A Birthday Surprise
I stood at the kitchen window watching Papa as he sat in the old, wooden lawn chair staring out at the lake. Ralph, his old black dog, lay on the ground at his side. Papa’s hand absently stroked (抚摩) the head of his old companion as they dreamed the dreams of old men and old dogs in the evening sun. “He does this day after day?” I asked Mama.
She nodded, sadness filling her eyes. “I don’t know what to do for him. There is a strong desire in his eyes that I can’t satisfy -a desire for the past. The past can’t be brought back to the present. Once days are gone, they are gone forever,” Mama sighed.
“I’m going down to talk to him,” I said.
I called out to Papa and handed him a cup of coffee. “What are you and Ralph thinking about all these hours you spend out here?” I asked,
“We’re not thinking,” he said softly. “We’re wishing.” I sat on the grass beside his chair. “Wishing for what?” “For the impossible, I suppose,” he sighed. “You always told me that nothing was impossible if you wanted it badly enough and were willing to work hard for it,” I reminded him.
He laughed softly, but there was no amusement in the sound. “But Ralph and I have come to learn that when you reach our age, some things are actually impossible.” “Maybe I can help you. What do you want so badly?” I asked.
Papa grinned (咧嘴大笑), and his eyes shone brightly at the thought of his dream becoming a reality. “Ralph and I want to fix up the old boat and go out on the lake again. We used to spend all day out on the lake, fishing, drinking beer and eating sandwiches,” Papa said.
Yes, I remember. When I was young, Papa and Ralph often enjoyed themselves on the lake on weekends. They’d start for home when the sun went down, totally satisfied with themselves and with life. Now, Papa was almost eighty-five years old and had a heart condition, so Mama was horrified by the idea of him going out on the lake again at first. But eventually I managed to convince her.
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 Mama agreed, I persuaded my friends to join in my secret plan.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On the day of Papa’s birthday, we were all eager to give him a surprise.
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It’s hard being an astronaut’s son. I often wonder how my father ever had a son like me. I mean he’s so special and so good at everything he does. But I’m just an average eleven-year-old kid.
Nowadays I dream about being a famous writer, but I used to dream about doing something special to impress my father and make him proud of me-something like rescuing a child from a burning building.
I was dreaming in school one morning, which I often do. I was daydreaming about being some kind of hero when my friend Ellen reminded me of my English teacher’s announcement about a Father’s Day essay contest.
“I hope we have a winner right here in my English class.” she said. “There are three prizes for each of you.”
When I got home, I kissed my mom quickly. Then I went upstairs to my room and sat down with a pen and a pad of paper. I started to think about what I would write.
How did I see my father? Mmm…
I saw him teaching me how to use a bat and how to throw baseball.
I remembered how he hugged me for hours when my dog Spotty was hit and killed by a car.
And I remembered how he sat and tried to explain death to me when Grandpa Bob died.
These were the things I was going to write about my dad. To me, he wasn’t just a famous astronaut. He was my dad.
I wrote about all these memories and put them in my essay. I handed it in the next day and was surprised to find out that the winning essays would be read in the lecture hall on Thursday night. All the parents and students were invited.
My parents and I went to school Thursday night. One of our neighbors said, “I bet you’ll win the contest, David. I bet you wrote what it’s like to be the son of an astronaut, and you’re the only one in town who could write about that. ”
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右。
2. 请按以下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I shrugged and then the first winner - Ellen was announced.
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The second prize winner was announced next - It was me.
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Alphabetical (字母表的) order was a big problem for Keisha Williams. In every list, on every line, in the lunchroom and the classroom, teachers put all the W’s together. Alice Wilkins was always one place ahead of Keisha.
“You two are going to be friends,” said the girls’ teacher, Ms. Mubarak, “whether you like it or not.”
Yeah, right. Could she be friends with Alice? “I doubt it,” Keisha thought. Alice was perfect. She was everything Keisha wasn’t. Alice changed her hairstyle every day. She always wore beautiful clothing. She had polish (指甲油) on her nails. Keisha had plain (普通的) nails, a very ordinary hairstyle — and not to mention her out-of-tyle clothes.
Alice had new fashionable notebooks. Keisha’s notebooks were boring black and white. Keisha complained to her mother that her notebooks were too plain. “They still have paper and lines,” her mother said. “You don’t need glitter (华丽) to make you smart.”
Keisha thought Alice’s mother treated her like a grown-up. Alice had a house key and said that she always let herself into her apartment. But when Keisha came home, she had to ring for her mother to open the door. And every time, her mother would give her a big bear hug. That’s for babies, Keisha always thought, trying to free herself from her mother’s arms.
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:
One Tuesday at school when math tests were handed back, Keisha got her usual A.
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Paragraph 2:
Later, in the cafeteria, Keisha and Alice worked on math problems together.
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【推荐3】阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。
Tess, an eight-year-old little girl, went to her bedroom and pulled a glass money box from its hiding place. She poured change out on the floor and counted it. The total had to be exactly perfect. Carefully placing the coins back in the box, she slipped out the back door and made her way to Rexall’s Drug Store which was six blocks away.
She waited patiently for the pharmacist (药剂师) to give her some attention but he was too busy at that moment. Tess stamped her feet to make a noise. No response. She cleared her throat. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her box and hit the glass counter hard with it. And she did it!
