Javon was the shortest kid in the class. He’d had to ask to get his gym locker changed so that he didn’t have to strain (拉紧) so much to reach it. But he didn’t care about his height? Either he would grow or he wouldn’t — there was nothing he could do about it, so why let it bother him?
That was Javon’s attitude about most things. He didn’t like to get all worked up about stuff, especially stuff he had no control over.
The one exception was school work. Javon had worked hard. He was one of the top kids in the class. He was still the shortest, but now he also got called one of the smartest.
For Javon, math used to be easy. He figured that since he had ten fingers, he could do most of it. However, when Mr. T started a new unit and threw letters into his math problem, Javon could not wrap his mind around using these letters. Although Mr. T explained over and over again, he still didn’t understand. Soon the day when the class had to take the chapter test arrived. The test was brutal (残酷的).
Hard as Javon tried, he hadn’t finished all of the problems: The day came when the class finally got their papers back. D. 64%. Written in red ink on the corner of Javon’s paper. The worst grade he had ever got. In the seat next to him, Tyler got a red 72% on Tyler’s paper. Javon was surprised that Tyler, who is dyslexic (阅读障碍), got a higher grade than him.
“How did you get such a grade?” asked Javon. “I get extra time on tests. Because of my —” Tyler said. “You got extra time?” Javon cried out.
At this point, Mr. T appeared at the corner. Javon walked up to him and said, “Mr. T, why Tyler could get extra time for this test? Plenty of people didn’t finish, including me. It’s unfair!”
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: Mr. T was astonished, and then started to explain.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: “You asked for a different locker in the gym.” said Mr. T.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In New England, a few years ago, a party of boys decided to start a grand sleigh (雪橇) ride. The sleigh was a large one, pulled by six gray horses.
The next day, as the teacher entered the schoolroom, he found his students in high spirits, chattering excitedly about their journey. One of the boys recounted their trip and its various incidents. As he reached the end of his story, he exclaimed, “Oh sir, there was one thing I had almost forgotten. As we were coming home, we saw a strange sight on the road. It turned out to be a rust y old sleigh attached to a covered wagon (四轮运货车), moving at a very slow pace and taking up the entire road.”
The boys had grown impatient with the slow-moving vehicle ahead of them and decided to take action. They threw snowballs at the wagon and shouted, making the old horse start to run quickly. The old man in the wagon cried out, asking why they were frightening his horse. A boy replied, “Why don’t you turn out, then?” and gave him three more loud cheers. His horse was frightened again and ran into a loaded wagon, almost making the old man fall over.
The teacher listened carefully to the boy’s story before responding, “Take your seats, boys, and I will tell you a story about a sleigh ride, too.”
Yesterday afternoon, a very elderly man was traveling from Boston to Salem to spend the winter at his son’s house. He had brought his wagon for the journey and his sleigh for the winter. His vision and hearing were not what they used to be due to his age. He was traveling slowly, as his horse was old and weak like himself. Suddenly, he was frightened by loud cheers and rapid snowballs hitting his wagon. In his panic, he dropped the reins and his horse ran wildly. Amidst his troubles, a large group of boys in a sleigh pulled by six horses rushed past him, shouting and demanding that he give them the road.
注意：续写词数应为150左右;请按如下格式作答。Paragraph1
The old man begged them not to frighten his horse.
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Paragraph2
The boys listened quietly, reflecting on their actions.
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Bill is a retired oil field engineer. His hands are thick, and his fingers branch out in all directions. He moved back to America late in his career. His wife died of a serious disease so he had to raise his three daughters on his own. In my parents’ eyes, Bill is hardworking and helpful.
Every day, when I pass by his yard to go to school in the morning, I often see him standing in his front door, smiling at me. But in my heart, Bill is the last person I am willing to talk with in the world. When I was 7 years old, I picked fruits in his garden without his permission. He scolded (责骂) me severely and let me apologize to him in front of my parents. I hated him and swore (发誓) not to talk with him any more. What’s more, there is a scar (伤疤) on his face, which makes me more afraid to get close to him.
Recently, Bill, in his seventies, invited my friends in our neighborhood to his house to spend weekends. Of course, Bill also invited me several times but I turned him down.
My friends told me that they were surprised to find Bill was also experienced in playing basketball, and they invited Bill to teach them to play basketball on weekends. Besides, Bill often offered them sodas. It’s rare to see a bond that bridges generations. But I didn’t care all of these any longer.
One week ago, my friends came to my home and expected me to join their basketball team to have a match with the team from another neighborhood. I like playing basketball and I am good at it so I agreed immediately. But when I was told Bill would give us guidance and it was he that let my friends invite me to join the team, I hesitated. Eventually, I was persuaded to have a try.
The match started. Because I wanted to prove myself, I tried my best to shoot every time I caught the ball. I didn’t pass the ball to my teammates. Ten minutes passed and our team didn’t win one point.
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 felt at a loss when Bill called time out.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When each player in our team was celebrating our winning the game, I came up to Bill.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Falling ill can be a valuable teaching tool for doctors and it can have an influence on how they look after patients.
