I chewed on my pencil as I walked back and forth across my bedroom. What was I going to do? It was bad enough that I was the new kid. But now I was sure to get laughed right out of fifth grade. How could my first homework be such a disaster?
“My name is Anna, and this summer I——”I stopped. How could I stand in front of my class and say that I’d spent the entire summer handling something that most people don’t even like to talk about? Poop (粪便). I’d spent three months shoveling (铲), collecting, and analyzing co w poop on my grandparents’ farm. I tried to think of a different adventure I could share. Maybe I could say I’d spent the summer on the Weather Control Team preventing floods.
“Time for dinner,” my mom called.
I walked slowly down the stairs and slid into my chair.
“You’ve been in your room since you came home from school,” Mom said. “What are you working on?”
I sighed. “I have to tell the class what I did this summer.”
My younger brother, Seymour, began to laugh uncontrollably. “No one will want to sit next to you after they hear you were covered in cow poop all summer!”
“OK, that’s enough, Seymour,” Dad said.
“Anna,” said Mom, putting green beans in a bowl, “be proud of the work we did this summer. Our planet would be in sad shape without scientists like your grandfather.”
It’s true that my grandfather does important work. He developed an easy way to use poop as a source of fuel. Using the poop is now easy, economical, and environmentally safe.
“I know, Mom,” I said, staring at my meatloaf. “But it’s not exactly something people want to hear about before lunch.”
That night I dreamed about more splendid adventures: cave diving in Mexico; hiking through the Amazon rainforest.
At school the next day, I bent over my desk, listening to each kid speak. My palms were sweaty, and the knot (结) in my stomach grew tighter.
“And that was my journey to Mount Everest,” Ember Adams said, finishing her report. She bowed and took her seat.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为 150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
“It’s your turn, Anna,” Ms. Hammond said.
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The class cheered as I returned to my desk, and some of my classmates approached me with admiration in their eyes.
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相似题推荐
阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。
A little boy is telling his Grandma how "everything" is going wrong. School, family problems, severe health problems, etc.
Meanwhile, Grandma is baking a cake. She asks her grandson if he would like a cake, which, of course, he does.
"Here, have some cooking oil."
"Terrible!" says the boy.
"How about a couple raw eggs?"
" Terrible! Grandma!"
"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"
"Grandma, those are all awful!"
To which Grandma replies: “Yes, all those things seem bad by themselves, but when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!
“Life works the same way. Many times we wonder why it would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But life knows that when it puts these things all in its order, they always work for good!
“The trials（考验） of life serve a meaningful purpose in making us stronger. Do not lose heart if life is not easy for you right now, but encourage yourself and know you will be much stronger mentally and physically because of the trials of life. ”
[写作内容]
1．以约30个词概括这段短文的内容；
2．然后以约120个词以“Facing the Trials of Life”为题进行议论，内容包括：
(1) 你阅读短文后的感受；
(2) 简述你经历过的一次困难或考验；
(3) 你认为应当如何看待生活中的考验。
[写作要求]
1．在作文中可以使用自己亲身的经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容但不得直接引用原文中的句子；
2．作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
[评分标准]
概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。
A Foothold in Life
A dozen children ran around laughing and playing in my friend’s yard, while we parents sat chatting and sipping cool summer drinks. The barbecue had been cleared away when our host announced a surprise. A huge movable rock wall was loaded in, which was about twelve feet wide, made of gray molded plastic with indented footholds that stretched straight up for what looked like at least a hundred feet. The enthusiastic kids swiftly lined up to give it a try, and with the complete fearlessness most children possess, scrambled to the top and rang the bell that hung at the highest point. There wasn’t really anything to be afraid of since they were belted into place. Three people could climb side by side and talk to each other, so gradually the adults tried it, too.
