The Champion of No Score
Maggie hated Tuesdays—Tuesdays meant gym class, gym class meant picking teams and picking teams meant Maggie would be picked last.
As a newcomer, she’d come up with a special title for each classmate to remember the other kids. There was Kevin, Champion of the Clean Desk. Lynnie, Champion of Knowing the Answer First… Thinking hard, she finally decided her own title: Champion of Quiet.
Maggie felt blue as Tuesday fell again. Mr. Murphy, the gym teacher, asked for volunteer captains to pick their own basketball teams. The usual hands shot into the air. Maggie sighed and glanced to her right. She caught the eye of Jasmine. Champion of Awkward, a girl who was sometimes picked last, too. Then Maggie had an idea. So when Mr. Murphy asked if anyone else wanted to volunteer, Maggie felt her hand slowly rise. Looking again at Jasmine, she took a big breath. Maybe it was time for her to use her voice.
“Maggie?” Mr. Murphy smiled. “You want a turn?”
“Yes,” she said.
The class whispered. Maggie leading a team?
“Yes,” she answered again, louder this time.
Mr. Murphy waved Maggie to the front, where the other three captains—Champion of Jumping Rope, Champion of Never Misses a Shot, and Champion of Doesn’t Know How to Lose—stood, ready to choose their teams.
“Maggie, you get first pick,” said Mr. Murphy. “Jasmine,” announced Maggie. The class snickered. A joke? More than once, Jasmine had tried to score on the wrong basket. Eyes wide, Jasmine took her place beside Maggie. The other three captains called out familiar names—the best players on the basketball court. It was Maggie’s turn again. “I choose Frank.” Frank (Champion of the Untied Shoelace) could not throw, or catch. He knew what it felt like to be the last pick. But not today.
Three very talented teams took shape. And then there was Maggie’s team. Maggie looked at her teammates. There stood Jasmine and Frank, plus Gillian (Champion of Chatter) and George (Champion of Sleepy). “I have chosen the worst team in the history of the world,” Maggie thought to herself.
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。
Hand in hand, the Maggie team walked onto the court.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________They did lose big, but something positive began to unfold in them.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I was never a fast runner and thus I always didn’t like running. Throughout my childhood, whenever we competed in the 50-meter run, the 400-meter, or any other type of race, I would always end up with the last one among all the athletes. Therefore, twenty years later, when I entered into my first official running race—a 3,000-meter challenge in my city—at age 38, I certainly didn’t expect to win or earn any prize.
I learned about the race from my friend Jim. He told me that the race was aimed at raising money for the unfortunate patients in a hospital and encouraging the patients and their families to be brave. Since it was a heartwarming program, I showed up, paid the entrance fee and moved over to the starting line. Before long, someone spoke into a microphone. “Anyone weighing over 200 pounds comes down to the scale (秤), please.” Knowing I was over 200 pounds, I walked down to the scale: A man told me to stand on it. “Two hundred and three pounds,” he said. Then he wrote down the race number and pinned (把……别在) it on my back. Out of curiosity, I asked him why he did so, and then I was told there would be an award ceremony (仪式) after the race. One award was for the first finisher in the over 200-pound group, and this special award would be announced at the end of the ceremony.
Then started the race. Not realizing there were only two runners weighing over 200 pounds, I gathered all my strength to run in my burning heat. Although other runners gradually passed me along the way, I kept moving forward as fast as I could and struggled to make it to the finish line. Despite the tiredness, I was satisfied, for I could try my best to help those in need by running. Shortly after the race, the award ceremony began and several awards were presented.
注意：所续写短文为一段;词数应为80左右，注意衔接。Then came the last award, and to my surprise, my name was announced.
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The boiling hot sun beamed onto us as we walked out for the state-cup finals. The mix of excitement and nervousness created tension in the air as everyone walked out onto the football field. I could feel my heart pounding everywhere in my body as both teams lined up.
Starting midfield, like always. 90-minute game, like always. But this was the most extraordinary stage we’ve ever played on. All parents of us were invited to watch the match. As we got ready for kickoff, fear took over my body. Coach says confidence is the biggest part of the game, but for me, it’s my biggest enemy.
