I always hope for some student who possesses that unusual capability to convey feeling， insight, and passion through art. It doesn’t happen often, but it did one summer holiday - and from a wonderfully unexpected source.
That summer, I volunteered to teach a summer school art class for high school freshmen. When I arrived on the first day, the students were grouping in the center of the classroom, except for a red-haired girl named Emma who took a desk in the back row. I looked over what would be my workspace for the following days. There were large windows with plenty of light and I spotted several kinds of trees outside that would serve as models.
Emma was always the earliest to get to our classes，and I could feel her effort. However, she kept her seat in the back row as though being ignored was something to hope for. I asked one popular girl, who said, “She is an orphan. We try to be friendly, but she acts like she’s in another world.” I said, “All right. Let’s try to make this summer the good part of Emma’s life, OK?” There was no answer in words but she nodded, telling me she understood and empathized - good kid, at heart.
During the following days, I could feel other students’ kindness to Emma. Sometimes, Emma even talked and drew with them, but she still kept a certain distance from me. When I asked to see her work, she leaned forward covering it with her forearms. Treating her in any special way only seemed to emphasize her painful dissimilarity, so I limited my communication with her to a good morning smile.
The summer went by quickly and everyone got much better at drawing. So did Emma’s behavior. We had a lot of fun in the process, but the last day came at the right time. The kids filed in and watched me write the assignment on the whiteboard: Draw a picture titled: “A Place I Love”.
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 walked around, watching the drawings develop.
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It was Emma’s turn to show her drawing.
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2 . A therapy (治疗) client and I are working on an eating disorder and find it originated from a relationship break-up or perhaps being bullied in middle school. Such hurtful experiences led to not eating for a couple of weeks. Then comes a high praise from a friend that totally backfires. Maybe it’s an enthusiastic, “Wow, you look great!’’ In a flash, this praise excites an inner and often unconscious thought: “Oh, people care more about me if I lose weight. So many things feel out of control but I can control people’s affection by not eating.”
Often, very well-intentioned individuals offer praise out of a desire to uplift and connect. Such praise is often tied, directly or indirectly, to a person’s relationship with the standards of a specific group or institution. Sadly, such praise can easily reduce an individual’s dignity to their level in line with the group’s expectations rather than supporting their inherent (固有的) dignity and worth. So, what’s a better way?
One answer is to exit the game of “right and wrong” and enter a more life-giving focus on what needs are present. Returning to our example above, when you see that someone has lost weight and you want to give them a praise, just pause and take a deep breath. Simply ask, “How are you doing?” See them and hear them. Appreciate them as a person of limitless value. Know there may be much more to their inner world than meets the eye. Similarly, when you see someone’s success in school, appreciate the hard work they put into it. Ask with gentle curiosity, “How’s it been for you?” Listen with your full attention that in itself can be a rare gift in today’s hustle and bustle world.
By maintaining your concern and listening to the ways they want to be accompanied and supported — even when it might not be your first instinct — you can see them as a whole person, with complex feelings, very human needs, and inherent dignity.
1. What does the underlined word “backfires” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Improves the situation. | B．Shows sincere concern. |
| C．Removes hurtful feelings. | D．Produces an unexpected result. |
| A．Analyzing the phenomenon. | B．Listing another example. |
| C．Presenting the solution. | D．Making a proposal. |
| A．To start a light conversation. |
| B．To focus on one’s inner needs. |
| C．To explore the secret of keeping slim. |
| D．To show appreciation for one’s efforts. |
| A．Say No to the “Right or Wrong” Game |
| B．Why We Need to Make Praises to Others. |
| C．Follow Me and Be a Qualified Therapist |
| D．How Innocent Words can Be Harmful |
Ray was there to pick me up for the three-hour drive back home. That was how I came to know his story. As the father of two, he spent six days a week driving in a town far away from home. On his only day off, he drove five hours there and back to have time with his family in Preston．
“Leaving the kids is hard,” Ray smiled gently.
