Michael and Greg were brothers and they lived in a family with a tight budget. They both missed the field trip last year because they could not cover the extra fee. This year, Michael’s class would arrange a field trip to the city museum and he really wanted to go. So he was trying to earn some pocket money.
On this cold autumn morning, Michael gathered the last of the leaves into a small pile. There weren’t even enough to jump in. “Mom and Dad are never going to pay me for gathering this little bit of leaves.” “What are you talking about?” Greg asked, walking up behind him. “I’m trying to do some housework so I can make enough money to cover my field trip to the city museum, but there’s nothing to do around here.” Michael sighed and looked around.
“You could offer to wash Mom and Dad’s cars,” Greg said.
Michael’s face lit up. “That’s a great idea.”
“I bet some of the neighbors would pay you to wash theirs, too. It’s getting colder and no one wants to wash the cars themselves.” Greg looked his brother in the eye.
Michael nodded. The air was cold. He shivered（打寒颤）at the thought of washing cars and getting wet in this cold weather. “Maybe this isn’t a good idea.”
Greg placed his hand on Michael’s shoulder. “I have some golf gloves that are designed for wet, cold weather. I’ll loan you a pair, and I’ll even help you wash the cars.” “Really? You’d help me and let me keep the money?” “Sure. Golf season is over. I won’t need the extra cash for a while.” Greg disappeared inside the house.
Michael asked his parents if he could wash their cars for a small fee. When they agreed, he asked some neighbors, too. Three more agreed. Michael got a bucket, some sponges（海绵）, towels and soap. Greg came back outside with the gloves. “Here you go. They’ll keep your hands warm and dry.” “Thanks.” Michael still couldn’t believe his brother was helping him earn the money like this. He had to think of a way to repay him.
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。
With these tools, Michael started to work.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________To Michael’s surprise, he found he earned more money than expected.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After over 10 years of dreaming and planning and 18 months of very serious considering, my husband and I finally bought a farmhouse about a mile from where I grew up. Neither my husband, David, nor myself had any experience with decoration, but we jumped in with much excitement. There was much to be done before the winter came to knock at our door. We rearranged the garden, laid out the lawn (草坪), and set all the furniture in place. Then there remained only one thing to worry us: We didn’t have a fireplace (壁炉) indoors against the extremely winter.
I knew the perfect choice of person for the work is my uncle, Richard Jones. Being a senior construct worker (建筑工人) for almost 40 years, he could do the job better than anyone else. On thinking of the idea that my house would be in my uncle’s hands, my heart was filled with expectation and comfort. The problem was that he lived far away in Florida, about an 18-hour drive from our home in Cortland. Another problem was the cost of building a fireplace. Buying the farmhouse cost almost all our savings, so could we even afford to pay him?
Much to my relief, the drive turned out to be no problem at all. On receiving my call, my uncle, at the age of 65, loaded his suitcase and his tools into his truck and headed to our place. When I asked how much he would charge, he replied, “We’ll figure up a price when the job is finished. Just have coffee and cookies ready when I get there. The more you bake cookies, the lower the price will be.”
My uncle wasn’t joking. As long as I had served coffee and cookies, he could work pleasantly. The man was obviously born with a sweet tooth. For two weeks, the coffee machine never stopped, and the cookies often disappeared before I could put them into the cookie box.
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 construction was slowly coming to an end.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I found the paycheck (工资) lying quietly next to the coffee machine.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Tim’s daughters, Hope and Hannah, have smartness, great humor, athletic abilities and beauty. His home is full of medals and many other awards his daughters have won over the years.
But the one thing they have never had in abundance (大量) is money. Having a single parent with a low-paid job, they never have pocket money. They wear hand-me-downs store clothing. But they never complain and never cry out for something Tim can’t afford.
Tim has many wonderful memories of his daughters. However, there is one that stands out.
When Hope was 10 years old and Hannah was 8 years old, they were looking for a gift to give Tim for Christmas. “Dad often gave us gifts. Now I think we should also give one to him,” Hope suggested. Hannah said it was a good idea. And they wondered what gift they should give their dad. After thinking for long, they thought of the National Geographic magazines. Their dad always loved the magazine. But because money was especially tight (紧的) that year, Tim had not been able to subscribe (订阅) to it. “The magazines sold in the bookstore aren’t that cheap. Well, at least, we can buy one and give it to Dad as a Christmas gift,” Hope said.