“Come on; let’s go get in line,” my husband Neil urged. “No, you go ahead without me.” I had all sorts of good excuses: I don’t have the right shoes; I forgot my sunglasses; I have to help the hostess. I have a unique talent for seeing unthinkable danger in almost every situation, and this scene seemed dangerous to me. I watched everyone else having fun, though, and finally convinced myself to try it.
With all the nerve I could gather, I started the climb. The belt wrapped around me like a diaper so there was no way to fall. Yes, I thought, this is fun and safe! Concentrating on each foothold, I slowly made my way up. I avoided looking down to prevent any sudden panic, and within a few minutes I made it to the top and proudly rang the bell.
“Woo hoo!” my daughters called up to me. “Way to go, Col!” Neil yelled.
I enjoyed my success and the enjoyable view of fields and farmland until I realized there was a line below me waiting for a turn. It was time to go down.
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。
It was one thing to look out at the world in the distance, but it was a whole other thing to look straight down.
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Finally, the two of us reached the ground.
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How Setting a Schedule Can Make You Less Productive
It can seem like there’s never enough time - not enough for sleep and not enough for play, and not enough for exercise.
There’s a relatively new term to describe this feeling: time famine, or the sensation of having too much to do without enough time to do it.
To structure what little time we feel we have, one strategy is scheduling. The idea is that scheduling will make us more efficient. But scheduling can sometimes backfire and actually make us less productive. In one study, attendees of an academic conference were asked whether they would go to the presidential address taking place about an hour later. Some said they would, and others said they wouldn’t. Those who planned to attend the address reported the hour leading up to it felt shorter. So the presence of an upcoming activity seems to have shrunk how much time people felt they had.
Why might this happen? It’s believed that when there’s an appointment coming, we direct our attention to it, whether it’s mentally preparing for it or simply dreading it. This makes the future appointment feel more substantial (重大的); as a result, the time interval leading up to the scheduled activity feels limited and insufficient. Time famine may partly lies in our own perception of what we feel can be done with the time we have.
But you still have the same amount of time leading up to a scheduled event, so time famine shouldn’t really matter, right? But it does. This feeling by itself can influence what people decide to do. When something is scarce, people consider it more valuable and are less willing to part with it. The same is true for time. If time feels limited, people are less likely to use it - even when it’s in their best interest.
If you love scheduling and planning out your days, a trick could be to schedule events or tasks back-to-back (连续地), which leaves you with larger amounts of unscheduled time. Several uninterrupted hours of unscheduled time will feel longer, especially if there’s nothing scheduled coming.
I was eight years old and lived in Toowoomba, Australia in 1950. My mother was in great pain from polio (小儿麻痹症). She wished to visit specialists in London.
The day before we boarded the ship, my father said goodbye to his five-year-old Australian cattle dog, Spider, who was loved by us all. My father’s friend Sandy was to be his guardian while we were overseas.
Six weeks later, Sandy told my father that Spider had run away. I would always remember my father’s sad face when he read the news. Sandy had advertised in the newspaper again and again, but Spider was never found. It seemed Spider just kept running and searching for us. My mother thought Spider would be killed. But our family thought that Dad held a secret hope that Spider was still alive.
We sailed back to Australia two years later and re-established our home in Toowoomba. My father immediately began his own search for Spider. However, many false calls and information meant that a huge atmosphere of disappointment hung over our home.
One cold Saturday morning eight months after our return, my father had a call from Gin Gin, 375 kilometers from Toowoomba. An elderly lady told my father she was just catching sight of a dog looking like Spider in her old farm.
That was enough for my father to stop my homework. My mother said to him, “Ian, this has to stop. You will be driving miles in the bush!”But we set off in the end.
Five and a half hours later, we arrived. The elderly lady invited us into an old bush kitchen for tea. My father was anxious to see the yellow dog. So we followed her to the old farm.
Sadly, she then told my father that the dog hadn’t been around. My father had a strange look in his eyes.
