Grandpa’s Old Chair
It was the annual cleaning day for the family. John and his mom were busy cleaning the house. They cleaned upstairs, downstairs, inside and outside until everything was spotless. Exhausted, they sank into the couch. Just then, John’s mom noticed an old chair that was faded and worn. That chair was for John’s grandpa, who had lived with them since John’s grandma had died.
“John, come and help me.” John’s mom sprang to her feet. “We’ll take the chair to the curb (路边). The garbage truck is picking up on our block tomorrow.”
As they attempted to move the chair, John’s grandpa made his way through the door. Seeing what was happening, he quickly tried to stop them. “No!” he protested. “You can’t take my chair.”
“But it’s so old...” John’s mom argued. “We’ll buy you a new one.”
“No,” he persisted, trying to push his chair back into place.
John’s mom finally let go of the chair and left the room. With a sigh of relief, the old man sank into his chair and closed his eyes.
“Grandpa, why won’t you let us get rid of the chair?” John asked.
“You don’t understand, John.” His grandpa shook his head and said, “I sat in this chair with your grandma right here when I asked her to marry me. And I sat in this chair the night your father was born. Many years later,” Grandpa’s voice broke, “I sat in this chair when the doctor called and told me that your grandma was ill. I was lost without her, but the chair gave me comfort and warmth.” The old man’s sadness seemed to grow as he recalled that fateful day.
“I understand now.” John looked at his grandpa and said, “This is not just any old chair. It is more like a friend.”
“Yes,” he nodded. “We’ve gone through a lot together.”
However, that night, when John and his grandpa were asleep, John’s mom and dad carried the chair outside. It was a starless night. Snow fell silently from the black sky and covered Grandpa’s chair in a blanket of white.
注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1:
The next morning, John was woken by the garbage truck pulling up to the house.
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Paragraph 2:
Hearing this, John’s mom looked at his grandpa and slowly walked towards him.
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My second year in college had started. I hadn’t decided whether to fly home for the new year yet. Although I had missed the holiday the year before, and I didn’t want to miss it two years in a row, I didn’t have the money for the ticket, plus I wasn’t sure I could get enough time off from my job. All that wondering changed when my mom called. She got right to the point: “Your grandmother isn’t doing well. I decided I should fly out there for the new year.” Mom was an only child, so that made sense to me. But I was not ready for what I heard next. “We decided you would want to come along so I covered your ticket.”
We arrived as scheduled. Mom was anxious to see her parents, especially her mother, who was really sick. After saying hello to them, we settled in the living room. Grandpa helped Grandma lie down again and told us we would have a big lunch at noon.
He went into the kitchen. Mom walked up and down in the living room. Finally, I asked her what the matter was. “He can’t cook,” she said, wondering. “How’s he supposed to fix a holiday meal for us?”I tried to reason with her.
“Can’t you smell dinner? It smells good to me. Grandma is upstairs resting. Grandpa is the only one who could be cooking.” But we couldn’t see through the kitchen door. She had an idea. “Let’s go out to the front door and see from outside the window what’s going on inside. Then we will know who is really cooking.” Grandpa was very hard of hearing, so he didn’t hear us leave. It was a crazy plan, but I followed her around the house to the kitchen windows.
注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
There we watched Grandpa fill water glasses, make coffee and do everything skillfully.
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Looking at the nice food on the table, Mom asked, “When did you learn to cook?”
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“Never give up! Never give up!” chanted(吟唱)my two young children, Max and Charley, as they marched barefoot behind their grandmother Mimi. My mom Mimi was leading Max and Charley on another adventure,straight off the beach where they’d spent the day building sand castles and playing in the waves. This time, they were seeking an ice-cream truck.
Over the years, Mimi had become our family’s tower of positivity. It wasn’t a title she earned without effort, however. Having been a single mother at only forty years old and left to raise me and my ten-year-old brother alone, she faced countless challenges. She had been the one who had to make the decision to remove our dad from life support fourteen days after he was in a car accident.