Not having any money of their own, Hope and Hannah then wondered how to solve the problem. Finally, they decided to find part-time jobs in the small neighborhood to make money. First, they needed to be permitted (允许) by their dad.
When they shared their decision one night, Tim thought they wanted to buy some toys, candy or something else for themselves. Since he couldn’t give them pocket money and thought part-time jobs could be helpful to a kid, he agreed. But he didn’t want them to be too tired, so he reminded them, “When you find you dislike the jobs, you can just give up.” Hope and Hannah smiled and nodded, and Tim thought they surely wouldn’t stick to their part-time jobs for long.
Paragraph 1:
The next morning, Hope and Hannah walked around the neighborhood to look for possible part-time jobs.
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Paragraph 2:
With the money, Hope and Hannah rushed to a nearby bookstore.
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The King’s Guard is known for being stoic (坚忍的) and calm. Even with thousands of tourists stopping by Buckingham Palace to take photos beside them, they are seldom seen breaking the rules. However, a little boy dressed as a soldier received reply from the guards when he raised his hand during their march.
A 9-year-old boy, unfortunately, is a boy with Down syndrome (唐氏综合征) , but he is also lucky. He has a loving, good-tempered and strong family. They wanted him to be a self- loving and self-reliant person. The attempts of his family were at work, and he grew up to be a good boy with a kind heart and some self-care ability.
One day, the boy and his families visited Buckingham Palace. He showed great interest in the King’s Guard, especially the King’s Guard clothes. He thought they were stoic and he wanted to be a real soldier like the King’s Guard.
“Mom, can I wear a perfect copy of the King’s Guard clothes and march with them? Just beside ... ?”
“No, you can’t march with them. They stand for our country and people,” his father said with a smile.
Hearing that, the boy’s eyes were filled with tears and said, “I just want to march with them beside their area and raise my hand to show my respect.”
His parents were regretful and said sorry to him. And their parents told him they decided to meet his need. He was very excited.
“How about next weekend?” the boy said.
“No problem!” his mom answered.
Next weekend, the boy was wearing a perfect copy of the King’s Guard clothes with a bright red jacket, white belt and black hat. He waited for the King’s Guard to move forward.
A few minutes later, the King’s Guard was coming.
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。
At that time, the boy marched forward and raised his left hand.
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After the King’s Guard left the area, the boy ran to his parents.
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Looking up at the black sky with shining stars, I smiled. The next morning, my Tathra Surf Lifesaving Club teammates and I would begin the first leg (赛程) of the George Bass Surfboat Marathon — the longest and toughest surfboat race in the world.
Over seven days and seven legs, we’d row 190km down the NSW coast, starting at Corrigan’s Beach in Batemans Bay and ending in Cocora Beach, Eden.
It was a competition my 10 teammates and I had been training two years for. At dawn each morning, including Christmas Day, we’d been straight into the boat and out on the water. For the last six months we’d added in gym sessions, too.
Surf clubs from all over Australia had come to compete. When our turn came to set off, we readied our boat. “We can do this, ladies,” I cheered.
On the water, we gave it everything we had. My aching muscles screamed at me to stop, but I pushed through. After two-and-a-half hours, we crossed the line first and won that leg. Over the next three days, we won another two and lost one. With three of four wins in the bag, on the fifth day we were hopeful. We only needed one more win to secure the marathon.
Our surfboat marathon win was so close — then disaster struck! When we made our way back to the shoreline, the water became aggressively rough. It was nothing we hadn’t rowed through before, so we kept going. But the boat started to shake and suddenly, it turned side-on and one by one we leapt off the boat, me included. Seconds later, the 300kg surfboat suddenly slammed on top of me. My body immediately went numb (麻木).
Emergency doctors raced over. It was decided, due to the severity of my injuries, I should be airlifted to hospital. I was taken to Canberra where I underwent tests, including CT scans, whose results showed I had a spinal (颈椎) injury. I received an operation. When I woke up, the surgeon visited. “We’ve inserted metal plates to put your back together,” he said. “We’ll remove them in about six months.”
