One very cold day, not long ago, in Edinburgh, I was standing at the door of a hotel. A little boy with a thin blue face, his feet bare and red with the cold, and with nothing to cover him but a bundle of rags, came to them and said, “Please, sir, buy some matches.” “No, I don’t want any.” answered one of the gentlemen. “But they are only a penny a box.” pleaded the poor little fellow. “Yes, but, you see, I don’t want a box.” I said again. “Then I will give you two boxes for a penny.” the boy said.
At last, I decided to buy a box to get rid of him. Then, finding I had no change, I said to him, “I will buy a box tomorrow.” “Oh, please buy them tonight.” the boy pleaded again, “ I will run and get you the change, for I am very hungry.” So I gave him the shilling, and he started away. I waited for him, but no boy came. I thought I had lost my shilling. still, there was something in the boy’s face I trusted, and I did not like to think bad of him.
Late in the evening I was told that a little boy wanted to see me. I found, when he was brought in, it was a smaller brother of the boy who took my shilling. He stood for a moment, diving into his rags as if he were seeking something, and then said, “Are you the gentleman who bought the matches from Sandy.” “Yes.” “Well, then, here are four pence out of your shilling. Sandy cannot come. He’s very sick. A cart ran over him and knocked him down. He lost his cap and matches and seven pence of your money. Both his legs were broken, and the doctor says he’ll die. My brother and I lived almost alone, for our father and mother were dead”
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 fed the little fellow, and then went with him to see Sandy.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Then I took him by the hand, and said, “I would always take care of your little brother.”
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When I was young, I always dreamed of playing the piano and giving performances to a large audience in a concert hall. However, I struggled to understand the musical notes and the theory. Despite my parents’ encouragement and offer of piano lessons, I pretended not to be interested, too afraid to try.
Many years passed until one day, at 25 years old, I heard that a new piano studio had opened in my neighborhood. The teacher was recruiting (招收) new students. My childhood dream came flooding back.
I remembered I had initially feared becoming a teacher after graduation. However, I overcame those doubts. I refused to let fear hold me back any longer, so I walked into the studio.
The teacher, Deb, welcomed me warmly. I was relieved to find we were contemporaries (同时代的人) and expressed my desire to play the works of Bach and Beethoven if I could overcome my fear. Deb understood and seemed sincere, so I signed up for 3 months of classes. Still doubtful about my commitment, I bought a small, tabletop electric organ to practice with at home. It wasn’t the same as a real piano, but enabled me to learn some basics.
Week by week, I attended lessons in Deb’s studio. I often passed young students on their way out from their lessons before mine. One day, noticing the textbooks in my bag, a child stopped me and asked, “Where’s your boy?” After some hesitation, I finally answered I was the student. The children then welcomed me and I sat in the studio and listened to a piece a child was working on.
Soon, I gained confidence and upgraded to a full-size piano at home for daily practice. After three rewarding years of lessons with Deb, she announced it was time for me and other students to prepare for a recital (钢琴演奏会) on stage. I was thrilled at the chance to finally fulfill my childhood dream, yet also anxious at the thought of performing before the audience. But Deb believed in me. “Look how far you’ve come,” she encouraged. “It’s time to share your gift with others.”
Paragraph 1:I shook my head and told her, “No, thanks.”
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When I finally finished my performance, I faced the audience and bowed.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Knitting (针织) has always been a passion of mine. A few years ago, I finished knitting a scarf and couldn’t help but burst into laughter. It was my first attempt at knitting and it hadn’t gone as planned. It was misshaped and far too short, making it only the perfect size for a kid. “I have to show this to the team at work tomorrow,” I thought.
I work at a hospital, where I perform ultrasound scans. It was a stressful job, and humor was always appreciated.
The next day, I brought my delicately knitted scarf to work, and my colleagues couldn’t help but have a good laugh at its tiny size. Then we got back to our patients. Intending to give it to one of my colleague’s children, I casually placed the scarf in a drawer.