My mom could have lived under a black cloud. Instead, she challenged herself to find joy every day. She was always up for a new challenge, whether that was hiking across the high mountaintop in Austria to get a better view of the breathtaking beauty or signing up for tap-dancing classes at fifty. Leading by example, Mom taught us just how much one could accomplish with a positive attitude.
She has taken the same approach in her relationship with her grandchildren. Before starting her adventure with Max and Charley on that hot July afternoon, Mimi heard the familiar clang(叮当声)of the ice-cream man＇s bell from her beach chair. She turned and saw him briefly，spotting his shining green shirt and catching the gleam(闪光)of his waving bell before he turned and disappeared. Happily, the ice-cream man’s visit was a daily occurrence on the beach, although the time between the sound of his bell and the departure of his truck wasn’t long. One must be quick to catch him.
Max and Charley were disappointed when they didn’t catch him in time that day. Mimi smiled and said, “Never give up!” She explained that the truck might be gone, but they could hurry off to find it at its next stop.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
They walked block after block.
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Another two blocks later, they finally found the ice-cream truck!
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The day Dana and Jeff’s daughter Melody was born was nothing like they expected. The words the doctor said to them completely shook them, “Your daughter was born with a cleft lip (唇裂).” It was impossible for the couple to hide their sadness. They couldn’t believe it was true until they saw their daughter in person. Seeing her cleft made Dana and Jeff heartbroken more than anything. It broke their heart to imagine the kind of life Melody would lead in the future.
When the doctor told Dana and Jeff that their daughter’s condition was treatable with a cleft lip surgery (外科手术), the couple saw a ray of hope. Rather than feeling stressful like the first few days, they promised themselves they never wanted their daughter to suffer from that. They would support Melody as best they could.
Dana and Jeff were ready to do anything for Melody. After bringing Melody home, they immediately began looking for cleft surgery options. However, no matter where they turned, getting Melody the surgery she needed was expensive, and the various treatments and medications she needed in the following would also be much more costly than the young family could afford.
One day, however, things took a turn for the better. While browsing through a medical forum one evening, Jeff stumbled upon (意外发现) a post about a nonprofit organization that specialized in cleft lip surgeries for children. The organization, named Smileatfuture, is dedicated to providing free surgeries to families who could not afford the procedure. The couple had seen a lot of photos and read a lot of stories about children who had cleft surgeries sponsored by Smileatfuture, and the results were unbelievable. The idea that Melody could grow up with hardly a scar (伤疤) where her cleft was lit a fire under the couple. Without any hesitation, Dana and her husband reached out to Smileatfuture and handed in an application for medical aid.
注意：1.续写词数应为150个左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Everything went more smoothly than Dana and Jeff had expected.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The big day for Melody’s surgery finally came.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was one of those sunny mornings when merely breathing seemed to be an event worth celebrating. I was in a particularly good mood as my mother had just given me RM400(马来西亚币)for my daily expenses during the week that she would be away with my father in China to visit her sick grandaunt. I was wondering if I survived on bread and butter the whole week, I would have RM300 to buy the latest computer games! It was certainly a great way to begin the day.
As I neared the classroom, I heard a loud noise coming from it and quickly rushed in. My classmates were gathered around Tommy’s table as he searched through some personal items. Tommy had always been a popular boy in class. Not only was he bright and well-mannered, but he also came from a wealthy family that provided him with all he could ask for.
My classmates told me that Tommy had lost the money that he had brought as a donation to the welfare home that we were supposed to visit that afternoon. Understanding the situation, I suggested that we organize a search around the classroom and inform the class teacher as soon as possible. In no time, Miss Soh rushed to the classroom. She decided to run a search through everyone’s bag. We quickly stood by our tables and emptied the contents of our bags onto the table. When it came to my turn, I took out all my possessions. As Miss Soh took out the RM400 from my wallet, the class fell into a shock.