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 support I received while I was in hospital was amazing.
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Now, after spending two months in hospital, I’m back at home.
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The MP3 has become a new fashion on campus. I had long dreamed of owning a MP3. The more MP3 owners were on campus, the stronger my desire (渴望) became. Finally, during one of my monthly visits home, I begged my parents to let me buy one, “Dad, Mom, I ... I want to buy a MP3 ... , the one for …”
I swallowed (吞咽) the rest of my words. Did I really need to explain what a MP3 was? Surely everybody knew!
At first there was no response from my parents. But my little brother replied eagerly, “Me too!”
Then finally my dad spoke, “What! What is it for? This little stuff breaks down soon after you get it! It’s an absolutely useless expense (花费) …”
Then, I had an idea. When the summer vacation came, I lied to my parents that I couldn’t stay at home, because the school had supplementary (附加的) programs. As a result, I earned my money for a new MP3 through my part-time job.
I was at home the night before my new school when Mom came into my room. She sat on my bed, and patted me on the shoulder. Then she handed me a small box. “Take this. Don’t tell your father ... Now, study hard, okay?” she said softly.
“Mom, how did you ... ?” I asked.
“It’s from my own savings. Your father doesn’t know.” I sat alone for a long time with my new MP3, weeping (哭泣) silently.
When I went back to school, I decided to give up my part-time job so that I could study harder for my parents, for my dream. My motivation (动机) to study has never been so strong.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在以下位置作答。
Para1:
One afternoon, I was in my dorm when a classmate told me that my father was waiting for me downstairs.
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Para2:
I sat down and unwrapped (打开) the box.
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Grandmother Bonnie called out to Amy as she finished setting the table and served them dinner. When Amy didn’t respond, Bonnie went to the young girl’s room and pushed the door open. Amy sat at her desk with her headphones on, drawing a picture.
“Are you drawing those strange pictures again?” Bonnie yelled. “Have you finished your homework? Your teacher called me today and told me you’ve been ignoring her homework!” she shouted angrily.
Minutes later, Amy walked into the kitchen and quietly sat at the table. They began eating dinner in silence. Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
Bonnie answered the door to see a man in his early 40s standing outside. It turned out to be Mr. Henderson, a famous New York-based cartoonist. He explained to Amy he received a letter with some pieces of her artwork and was so impressed with her talent. In fact, he wrote Amy letters, but never got an answer.
Amy noticed Bonnie moving nervously in her seat, and realized why the letters had never reached her. Her grandmother kept them hidden from her.
“I’ m here with an offer for Amy,” Mr. Henderson continued. “We are accepting applications for our arts training program this summer. I would personally teach the students the art of cartoons and everything related. For that, Amy needs to pass a test, and then she’ll have to spend her summer in New York learning under me. If everything goes well, she will be able to join my team later and seek her dream of art.”
“Really?!” Amy was so excited. But Bonnie refused because she promised Amy’s late parents to raise their child well and make her an educated person. Mr. Henderson sighed and pulled out a file from his bag, “It’s a test. I know your Granny is against it, kid. But if you manage to finish it and hand it over to me by 10 a.m. the day after tomorrow, I can take it to my manager,” he added as he gave Amy an encouraging smile and left the house. Amy decided to finish the test after school the next day.
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。
The next evening, Amy found her drawing tools were gone.
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Entering the house, Amy found Bonnie holding her drawing tools, crying.
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In middle school, my family moved to New York, where my parents established a small grocery store beneath our new home. As a reserved girl adjusting to the complex city life, I faced the challenge of fitting in. One day, my school announced a talent show for the local food bank, sparking excitement and anticipation. Despite my self-doubt, a popular classmate, Lily, approached me with an unexpected proposal.
Lily, known for her charming personality, suggested we collaborate(合作) on a singing performance for the talent show. Surprised and thrilled, I couldn’t believe someone with her status acknowledged my modest singing talent. With Lily’s beautiful voice, it felt like a bit of good fortune. Encouraged by Lily’s enthusiasm, we decided to embark on this musical journey together.
