For years, putting up Christmas lights had been a family tradition for the Patrick’s household. It was an occasion when they would busily prepare for the celebration of Christmas.
Their Christmas light display was always a highlight of the neighborhood and brought much delight to the whole community. Typically, Anthony would invite the neighbors over as they decorated the Christmas tree in the front yard. Emily, who lived next door and had known Sara’s family for long, often came to admire their wonderland of Christmas lights.
In early December, Anthony would string colorful lights all around their roof until it looked dazzling. On the front lawn, he would blow up a large white Frosty the Snowman and a Rudolph with a glowing red nose. Sara always joined in, along with their warm-hearted neighbors, hanging gifts on the tree and playing “White Christmas” over and over to keep everyone in the spirit.
Yet the bad news came in the midst of the festive mood, before they could finish the Christmas decoration. Anthony fell desperately ill. The symptoms suggested acute heart failure and he was soon admitted to hospital. Sara spent days and nights in the ward, attending to Anthony and praying for his recovery, though the hope was slim. On Christmas Eve, Anthony passed away.
It came as a huge blow to Sara. In the following days, she had to manage the funeral while struggling to figure out a way to cover housing and household expenses, and tackling a seemingly endless list of difficult to-dos. Perhaps hardest of all, she had to persuade herself into accepting the loss of her father. It was too much to take.
When she pulled up to the house after a long day on the go, the only thing that could comfort her were the twinkling Christmas lights, which brought her a spark of hope-it felt as if the brightness of the lights could cancel out some of the darkness of the past days’ misfortune.
Wanting to help, Emily shared their story on a community website.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Touched by their kindness, Sara decided to fulfill the lighting decorations, though Christmas was gone.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The skies were clear, not a cloud in sight. Although the calmness of the atmosphere should seem to ease my state of mind, my fear of heights overpowered any positive thoughts about the coming dive. Although I was terrified, I grew the courage to take a glance and was shocked by the breathtaking view that my eyes laid upon. The tops of the cloud gave forth a gold lining around them. “Oh, how beautiful!” I said to myself.
It was time to start preparing for my first dive. We rode into town and purchased some equipment such as a vest, a regulator and a tank. Everything seemed to be in good condition to dive with. All of my equipment was ready to see the waters.
We then ventured across the island to the spot where we were to begin our dive. Getting out of the car, I noticed that the air was quiet and misty. The wind was curiously strong and carried a cold chill(寒意)with it. “This is where we will get in,” the diving instructor said.
I was told that, in order to access the water, I had to jump. Now, this was not a simple “jump”. “There is little chance that I can do that. Do you even realize how high up we are?” I said to my mother. “Yes, you can! Just trust yourself. Just think of it as your chance to feel like you are flying,” my mother encouraged me.
My mother just could not seem to understand how fearful I was. My heart was beating violently. I was almost certain that the fish could even hear my heartbeat. Terrified and shaking uncontrollably, I could not make myself jump. The sound of the waves made me terrified. The waves were rhythmically pounding into the side of the bank, so violently that the water reached the same height that I stood.
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。
Although terrified, I gathered courage and told myself that I could do it.
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Once in the water, I opened my eyes to a whole new world.
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On a Saturday afternoon, my friend’s eleven-year-old daughter Jenny and I wound our way through the crowd at the State Fair of Texas. Her dad, along with my husband, followed behind. Seconds later, we arrived at the section of the fair that I dreaded（畏惧）more than searching for a place to park: the midway rides. As the loudspeakers shouted “I Will Survive”, potential victims passed us like a tornado.
Jenny looked up at the windsurf ride with her eyes wide open. I was confident that she, like my children when they were her age, would bypass the twisting, terrifying, multi-story mechanical arms and continue walking elsewhere.
I was wrong.
“Will you go on this ride with me?” she asked.
“Um, sure,” I answered while glancing up at the people who were suspended upside down.
“How bad could it be?” I asked.
“Not bad if rides don’t make you sick,” Jenny said.
I could have made up an excuse for not to risk my life. Or I could have admitted my possibility of motion sickness. But, earlier that morning, I had challenged myself to try something new each week. I was ready to push myself out of my comfort zone. Jenny stared at the ride, eager to experience the same thrill as the brave group of riders in front of us, I couldn’t say no.
We bought two tickets. After climbing into our seats, an attendant reached up, pulled down the bar, and locked it in place. The ride lifted us slowly and then turned us over like the blueberry pancakes. Staring at the ground directly below us, I wondered why I had decided to wear flip-flops（人字拖）. I wondered when my new health insurance would kick in. My stomach upset. The ride touched down finally. Her dad and my husband were waiting for us at the exit. “How was it?” they asked.
“Fine. No big deal,” I said, even though my head was dizzy. Jenny walked ahead of us and convinced me to keep taking chances and sample more rides.
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。
“Oh, look at the pirate ship!” she said.
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On the way to the car, I sent my son a video of me on the first ride filmed by my husband.
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Jake Stonehall was gifted. He had a passion for sports.