Occasionally, doctors become patients, too. While as a doctor I wouldn’t wish ill health on anyone, it can be an inspiring lesson for medical professionals to suddenly be on the other side.
This happened to me a few months ago when I had a stomachache, which had decided to make its unwelcome presence just as I was going out for dinner with a friend.
The pain came from absolutely nowhere but within minutes I was unable to stand or walk. I had no doubt that fellow sufferers would sympathise. I was quite astonished by how painful it was.
Of course, being a doctor, I initially refused to believe that anything was wrong.
I was checked by my coworkers I was worked with. They only said that it was nothing serious. This reminded me of the time when I made conclusions without examining the patients carefully. How I wish I could have been more considerate to my patients.
I wasn’t going to be defeated by the stomachache, so instead I chose to writhe (扭动) around screaming for several hours until I had to admit that probably this was something more serious than a stomachache. Even doctors can underestimate the mental burden that pain brings for patients.
For the stomachache, I stayed in hospital for several days. Later, it turned out to be a kidney stone, which had to be taken out. Given the pain, I had assumed the stone was actually a small one. I was therefore fairly discouraged when it finally came out and it looked much smaller. How could something so small be so painful?
During my time in hospital, various doctors came to speak to me. They were all very nice and polite but one stuck out in my mind. Whenever he came to my bed to speak to me, he knelt down so he was at my eye level. He was actually the most senior of them all.
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。
However, something about his manner and speech tone was incredibly calming. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Getting down on a patient’s level is a simple adjustment doctors can make to their care.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________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.
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When the day finally came, we welcomed them into our house.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One click of my wooden stick, and the buffaloes (水牛) moved forward. I guided them along the road’s edge, through the heart of the village. We walked past mud homes and villagers bent over tending to their crops. We eyed the green fields, where the buffaloes could eat growing grass. This was my life in a small village in Sindh, Pakistan. We had little, but I had a big dream.
Up ahead laughter attracted my attention. A group of students came into view, their uniforms a contrast to my faded trousers and worn-out shoes. Fingers wrapped tight around my stick, I stepped forward and said sincerely, “Dear students, could you please show me your books?” The students looked from my face to my stick, to their books. They quickly opened their bags and showed me their books. Illustrations of people and places caught my imagination.
“Someday, I’ll go to school too,” I declared, returning their books. Actually, I was desperate to go to school so that I could broaden my horizons.
Months passed. Every day I rose to my chores and buffaloes. Until, one day I got my chance. My uncle came to visit. He and Father sat, drinking tea outside. “Brother, you must send Rasool Bux to school. Herding the buffaloes is not in his future,” Uncle convinced my father. that all children should go to school. The following week, I was studying in primary school. Now, armed with my own books, I set out to learn everything. I read textbooks, asked questions, and even read newspapers for my father and his companions.
By the end of the year, I proved to be one of the best students in the school. I resolved to study at college or university in Karachi, a big city over 150 kilometers away. Unfortunately, I suffered from a skin condition that left white spots on my skin. The constant loss of skin color was stressful, making me feel bad about myself and even drawing attention away from my studies.
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 thought of not being able to finish school made me feel extremely depressed.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I visited my uncle after I did make it to university in Karachi.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A young boy, named Timmy, lived in a small town. He disliked doing any work; he found it boring and would always come up with a reason to avoid it. His room was always messy with toys thrown everywhere, socks under the bed. Books and clothes piled up like a small mountain. Homework often remained untouched on the desk, buried under comic books and game controllers.
Timmy avoided chores, finding them less exciting than his digital universe. Day and night, Timmy tapped buttons, lost in virtual battles, his eyes glued to the screen. Socializing means chatting with fellow games online rather than meeting friends outside.
One Saturday morning, Timmy’s mom asked him to clean up his room. Timmy frowned and ignored his mom, diving deeper into his video game. His mother sighed and went on with her chores. That afternoon, as Timmy was standing by the window, he noticed his neighbor, Mr. Jenkins, working tirelessly in his garden, repairing the wooden fence (栅栏).
At the sight of Timmy, Mr. Jenkins smiled and called out, “Hey, Timmy, I need a helper to hold the wooden strips (木条). And could you lend me a hand for a moment?” Hesitantly, Timmy walked over. Mr. Jenkins showed him how to do it. He continued to help do gardening work such as watering and weeding(除草) in the garden. As they worked, Mr. Jenkins shared his adventurous stories when he was a soldier, and Timmy listened with respect.
Hours passed, and to Timmy’s surprise, he enjoyed helping out. His hands were dirty, but he felt delighted and meaningful. As they finished, Mr. Jenkins thanked Timmy and showed him the result of their teamwork: a neat garden full of colorful flowers and fresh greenery. Timmy felt proud and realized that work could be fun and rewarding.
注意：1.续写词数为150 词左右;2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
The next day, Timmy decided to give his own room a change.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Later, when his mother entered his room, she was astonished.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The Champion of No Score
Maggie hated Tuesdays—Tuesdays meant gym class, gym class meant picking teams and picking teams meant Maggie would be picked last.
As a newcomer, she’d come up with a special title for each classmate to remember the other kids. There was Kevin, Champion of the Clean Desk. Lynnie, Champion of Knowing the Answer First… Thinking hard, she finally decided her own title: Champion of Quiet.
