I have always been free and easy when it comes to handing out small change on the street, and a couple of months ago I lend 200 to a man I had never met before. Anyway, let me tell you about Brendan.
On my way back to London, I spotted a man with a large backpack and his thumb out to ask for a free lift. I pulled over and lowered the window.
“Which way are you heading?” I asked. “I’m going back to London.”
“Ah, that would be grand,” came his immediate reply. He opened the door and put his backpack on the back seat, “I’m Brendan,” he said with a smile. “I’ve had my thumb out for a day and half. Nobody seems to stop these days.”
As we headed cast along the motorway, Brendan told me about the two recent family tragedies that had pushed him out of his old life and on to the road. He told me that he was 52. He laughed a lot and enjoyed his off-grid (离网) lifestyle until the week before when he’d been mugged (抢劫). And now he just wanted to get some casual work in London, so he could then get himself home to Ireland.
It must have been the notion of home that got me and helping a man who’d clearly had a tough time seemed like the right thing to do. To my surprise I heard myself say: “Well, I’ll lend you 200 to fly home, Brendan.”
“Grand,” he replied excitedly. Then, after a pause, “and please don’t worry. I’ll definitely pay back the money when I get home.” He took my phone number and address, saying he’d call as soon as he could.
Eight weeks past, a call from Brendan made me disappointed.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A month after I got the call, to my surprise, a package was delivered to me.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The dog days of summer in Central Texas are hot and damp. It was a pity that our home didn’t have air conditioning. Momma and I were just trying to get through this August afternoon the best we could. Reading helped take our minds off the heat. Momma was stretched across the sofa, a pillow (枕头) under her head, reading. I sat on the floor, leaning (倚靠) back against the sofa, a curious nine-year-old in shorts sharing a fan’s flow. My book rested on the floor.
I looked at the thin hardcover my mom was reading, Ed Nichols Rode a Horse. There was a cowboy riding his horse on the front cover, but otherwise the book appeared plain and unimpressive. Before I settled, I asked, “Momma, what’s your book about?”
“It’s a story about a man, his horse and the hardships he encountered in Texas. Some of it takes place in Bosque County,” she answered.
With that, my mom returned to her story. I knew Bosque County was near where Momma had grown up. And I also knew it was best if I didn’t ask any more questions. My mom took her reading seriously.
We’d been reading for the better part of an hour-the only sounds were those that came from the fan and an occasional turn of a page — when I heard something unfamiliar. The sniffling (抽鼻子) back of tears.
I turned in her direction and saw something I’d never seen before: my mom crying. Something big — really big must have happened. My mom did not cry.
“Momma, what’s wrong?” I got up on my knees, staring directly into her face. “Are you all right?” “Jennifer, I’m fine.” Momma sat up and wiped (擦) her eyes. “You don’t need to be concerned.”
I wasn’t buying it. This was not normal behavior. “Why were you crying?” I asked in a whisper. She looked at me hard. “The book made me cry,” she replied.
I was trying to figure out how that plain-looking book could make my mostly no-nonsense momma cry when she said the most amazing thing. “The story made me sad when the horse got hurt.”
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。
That’s when I learned the truth that stories affect us.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I read Ed Nichols Rode a Horse from cover to cover with a big plan forming in my mind.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I drew in a breath, let it out against the backseat window, and scratched the word AWFUL on the fogged glass.
Dad glanced at me through the rearview (后视镜) mirror. “Alex, this will be a nice opportunity for you to see your grandparents.”
The car turned onto a familiar dirt road. We’re-getting farther from the city. Farther from Internet access. Farther from the computer camp.
“Cheer up, Alex! There will be another computer camp soon,” said Mom. “Probably even this summer.”
All my programming friends would be coding at the computer camp this week while I was stuck on the farm. I didn’t say a word. Finally, the car pulled into Granny and Granddad’s driveway. A thin line of trees came into sight.
I liked visiting the farm on’ spring breaks before I started doing coding camps…and before I knew how badly I could mess things up.
The car engine wasn’t off when Granny bounded (跳跃着跑) toward us. I watched from the backseat as Dad and Mom hugged Granny. I slowly dragged myself out of the car. Gravity seemed abnormally strong.
”You two deserve a vacation,” Granny was saying. “Alex will be fine — he loves being on the farm.” She meant loved. Alex loved being on the farm.
During lunch Granny asked, “Why so sad, Alex?” I kept silent. Why? They’re really acting as if nothing had happened during my last visit. For a second, my eyes caught Granny’s. Could I ask her if her goats had destroyed all her next-door neighbor, Mr. Jackson’s flowers because I lifted the latch (门闩) and let out the goats? Was Mr. Jackson still angry with me for having brought him such a great loss?
“I’m fine,” I mumbled (咕哝). “Just missing the coding camp this week. Coding’s just something I’m good at.”
Mummy nodded. “Ahhh. That sounds disappointing, but the farm will bring you something different.”
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 lunch, I was on my own when, out of nowhere, there’s Mr. Jackson.
