In the early nineteen fifties, researchers found that people scored lower on intelligence tests if they spoke more than one language. Research in the sixties found the opposite. Bilingual people scored higher than monolinguals--people who speak only one language. So which is it?
上世纪五十年代早期，研究人员发现掌握超过一门语言的人在智力测试上得分更低。而六十年代研究的发现则恰恰相反，“双语者”比只懂一种语言的“单语者”得分更高。那么，哪个发现是正确的呢？

Researchers presented their newest studies last month at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. ______________________________________________________________________But researcher Ellen Bialystock says it probably does make you better at certain skills.
研究人员上月在美国科学促进会的一次会议上介绍了他们的最新研究成果。但研究人员艾伦·比雅利斯托克（Ellen Bialystock）表示，它会使你在某些技能上表现更好。

ELLEN BIALYSTOCK: "Imagine driving down the highway. There's many things that could capture your attention and you really need to be able to monitor all of them. Why would bilingualism make you any better at that?"
比雅利斯托克：“想象一下在高速公路上开车，可能会有很多吸引你注意力的东西，你必须能够同时关注所有这一些。为什么双语环境可能会让你在这方面表现更好呢？”

And the answer, she says, is that bilingual people are often better at controlling their attention -- a function called the executive control system.
她表示，答案就是“双语者”更善于控制自己的注意力，这种能力也被称为行为控制系统。

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