A Blind Man Helped Me See, the Beautiful World
It was late afternoon when the chairman of our company gave me an assignment: I would leave the next day to accompany an important American businessman to tourist sites in northern Thailand. Silently angry, I stared at my desk. The piles of paper bore witness to a huge amount of work waiting to be done, even though I had been working seven days a week. How will I ever catch up? I wondered.
After a one-hour flight the next morning, we spent the day visiting attractions along with hundreds of other tourists, most of them loaded with cameras and small gifts. I remember feeling annoyed at this dense collection of people.
That evening my American companion and I climbed into a crowded van to go to dinner and a show, one which I had attended many times before. While he chatted with other tourists, I exchanged polite conversation in the dark with a man seated in front of me —Hans, a German who spoke fluent English. I wondered why he held his head motionless at an odd angle when listening. Suddenly the truth struck me. He was blind. “Could I sit beside you at the dinner?” he asked. “I’d love it if you’d describe a little of what you see.” “I’d be happy to,” I replied.
Seated at a table close to the stage, Hans asked, “What do other tourists look like?” “All nationalities, colors, shapes and sizes, a gallery of human faces,” I whispered. “Very close to us is an elderly Japanese woman,” I said. “Just beyond her a yellow-haired white boy of about five is leaning forward. They’re quiet, waiting for the performance to start. It’s the perfect living portrait of childhood and old age, of Europe and Asia.” Hans nodded and said, “The music seems out of tune to our Western ears, but it has charm.”
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为100词左右；
2. 续写部分为一段，开头语已为你写好。
Then he asked me to describe the musicians to him.
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I knew I would have a beyond-busy summer. I would be a junior teacher for the Little Dragons Karate（空手道）Camp. And I had to do summer swim team. And Ollie and I already had two customers for our dog-walking business.
“You might be biting off more than you can chew,” my mom said with a warning glimpse when I talked to her about it and announced, “I want to do everything!”
“Don’t worry.” I grinned. “I have strong teeth!”
My mom smiled back. “In this case, its your organizational skills, not your teeth, that need to be strong.”I didn’t take it to my heart.
And the first week really was no problem. My friend Ollie was out of town and karate camp hadn’t started, so my swim stuff was all I needed to worry about. The next week was great too. I swam, and a Little Dragon at karate camp told me I was his favorite teacher ever!
I did learn, though, that staying organized with two activities was harder. My backpack was already stuffed with a towel and swim things, so I needed another for my karate clothing. Riding my bike from karate camp to the pool with two backpacks was a challenge. But I still had it under control until Ollie got back.
“We’re late getting our business together!” he said. “We’ll have to spend every spare minute preparing.”
“But I don’t have any spare minutes!” I said.
“Did you forget we agreed to walk Alfie every Saturday? And Muffin on Tuesdays at 4:00?” Ollie asked. I couldn’t let Ollie down, so I took out a third backpack and filled it with dog toys, treats, and plastic bags. I thought I was all set.
But I was wrong! It didn’t take long for my dog-walking stuff and karate stuff and swim stuff to get all mixed up, forgotten, or lost. One day, I forgot my karate backpack and had to borrow Emma’s extra outfit, which was too tight. The next day, I remembered my karate stuff but forgot my swimsuit, so I had to help out in the snack shop and stay out of the pool all afternoon. And another time, when I reached into my dog-walking pack for plastic bags, all I could find were swim goggles (护目镜) and sunscreen.
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 I: Worse still, I had to keep track of all the special times.
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Paragraph 2: Luckily, I, with my parents, came up with a solution to get organized.
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A long time ago, there was a happy prince and princess in a country. They took care of and loved each other very much, and their country was happy, too. Therefore they didn't envy anything else. There was one thing they worried about. They wanted to make sure they could live happily forever like this.
One day, one of the officials found out the couple's worry and told them, “Prince, I heard that there is a magic charm(吉祥饰物)，and it can protect you from any unfortunate event. If you always carry the magic charm with you, your fear and worry will disappear.” “Is it true? Where can I find that charm?” The prince asked him joyfully. “There is an old man in the forest, and he knows about everything. You can ask him.”