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。
My father put two fingers in his mouth and did his special whistle for Spider.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In the evening, we arrived home with Spider.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On a Friday evening in December, two weeks before Christmas, I lost my job. I hadn’t seen it coming. My daughter, Kristil, was 12 and I planned to get our Christmas tree. Then I listened to my voicemail, “We’re sorry, but your work assignment has ended as of today.” My heart sank.
I wasn’t just a single parent; I was the only parent. My paycheck was survival. I did everything I could to give Kristil a good life, but there were some things my love couldn’t fix. The next day as we searched for our Christmas tree, I struggled to be cheerful as I eyed the Christmas tree prices.
“Is everything OK?” Kristil asked. “You seem worried,”
“I got some bad news yesterday,” I told her. “But it is OK, honey. Please select your favorite Christmas tree! Let’s take it home!” I didn’t want my daughter to discover the fact that I was unemployed. She told me a few months ago that she wanted a Christmas tree.
“Daddy, is it too expensive?” She pointed to a Christmas tree and said to me cautiously.
“Absolutely not,” I told her. “Let’s take it home!”
I swiped my card (刷卡) and paid, quietly made up my mind to set off on my moneymaking pursuits. Over the next week, I crazily applied for jobs as my bank account grew smaller. However, there was no suitable position for me in this world. I felt as if the world was closing in on me.
The day before Christmas, I dropped Kristil in a wealthy community for her friend’s birthday party. I watched as she went in, surrounded by all the nice things that were expensive for me. When she was there, she looked so happy. At that moment, I even thought that she seemed to belong there, a fairy tale world decorated with extremely beautiful and carefully made desserts and beautiful decorations. I went back home defeatedly.
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。
After arriving at home and seeing the Christmas tree, my heart sank to the bottom.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After reading the card my daughter wrote, my eyes were filled with tears.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“You are stupid!You always mess things up! Now hand over your pocket money!”Jack shouted at me.I was frightened like a leaf in the wind.Jack was well-known as the school bully(校园霸王）who always liked to pick on me.I shouted back at him,”No!This is my parents’ hard-earned money!”
When Jack heard this,he stared at me.I got ready for a flight as I thought that Jack would beat me. Instead,he walked away quietly.It was unlike Jack.
After school,as I was about to walk home,I saw an unbelievable sight-Jack was crying? I approached him.“What do you want?” he asked. I sat down next to him and asked him what was wrong.“My father...passed away. He was the only breadwinner of the family.Now my mother needs to find a job but she cannot find one.” I took pity on poor Jack and hugged him. I took out the remaining lunch money I had and handed it over to him. Jack’s eyes nearly jumped out.He said,“You...you are actually giving this to me?”
I nodded my head and told him that it did not matter whether he was my enemy. I would help someone in need. After all,I also said there was no reason why we could not be friends. Tears ran down Jack’s face and he apologized for all his past actions.
Later,Jack and I became best friends.My mother,who was the boss of a company,gave Jack’s mother a job.During those months,Jack’s mother worked hard and rose to the position of a manager.In school,I would study with Jack and helped him out with his schoolwork.He improved and became one of the top three students in the class.All was well until one day Jack had something to tell me.“I have to leave Singapore and move overseas,” he said. I felt angry that Jack was just going to leave after all that I had done for him.I also felt sad because I will miss him.
Paragraph 1:
Twenty years passed.
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Paragraph 2:
I asked the man,“Do I know you ?”
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It was a dream born in fire. Andrea Peterson was 5 when she was trapped on the ledge (窗台) of a burning building.
“Throw the kid down!” said one of the firemen below, whose eyes are firm and courageous, along with professional rescue techniques. Seeing this, little Andrea jumped into lifesaving arms and a life-long ambition: She wanted to fight fires as her rescuers did.
She told that to the men who had saved her, and they laughed naturally the way grown-ups do when a kid says he wants to be an astronaut or a sports star. But this was back in a time when little girls weren’t even allowed to fantasize (幻想) about such grand goals.
“You’ll be a good mommy,” the firemen told her. “You’ll be a good teacher, maybe you’ll be a nurse, but you can never be a fireman.”