My thoughts were interrupted as the high-pitched whistle stabbed my ears, and the game began. The ball came straight to me. I drove forward, slipped around a defender (后卫), and lost it. On the very next play, I gave it straight away again. I could feel my confidence just seeping away. I told myself I wouldn’t lose it again.
“Come on, Aidan, keep the ball!” shouted Griffin, my teammate. It wasn’t mean or anything. We’ve known each other for years and played together for a long time. But it was not helping. I just played it safe next time and passed it back. Barely even on target, I was losing it. I could feel our coach, Caden’s eyes burning into the back of my head.
“Aidan, stay out wide on the start and get up that field. You’ve done it before, it’s coming to you on this kickoff. Use your speed.” once again shouted Griffin. But I didn’t feel fast enough. I felt like there were rocks tied to my ankles when I ran.
The whistle blew twice for halftime. The score was still 0-0. It was a bad game on our part, sun peeked through my hair into my eyes. My mouth was as dry as a desert.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；2.请按下列格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
“Are you OK?” Griffin passed me a bottle of water.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Exchanging a high-five with the coach, we walked back onto the field.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Ever since Jake first watched the 1988 Olympics held in Seoul, South Korea, he had dreamed of being in the Olympics. For years, he had worked hard to become a good swimmer, training and practicing. Two decades later, he was in Beijing, China, for his first Olympic performance, as part of his country’s swimming team!
The Olympic Stadium was packed with athletes from all over the world, all eagerly awaiting the start of the opening parade (入场式). The atmosphere was electric and everything seemed perfect. Almost.
Jake loved his red, white and blue official Olympic jacket with the Olympic rings on the back. But several minutes before, Jake had torn a hole in the left sleeve (袖子) of his jacket when it got caught in a gate.
“Too bad about your jacket,” his teammate, Ben, commented.
“I hope nobody notices it,” Jake sighed.
“Someone will,” Ben laughed.
Jake didn’t respond as he was already feeling annoyed and depressed after having to deal with his lost suitcase when they landed at the airport the day before. He could not believe how things were not going his way.
Suddenly, a lovely little girl about 8 years old came up to Jake and pointed at the tear in his sleeve. Jake smiled at her. The girl started speaking in a language he couldn’t understand, all the while pointing at his torn sleeve. Unable to catch a word, Jake turned to his teammates for help but all of them shook their heads with a helpless expression. At that moment, the little girl began to take off her own jacket that was marked with a red English word “China” and looked up at Jake eagerly, signing to Jake to do so.
“Oh, I get it. You want to try it on. Here you go!” Jake slipped off the jacket and handed it to her. The Chinese girl took it, bowed and took off with his jacket right away!
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。
“Can’t she be a little thief?” Ben joked, pointing at her back.
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Jake turned around, only to see the little girl coming.
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Skateboarding, which is rooted in street culture and closely tied to lifestyles and attitudes of young people, is a sport that emphasizes freedom and personal techniques.
The 13-year-old girl, Cui, took up skateboarding in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic did not allow her to practice rollerblading, which she began as a 3-year-old. One day, her father, a skateboarding enthusiast, suggested “why not try skateboarding at home instead?” That day she stepped onto the board for the first time, “It felt incredibly smooth. It was love at first sight.” Cui exclaimed. Within a year, she was reaching podiums (领奖台) at professional-level events, In 2022, she ranked third in the women’s street event at the provincial games. She soon joined the provincial skateboarding team and underwent a more comprehensive and structured training program.
In skateboarding, injuries are unavoidable, but when discussing the pain and the setbacks, Cui displayed a level of resilience (适应力) beyond her age. “When I started skateboarding, I thought it was great fun. Later, I realized people sustain a lot of injuries while skateboarding. But that is where the spirit of skateboarding lies.” she said. Most of the time, getting injured is just part of the process, and she simply pushes through it and perseveres, she added.
Earlier this year, Cui secured the 30th spot in the women’s street event at the World Street Skateboarding Championships. Until Wednesday, the title of China’s youngest Asian Games gold medalist belonged to 15-year-old skateboarder Chen Ye, who won the men’s park event on Monday.
The street competition involves skaters performing daring tricks on a tough course that features rails and gaps. September 28, 2023, the big day for Cui came.