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Instead, Mr. Jackson yelled, “Great to see you here, Alex! I need your help with a lamb’s birth.”
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Mr. Ward couldn’t stand students cheating the most. Whenever there was an exam, he watched very closely, making sure no act of cheating was neglected, and any student who cheated would be seriously punished.
I remember many times after tests, Mr. Ward found that the students sitting around me had better scores than the others and the further away a student was from me, the worse his grade. Mr. Ward suspected that some of the juniors “accidentally” got some of my answers. So he and I had a very interesting talk about cheating.
Mr. Ward once told me of some of the ways students tried to cheat. Student A intentionally “dropped” his pencil an unusually far distance from his desk. Then he stood up and walked slowly across the room to take it back. On the way, he glanced at the papers. Student B got a piece of paper and wrote down all the formulas (公式) on a tiny bit of paper taped to the inside of the kid’s palm. These incidents weren’t very rare.
The last day of the entire school year, all I had left was my math exam and there seemed to be some definite tension in the air because this was the biggest test of the year. I saw some kids trying to do some last minute studying, some trying to calm themselves down by breathing slowly and some saying a silent prayer.
Mr. Ward went to the front and started handing out the tests by rows. After explaining the rules of the test, he said very clearly, “If you cheat, I will take your test and tear it up. You will get a 0 for the biggest grade of the year.” Mr. Ward moved very effortlessly and efficiently about the room and during every test he went into a sort of RADAR mode. He sat at the front and watched the room for anything that might look like cheating. During this RADAR mode, if you were cheating, you would be caught. Guaranteed.
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。
Our test started and we were sitting there busy working on our papers.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Then Mr. Ward asked the kid he was watching to go to his office.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Recently, I volunteered with Interact, my school's service group at Read 2 Me, an activity that gives volunteers the opportunity to read to little kids and interact with them.
I walked with other volunteers into a large room in which there was a large variety of books. Some were picture books, such as Cifford or The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Others were chapter books with pictures in them, such as the Berenstain Bears and The Wimpy Kid series. For the extremely talented kids who like to be challenged, we provided chapter books that required imagination to understand. Just after I had gathered some books together, someone announced that it was almost time for the activity to start. All at once, a burst of voices was heard. The doors opened, and the children rushed in, beginning to look for a reading buddy（伙伴）. They all looked so eager to read, just like mice eager to taste a piece of cheese. I was sitting there waiting and glancing at the books that I had picked out for the lucky kid I would read them to.
Just then, a boy about six years old began to come my way, and I knew that I had found my reading buddy. "Hi, I'm Max. Would you like to be my reading buddy?" "Sure," I responded. And then, I let him search for a book of his choice.
"I like this one," shouted Max. I looked at the book that he had chosen. It told an adventure story of a little girl with her dog, and it seemed that it would be a good one to read to him.
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: "Can you tell me why you want this book?” I asked.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: Then came the after-reading activities in which we interacted with each other.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Sharing New Year with Strangers
I come from a large multicultural family, spread out across the globe. Despite being found in distant corners of the world, we’re a tight-knit family that makes an effort to stay close and keep in touch. New Year has always been a special time for us and a chance for us all to come together, no matter where in the world we might be.
My aunt Samantha, known affectionately by everyone in the family as Mantha, loved New Year and always went out of her way to make it cosy and magical for everyone around her. Mantha was kind, fun and full of energy so it wasn’t hard to get into the New Year spirit when she was around.
This year was no exception. Mantha drove three hours from her house in Bournemouth to visit everyone two weeks before New Year and to drop off presents to her friends still in the area. We chatted merrily about our plans, laughed at how organized Mantha was — presents already bought and wrapped and the freezer full ahead of the big day — and kissed goodbye when it was time to leave. So just several days before New Year, when Mantha’s son called us saying Samantha had passed away suddenly at home, none of us could quite believe it. I’d only been messaging her the day before, sharing voice notes like we always liked to do.
Mantha had had a blood clot (血块) that had unfortunately travelled to her lung and despite the paramedic’s best efforts, they were unable to save my beloved, fun, wonderful aunt.
So close to New Year, none of us felt like celebrating and we decided we’d have a quiet day at home, surrounded by family. The silence lasted until my sister-in-law, Vera, told us about some colleagues of hers who’d just arrived in the UK far away from friends and family. And they were eager to experience a proper English New Year.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 开头已给出。
Paragraph 1:
Hearing this, we were in a dilemma.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
When the day finally came, we welcomed them into our house.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“April 23 is English Language Day,” says Melissa, jumping up and down. “What a surprise, dear. What would we have done without you reminding us?” jokes Lindsay.
Melissa burst out laughing loudly. “What I meant was that April 23 is a very special day for all of us and I just wanted to make sure non e of you forgot about it.”
“What are your plans for that day?” questions Rocky. “I want to do something special to promote our beautiful English language,” dreams Jennifer.
“I have an idea,” says Lindsay. “Mango Street’s house No. 10 has been recently occupied (居住) by a family who is not fluent in the English language.”