“What do you want?” the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. “I’m talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven’t seen for ages,” he said without waiting for a reply to his question.
“Well, I want to talk to you about my little brother,” Tess answered. “He’s really, really sick. .. and I want to buy a miracle (奇迹). His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?” “We don’t sell miracles here. I’m sorry but I can’t help you,” the pharmacist said and softened a little. “Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If this isn’t enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs,” Tess said.
The pharmacist’s brother was a well-dressed man. He bent down and asked the little girl, “What kind of a miracle does your brother need?” “I don’t know,” Tess replied with tears welling up. “I just know he’s really sick and Mommy says he needs neurosurgery (神经外科手术). But Daddy can’t pay for it, so I want to use my money.” “How much do you have?” asked the man from Chicago. “One dollar and eleven cents,” Tess answered in a quiet voice.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
“Well, I may have the miracle you need and can pay for,” smiled the man.
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Not long after, Andrew was home and his health began to improve day by day.
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Maya and her older brother Marcus lived with their grandma. Their parents, busy with work in another city, could only return home during the winter holiday. Grandma was good at paper-cutting, and she decorated the whole room with pretty shapes of animals and flowers, devoting herself to keeping Maya and Marcus happy. However, despite her grandmother’s love, Maya often felt deep frustration, complaining why she couldn’t stay with her parents.
As the days grew shorter and colder, Maya’s excitement came back. She knew that with the arrival of snow, the winter holiday would come, as well as the return of her parents. One day, the weather forecast predicted snow during daytime, so Maya eagerly rose from bed, pressing her nose against the window, and waiting for the first pretty snowflake to drop from the sky.
However, as it was getting late, Maya’s excitement turned into disappointment. Sensing her sadness, grandma comforted her, “Be patient, dear. The snow will come soon.” Marcus, too, tried to be an older brother, reminding Maya that the snow could fall at night. Yet, despite their efforts, Maya remained upset. Night fell and not a single snowflake was in sight. Sadly, Maya went to bed without eating anything, going to her dreams with tears in her 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。
To cheer Maya up, grandma and Marcus decided to make snowflakes themselves.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Maya rushed to the windows, and found snowflakes of all shapes and sizes on the glass.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________During the 25 years we’ve lived in our home, many cats have appeared on my porch (门廊), gazing through the glass door, silently begging for food. Well, what can I do? Certainly not ignore their lovely faces. Even as my husband says “Don’t feed these cats, Caren,” I am opening the door, with cat food bag in hand. These cats usually stay a few days, maybe a couple months before disappearing into the woods.
One evening while feeding the horses, I saw something move. I turned just in time to glimpse a black tail disappearing under our shed (小棚). Later, I saw a skinny young cat sneak around and finish the leftovers. The next time I saw her, she had a companion, a black male cat. I made sure to put out enough food for the both of them.
Pretty soon, they were appearing at dinnertime with our other cats. I named them Minnie and Freddy. I would give them food in separate containers, but they would walk up and down until I went back inside. Then, with no human near, they would devour their meals. This went on for a couple of weeks. One day, Freddy didn’t show up. We never saw him again.
But Minnie kept sticking around our room, dividing time between the shed and the porch. She was no longer skinny and looked quite nicely. I congratulated myself on her newfound health. However, she kept gaining weight —especially around her middle. Yup, she was pregnant (怀孕的).
注意：续写词数应为90词左右。
We fixed up a small place in the shed for Minnie.
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From that day on, our family grew not only with Minnie but also with her adorable babies, creating a harmonious and loving environment for all of us to cherish(珍惜).
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10-year-old Aiden went to the first door and knocked on it. An older woman answered the door.
“Good morning!” Aiden said. “My name is Aiden. My mom is sick, and I want to get food for her. Can I get some money, please?” But the woman suspected and refused. Aiden didn’t lose heart and knocked on the second door. “Can I please ask for some money, ma’am? My mom is very sick!” he begged sadly. The woman who answered the door gave him a concerned look. “Oh! Should I call the CPS (儿童保护署) or an ambulance? Do you want me to come with you?”
“Ugh, well,” Aiden hesitated. “It’s alright. I just remembered I had to go somewhere,” he ran away. That whole day, Aiden went from door to door asking for money, but sadly, he got none.
A couple of days later, Aiden returned to the neighborhood and saw a new couple had moved into what used to be an empty house. He decided to try his luck and knocked on the door, and a young woman answered.
Aiden told her his name and repeated what he said to the other residents. The woman smiled, “I’m Lauren. Just wait here. I’ll get you some money and food, okay?” Aiden nodded as Lauren went inside. She returned with two huge bags of groceries and a $100 bill. “I hope these can help your mother,” she said.
“Thank you!” he exclaimed happily as he carried the two bags over his shoulder and ran away.
Waving him goodbye, Lauren realized that Aiden was hiding something. She decided to drive after him secretly to find out more about his story. Soon, they came to an area without houses, and then Aiden disappeared under a bridge. Lauren pulled over and walked to the bridge. She spotted him and froze. Aiden was living with a little girl in a tent under the bridge. She heard Aiden saying to the girl, “Beth, we have food now. You won’t go hungry.”
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。
Lauren turned up suddenly in front of them.
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After listening to Aiden’s story, Lauren had an idea.
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