“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.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2 . 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。
I grew up in southeastern Michigan. I was a fan of Detroit Tigers, a famous baseball team, as a young boy.
My childhood dream was to be like my hero, Al Kaline, and someday play for the Tigers. My Dad would take me to Tiger Stadium several times a year and my hero Al Kaline would never let me down. We never attended a game that he didn’t get at least one hit.
I was crazy about baseball. If there was a game in my high school, I was never absent. I kept practising so that I could achieve my dream of playing for the Tigers, and I was doing well at each level of play. Later, I got a chance to sign up for a strong American Legion baseball program. There I met our coach, Bob Ohm, who knew a lot of baseball and taught each of us the basics as well as more advanced baseball skills. With Bob Ohm’s help and my hard work, I had set new records in many baseball championships.
My dream to be like my hero seemed to draw near. One summer, I went up to play the final season in Marinette. There were scouts who came to find the best players. This was it! My big chance!
Well, as the game progressed I hit the ball very well getting five hits in the game. Unfortunately, I also made four mistakes. The final mistake actually drew laughter from the crowd.
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。
After the game, I knew my dream of playing professional baseball was lost.
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Today, I teach baseball in a high school.
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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。
People in Victoria have often been admired as they enjoy the year-round good climate of Canada’s “banana belt”. So when the unusual snowstorm struck the area this December, Victorians weren’t prepared.
Before Christmas holiday was over, Victorians wished they would never see snow again! However, between December 21st and 29th, so much snow fell. The little city that seldom sees snow was covered by snow that was over I meter deep.
I called my 87-year-old mother, who lived in a downtown nursing home. She was in poor health, but her mind was active and unaffected. “Mum,” I said, “we’re completely snowed in. It may be a few days before I can get out to see you.”
I was worried. My mother had caught a bad cold. And because of the storm, drugs were not being delivered.
On the morning of December 31st, the phone rang. It was Mother’s nurse in charge. “The bad cold has seriously influenced your mother’s lungs,” she said. “She’s quite in low spirits, and she’s extremely eager to see you. Your coming may raise her spirits and increase her body’s ability to fight against the disease. Is there any way you can get here?”
I felt hopeless because I knew there was no way I could get there. Like thousands of others in the city, we were trapped.
Friends suggested I turn to C-FAX, one of the local radio stations. Since the heavy snowstorm struck Victoria, C-FAX had canceled its regular programming and was now a communication center for news updates, volunteer coordination (协调) and health and safety tips. In fact, it had become Victoria’s lifeline.
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。
I picked up my phone and asked anxiously, “Can you help me?”
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Later, I eagerly got on a truck heading for the nursing room.
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Jack and Dane were great friends. Every evening they played together. They studied in the same class in the same school. They were good students.
One evening, Jack and Dane were playing with a ball. After a while, Jack said, “I am so bored. Shall we go for fishing in the river?” “That is a great idea.” replied Dane.
Jack called out to his mother, “Mama, we are going fishing in the river, okay?”
“Okay,” Jack’s mother said, “but be careful not to get into the water. Your father said there are crocodiles in the river.”
Both the children said that they would not get into the river. They gathered their fishing lines with the hooks (钩), and a can full of fish food. They headed to the river, and soon began fishing.
However, even after a long time, they did not get any fish. They began to feel bored again. “This river looks not so deep. Why does mother say not to swim here?” asked Jack.
“Remember, your mother said there are crocodiles here.” said Dane.
“Well, I don’t find any.” said Jack.
Dane was quiet for a while. Finally he asked, “Do you think we can swim?”
Jack jumped up and shouted excitedly, “Yes, let us swim. Come on, dive.”
The two friends dove in, and splashed (泼水) around happily. They found some logs of wood floating on the river, and tried floating with them. It was then that something unexpected happened.
Dane was playing with a log of wood, and suddenly, the log was caught in a strong current (水流), and he was hit in the head. He became unconscious immediately.
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。
Jack saw what happened, and he swam fast to his friend’s rescue.
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Suddenly, a loud splash was heard.
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With my youngest, 11, it’s Tik Tok and FaceTime with her friends. With my middle one, 14, it’s SnapChat with his classmates. And with my eldest, 18, it’s Tinder with, well, God only knows.
What I do know, is that my kids’ reliance on their mobile phones is becoming pathological (病态的). They all wander around the house with smart phones permanently in their hands.
They walk in and out of the toilet staring at the screen, they come down to dinner staring at the screen and only put it down because they can’t feed themselves using the screen. God knows what their screen time weekly report notifications would read.