As we started preparing for the talent show, we faced numerous challenges, from selecting the right song to coordinating(协调) our harmonies. The process became a bonding experience and I began to embrace the idea of sharing my talent with the public. Lily’s infectious energy and encouragement helped me overcome my shyness.
Days turned into weeks, and our rehearsal sessions became a regular after-school routine. Lily and I poured our hearts into perfecting our act, drawing inspiration from various musical genres(音乐流派). However, fate took an unexpected turn the day before the performance. Lily fell ill with a sudden fever, leaving me in a state of panic.
Worried about Lily’s sudden illness, I felt a mix of fear and determination. With the talent show only a day away, we had to come up with a plan quickly. In the midst of my concern, Lily, despite her weakened state, reassured me and insisted that the show must go on. Drawing strength from Lily’s determination, I took on the responsibility of carrying our performance. The night before the talent show, I practiced tirelessly, determined to do justice to our hard work.
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 following day, I stepped onto the stage alone.
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After the performance, I saw Lily backstage.
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When Mike was a seven-year-old kid, his parents usually didn’t give him money because he liked to buy junk food. They knew such food would be harmful to kids’ body.
But one day Mike strongly wished to buy such food. He knew he couldn’t persuade his parents to give him money to buy it, so he was upset. At noon that day, his mom was having a nap in the bedroom while his dad was working out of the home. Mike suddenly found his mom’s wallet on the sofa in the living room. Usually, his mom would put the wallet close to her — not this time.
Mike found a good chance to get money. He thought he could secretly take some from his mom’s wallet without letting her discover it. Then, he slowly walked towards the wallet and opened it. There was lots of money. Mike took a few coins and walked out of the house, going directly to a store in his community.
He bought a bag of food that was very peppery and a bottle of iced Coca-cola. Instead of returning home, he hung around outside to enjoy the food and the drink in case his mom discovered it. When he opened the food bag, a strong, hot and sweet smell rushed into his nose. He tasted some: it was delicious. But it was too hot and his mouth seemed to be on fire. However, he didn’t take notice of it. Minutes later, he ate up the bag of junk food and finished the drink. Then he returned home. His mother was still sleeping.
In the afternoon that day, Mike began to feel uncomfortable and wanted to vomit. He felt pain in his stomach. At first, he could stand it. However, finally, he couldn’t bear it anymore and told his mom that he felt sick. But Mike didn’t tell his mom the truth that he had some hot junk food. Not knowing what was wrong with Mike, his mom was worried.
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。
She hurried to drive him to the hospital.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mike realized he should admit what he had done.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The Doctor’s Son
My parents moved to the small town Enosburg when I was still a baby. A soft-spoken man, my father settled quietly into his medical practice. Within a few months the people of Enosburg accepted him as one of their own. The neighbors greeted my father as “Doctor Eppley”. And I always was known as “Doctor Eppley’s son”.
Throughout the first years of my life, I never tired of letting others know that my father was one of the town’s most respected citizens. Somewhere in my teenage years, however, something changed. I was 16 years old and the neighbors still called me “Doctor Eppley’s son”. They said that I was growing up to be an honorable young man just like my father. I complained whenever I heard these words. So when strangers asked me if I was Doctor Eppley’s son, I replied, “My name is Harold.”
I survived my last year of high school. The next fall I went to college. I chose to attend a school far from Enosburg, a place where nobody called me “Doctor Eppley’s son” because nobody knew my father.
I returned home for winter break that year feeling proud of myself. In four months at college, I had become popular in my own right, without my father’s help.
For two weeks I enjoyed being back in Enosburg. The main topic of interest at home was my father’s new car.
“Let me take it out for a drive,” I said.
My father agreed, but not without his usual warning, “Be careful!”
“All right then,” he replied. “The keys are in the kitchen.”
I got into the car and drove a few miles and then stopped at a busy intersection in a nearby town. As I stepped on the accelerator(油门), my mind went blank, and I failed to hear the loud high noise of brakes(刹车)in front of me. I only heard a great crash as I reacted too late.
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。
The woman in the car I had struck jumped out of her vehicle unhurt.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On hearing what I had just said, the woman gave me a smile of recognition.
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