I smiled, too. I remembered my dad and I eagerly talked on the phone about daily things when he worked away for weeks.
After two hours into our drive when a tall sign saying Preston came into our sight, I asked if it was where his family lived. “Yes, about 5 kilometers down the road,” Ray looked out in the right direction．
My heart hurt. Then I decided to give the family a gift, even if it just would be my time.
“Why don’t we stop and say hello?” I suggested.
I met Ray’s inquiring (询问的) eyes like I was joking.I nodded to him and said “Yes”.Then, we drove off the main road.
注意：
1．续写词数应为 80左右；
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Soon, we came to a small house in a village．
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Maria was my best friend. When we first met, I knew we were meant to be friends forever. But then something happened.
One day, I said to her excitedly, “There’s a two-day art camp this summer,” holding up the bright-red paper I had grabbed as we entered the library.
Maria took the paper and glanced at it. She stopped when her eyes caught the date. “It’s during the last week of July,” she said. “That’s the same time when I would be out of town with my family.”
Maria handed the paper back to me as she stood up to look at the shelf of new books.
I sighed and dropped my head down.
“Alice, you’re the artist.” She smiled. “But I’m terrible at drawing.”
“You may not think you can draw, but you can learn,” I said in my most encouraging voice. I really didn’t want to go alone.
Going out of the library, I was still in low spirits.
After school, I showed the paper to my mother. She asked me whether I would attend the art camp. I told my mother probably not because my friend would not go.
Mom patted my back and she knew I had a hard time jumping into something with no familiar faces around. “Maybe next year,” she comforted me.
“Maybe.” I sighed. “I’m going outside to draw our pine tree. I’ll be out front.”
I opened the door and looked at the bright sunshine as I sat on the front doorstep. I thought about the art camp and wished I felt a little braver. Maria could make friends with a whole busload of kids in 10 minutes, but my stomach twirls like a roller coaster when I don’t know anyone around me. By the time I started painting, I had convinced myself it was OK to skip the camp.
I used my pencil and drew the pine’s strong and straight trunk, and added the graceful branches, making sure the upper ones lifted gently toward the sun.
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 jumped when Maria said, “You paint quite well.”
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The big day of the art camp finally arrived.
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Old Lily and her husband Jim would go to a local park with their lively and cheerful dog, Bruno. The dog loved going there to play Frisbee(飞盘).
One summer month, the couple noticed a sad little boy appeared seemingly out of nowhere each dusk to sit at the same spot in the park. The boy wore an oversized hat that always covered his face. He always seemed quiet and sad. And he would appear just before dusk, sitting for some time. As it got totally dark, an old lady would come for him, after which they’d leave the park together.
After noticing the boy the seventh time, Lily's heart went out to him. “I wonder what his story is,” Lily said that dusk, when watching that old lady lead the boy away again. The next day, she secretly approached the boy and recognized him. She turned back and told Jim, “It’s the boy always playing Frisbee with his father every day months ago. He got scared when Bruno tried to catch his Frisbee.” “Oh, that kid. He was so scared that Bruno was running towards him,” Jim laughed. “I wonder why he no longer plays with his father,” Lily added.
The following day in the park, she walked to the boy and the old lady who often led him away. The boy recognized Lily and looked around for her dog. “It's okay. Bruno isn't with me today,” she said. Then she asked the old lady why the boy was always sitting sad and lonely.
“I’m his grandma,” the lady replied. “His parents died in an accident. His name is Roy.” “He used to be so happy, playing Frisbee with his father on that spot every dusk,” Lily said, feeling sorry for him. The next day before dusk, Lily headed to the park with some pies and her dog, wishing to entertain and comfort Roy by the food and especially her cheerful dog.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为 100 左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Before long, she reached the park.
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Elsie watched her older brothers, Edward and Samuel, who were smiling while they held their spelling bee awards and stood at the front of the one-room schoolhouse.