One day, as I waited in the examination room to attend to a patient, a very young girl entered. She was about six or seven years old, with curly (卷曲的) hair and wearing a blue coat. In her arms, she held a doll (洋娃娃) that matched her appearance, also sporting curly hair and a blue dress.
The little girl seemed frightened and totally at a loss, constantly avoiding eye contact and refusing to undergo the examination. “Poor kid,” I thought. My heart filled with sympathy and tenderness for such a young patient.
I tried to approach her to offer comfort, reaching out to pa t her shoulder, but she quickly moved away. That’s when I had an idea —I could talk about her doll.
“Is this your friend?” I asked.
She nodded. And now I saw my chance. I continued, “Does she have a name?”
“Yes, she has a name — Nora. It’s from my favorite comic storybook.”
“Your friend Nora is lovely and beautiful, just like you. But honey, it’s getting cold now, and you should probably find her a new coat to keep her warm.”
The little girl listened intently, showing more interest.
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。
Suddenly, I remembered the small and misshaped scarf in my drawer.
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After the examination, the girl’s mother was so surprised at the scarf the doll wore.
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Lizard (蜥蜴) Problems
My problems started when I learned that Mrs. Smith would be my fourth-grade teacher. She had a lizard in her classroom, and lizards were on my list of terrifying things.
Worse, Richard was in my class again. He knows I’m afraid of spiders (蜘蛛), and all year he pretended to put them in my hair. If he found out lizards were on my list, I’d be finished.
On the first day of school I tried not to look at the glass container in the corner, but Mrs. Smith pulled out the lizard and set him against her shoulder like a baby. “This is Ripley”, she said.
Richard whispered, “Bet you’re scared of him.” “I am not!” I said. Mrs. Smith looked toward Richard and me. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Amy’s scared of Ripley” Richard announced. “No, I’m not.” My chest tightened. “I love lizards. They’re my favorite animals.”
Mrs. Smith smiled. “I was going to ask for a volunteer to feed Ripley at recess (课间休息), but since you’re a lizard lover, how would you like the job?”
She probably thought I was speechless with joy.
Before recess, Mrs. Smith showed me Ripley’s bag of greens. I can handle that, I told myself. I’ll just lift the container lid (盖子), drop in the greens, and run.
As Mrs. Smith led the class out the door, I was frozen in a block of ice. I wanted to cry, but my tears were frozen, too. Ripley sat still watching. I knew he was waiting to jump at me the second I lifted the lid. I just stood there for a long time, staring back at Ripley.
Voices in the hall told me recess was over. I closed my eyes, lifted the lid, threw in the greens, and shut the lid. Mrs. Smith said, “You must be enjoying your job, Amy You didn’t come out for recess at all.”
Richard’s eyes got wide. I’d fooled him. But now I’d have to spend every recess with a lizard.
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。
After a few weeks, Richard said “Why does Amy always get to feed Ripley? I want a turn.”
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I meant for Richard to put Ripley down inside the container, but Richard set him on the floor and ran outside.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________要求：1. 内容丰富；
2. 侧重所见所闻所经历。
注意：词数150左右。
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mrs Flippen’s class sat listening to a talk being given by a local author. Tucker sat absent-minded in one of the library chairs. Most of the students wanted to hear about the writer’s work. Tucker did not.
“Why bother?” Tucker thought to himself. He always received low marks on his writing assignments, no matter how hard he worked on them. He could never think of anything interesting to write about.
“Does anyone have any questions?” Mrs Flippen asked her class.
Tucker raised his hand, “How do you know what to write about?”
“Well, sometimes I don’t,” the author replied. “It takes a lot of hard work to come up with ideas.” She reached down and pulled a worn-looking book from a cloth bag on the floor. “I find making a scrapbook (剪贴簿) helps.”
Tucker sat up a little straighter in his seat. “What’s in the book?” he asked.
“I fill it with pictures, stories, and notes about things that interest me.” The writer opened the scrapbook on her knee. “When I need an idea, I look through the book instead of staring at a blank page.”