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。
Paragraph1:
“I particularly wanted to win this one.” Cui said to her father.
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Paragraph2:
Cui made an impressive landing off the difficult high rail.
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Super Roy
“You’re a halfback(中卫).” I looked over my shoulder at the empty field behind me. “Me?” I asked, pointing to my chest
“Yes,” the coach said again. “You’re a halfback. Yep, no doubt about it.”
The coach’s name was Super Roy. Someone told me his real name once, but it never stuck. When I got to practice that day I was a small kid with little athletic experience or skill. I wondered if I belonged there at all and what Super Roy had seen in me that I didn’t see in myself.
“Are you sure I’m a halfback?” I asked him the next day.
“Let me see,” he said, standing back to have a good glance at me, which made me nervous about what he would say
“Yep. You’re a halfback. Might as well get used to it.”
“Okay,” I said, puzzled but beginning to accept the idea, strange as it seemed.
Later that day we started running plays. Time after time the quarterback put the ball right in my hands. Me, the silly fellow who had to be reminded how many points a touchdown was worth. I expected to go all season without touching the ball. I expected to be a bench warmer, and now the ball was in my hands—literally.
Super Roy had a routine he did every day. As practice came to an end, he would pick one of the players to step forward. The player had to recite a quote Super Roy had given him the day before. It was a very important moment in practice. No one wanted to forget his quote in front of the whole team.
After practice was over one day, Super Roy spoke to me. “Your turn tomorrow,” he said. “Ready for your quote?”
“Okay,” I said, stressed in deep concentration. “I’m ready.”
“Well, here it is: ‘It’s not the size of the man you play, it’s how you play the man.’ Got it?” “Yes, Coach.”
Super Roy winked at me and gave me a pat on the shoulder. “And I believe the quote will help you make a miracle in the inter school match next month,” he added.
On the way home, my mind played like a broken record, which made me murmur the words repeatedly.
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: There came the practice time the next day.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: I stepped into Super Roy’s office after the match.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________From an early age, Patti Wilson was told that she was an epileptic (癫痫患者). However, she was a lively and enthusiastic girl, looking at her illness as simply “an inconvenience”. She never focused on what she had lost, but on what she had left. One day, Patti said to her father, who was a morning jogger, “Daddy, I’d really love to run with you every day, but I’m afraid I’ll have an epileptic fit.”
Her father told her, “Don’t worry, my girl. I know how to handle it! Let’s start running then!”
It was a wonderful experience for the father and daughter to run together every day. After a few weeks, the ambitious girl told her father, “Daddy, What I’d really love to do is to break the world’s long-distance running record for women.” The father checked the Guinness Book of World Records and found that the farthest any woman had run was 80miles.
That year, she completed her run to San Francisco, which is a distance of 400 miles. She was wearing a T-shirt, reading, “I Love Epileptics”. Her father ran every mile at her side, and her mom, a nurse, followed in a motor home behind them in case anything went wrong. But nothing happened at all while she was running.
As a senior high school student, Patti announced that she was determined to run from her hometown up to the White House, which is a distance of more than 3000 miles away. Her classmates got behind her. They built a giant poster that read, “Run, Patti, Run!” This has since become her motto and the title of a book she later has written.
注意：1.续写的词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
On her second marathon in Portland, she had her foot injured.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Half a year later, Patti ran in Washington and finally shook the hand of the President.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A Teacher’s Dream
When handball was introduced to Sri Lankan schools in 2010,I wanted to bring it to my school, St Anthony’s, in the remote village of Wasalakotte in central Sri Lanka. This became a challenging task as the sports teacher was unwilling to initiate anything other than traditional sports, such as cricket, rugby and basketball.
I was not a sports teacher and I had never played handball before. In fact, I was an English language teacher before assuming my post as vice principal. However, I was determined to start this game at any cost. Handball is a fascinating game which combines speed, strength, flexibility, technical precision, skill and teamwork. As a new sport, I foresaw it as a golden opportunity for our school as we had never secured a place in traditional sports.
The boys were immediately interested and 40 students aged between 13 and 19 signed up to play. I had the support of their parents. Ultimately, I managed to convince the sports teacher to agree. However, we still needed a coach.
