Yoghurt (酸奶)
It was a rough week. The price of oil skyrocketed as the temperature dropped sharply in Maine. We were looking at a high of eight degrees that week, and I had missed three days of work so my paycheck was going to be lower than normal. I was stressed, to say the least. I shopped strategically, looking for every possible way to cut pennies so I could buy groceries and keep the house warm.
My eight-year-old son didn’t understand when I told him we were struggling that week. He wanted a special kind of yoghurt, but I didn’t have the extra three dollars to buy it for him. It was the kind of yoghurt with a cartoon kid riding a skateboard on the front of the box, and a mere two spoonfuls in each cup. It was the kind of product that wastes a parent’s money and makes me hate advertising.
I felt guilty as a parent when those big eyes looked at me with confusion, as if to say, “It’s just yoghurt. What’s the big deal?” So I found a way. I put something back as single mothers often do. He got his yoghurt.
On the way driving back from the grocery store, I noticed a homeless man holding a sign by the side of the road. My heart hurt, and I tried not to look at him. I watched people stay away from him on the street and walk by without even meeting his eyes. My son didn’t seem to care much, either. I looked at the man closely then — bare hands grasping a piece of cardboard, snot frozen to his face, a worn-out jacket. And there I was struggling because I had to buy oil and groceries. But I decided to help. I pulled over to the man and handed him a five-dollar bill.
注意：
1. 只写第一段，注意衔接句和常用句型的使用；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Seeing this, my son became confused and surprised.
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On that day, my son performed an act that most adults wouldn’t have done. He took his yoghurt and handed it to the man outside his window. Even if it was just a matter of a few spoonful of yoghurt, it was all he had, and he gave it to someone who needed it more than he wanted it. He showed me that I was doing well as a mother. There are always blessings to count if we open our eyes, and always have the opportunity to be a blessing for someone else.
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As a senior editor in a famous press, I always think of days twenty years before when I was 18, I lived with my grandparents, and my parents earned their living in another city, struggling to support our family. I had taken to delivering newspapers to support myself and my education.
I would be up every morning by 5 am and walk five kilometres from where I lived to the newspaper office. By 6 am, I would collect 50 copies which must have weighed over five kilograms. My delivery range spanned (横跨) three kilometres. After distributing the copies, I would rush home—another three kilometres away—cook my breakfast, and be off to my school.
One Friday morning, I got home after my deliveries, finding Afzal, a boy from the neighbourhood, at my doorstep. Afzal said his mother wanted to see me. When I asked him why, Afzal said, “She will tell you.” Tired after walking around for over 11 kilometres, I was looking forward to breakfast and some rest. I assumed his mother wished to subscribe (定期订购) to the newspaper, so I followed him to his home nearby.
A woman in her 40s opened the door. I later learned she was Afzal’s mother, Mrs Kader. She asked me to sit, pulled up her chair next to mine and gently asked, “Tell me about your routine, right from the time you wake up in the morning.” I wasn’t quite sure why she wanted to know, but I told her about my morning job in a few words. She asked me, “How many miles do you walk every day?” I replied, “A little more than 11 kilometres.” My reply shocked her.
Then she patted my back and went inside, reappearing carrying a large plate full of food for breakfast for me. It was a heart y breakfast, one that brought back memories of happy days spent with my parents. Later, as I was about to leave after thanking them, Mrs Kader asked me to wait and she went inside again.
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。
Then Mrs Kader appeared again, with a new bicycle.
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I bowed to Mrs Kader gratefully and left for school.
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A Charitable Heart
Mom had a unique perspective on being charitable that I didn’t really understand until one cold winter day when she picked me up at school.
“Who is that child? “Mom peered through the windshield as a skinny, greasy-haired girl led a crew of ragged children across the street. “They don’t even have coats. It’s freezing! “
“That’s Becky Ingler. She always looks like that, “I replied. My mother watched them move along the sidewalk. “Where are we going? “I asked as she inched along the street, keeping pace about a half-block behind the Inglers.