Indeed, life sidelined her ambitious dream. She was studying for a degree in aviation technology (航空科技) and that’s where she met her husband, Dennis. Unfortunately, Dennis was diagnosed with cancer. Peterson spent 31 years caring for the man she loved, and in 2007, when Dennis was about to leave, he was at peace but worried for her. “But what are you going to do?” “I’ll be fine,” she told him.
At 61, she attended a course for emergencies. She went on an ambulance ride-along from time to time. It turned out to be a life-and-death situation, which reminded her of the childhood experience back in the fire. But every time she saw people who were in need were successfully rescued, Peterson felt that long-ago childhood calling. She earned her emergency medical technician license and responded to fire calls with the ambulance. She found that her years of tending to Dennis had prepared her for dealing with the variety of hurts and ills. The inside calling echoed increasingly stronger.
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。
After a year, she signed up for a training unit for firefighters.
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Finally came the written and physical fitness test day.
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In a high school, there was a student named Alex, known for his skills on the basketball court (球场). As the point guard (控球后卫) of the school team, he carried the hopes of his teammates and classmates. One key game could lead them to the regional finals, a stage they hadn’t reached in years. Alex felt the pressure but was determined to lead his team to victory.
On the day of the game, the gym was filled with cheering students and teachers. Alex felt a rush of excitement when he carried the ball across the court. The game was intense (激烈的), with both teams neck and neck. In the final seconds, with the score tied, Alex had the chance to make the winning shot. He took a jump and released the ball, but it missed the goal. The whistle (口哨) blew, and the opposing team caught the chance, scoring a last-second basket. Alex’s team lost.
“How could I have missed scoring that goal? I had let the whole team down,” Alex thought to himself. His stupid mistake made him angry. Sad and depressed, Alex walked back home, replaying the missed shot in his mind. His parents immediately noticed his sadness. “What happened, Alex?” his mother asked. “I messed up the final shot. We lost because of me,” he replied, heading straight to his room, feeling like he had let everyone down.
Later, his father came to his room. “Alex, I watched the game. You played well. It’s not just about one shot. Basketball is a team sport. You win together, and you lose together. Learn from this and grow. Your team needs you.” Alex didn’t say anything, but his father’s words made him think carefully.
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。
The next day at school, Alex walked to his teammates hesitantly (犹豫地).
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This response (回复) lifted Alex’s spirits.
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The MP3 has become a new fashion on campus. I had long dreamed of owning a MP3. The more MP3 owners were on campus, the stronger my desire (渴望) became. Finally, during one of my monthly visits home, I begged my parents to let me buy one, “Dad, Mom, I ... I want to buy a MP3 ... , the one for …”
I swallowed (吞咽) the rest of my words. Did I really need to explain what a MP3 was? Surely everybody knew!
At first there was no response from my parents. But my little brother replied eagerly, “Me too!”
Then finally my dad spoke, “What! What is it for? This little stuff breaks down soon after you get it! It’s an absolutely useless expense (花费) …”
Then, I had an idea. When the summer vacation came, I lied to my parents that I couldn’t stay at home, because the school had supplementary (附加的) programs. As a result, I earned my money for a new MP3 through my part-time job.
I was at home the night before my new school when Mom came into my room. She sat on my bed, and patted me on the shoulder. Then she handed me a small box. “Take this. Don’t tell your father ... Now, study hard, okay?” she said softly.
“Mom, how did you ... ?” I asked.
“It’s from my own savings. Your father doesn’t know.” I sat alone for a long time with my new MP3, weeping (哭泣) silently.
When I went back to school, I decided to give up my part-time job so that I could study harder for my parents, for my dream. My motivation (动机) to study has never been so strong.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在以下位置作答。
Para1:
One afternoon, I was in my dorm when a classmate told me that my father was waiting for me downstairs.
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Para2:
I sat down and unwrapped (打开) the box.
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