The couple visited the old man, and asked for help with their worries and fears. The old man nodded his head as if he knew everything and said, “Travel all around the world. Then, when you meet a very happy couple, ask them to cut a piece of their underwear. If you keep the piece of the underwear, your fear and worry will go away.”
The couple appreciated the old man's kindness and set out on the journey. The couple wandered around everywhere and heard about a happy knight (骑士) and his wife in a town. They went to visit the knight. “Are you really happy like the rumor?” Then the knight answered. “Of course, we are, Prince. But our only worry and problem is that we didn't have any children.”
They had to find an absolutely happy couple, so they continued their journey. They visited a happy couple who were famous for their happiness in the next town. And they asked the couple if they were really happy. The couple answered. “Yes, we are very happy. But we have too many children. A mother with a large family of children never has a peaceful day. We worry too much about our children.”
They could not get a magic charm this time too, and kept going on their trip. It was very hard to find the happiest couple in the world.
One day, the prince couple met a shepherd(牧羊人)and his wife in a big field.
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Feeling disappointed and tired out, the prince couple decided to go back.
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After my son, Scott, graduated from high school, he took a job in North Carolina.Two thousand miles suddenly separated me from the person who’d been the focus of my life for 18 years.As the days went by, I missed Scott more and more.I’d always been able to take care of myself, but now I seemed to need Scott’s help constantly, like getting a tool from the top shelf, or moving something heavy.Most of all, I just missed having him to talk to.I was lonely.I knew this day would come.But why does it have to be so hard?
However, a mother spider(蜘蛛) taught me a lesson.
On my way out from my storeroom, I noticed a spider building her web across the top corner of the doorway.I reached for a hoe (锄头), tore down the web, and watched the giant spider run away in the grass.She was back the very next morning, in the exact same spot, busily rebuilding.I stared for a moment, and then reached for the hoe again.Then I twisted the hoe round and round, catching the spider in her own web.I carried her far into my backyard, shook the hoe and watched her fall to the ground and disappear in the bush.The third morning, I stopped short as I entered the storeroom.The spider was back in the same corner, her web almost completed again.I reached for the hoe, but stopped.I thought her persistence (坚持) in building her web should pay off.I stepped back and watched her long legs busily knitting the web.
For the next few weeks, the spider and I were close neighbors.One particularly boring day, I was feeling so down that I didn’t even glance up at my spider as I entered.Suddenly I found a hundred tiny creatures on the floor.I realized that these were baby spiders and the web the mother had built was to protect her young.
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：
As the mother watched from the corner of the web, her young were making their way to the ground safely.
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Paragraph 2：
I decided that I would leave this web as a reminder.
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My husband Frank and I lived a frugal (节俭的) life, carrying lunch to work, having no vacations, and staying in. But when it came to our fifteenth wedding anniversary, we decided to “splurge (挥霍)” this one time.
At last, we walked into a beautiful Italian restaurant for a nice dinner. We ordered wonderful food and even a glass of wine each. Halfway through our very delicious dinner, Frank and I noticed the two diners next to us seemed to be looking for something under their table and all around. The elegantly dressed woman appeared to be in her late seventies, and her much younger male companion looked like her son. The woman kept touching her ear.
I asked whether she had lost an earring. The woman shook her head and looked worried. “My hearing aid,” she said. “My son finally convinced me to buy it this week, it is so expensive.” She then added that her son’s eyesight was better than hers but he couldn’t find it, either.
No waiters seemed to be helpful, as they were very busy. And the other diners seemed unaware of the woman’s trouble. Frank stood up immediately. “Let me try,” he offered. “Maybe a fresh pair of eyes will find it.” The woman said that it was very small and had the same color as the floor, adding she didn’t want to bother Frank. “That’s okay, I’ll try.” Frank said. Then he bent down and moved a few inches at a time, with his eyes and hands sweeping back and forth.
The woman sat down slowly. Her son kept his eyes focused while Frank’s feet moved back and forth under the table. Meanwhile, I stood by their table, running my hand over the tablecloth, shifting the plates, etc.