They entered a half-ruined store. “They live here?” Mom mumbled, looking at me. “Tell me about them.” I told her what I knew; that the Inglers didn’t have a father, and sometimes they smelled funny and everybody laughed at them. My mother nodded thoughtfully. “I think I’ll visit them tomorrow.” She turned to me and added, “I want you to come with me.” “OK.” I replied.
The next day, I followed Mom to the Inglers’ front door. A tiny, exhausted-looking woman appeared, and Mom smiled and offered her hand. “Hello, Mrs. Ingler. I’m Mrs. Tovey. I’m just visiting some of our neighbors to get acquainted. “Once inside, my mother studied each of the children surrounding unhappy Becky, who was reading a worn-out book to them. She rudely ignored my nod. Mrs. Ingler smiled politely and thanked us for our visit. Before we left, Mom told Mrs. Ingler she sincerely hoped we would see her again soon. I could not understand what she meant by that, but I soon learned.
Mom worked her old sewing machine for two days and nights. She collected coats from the donation boxes, local secondhand stores and our own closets, patching, taking in and letting out seams (缝合线). “Wow!” I said. “They’re lucky to get these.”
“No,” said Mom as she faced me. “We’re the lucky ones to be able to help them. But we need to make sure the Inglers don’t have to pay a price for them. “She then explained, “I don’t want these coats to cost them their pride or their dignity.”
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡上的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1:
Later that day, we went to the Inglers’ again.
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Paragraph 2:
Mrs. Ingler gazed at the coat, and then glanced at Becky, who was eyeing it with interest.
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Mike, aged 14, was a music fan, especially a fan for violin. He expected to be a music star one day. Unfortunately, born into a poor family depending on delivering newspapers and milk, he couldn’t afford a violin. He had thought of asking his parents to pay for one but finally he abandoned possessing the impossible musical instrument.
Mike’s neighbor, Joseph, happened to be a violinist. The greatest pleasure Mike found after school every day was enjoying the beautiful melodies floating out of Joseph’s window. Not until dark did Mike sneak into his own room. And every time Mike’s mother asked him why he came home late, Mike would say he was lost in music.
“Why not spend more time in your lessons instead, sweetheart? After all, music can’t make money if you’re not so famous.” In order to prove he could realise his dream, he knew he must have his own violin and practise more.
Mike found a job at a nearby church, running errands for the servicemen. One day, another music player happened to learn about Mike’s situation and offered him an old violin as a gift. He even promised to teach him how to play after church services at the weekends. Months later, Mike learned violin very well.
The first performance he made was on the roadside of a lonely street. From time to time passersby stopped to watch him play. And a few even left some coins in his hat lying on the ground. When it was time for Mike to go back, he heard a woman’s cry. Following the sound, Mike spotted her and discovered the truth that she was called Connie, a trainee in a cafeteria, and that she had just had an awful day at work and was yelled by the boss.
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。
Hesitatingly, Mike tried to lend her a hand though he was yet uncertain how to comfort someone.
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Connie told Mike a violinist happened to be wanted in the cafeteria where she worked.
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Having worked at a small food store for two years, I thought I had become successful at what our manager called “customer relations”. I firmly believed that a friendly smile and an automatic “sir”, “madam”, “thank you” and “sorry” would see me through any situation. But on a Christmas night an old woman shook my belief that such a glib response (巧言应对) could smooth over any difficulty while dealing with other human beings.
The moment she entered the store, the woman presented a sharp contrast to our shiny store with its bright lighting and neatly arranged shelves. Walking as if each step were painful, she slowly pushed open the glass door. On such a zero-degree night, she was wearing only a faded print dress, a thin sweater too small to button, and black slippers with the backs cut out to expose heels. There were no stockings or socks on her blue-veined legs.