Heshan Pradeep, a St Anthony’s old boy who graduated some nine years earlier, volunteered to coach the team. He was a member of the Air Force handball team and was happy to take on the role in his free time. He assigned exercises and drills to do in his absence.
Although handball is an indoor game, we trained outdoors as our school had limited facilities. Training started early in the morning before class and continued after school until it was dark. The boys loved the game and were enthusiastic about training.
“This handball craze will ruin your studies!” complained some of the teachers in an attempt to discourage the game. Whenever the boys were late for class after morning practice, they were scolded or punished by their teachers, but I was able to keep them cheerful.
After three months of intense training, we were able to send an under-19s boys’ team to compete with 50 other schools at the first all-island school handball tournament held in Colombo—the country’s richest city.
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。
However, the Handball Association rejected our application because we weren’t association members.
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The victory sent the whole school into festive mode.
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On a bright Saturday, my peaceful lunchtime was suddenly interrupted when my dad surprised me with an unplanned idea. I couldn’t hide my annoyance as what was supposed to be a relaxing Saturday turned into a day focused on football — a sport I wasn’t very excited about.
Many of my friends loved sports, while I preferred to find comfort in the pages of a good book rather than run around on a football court. My lack of interest resulted in average performance on the team, and I often felt like I was a problem for both my coach and teammates.
Things changed last week when our coach announced a coming match against the champions scheduled for a month later. The realization that this important game would have a big audience only made me more anxious. The fear of possibly letting down the team weighed on me.
Determined to make a positive impact, I decided to practice hard every day. My motivation came from wanting to help the team and to overcome the self-doubt affecting my performance.
As the match day approached, my teammates seemed unsure about including me in the lineup (阵容). I wouldn’t have minded sitting out, but the situations were different. With one player short, they reluctantly (不情愿地) included me, and The Thunder Strikers, our team, stepped onto the field to enjoy cheers from the crowd.
The pressure was intense. The game started, and within the ten minutes, I received a warning. Before long, the referee showed me a second yellow card, forcing me to leave the field. When I got back into the game, the score was tied, and the next goal would decide the winner.
As the ball came toward me, I felt a bit scared. My teammates seemed tired, and the other team really wanted to win. With great courage, I kicked the ball. The opponents (对手), maybe not expecting much from me because of my earlier struggles, were surprised when the ball went past the goalkeeper.
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 Thunder Strikers won!
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After this win, football became different for me.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The Ace
Billie Jean was always full of energy and played as well as she could. One teacher suggested she should be more “ladylike” and try not to win all the time, but her parents didn’t agree.
“Play as well as you can and be the best that you can be!” they told her.
One morning, Billie Jean’s friend Susan tapped her on the shoulder during class.
“Do you want to play tennis?”
“What’s tennis?” Billie Jean whispered back.
“It’s a fun game. You’ll love it — you get to run and jump and hit a ball with a racket (球拍)!”
Billie Jean didn’t know what a “racket” was, but tennis sounded exciting!
The next weekend, Susan took Billie Jean to a famous club — the Country Club. Then Susan handed her a strange thing looking like a net. “This is a racket. You hit a ball with it!”
Susan threw a yellow ball at her. Billie Jean frowned and waved her racket as hard as she could. She spent more time hitting the air than she did hitting the ball, but she loved playing tennis anyway! It seemed that she found out what she was going to do with her life — she wanted to be an ace of tennis in the world! When going home that night, sunburned and exhausted, she had only one question in her mind.
“Mom and Dad, can I please have a tennis racket of my own?” Billie Jean asked. Her parents looked at each other. “Money is a bit short,” her mother said. “But you can save up for one!”
注意：续写词数应为80词左右。
“What can I do to make some money?” Billie Jean thought to herself.
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With her beloved racket, Billie Jean decided to practise hard to realize her tennis dream. She practised hard after school every day. Joining the Country Club and getting a professional coach contributed to her great progress. Gradually, she mastered basic rules of the game. The more Billie Jean learned, the more fun she had! She always took her parents’ words to heart and always played as well as she could. Billie Jean made it! She entered tennis tournaments and became an ace of the game — one of the most famous sports legends ever!
