor against alcoholism and addictions; _3_, smarter people are more likely to drink or try drugs. Social drinking in many countries and non-problematic drinking is more _4_ and common among people with higher education. But why? What protects them from _5_ into addiction?
Intelligence can serve as a vehicle for _6_ when it comes to alcohol or drug use-the more educated people are, the more they internalize and appreciate the dangers and risks of _7_.
Intelligence can also _8_ more curiosity and openness to new experiences. And that includes experimenting with alcohol and drugs. People have the impression that intelligence is somehow related to being _9_ and bookwormish, but large studies definitely find that intelligence is associated with sensation-seeking and seeking different kinds of experiences, including learning new things. It could be related to the nature of intelligence. Such experimentation doesn’t always lead to addiction or problematic behavior because this type of exposure often involves a few experiences before the person moves on to the next _10_.
A) execution B) moderation C) compelling D) indulgence
E) nonetheless F) decent G) frequent H) novelty
H) spur J) damaging K) deviate L) sliding
M) exceptionally N) introverted O) contradict
adj. 强制的,引人注目的,令人信服的