After walking around the store for several minutes, the old woman stopped in front of the rows of canned vegetables. She looked at the row of cans, finally picked up a can of corn and stared at the label. At that point, I decided to be a good and polite employee and asked her if she needed help. As I stood close to her, my smile became harder to maintain. An unpleasant smell of sweat rose from her torn clothing.
“I need some food,” she muttered in reply to my bright “Madam, can I help you?”
“Are you looking for corn, madam?”
“I need some food,” she repeated, looking down at the can in her hand, “Any kind.”
“Well, the can of corn is ninety-five cents, madam.” I said in my most helpful voice. “Or if you like, we have a special on bread today.”
After a short pause, she lifted her head and said, “But I can’t pay.”
For a second, it was on the tip of my tongue to tell her that she could take the corn.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好
Paragraph1：
Then the employee rules flooded into my mind: remain polite but do not let the customers get the best of you.
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Paragraph 2：
Moments after she left, I rushed out of the door with the can of corn.
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The children’s journey began when they were flying with their mom from the village of Araracuara, to San Jose del Guaviare to visit their father. Their small plane had engine trouble, and crashed in the rainforest. Sadly, all three adults on the plane died, including the children’s mother.
This left the four children alone in the jungle. The oldest child was a 13-year-old girl. Next came a 9-year-old, a 4-year-old, and an 11-month-old baby. The children are members of the Indigenous Huitoto tribe (土著部落). The Huitotos live in the Amazon rainforest, so the children were familiar with some of the plants and fruits that could be found there.
At first, the children lived off flour made from plant roots. They had found the flour in the airplane ruins. When they ran out of flour, the children used their knowledge of the forest’s fruits and seeds to survive. Luckily, it was a time when many rainforest plants were producing fruits.
As soon as the plane went down, people started searching to see if anyone survived. After two weeks, the plane was found. The people searching found signs that the children might still be alive.
Rescue teams flew in helicopters and dropped boxes of food, hoping the children would find them. But they couldn’t see the ground because the forest was so thick. The helicopters even played a recorded message from the children’s grandmother, encouraging the kids to avoid moving around.
Over 150 soldiers were sent out with dogs to search on the ground. These teams left whistles around, hoping the children would find them and use them to make noise. Around 70 Indigenous volunteers also helped search. They saw all kinds of animals. However, what they didn’t spot were the kids, who were apparently scared by the soldiers and spent much of their time hiding from them.
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。
At different points in time, the rescue teams found signs of the children.
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After more than a month, the searchers finally found the children.
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Larry had butterflies in his stomach. Today was the day for him to meet his girlfriend Kate’s parents. He was planning to leave them a good impression, so he was in his finest suit. On the way, he secretly recited a few jokes he picked up online the previous night. His weird behavior caught Kate’s attention.
“What are you doing, honey?” she asked. Blushing, Larry told her what he was doing. She, on the other hand, actually found his eagerness to please her family quite cute. “Well, let’s hear your jokes.” she said teasingly.
They were so immersed in their chatter and laughter that before they knew it, they had arrived at the house of Kate’s parents, who gave them a warm welcome. As an orphan, that night, Larry felt the love and warmth he had always longed for since childhood.
The next day, they drove downtown to pick their engagement ring. Everything was working out just perfectly. However, on their way home, a truck driven by a drunk driver smashed into their car, sending it flying off the roadside down a steep hill before it got stuck between several trees.
Larry struggled out of his seat to save the then unconscious Kate. As he made every effort to wake her up, the car began to slip down again. With only seconds to act, he hastily removed her seat belt and pushed her out of the car before it fell downhill again with him trapped inside.
A rescue team finally arrived and drove them to a nearby hospital. Under the doctors’ treatment, Kate woke up the next day. She was only slightly injured, but Larry remained unconscious due to severe damage done to his brain caused by the heavy impact.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右了；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Para 1: The doctors were afraid Larry might never wake up again.
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Para 2: Larry told Kate to leave him and find someone else.
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