Maggie felt blue as Tuesday fell again. Mr. Murphy, the gym teacher, asked for volunteer captains to pick their own basketball teams. The usual hands shot into the air. Maggie sighed and glanced to her right. She caught the eye of Jasmine. Champion of Awkward, a girl who was sometimes picked last, too. Then Maggie had an idea. So when Mr. Murphy asked if anyone else wanted to volunteer, Maggie felt her hand slowly rise. Looking again at Jasmine, she took a big breath. Maybe it was time for her to use her voice.
“Maggie?” Mr. Murphy smiled. “You want a turn?”
“Yes,” she said.
The class whispered. Maggie leading a team?
“Yes,” she answered again, louder this time.
Mr. Murphy waved Maggie to the front, where the other three captains—Champion of Jumping Rope, Champion of Never Misses a Shot, and Champion of Doesn’t Know How to Lose—stood, ready to choose their teams.
“Maggie, you get first pick,” said Mr. Murphy. “Jasmine,” announced Maggie. The class snickered. A joke? More than once, Jasmine had tried to score on the wrong basket. Eyes wide, Jasmine took her place beside Maggie. The other three captains called out familiar names—the best players on the basketball court. It was Maggie’s turn again. “I choose Frank.” Frank (Champion of the Untied Shoelace) could not throw, or catch. He knew what it felt like to be the last pick. But not today.
Three very talented teams took shape. And then there was Maggie’s team. Maggie looked at her teammates. There stood Jasmine and Frank, plus Gillian (Champion of Chatter) and George (Champion of Sleepy). “I have chosen the worst team in the history of the world,” Maggie thought to herself.
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。
Hand in hand, the Maggie team walked onto the court.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________They did lose big, but something positive began to unfold in them.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One day five-year-old Beth received a piano as a gift from her neighbor Mr. Laurence, which had belonged to his late granddaughter. When Beth saw that piano for the first time, she was playing with her friends. The beautiful sound flowing from the large pink piano immediately caught their attention. Turning around and seeing the charming piano decorated with golden birds, flowers, and trees that shone like stars, Beth was overwhelmed (充溢) with emotion.
After knowing it was from her neighbor Mr. Laurence, who had just lost her little granddaughter, Beth resolved to express her gratitude in spite of her shyness and worry. Mr. Laurence had always been seen as a “scary man” by the children for he is so tall with beard on the face and a deep voice, seemingly unapproachable.
“You’ll have to go and thank him,” said her sister Hannah by way of a joke, for the idea of the child’s really going never entered her head. “Yes, I mean to. I guess I’ll go now, before I get frightened thinking about it.”
And, to the amazement of everyone present, Beth walked down the garden, through the fence, and in Laurence’s through the door. “Well, it is the strangest thing I ever see!” cried Hannah, staring after her, while the other children were made quite speechless by her unexpected act.
They would have been still more amazed if they had seen what Beth did afterward. She went and knocked at the study door before she gave herself time to think. When a deep voice called out “Come in”, she entered, right up to Mr. Laurence, who looked quite surprised, and held out her hand, saying, with only a small quake in her voice, “I came to thank you, sir, for the piano...” But she didn’t finish, for he looked so sad and friendly that she forgot what she intended to say and, only remembering that he had lost the little girl he loved, she put both arms round him and hugged him.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
Mr. Laurence was so touched and pleased.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The children were so surprised to see Mr. Laurence walk Beth home.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In a part of western Toronto, people were really happy when they had a community garden. The newly built garden was in Tom Riley Park, which everyone in the area loved, especially the older people. The park was a center for weekend picnics, early morning jogs, and leisurely walks at sunset. It was a place that held memories for many, and the addition of a garden promised a new chapter of bonding. But there was a big problem—there weren’t any stairs to get down to the garden, only a steep (陡峭的) and uneven dirt path. This made it really hard and unsafe for the older folks to reach it, and even the younger ones found it challenging.
This beautiful garden held a special place in the hearts of the entire community, especially the elderly residents residing nearby. But people who wanted to go there fell down. One person even broke his hand. A local student named Adi Astle knew something had to be done when he saw his grandparents struggling. He was good at building things, so he decided to make the stairs himself. He bought the wood, borrowed some extra equipment, and got to work. He spent $550 and worked for 14 hours, and then he had a brand-new set of stairs ready. The whole neighborhood was overjoyed and grateful to Adi for his selfless act.
Unfortunately, not long after the stairs were built, the city brought some upsetting news — the stairs didn’t meet the required standards and had to be taken down. Officials cited concerns over the steps’ stability and lack of handrails (扶手) . This left the previously satisfied neighborhood feeling down once again.“At the end of the day, the city has a responsibility issue. We have to make sure that constructions in our public spaces are to meet certain safety standards,” a city leader explained. “The stairs that Adi built were well-intentioned. They worked well. They would work well for the short term, but they wouldn’t work for the long term due to potential safety risks.”
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
After the stairs were removed, Adi received a call from the city leader.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The garden was now truly for everyone with the newly built stairs.
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