“Where are they from?” asks Melissa. “I don’t know that but I heard the lady talking to the grocery store owner. She had great difficulty explaining her requirements. Her son and daughter also could not understand much. Why don’t we help them improve their English?” wonders Jennifer.
“It is a wonderful idea. Shall we go and let them know what we think?” asks Rocky. “Not now. We will go to meet them tomorrow,” decides Jason.
The next day, the five friends ring the doorbell of house No.10. A young girl opens the door and smiles at them. “May we come in?” asks Melissa. “We are your neighbors.”
The girl calls her mother. The sweet fat lady invites them inside with a smile. All of them sit on the chairs laid out on the front porch (门廊).
Jason explains their plan of helping them understand and speak English better. The lady seems grateful.
“We will help you in learning how to speak and understand our language,” says Lindsay.
The lady smiles her thanks. She point s to the fruits on the table. Rocky picks up one fruit at a time and names it. Jason asks her to repeat. She tries a few times and is able to call each fruit by its name. Her son and daughter learn the names too.
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:
The friends stay for about an hour.
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On April 23, the new family holds a party for the five children.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I always think of my mother as a superhero, because she never runs out of room in her heart for anyone or anything.
I could write about all of the wonderful things she has done, but I want to focus on one project she does every year that has shaped my whole family and everyone around us: She saves money, and she puts it in a little jar (罐子) that we refer to as “The Charity Jar”. Every year, she takes this money and puts it toward something—an act of kindness, anything that can help someone. Sometimes, she buys something for an organization that needs it.
If you ask her about this tradition, she will tell you that she is carrying on something that her mother used to do around the holidays. If you ask anyone else who knows her, however, they will tell you that she has a huge heart. She manages to get our whole family involved (参与) in this movement every year. Last year, she helped an organization where I volunteered—Ruth’s Place—a homeless women’s shelter in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
I had been helping a professor run a writing workshop in the shelter when I noticed the wish list on the wall: warm clothes, a coffee maker and supplies. I told my mom, and within a day, she had already asked if our family wanted to help Ruth’s Place. We all agreed and decided that the coffee maker and supplies would be the best things for our family to work on together.
A few days later, Mom found a coffee maker online, and showed it to us. With a few clicks, it was on its way. She also baked(烘焙) fresh chocolate cupcakes for the women in the shelter. We gathered the rest of the supplies and called the shelter to find a day when we could deliver 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。
That day I drove my mom to the shelter very slowly. _______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As we left, we were met with heartfelt thanks. _____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What a great year we had had! A new baby daughter, a job promotion (晋升) for my husband, and a new home were among what we had received. My husband and I were grateful for them. We wanted no gifts for Christmas, because our cups were running over. So my husband and I decided to teach them to learn to share.
After dinner, we talked about doing something special for someone else at Christmas. Our oldest son said, “Why don’t we find a family who needs help and give them presents?”
All of us were excited about the idea. We didn’t know exactly how we find our “Christmas family”, but we did know we wanted to help. The next morning I made calls to friends who might know of someone in need. That evening at dinner I described the family I had found. The father was a repairman but lost his job two weeks before. He hadn’t landed a new job yet. There were three children in the family. The wife gave birth to a new baby, who was the same age as ours. But unluckily, the baby had been taking many tests as doctors tried to determine why she wasn’t developing properly. They had spent almost all their savings on the treatment, with little for daily necessities. They were in great trouble. Of course, they had little hope of having gifts for Christmas.
“Can we give them some of our clothes?” asked our daughter. We all agreed that her idea was good, and so the children ran to their bedrooms and began sorting out the clothes they had outgrown. But my husband and I knew that clothes were not enough.
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。
On Christmas Eve, my family went for holiday shopping.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Then we were off to deliver Christmas gifts to our special family.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One summer day, I decided to go for a walk in the nearby forest. I had my backpack prepared with water, food, and sunscreen. I was excited to spend some time in nature, away from the busy city.
The forest was attractive, with towering trees that seemed to touch the sky and colorful wildflowers under my feet. I walked deeper into the woods, attracted by the pleasant sounds of birds. The path I followed was winding and narrow, but I paid little attention, carried away by the beauty. I started to notice that the trees around me looked unfamiliar. Soon I found myself lost. I realized that I had no idea which way to go.
The sun was setting and I knew that I needed to find a way out before it got dark. I started walking, trying to remember which direction I had come from. But the forest was a maze (迷宫) of winding paths, and I soon found myself going in circles. Every tree looked the same, and every path seemed to lead nowhere.
The sound of leaves made me jump. Was it a wild animal? My heart was racing and I tried to stay calm as I listened for other sounds. But there was only silence, broken now and then by the distant calls of birds.
As the sun set, I fully understood the seriousness of my situation. There was no food or water left. I was completely alone, lost in a wilderness that could easily devour (吞噬) me. I walked nervously, tripping over things in my path, feeling frightened with a racing heartbeat. Hours passed, or maybe only minutes. Time had lost all meaning in this place.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
But then, as I was about to give up hope, I saw a weak light in the distance.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The house s owner welcomed me inside.
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