Tucker thought about the author’s scrapbook as he walked home. He thought about staring at a blank page each time he tried to write a story. Digging in his bookcase, Tucker found an old binder (活页夹). He filled the binder with notepaper from his desk. After supper, Tucker cut some pictures out of the newspaper. Then he drew some pictures of his own. He cut and pasted (粘贴) stories from his old magazines. Then he looked up the words he did not know and wrote down their meanings.
In the days and weeks that followed, Tucker collected more ideas. He found that the more he collected, the easier it became to find things to collect. Tucker’s book of ideas grew fatter and fatter.
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 morning, Mrs Flippen told the class about a story writing competition.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Then came the day when the headmaster announced the result.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Kevin woke to the blaring beep of his alarm clock. “Can’t wait for that camping trip,” Kevin thought, filled with excitement. As he was leaving home, his dad grabbed him by the hand and said, “Before you go, just tell me the directions on where you and your friends are going to stay.”
“But dad!” Kevin complained.
“No buts!” Kevin’s dad added.
“Fine.” Kevin told him the directions and left.
The three friends, Kevin, Jay and Nathan, had been planning this adventure for weeks, packing their stuff-tents, snacks, and a map-preparing for a 3-day outdoor exploration. Excitement ran through Kevin as they departed for their campsite. “This trip is going to be awesome, ” Nathan excitedly yelled as they set off. But little did they know that nature had a surprise in store for them.
The first day at the campsite was going great, setting up tents, collecting firewood, and sharing stories. “Man, we nailed these tents, ” Kevin said. “I know it was easy really,” Nathan replied. The friends were happy.
Yet towards night, as the dark clouds gathered overhead, the atmosphere shifted, and a sudden storm erupted with unforgiving anger. Rain poured down from the heavens like a relentless waterfall, transforming the peaceful campsite into a muddy battleground. Worse still, a huge tree was uprooted and crashed down with a deafening crack on their only means of escape - their car. Kevin’s eyes widened in horror as he spotted the damaged wreckage beneath the fallen giant. “Our car!” he screamed over the howling wind, his voice a mix of disbelief and despair. “We’re stuck here,” he declared, his words barely audible against the backdrop of thunder and raindrops. They realized that their plans had been violently spoiled by forces beyond their control. The once quiet campsite now stood as a deserted battlefield, the fallen tree serving as a painful reminder of the unpredictable nature of the world around them.
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 next day, they found themselves facing the immediate problem of finding water.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: On the third night, a distant engine sound broke the terrible stillness.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“I’ll bet Anjali knows. Right, Anjali? Why don’t you show us since you’re the star student,” Deepak taunted (奚落).
Anjali was confused. She wasn’t trying to show off. She was just playing tabla (印度塔不拉鼓), like everyone else. And why was Deepak being so mean lately? Is it because tabla is a boy’s thing? She didn’t care that people thought it was a boys’ instrument. Anjali knew there was no such thing. She danced her fingers across the tabla to perform the composition in confusion. “Ugh!” Anjali heard someone groan, and she stopped playing.
“I guess I don’t know it that well after all,” Anjali said sheepishly to the teacher, Mr. Zakir. Her stomach was doing flip-flops. That wasn’t true. Not even a little. Mr. Zakir’s eyes narrowed. He looked like he was about to say something, but changed his mind. “The recital (演奏会) is next week, everyone. Keep practicing. I will be announcing who will get to perform onstage with me at my next concert!” Anjali had dreamed of a moment like that. She wanted to win the opportunity, but she needed to sort things straight with Deepak first.
As the class was dismissed, Anjali hurried over to Deepak. When she finally made eye contact with him, he purposely looked away and walked off. The next day at school, Anjali overheard Deepak whispering to Mary. “People are only interested because she’s the only girl in tabla class and they want her to feel special. She’s not that good—” Anjali was furious. She excused herself and went to the bathroom. She took some deep breaths but couldn’t relax. Her heart was pounding:
“It’s not my fault that people make a big deal about a girl playing tabla. I make mistakes too, but I work really hard. Maybe he should too. He should be less mean and practice more.”