The pale winter sun came through the window and washed the room in a soft light. Heat came from the wood-burning warming stove, and the little wooden schoolhouse was comfortable and warm despite the December weather.
The students could hear the rushing sound of the nearby stream flowing over the rocks. The air smelled salty from the sea, mixed with a sweet smell of fir trees.
Elsie smiled and clapped her hands with the other six students, but inside she felt a strange sadness. Every time she tried to be as good as Edward and Samuel she did not succeed.
She reached down to touch the ears of her puppy dog, Bear. He rewarded her with a stare of love, eyes shining against his thick dark fur.
“What is wrong with me?” her twelve-year-old heart asked her. She knew she was no longer a child. But she was not quite an adult either. Part of her felt and thought with childish ways. But she could tell another part of her mind was more like an adult.
“Congratulations, Edward and Samuel,” Jeanie, her teacher said. “You have been equally matched for the spelling bee champions.” “Those were difficult words. You both deserve to win.”
“When am I going to win something?” she thought. “Why is it always them?”
She felt small, forgotten and alone while the other kids went up to congratulate Edward, age 15, and Samuel, age 17.
She thought about her efforts to try to catch up to Edward and Samuel. Elsie wondered if she would ever be able to do what they did, and have her parents proud of her, too.
“Reading time,” said Jeanie. Elsie thought about the way her teacher taught the group, each person reading out loud for practice.
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:
Jeanie saw Elsie looking low in spirits and knew Elsie was a sensitive child.
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Paragraph 2:
Another Spelling Bee competition was coming and Elsie decided to try out for it.
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A week before New Year's Day, the phone rang. "Maggie ran off, and I can't find her, "my husband, Jerry, said in an anxious voice. He'd driven to the town park with our dog, Maggie. “Why'd she run away?” I asked. “A smaller dog scared her, and she took off over the footbridge. ” Maggie was eleven years old, overweight, and afraid of her own shadow. I asked Jerry to find her before she ran too far away. Our daughter overheard my end of the conversation. Jennifer often played upon the couch with Maggie. "Maggie's lost? Tell Dad I'll help him look for her. "She flew out of the door.
At first, Maggie's tracks were easy to follow because a couple of inches of snow covered the ground. But her prints stopped at the parking lot where the snow had melted. My husband and Jennifer searched for hours into the night. Before leaving the park, Jerry hung his jacket on the branch of a tree and placed Maggie's bed below it. He hoped the wind would carry his scent and Maggie would find her way back. But there was no sign of her the next day. Jennifer made dyers and handed them out to houses around the park. We posted Maggie's photo on all the "Lost Dog" sites and social media. Friends and family promised to keep an eye out for her.
The third day, I waited at home for calls and contacted M&M Pet Rescue. They offered to help. But there was no sign, and we were all worried. Jerry and Jennifer went door-to-door with Moggie’s picture, asking if anyone had seen her. Soon Maggie's story spread through the whole community.
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 forth day, a lot of people reached out to help look for Maggie.
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As Maggie came toward us, I cried tears of joy.
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I grew up in a small town in Mississippi, where everyone knew each other and family was everything. My big brother, Jake, and I had always been close. We shared the same hobbies, friends and dreams except that I wanted to go to college, travel the world and make a difference.
However, everything changed when our father passed away. He was the glue that held our family together and without him things fell apart. Jake took over the family business, and continued to run our father’s auto shop, which was struggling to survive in the competitive market. I tried to help Jake, but also wanted to achieve my own goals. I applied to several universities across the country, hoping to get a scholarship. I was thrilled when I got accepted to Stanford in California, one of the best universities in the nation.
But Jake was not happy for that. He felt abandoned by my decision. He criticized me for being self ish and ungrateful, turning my back on our family and roots. He said I was wasting my time and money on a fancy education that would not help me in the real world. He said I should stay at home and help him run the shop, as our father would have wanted.