Up till then, I had no idea that the amount lost was exactly RM400. Everyone stared at me in horror. Miss Soh was pleased that her efforts had borne fruit. In a loud voice, she demanded to know where the money had come from. I told her the truth, but she appeared not to have heard anything that I had said. She claimed loudly that I was the thief, because my family was poor and could not possibly afford to give me RM400.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Her cruel words cut me deeply.
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A week later, when taking Miss Soh’s class, Tommy suddenly found the neatly folded RM400 slip out of his notebook.
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Looking at her worn-out sneakers (运动鞋), Sarah felt embarrassed (尴尬的)going to school wearing them.
“What’s the matter, Sarah? Is there something wrong with the food?” her mother asked.
Sarah, in a high voice, shouted, “I am sick of these shoes! I am no longer wearing these to my school! Do you know how embarrassing it is?”
Meghan, (Sarah’s mother) was a single mother working in a nearby town cafe. She explained, “Right now, we’re on a tight budget(预算很紧). I’ll make sure to get you a new pair next month.”
Sarah picked up her schoolbag and walked to school, giving her mother a dissatisfied look.
The school was going to organize a sports competition and Sarah was filled out the form for a 100-meter race.
When one of her friends saw this, she asked Sarah if she was certain about running the race. Sarah didn’t understand what her friend meant.
”Dear, if you have a new pair of shoes, then it’s fine. But if you choose to wear the ones you are wearing now, I’m afraid you will lose the race!“ the friend said, pointing at Sarah’s shoes. Sarah simply nodded and returned to her classroom without saying anything.
Later that day, on her way home, Sarah realized she hadn’t eaten her lunch, so she stopped at a bus stop to finish it.
When she began eating, she noticed that a child was standing next to her in poor clothes. Sarah knew the kid needed that sandwich that she was eating since the kid stared at her and then at her food.
Sarah handed the sandwich to the child, who ran up to her, excitedly got the sandwich from Sarah’s hand and began eating it. After finishing the sandwich, the child thanked Sarah, saying, ”I haven’t had such a tasty sandwich in a long time. My father is a cleaner in a house down the street and my mother is a patient at a hospital. Oh, and my name is Sam.”
注意：1.续写词数应为 150 左右;
2.请按如下格式作答。
Sarah felt very sad after hearing this.
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The winning prize was a surprise and all the students wanted to know what it was.
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A little boy selling magazines for school walked up to a house that people rarely visited. The house was very old and the owner hardly ever came out. When he did come out, he would not say hello to his neighbors but simply glare at them.
The boy knocked on the door and waited, sweating from fear of the old man. The boy’s parents told him to stay away from the house, and a lot of the other neighborhood children were told the same thing from their parents.
As he was ready to walk away, the door slowly opened. “What do you want?” the old man said impatiently. The little boy was very afraid but he had a quota (份额) to meet for school with selling the magazines. So he got up the courage and said, “Uh, sir, I am selling these magazines and uh, I was wondering if you would like to buy one from me.”
The old man just stared at the boy without a word. The boy could see inside the old man’s house and saw that he had some dog figurines (小雕像). “Do you collect dogs?” The little boy asked. “Yes, I have many collections in my house. They are my family here and they are all I have.” The boy then felt sorry for the man, as it seemed that he was a very lonely soul.
“Well, I do have a magazine here for collectors. It is perfect for you. I also have one about dogs since you like dogs so much.” The old man was ready to close the door on the boy and said, “No, boy. I don’t need any magazines of any kind, now goodbye.”
The little boy was sad that he was not going to make his quota with the sale. He was also sad for the old man being so alone in the house. The boy went home and then had an idea. He had a little dog figurine that he got some years ago from an aunt. The figurine did not mean nearly as much to him since he had a real live dog and a large family.
The boy headed back to the old man’s house.
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