When he was five, his father took him to see the top two hockey (冰球) teams in the country play each other for a chance to lift the cup of victory. The boy could vividly remember how his heart pumped and how he wished to play there on the hockey ground with the players.
Since then, Jake became a hockey lover. With the company of his father, he spent most Saturdays skating in the ice rink (溜冰场).
When he got old enough, he joined his school’s hockey team. With the guidance of the coach, he progressed rapidly, which made the coach and his father really proud. Jake was soon appointed as captain of the team. He was a great team player and the whole team admired him.
Over time, his passion for hockey deepened. Beyond his own training, he would watch practices of his school’s disabled ice hockey team. These players worked together on specialized sleds (冰车), engaging in matches in an astonishingly incredible manner. Each game and practice became a passionate display of toughness and teamwork, setting off even more curiosity and admiration within him.
One day, he was on his way back home from training when a car crashed into him, throwing him several feet away.
The accident took away his ability to use his legs, which meant he could no longer play hockey. After he was out of hospital, he became a totally different person. Any talk about hockey would make him cry. He avoided seeing the coach and other players in his team. He even threw away the hockey sticks.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.开头已给出。
Jake sank into the world of hopelessness.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Jake began to practice hockey on the sled, like a kid learning to walk.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One of my favourite things about spring is the arrival of different species of birds. My grandfather was a bird lover, and I picked up the birdwatching hobby at a young age, thanks to his influence. My husband John and I found it a relaxing way to enjoy nature; we like birdwatching when we go camping or hiking. Plus, I have a great love of nature photography, so when we sit out in the backyard of our home, I always have my digital camera with me. John is an artist, and he often paints the birds I photograph.
Usually when the yellow warblers (莺) come back from the south in springtime, they pass us by; we don’t typically see them hanging around our home. But not on this particular sunny day in spring. As soon as I finished my workday, I put on a light jacket and went out to the backyard to relax in my favourite way: by watching the birds.
While taking some pictures of cardinals (红衣凤头鸟) and chickadees (北美山雀) at one of our feeders, I looked up and noticed this yellow warbler in our maple tree. The tree had recently begun to bud, and the bird’s yellow feathers looked striking against the yellow blooms, so I took this photo. Our backyard has a variety of trees and between my husband and me, we’ve documented almost 40 different species of birds. I’ve photographed most of them, but some can be a bit camera shy so I also keep a written list of what we see. Our more common visitors are cardinals, chickadees, hummingbirds and various sparrows.
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。
One day, I was watching the yellow warbler jumping among trees when a snake crawled towards it.
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At this time, I saw many small stones in the backyard.
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Kiton and his parents lived near the forest. They didn’t have much money, but they loved each other very much. Every day Kiton’s parents worked hard to earn more money for the family. Kiton did very well in his studies, which made his parents happy. They were sure that one day their son would become a big man. They always told Kiton that hard work was the best way to succeed.
Kiton cared about his parents and always helped them with the housework after he finished his homework. Whenever he saw his parents were tired, he felt very sad. How he wished his family could become rich quickly. Many times, Kiton dreamed of earning a lot of money in his sleep.
One day Kiton heard that there was huge treasure in a cave across the forest. Kiton thought if he found the treasure, his family would become rich. He told his parents about it. But they said he should not believe that and should work hard in his studies instead. But Kiton made up his mind to find the treasure. So he secretly made his plan.
The next day after school, Kiton started off without telling his parents. He reached far into the forest and the night was getting dark. In the dark, he felt as if an animal were following him. So he tried all his best to run. Because he couldn’t see the way clearly, he lost his footing and fell into a pit (坑). He tried but couldn’t get out. He listened, but heard nothing from any animals. He didn’t know how much time had passed. He heard someone calling his name from far away.
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。
Realizing his parents were looking for him, Kiton started shouting as loudly as possible, “I’m here, Mom, Dad!”
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Kiton and his parents got home, where Kiton’s favorite food was on the table, and Kiton decided to explain it to his parents after dinner.
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The long-awaited summer vacation finally came, and I immediately headed for Grandpa’s countryside home with excitement. I was looking forward to seeing Grandpa and playing with my best friend, Steve, his smart dog.
Life in the countryside was great. I enjoyed Grandpa’s tasty vegetable soup and had a lot of fun playing with Steve. We explored the woods, chased (追逐) birds, and tried fishing by the stream, laughing all the while.
One day, Grandpa went to the farm to get fresh pumpkins and tomatoes for a big dinner. While waiting for him to come back, I felt a bit bored.
“Steve, let’s have some fun!” I declared, and with a wag (摇摆) of his tail, he excitedly agreed.
Our game of hide-and-seek filled the house with laughter. “You can’t catch me!” I laughed, hiding and running away from Steve. But Steve was so smart that he could always find me, whether in the bedroom or the cupboard.
However, while we were having fun, something unexpected happened. Suddenly there was a loud crash in the living room, breaking the calm like a stone disturbing a quiet pond. It turned out that I accidentally knocked over a mirror while playing. The mirror, once neat and pretty on the table, was now broken pieces on the floor because of our playful game.
