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Summer is slipping away from me. Some days, it makes me want to cry. Other days, I feel a sense of expectation within me just thinking about fall that makes me want to burst. Tonight, all five of us were in the family room doing our own things.

 At this moment, my littlest kid is my number one trouble and my number one joy. He has a tooth on the way and although it’s such a tiny thing, it’s causing so much grief. I’m holding him a lot and I’m not going to lie. I live for his afternoon nap (小睡) so I’m able to actually get dressed and use the restroom. 

The big E is starting school soon. The other day, I found myself a bit depressed   about the end of summer and the beginning of another school year. I looked out of our front window with eyes that were heavy and a bit teary. Then, I suddenly realized just how silly this end of summer depression of mine is. I can’t change time. But, I can change my emotions and my thoughts. I decided not to spend my final days of summer vacation walking around with a sad face. I decided to hug the last few days of summer and remind myself that before I know it, we will be back in our school routine and all will go well. 

This week we plan on meeting teachers. I’m taking my girl to have her nails done before her first day of kindergarten. We want to bake a few dozen cookies. We’ll take our evening walks as usual and stay up late. And last but not least, I’ll get school cloth ready, I’ll pack lunches and write lunch notes, we’ll read“The Kissing Hand,” like we normally do, and I’ll tuck (掖好被子) my third grader and kindergartener in their little beds before the big first day. 

 Thank you summer, you’ve been warm and wonderful, you’ve been sweet and sticky, you’ve been refreshing and exactly what we need. And your sunsets have been amazing, so thank you.    

56. According to Paragraph 1, the author __________. 

A. feels excited   B. has mixed feelings   C. feels worried   D. has bad feelings      

57. How will the author spend the final days of the summer vacation?   

A. Live a simple life. B. Stay at home and relax herself.  C. Treasure the vacation.   D. Walk around with a depressed face.      

58. From the passage, we can learn that the author __________.    

A. is fond of reading novels   B. has two annoying children  C. often takes evening walks  D. has no time to get dressed  

         B    

Ever walked to the shops only to find, once there, you’ve completely forgotten what you went for? Or struggled to remember the name of an old friend? For years we’ve accepted that a forgetful brain is as much a part of ageing as wrinkles and grey   hair. But now a new book suggests that we’ve got it all wrong. 

According to The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain, by science writer Barbara Strauch, when it comes to the important things, our brains actually get better with age. In fact, she argues that some studies have found that our brain hits its peak between our 40s and 60s   – much later than previously thought.  

 Furthermore, rather than losing many brain cells as we age, we retain them, and even produce new ones well into middle age. For years it’s been assumed that brain, much like the body, declines with age. But the longest, largest study into what happens to people as they age suggests otherwise.   

This continuing research has followed 6,000 people since 1956, testing them every   seven years. It has found that on average, participants performed better on cognitive (認  知的) tests in their 40s and 50s than they had done in their 20s. Specifically, order people did better on tests of vocabulary, verbal memory (how many words you can remember) and problem solving.   

Where they performed less well was number ability and perceptual speed – how fast you can push a button when ordered. However, with more complex tasks such as problem-solving and language, we are at our best at middle age and beyond. In short, researchers are now coming up with scientific proof that we do get wiser with age. 

  Neuroscientists are also finding that we are happier with ageing. A recent US study found older people were much better at controlling and balancing their emotions. It is thought that when we’re younger we need to focus more on the negative aspects of life in order to learn about the possible dangers in the world, but as we get older we’ve learned our lessons and are sub-consciously aware that we have less time left in life: therefore, it becomes more important for us to be happy.      

59. Barbara Strauch probably agrees that __________.    

A. the young are better at handling important things    B. people’s brains work best between their 40s and 60s    

C. ageing leads to the decline of the function of the brain    D. wrinkles and grey hair are the only symbols of ageing

60. The continuing research has found older people perform better on __________.    

A. vocabulary tests    B. number ability    C. perceptual speed    D. body balance      

61. People are happier with age because __________.    

A. they learn to value the time left    B. they know how to share feelings    

C. they cannot focus on negative aspects    D. they do not realize the possible dangers      

62. What is the main idea of the passage?    

A. People get wiser with age.    B. People get more forgetful with age.    

C. People get happier with age.    D. People get more self-aware with age. 
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