“If I play in this concert, no one will talk to me again. He will turn everyone against me.”
“I don’t want to see a tabla or hear a tabla or play a tabla EVER AGAIN!!” Anjali yelled at the mirror. It was quiet for a moment. She believed it was one of her darkest days ever.
注意：1.续写词数应为150个左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
Stepping out of the bathroom, Anjali saw some inspiring posters on the wall.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After the recital, Deepak walked up to Anjali.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When we were finally dismissed from the last class of the day, the students streamed out of the classrooms. It was another boring day after school. I dragged my feet home as I sighed. Yet another uneventful day, I thought. Little did I know that the day would take a turn for the worse.
The lift lobby (电梯间) of my flat was old and dirty. The walls, which were painted white, had been dirtied over many years. I reached my flat’s lobby, and pressed the lift button and went in. Just then, Mrs Lim, my elderly neighbour, hobbled (蹒跚) in. She looked ancient with tissue paper white hair, wearing a faded old-fashioned dress. I held the lift door open, flashing a friendly smile, and politely greeted her. I asked her how she felt that day and pressed the buttons. She thanked me for being so polite, then we were silent for the rest of the ride.
The lift fell down increasingly fast. There were loud clanking sounds here and there while the lift grew slower and slower. My heart beat hard and fast as my hands turned cold and wet with sweat. Unfortunately, the lift came to an abrupt stop at the fifth floor. I pressed the buttons hard several times, but it was of no help. The lights on the buttons had gone out. It soon dawned on me that we were trapped. An icy fear crept up my spine. Mrs Lim was hysterical (歇斯底里).
“We will never get out!” she cried with her face pale. It had become a colourless mask. I had no time to lose. I pressed the bell in the lift immediately. The sound was surely deafening, but what other choice did I have? Mrs Lim burst into tears. I tried my very best to comfort her, telling her that everything would be all right and that we needed to find out how to get out safely. Mrs Lim began having trouble breathing, and I immediately helped her sit down and loosened her collar.
Paragraph 1: Several minutes passed, but no help came.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: Bang! My hopes were lifted when I heard the firefighters on the other side of the lift door.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I wanted to go to a party. Especially it was a beach party. It had been almost the only thing my friends had been talking about for the last couple of weeks. But My mom had said no. The more desperately I pleaded her case, the more forcefully my mother said no. “I don’t care who’s going,” said coldly my mother, “you are not going.” I was heartbroken. This was my best friend’s party.
Sunday dinner came around and my grandmother joined the family for the meal. Gran noticed my depression but didn’t say a word. It was my turn to wash up and Gran said, “Let me help you.” “What’s up?” asked Gran as I dumped the dishes into the foaming water. Gran wiped a plate with a tea towel. “Mom won’t let me go to my best friend’s party.” I said sadly. “Has mom explained why she doesn’t want you to go?” asked Gran. “No.” I replied. “Then for a moment, put yourself in her position.” said Gran. “If you were mom, what would your objections be?”
I hadn’t stopped to think about my mom’s side. “Well,” I answered, “it’s a beach party. Maybe she doesn’t trust us or thinks we’ll get into trouble.”
“Are there going to be any adults there?” asked Gran. “No,” I said, “who wants their parents hanging around when you’re trying to have fun?” “Might it just be,” said Gran, “your mother doesn’t want anything unfortunate to happen to you.”“Nothing will happen.” I objected. “Maybe you’re right,” said Gran, “but maybe mom’s worried in case it could.”
Gran looked at me gently, seeming to expect my agreement. For a minute or so, I kept silent, pondering for a while about my eagerness for the party. “Maybe, you are right, however, is there no hope?” I inquired. “Not necessarily.” answered Gran, lost in thought.
Paragraph 1: “Then maybe think of a compromise.” suggested Gran.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: The long-awaited beach party finally came.
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