My heart pounded as I looked at the mess. The wind blew through the open window, making the curtains waving in the wind, which upset me even more. I didn’t know what to do with the broken mirror. Should I tell Grandpa or try to hide what had happened? I thought about it, and Steve lowered his ears. It seemed that he also realized that we had made a huge mistake. “What should we do, Steve?” I asked quietly, trying to find comfort.
It was a tough decision, and I felt really guilty. Admitting the mistake seemed hard.
Suddenly I had an idea — maybe I could put the blame on Steve alone.
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。
When Grandpa returned and came in, he looked surprised when he saw the broken mirror.
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At dinner, the joy of having Grandpa’s vegetable soup was now mixed with regret.
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In my high school years, I tried not to be anybody’s best friend and avoid going to birthday parties or weekend trips with my peers (同龄人). That was not because I was too shy but because I couldn’t afford the expenses. My parents did odd jobs to support the family and our income was low and unstable. As the oldest of the three kids in my family I had started to take part-time jobs on weekends and during vacations to help improve the family economic conditions. However, in my heart I did have a best friend, Joseph. I never said that to him and I guessed he didn’t know it.
Joseph came from a very different family from mine. His parents were both senior executives (管理人员) of high-tech companies, who provided him with the best of everything and he had many friends around him. We did school projects together, had discussions about interesting topics and enjoyed our time together. But I never joined him in anything outside the school. I liked him but I knew I didn’t have much to offer.
I had decided to go to college after graduation from high school, so I needed to have excellent academic performance in all subjects to be qualified for scholarships. I worked hard and was doing well in everything except math. I knew math was important to me but there seemed to be no way out. I was struggling when Joseph came to my help. He was considered one of the smart boys by the math teacher, who gave us monthly tests and awarded best performance with chocolates and best progress with Skittles (彩虹糖).
Joseph was a frequent holder of the best performance award. I appreciated his help because he had great ways to get me thinking and guide me to solve problems. I was making progress in math and Joseph knew it. He encouraged me to go for best progress award first and then best performance.
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。
Those awards seemed really big goals for me, but I decided to go all out.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Three months later, my first goal was achieved.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One morning, as I walked to the market, I saw an old man, with a bandanna(印花大方巾) covering his face, sitting in front of a tea shop. He seemed to be just watching the traffic on the road, not paying attention to anyone. His bandanna was dirty and his clothes were crumpled(褶皱的). His hair stuck out because he wore a cap that didn’t fit well. I quickly assumed he was a beggar asking for money. I decided to give him some change on my way back from the market.
A little further down the road, there was a young man lying on the pavement(人行道) with his arms outstretched(张开的). No one passing by paid any attention to him. It seemed that he had drunk too much. Thus, I thought to myself that he was just a worthless man who had spent all his money on wine.
I finished my shopping at the market and headed back. Before reaching the point where the old man sat, I took out all the change I wanted to give to him. When I approached him and held out the change, he barely looked at me, but still looked ahead. He shook his head as if he was saying he didn’t need it. I insisted and pushed the change into his hand. As I stood there feeling proud of my act of charity, the old man slowly got up and walked to the young man who was lying on the pavement. The old man kept down, woke the young man up and whispered something in his ear. It seemed that they knew each other. The young man seemed to respond and then shook his head. The old man walked back and headed for the tea shop.
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 stood there, watching in amazement, as he walked to the tea shop.
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The old man noticed that I was still there so he looked up.
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When I was about four years old, I started washing my face on my own. However, I always ignored the area behind my ears on purpose though my mom would often remind me.
One summer, in July of that year, my mom drove me to my grandparents’ house for our annual summer holiday visit. When we arrived, I was told that Grandma had gone on a trip with her friends and wouldn’t be back for another two weeks. Feeling a bit down, I went to the yard to play while my mom and grandpa caught up on some things. Although I couldn’t hear their conversation clearly, I had a strong feeling they were talking about me based on their gestures and expressions. Later, my mom returned home, and she would come back to pick me up two months later.
After dinner that night, Grandpa asked me to take a bath before going to bed. Since I loved taking baths, I happily agreed. With the bathtub (浴缸) filled with water, Grandpa reminded me, “Just make sure you clean the area behind your ears really well. You wouldn’t want potatoes to start growing there, would you?”
“Potatoes?” I stopped in my tracks and turned back to look at him. “Yes, potatoes. If you don’t clean the dirt behind your ears, potatoes might actually sprout (发芽) and grow there,” he explained, causing my eyes to widen in surprise. “But I don’t have any potatoes behind my ears, Grandpa,” I said as I ran my fingers along the back of my ears. He took a quick glance and replied, “Oh, I see a couple of sprouts: starting right there!” He urged me to get into the bathtub immediately and scrub (擦洗) them away thoroughly.
I nodded, still in disbelief. This was the first time I had ever heard such a thing. Why hadn’t my parents warned me about this before? I wondered, but couldn’t find an answer. Nonetheless, I felt shocked by Grandpa’s warning.
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 hurried to jump into the bathtub, carefully scrubbing behind my ears.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“What are you looking at behind your ears?” Grandma asked me curiously.
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