However, one house rule that I managed to enforce was that they weren’t allowed their phones in their rooms overnight and there was a bed time phone amnesty (赦免) in place where they would all, very reluctantly, hand over their device for overnight charging.
Now, I must confess that, occasionally, I “forgot” to charge one of the phones, so that at least I would get one of them to be a little more present the following morning at breakfast and I might hear something about their upcoming day, rather than being completely ignored.
I never forgot to charge the same phone twice in one week and so no one seemed to get wise to my tricks, however this emboldened me to take my cheating to new levels.
Any phone left unguarded would be quickly kidnapped and whisked away to an undisclosed location, only to mysteriously reappear when I deemed that its owner had engaged with the real world for a sufficient amount of time.
Then one night in February, it happened. A big storm hit our rural village and we had a power cut. “Dad!” They screamed, ignorant of the sudden lack of light and heat and only concerned with the sudden lack of Wi-Fi. It began to dawn on them that they were faced with the living hell of being off line and off their phones for an amount of time.
注意：1．续写词数应为150左右；2．请按如下格式作答。
What followed was a peaceful period without the addiction to their phones.
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And so I tried it a few weekends later to see what the reaction might be.
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My wife and I were at a wonderful birthday celebration yesterday for a dear family friend, and the party was filled with many friendly faces, some of whom I had not seen for a while.
Among those faces was a man, who is now an accomplished and highly-regarded lawyer. I interacted with him in a professional sense about 20 years ago. At that time, he and I worked closely together over a period of about six months. We spent some time together, and I got to ask him lots of questions during that time. I don’t think about that time of my life often anymore, but every time I do, I think of him fondly. He was smart, competitive and a great guy.
When we ran into each other yesterday, it became a wonderful opportunity to catch up with the old days. We spoke a lot about the life 20 years ago. We also talked about kids, family and updates on professional pursuits... all the usual stuff. After seeing him, the memories of that time came back vividly. At that time, we were working together on the preparation for a case he was going to handle. We had many conversations about how to prepare for the case. And how he and I got through the difficult period came to my mind immediately.
On the way back home from the party, I thought about the many conversations we had. And then I remembered that he had sent me a book that he said was very important to him but unfortunately, I placed it in the basement without reading. So when I got home, I went into the basement, where I kept all sorts of things from my life.
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。
And thankfully, I was able to find the book.
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Immediately, I found his address and drove to his home.
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In a small town, there lived a young elementary school student named Timmy, whose lateness had become his worst trait (特点) in his school.
Every school morning, he struggled to get out of bed, often finding himself rushing through breakfast and forgetting important things like his homework or lunchbox. Meanwhile, his classmates would glance at the empty seat beside them, exchanging knowing looks as the clock ticked pa st the start of the class. When Timmy finally arrived, he would often find himself the center of attention, and his cheeks red with embarrassment as he apologised. Deep down, Timmy felt a growing sense of discomfort and shame about his habitual lateness. His teachers and classmates were concerned about the effect of his constant lateness on his studies.
One day, Timmy’s class teacher, Mrs. Johnson, decided to solve the issue. She approached Timmy with a gentle smile, “Timmy, can we talk about something important?”
Timmy looked up and replied, a bit nervous, “Sure, Mrs. Johnson.”
She crouched (蹲下) down to his level, speaking softly but seriously and sincerely, “I’ve noticed you’ve been late for class quite often. Do you know being on time is very important?”
Timmy lowered his head and said, “Yes, but...”
Mrs. Johnson continued, “Being on time helps you not miss out on your lessons. It’s also about respect for your classmates and me. When you’re late, it can disrupt (打乱) the whole class. We all miss you when you’re not here on time.”
Timmy nodded and said, a look of understanding on his face, “I didn’t realize it was affecting everyone. I’ll try to be better, Mrs. Johnson. But I have difficulty waking up and getting out of bed. Every morning when my alarm clock sounded, I hit the snooze (小睡) button, just 10 more minutes. Then 10 minutes later, another 10 minutes. That’s why I am always late for school.”
“Don’t worry. We’re all here to help you,” Mrs. Johnson said, offering a comforting smile.
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 the talk, Mrs. Johnson, along with Timmy’s classmates, came up with a plan to help him.
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Soon Timmy’s change was obvious.
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It is exciting and enjoyable for one to experience both being fired for being honest and being rewarded. It was a pleasant Tuesday morning. Sunray Mart, a high-end (高端的) supermarket opened its doors to its customers. 60-year-old Billy had just started his first day on the job as the store’s sales associate (业员), and he couldn’t have been happier. Getting a job at 70 was quite challenging, and Billy could not thank his fate enough for somehow bringing him this work.
