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C If has anyone noticed how, with the passage of time, one’s relationship with one’s grown-up daughters and sons becomes changed? I’ve been aware of this for some time but I’m not quite sure how to deal with it. Take the kitchen sink for example. Following a family get-together at my place, I walked into the kitchen to find Kate, my daughter, carefully cleaning the sink. “Don’t do that; what are you doing that for?” I said, unhappy about the hidden criticism. “Mum,” she said, “you really ought to put your glasses on when you clean the sink. Behind the tap here was black!” But it’s not just things like kitchen sinks. Another time Kate arrived to pick me up to lunch. She looked at me and then asked, “Mum, why do you use brown eyebrow pencil when your hair is grey?” A sudden memory of her, aged 14, going to her first mixed party flooded back. She had come in to say goodbye. For a moment I thought she’d been an accident. Both eyes were black. I remember suggesting that perhaps a little less eye make-up might be more effective . Now I told her, “My hair used to be brown.” “It looks absurd.(荒唐)” “Mrs. Menzies had dark eyebrows with grey hair.” “Yes, but you’re not Mrs. Menzies, are you?” she said triumphantly, as if that proved her point. But a recent event made me realize that something really must be done. She had returned home for a few weeks before getting marri ed. One evening I went out on a dinner date. By the time my companion left me at the front door, it was about 2am. As I stepped in, an angry figure in a white nightgown( 睡衣)stopped me. “Well, what time of night is this to be coming home?” she shouted. “Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick!” Shades of the past come back to disturb me. But what should I do about all this? Nothing, probably. Maybe, after all, it’s only a stage young people are going through. 49.The daughter thought her mother didn’t clean the ki tchen sink well because of her . A.lazinessB.carelessnessC.unhappinessD.poor-quality glasses 50.From the passage we know the daughter . A.didn’t want to help with the sink B.didn’t like brown eyebrow pencils C.had an accident when she went to her first party D.shouted at her mum because she came home late 51.How does the mother fee l after all these have happened? A.Shocked.B.Proud.C.Envious.(嫉妒)D.Confused. 52.The author writes the stories to prove that . A.their relationship became stronger B.their roles changed as time passed C.her daughter very much cared about her D.her daughter got upset as she grew up D If you think English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language? According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles. The study also found the earlier people learn a second language, the greater the effect is. A team led by Dr. Andrea Mechelli, from University College London(UCL), took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals(通两种语言的人)”, who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners. Scans showed that grey matter density in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference was. “Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn. Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible,” he said, “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.” The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of 2 and 34. Reading, writing and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the earlier they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists. (责任编辑：admin) |