I tried to reason with him that I loved him and our family. I said I would come back after graduation, or maybe even sooner if he needed me. And I was proud of him for taking care of the business. I promised we could still be close, even if I was miles apart.
He was angry and refused to accept my choice. He said he did not want to see me or talk to me ever again. He even mentioned I was no longer his brother, but his enemy.
注意：1.续写词数应为100词左右;
2.请按下列格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Despite that, I packed up and left for Stanford.
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Swim Buddies
I leaned (倚靠) over the side of the beat and stared at the clear blue water. This was my last chance, I thought. “I hope you find a green turtle (乌龟) today, Alexa, and realize your dream of swimming with it.” Dad said, as if reading my thought. “Me, too,” my brother, Jonah, said. “I want to see one, too!”
I lifted my head up, turned toward Jonah, and glared. Why, why, why did he always insist on following me everywhere, doing everything I did? Make your own friends. I wanted to scream at him. Find your own green sea turtle! But I said nothing. Ever since Jonah was a little kid and they discovered he acted so differently because he had autism (自闭症), I had been trained to show understanding for him. Trained to put up with a lot, including his shouts at the top of his lungs.
“We’ll stop here, and if we are lucky enough to see turtles.” Father said, “remember not to get too close, or they will be scared away. Do the ‘dead man’s float’ and wait. If they’re curious enough, they’ll cheek you out.”
Jonah said — too loudly, of course, so everyone on the boat could hear him —“That turtle sounds just like me. It wants to be friends but doesn’t know how, like me. I really, really, really want to see one, Dad.”
Putting the mouthpiece into my mouth, I dived into the water. I swam in a different direction and searched the seafloor. Suddenly, I saw a huge green turtle chewing on the seaweed. Excited as I was, I did the dead man’s float, lying as still as possible. “Come on, buddy (伙伴).” I said to myself, “Come swim with me!”
As I watched than lonely turtle, I couldn’t help bust think of Jonah’s words about friends — Jonah didn’t have friends. He functioned well enough to be in a regular class, but he was still strange enough that the other kids stayed away from him. This turtle might be the only one we could find today. And I knew that Jonah had got his heart set on seeing one, just like I did. Even though Jonah made my life really hard. I understood how he felt. I swam to Jonah.
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。
Together, we swam back toward my turtle.
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Emerging from the water, Jonah shouted, “The turtle is our friend now!”
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We’ve all had them: “It’s been one of those days” days. It starts out bad, moves to worse, and then gets horrible. Everything that can go wrong happens. The car breaks down, the toilet overflows, the kids fight, the freezer starts making chunk-chunk-chunk noises, and the cat tangles with a dog of a neighbor.
That’s what I was having. Everything was in a mess. It seemed that all the unlucky fell on me. As the day wore on, I started preparing dinner. Halfway through the cooking, I realized I was out of salt. I grabbed my driver’s license and a single cheque (支票), jumped into my car, and drove to a neighborhood grocery store, wishing I could serve all the dishes before kids came back home. Along with the salt, I picked up a few extra things and headed for the checkout stand. At the register, I wrote the cheque for the required $12.51, which couldn’t be rewritten according to the rules. Then the cashier bagged my items.
At that moment I noticed the salt—the one thing I’d come for—still in the shopping cart. I handed it to the cashier. “I forgot to take it out of the cart. Don’t put this back on the shelf. I’ll come back for this in a while.”
She picked it up and said, “It’s only 35 cents. Why not just pay for it in cash?”
I explained I’d rushed out of the house with only a single cheque and my driver’s license. “I don’t have cash to make a phone call if my car dies on the way home—and believe me, it’s been one of those days.”
Then the cashier, whom I’d never seen before, said in a comforting voice, “Oh, one of those days? It doesn’t have to be like this.”
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。
Then she pulled a dollar bill from her pocket and paid for the salt for me.
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A week later, I returned to the store and handed the same cashier 20 single dollar bills.
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