Wearing a warm smile, he began his work. After a while, he noticed one customer, a man in a clean black suit, approaching the store manager at the checkout....
“Excuse me, young man,” the customer greeted the manager at the billing desk. “Could you please tell me how much this toy costs? I left my glasses in my office, so I can’t see the price clearly. Would you please help me out?” “It’s $ 800, sir!” the manager took a look and said.
Billy was quite surprised and raised a brow (额头). He had just arranged the toys from the collection the man had wanted, all of which cost at most $ 200. So Billy lifted the exact toy from the lower shelf to double check its price and learned that it was actually $ 200, not $800 like the manager had claimed. Without further hesitation, Billy decided to correct the manager and approached the two men at the checkout, “Excuse me, sir, I think there’s been a mistake... That toy costs $ 200, not $ 800,” Billy said, pointing to the toy box his manager held.
Billy’s manager frowned (皱眉) and was clearly frustrated as he stared angrily at him, “apologize on behalf of my new sales associate,” the manager rolled his eyes and turned to the customer. “He’s new here, sir... and is probably a bit confused about the items listed for sale, The toy is $ 800.” Billy realized that his manager was trying to cheat the customer.
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.
But Bill could not openly oppose (反对) him.
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All of a sudden, the man Billy “helped” appeared from nowhere.
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A golden haze settled over the cornfields. The sun prepared to rest for the evening, and I intended to follow. Saying goodbye to the clan (宗族) I was staying with, I headed back to camp. I looked forward to setting my camera aside for an evening to reflect on my time in Ethiopia.
It wasn’t long when I heard a voice behind me, “Photo, photo, photo.” A young Surma boy about eight years old followed closely at my heels. I breathed a tired sigh. I had no energy to press the shutter button one more time, no matter how beautiful or eager he was.
Over the past four days, many in the camp had wanted their photograph taken. I hoped the boy would find someone else to snap his photograph, but he kept following me and saying, “Photo, photo, photo.” He managed to catch my eye. With eyes wide full of hope, he asked me again with anticipation on his face.
As I looked at him, half interested, an idea for a composition flashed in my mind.
I kneeled in the cornfield and instructed the boy where to stand and how to pose. As I prepared to take the photograph, his energy suddenly shifted from eagerness to shyness to fear.
No matter what I told him to do—how to stand and how to look—I just couldn’t get the shot. Frustrated, I gave up. I looked at the boy, who looked alone and awkward. He’d wanted his photograph taken, and now he’d gone camera-shy.
In an effort to cheer him, I clapped my hands, saying, “That was great. You were great.” Others in his clan gathered around, cheering and clapping loudly. The boy’s face immediately broke into a smile. I intuitively (凭直觉地) took a few shots of the moment. That photograph turned out to be better than I’d imagined.
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。
I printed a large copy of the photograph and returned to the Surma boy’s clan.
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As I left Ethiopia, I held onto the memory of the Surma boy’s joyous tears and the collective hope of his clan.
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Cindy nervously glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. Five minutes before midnight. Her parents were still out there celebrating their 15th anniversary.
“They should be home any time now,” she thought as she put the finishing touches on the chocolate cake. It was the first time in her 12 years she had tried to make a cake from zero, and to be honest, it wasn’t exactly an artistic success. The cake was... well, lumpy. And the coating was bitter, as if she had run out of sugar or something which, of course, she had.
And then there was the way the kitchen looked. Imagine a huge blender(食物搅拌器) filled with all the stuff needed for chocolate cake -including the bowls, plates and tools. Now imagine that the blender is turned on. High speed. With the cover off.
Do you get the idea?
But Cindy wasn’t thinking about the mess. She was anxious for her parents to return home from their date so she could present her anniversary gift to them. Picturing her parents’ surprised faces when they saw the cake, she could feel a wave of excitement washing over her. She turned off the kitchen lights and waited excitedly in the darkness, hoping to give her parents a big surprise. Time seemed to her to be crawling with feet of lead while she anxiously awaited her parents’ arrival. When at last she saw the flash of the car headlights, she positioned herself in the kitchen doorway, her heart thumping like a drum. By the time she heard the key sliding into the front door, she was THIS CLOSE to exploding.
Assuming Cindy was already sound asleep, her parents tried to steal in quietly, but Cindy would have none of that. She turned on the lights dramatically and trumpeted “Ta-daaa!” She gestured grandly toward the kitchen table, where a slightly off-balance chocolate cake awaited their inspection.
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: But her mother’s eyes never made it all the way to the cake.
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Paragraph 2: “Wow, look at the beautiful chocolate cake,” her father exclaimed.
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