“Thanks,” the woman said. “But I’m afraid it’s lost forever. Your dinner’s getting cold. Please don’t worry.” I saw tears forming in her eyes. Soon, her son sank back into his chair, too. But Frank kept looking until one of them thanked him again, and he finally gave up and sat down to eat. Ten minutes later, as we finished our dinner, the mother and son were drinking coffee, silent “I’ll take one more look.” Frank said.
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:
Then, he lowered himself back to the floor.
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Paragraph 2:
Her son shook Frank’s hand and said, How can I thank you? ”
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When one of our regular customers named Violet entered the store where I worked, I immediately greeted her with a big smile. She wore her usual sweater and her white hair was combed in its natural wave. The only thing missing was her bright smile.
“You may remember my husband passed away two months ago,” she said. “Our grandson feels really sad without him.” Violet told me her husband had played and shared many interesting stories with their eleven-year-old grandson and they had built a very close relationship. So she was looking for something to make her grandson happy again.
We searched the store shelves for a right gift to help reduce her grandson’s pain. “What about this?” I suggested, pointing to a painting of a boy walking through the darkened forest. Violet and I stood side-by-side and stared at this painting for a long time.
“That would be perfect,” Violet said. “If only I had that much money.” I hesitated (犹豫). Though we had no discount, I told Violet that there was a special twenty-percent discount for her. “That’s kind of you, but it’s still more than I can afford,” she said with her head down. “I only have twenty dollars to spend.” We were silent for a while. Then，a thirty-something man entered the store. I greeted him and said, “I’ll be right with you.”
“No hurry,” said the man. He slowly stood behind us. “Nice painting,” he said to Violet. “Are you going to buy it?” “Well,” Violet answered and then went on to tell him her hesitation.
After listening to her story, the man said, “I’ll pay the balance.” Violet raised a gentle protest (反对). “I couldn’t let you do that.” The man said, “I simply enjoy helping people. Besides, this painting is perfect for your grandson.”
Paragraph 1：The man reached up to remove the painting from the wall and asked me to wrap it up.
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I turned to the man and asked if I could help him.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A knock at the front door announced a visitor. Phil Radcliffe opened the door, looked down, and found a small boy of about 10, head down and face hidden, nose sniffling (抽鼻子), obviously in some unhappiness.
Phil and his wife Molly lived in this neighbourhood for almost three decades. The families here all knew and trusted one another. Youngsters bounced from home to home looking for friends and entertainment. In the school holidays, Molly and Phil had been known to take children at a time to the local cinema to give some of the parents a break.
Having taken him to the living room and had him seated, Phil asked the boy, “Philip, what’s happened?”
The boy seemed genuinely upset by the inquiry. “Sorry, Mr. Radcliffe,” he sobbed, “My dad’s just left home. He is not going to live with us any more. Mum’s crying. It’s made me cry. I don’t think I’m going to see him again.”
Phil sat down next to him and put a comforting arm around his shoulders, trying to reassure the youngster, “I’m sure that you’ll see your father again very soon Philip. You’re a lovely boy and he’ll want to see you a lot. And your teachers will understand if sometimes you’re a bit sad.”
The boy wiped away his tears with the back of a hand.
“Let me get something for us,” Phil suggested. He went into the kitchen, and then returned with an orange juice for the boy, a coffee for himself and a selection of biscuits for them. However upset he might have been, young Philip was obviously happy with the drink and concentrated on the chocolate samples among the biscuits.
Once the boy seemed more settled, Phil proposed, “Perhaps you should call your mum and tell her where you are, so that she doesn’t worry.”
“It’s OK, Mr. Radcliffe” he insisted. “I’ll go home in a few minutes. But I like talking to you.”
“You can stay as long as you want, Philip. I just don’t want your mother to think that she’s lost you.”
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(不计入总数)；
Paragraph 1：
The response surprised and troubled Philip.
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Paragraph 2：
On the doorstep, young Philip looked up at his friendly neighbour.
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