As a little kid, I was such a geek that I actually enjoyed math, and since my parents were often doing math with my older sister, I picked up some things by listening in on them. One of those things I learned ahead of my class was the impressive feat of adding a whole three numbers at once!
But when it came time for the class to learn the same thing, they didn’t add the numbers right — at least that’s what young me thought. Our teacher taught us to add all numbers in the ones column, then the tens, etc. By contrast, I’d always added the numbers by adding the first two and then writing the third number under the sum of the first two and adding those. The way I had learned seemed less error-prone(容易出错的). I mean, adding three whole numbers in your head at once — who could possibly manage such a feat? So, I chose to ignore the way our teacher was teaching it and keep doing things the way my father had taught me.
Then, one day, the teacher had multiple problems written on the board and she called four or five students to solve their problems at the same time in front of the class. I was on the far end, away from the teacher, but I was worried that she would catch me doing things the “wrong” way，so I did things my way, put the answer, and then quickly erased my work so she wouldn’t see how I did things.
She wasn’t having any of that. When she got to me, she agreed that the answer was right but insisted that I needed to show my work. So now, I got extra attention as she made me redo my work in front of the class with her watching me as I did my math in a “wrong” way.
Para1: I was honestly expecting a scolding for not doing things the way she had taught us.
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Para2: The next day our next math test came, and I was shocked by but proud of the requirements on the test.
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Once upon a time, there were two brothers who lived on two adjoining(相邻的) farms. The elder brother is John and the younger one is Jack. One day they got a problem. It was the first serious disagreement in 40 years of farming side-by-side, sharing machines and using goods as needed. Clearly they could not get on well with each other like before and the long-time good relationship fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and then it grew into a big difference. Finally, they had a quarrel with each other followed by weeks of silence. No one was willing to be the first to accept mistakes or forgive each other.
One morning there was a knock on John’s door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter’s toolbox. “I’m a carpenter(木匠), and I am good at making chairs, tables, and even bridges. Now I’m looking for a few days’ work,” the man said. “Perhaps you would have some small projects and I could help. Could I help you?”
“Yes,” said John. “I do have a job for you. Look across the river at that farm. That’s my neighbor. In fact, it’s my younger brother! There was a piece of grassland between us. However, he recently brought his bulldozer(推土机) and now there is a river between us. Well, he may have done this to upset me on purpose, but I’ll do more. See the wood over there? I want you to build a fence, an eight-foot-long fence, so I won’t need to see his place or his face anymore.”
The carpenter said, “I think I understand the situation. Show me the materials and I’ll be able to do a job that pleases you.”
John had to go to town to buy something for his farm, so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he left.
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 carpenter worked hard all that day.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The two brothers stood at each end of the bridge.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The event that stands out in Tom’s memory happened one morning when Tom was only ten years old.He was at home with his elder sister Jane.Tom was doing his homework when he heard raised voices.At first he thought nothing of it since customers in the motorcycle shop directly below their flat often became loud，but he soon realized this time it was different.
“Quick! Quick! Remove the motorcycles from the shop.” someone shouted.Then a thick burning smell filled the air.When Tom opened the front door of their flat to investigate，a thick cloud of smoke greeted him.The motorcycle shop had caught fire and people were running and crying.
Jane，who had been playing the violin in her room，hurried to the living room.They rushed out of the door and along the corridor (走廊) through the smoke.
They were heading towards the stairway at the far end of the corridor when Jane suddenly stopped in her track.She turned around and headed back the way they came.Tom had no idea what she was doing，but he followed her.
Jane had suddenly remembered the lady in her 70s who lived next door to them，who they called Makcik.Jane began banging on Makcik’s door，but got no answer.As the smoke thickened around them，Tom could see many of their neighbors—some still in their pajamas (睡衣)—running for safety.The thought of fear crossed his mind.
“She would have run for safety like everyone else!” Tom cried.However，Jane refused to give up.“I know Makcik’s still inside.” She said she was familiar with Makcik’s daily routine and was certain she would still be sleeping.She pounded against the door.“Go downstairs.Go now! Go!”
Paragraph 1：Tom noticed the flame (火焰) was reaching up.
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Luckily，some neighbors passing by stopped and offered help.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My great-grandmother Eileen is fierce, loyal and strong and a bit of a legend in her own lifetime, which now stretches to 92 years. I should add that we’re not allowed to call her Gran, because she says it makes her feel old.
That summer, I lost my job and felt hopeless. One day, I paid a visit to her. She picked up a box which she placed on the coffee table. “There you go,” she said. “You do know what you’re doing with these things, don’t you?”
It was a new phone. Her current mobile was pretty ancient. I was amazed it was still going.
“Yes,” I said.
“Good. That’s why I ask you. You young people know more about such things than us oldies. You can take it home with you and get it all set up,” she went on. “Then, when you bring it back, you can show me how to use my new phone, such as getting on the internet, sending e-mails and so on.” She smiled so sweetly that I felt a surge of love for her.
I grabbed the box and stood up. Setting up the phone would be easy. It was teaching her how to use it that may prove challenging.
The following day I headed back to my great-grandmother’s with the phone. “Here’s your phone. It’s all ready to use.”
For the next hour, I was busy setting up her passcode and fingerprint recognition, which she said was like something out of James Bond.
She chose a picture for her screen and it was all going so well until I tried to show her how to swipe (滑动屏幕). “What do you mean, swipe?” she asked. She was 92, I reminded myself. This had been tiring for her.
She pressed at the up arrow and got angry when nothing happened. When I finally got her to swipe, she didn’t put the right amount of pressure on and the menu slipped away. After what seemed like hours, she threw the phone across the room and it landed on the sofa. “Take it away!” she howled. “I want my old phone back!”
I picked up the phone and was about to leave to give her time to cool down when I realized I didn’t want to go home when she was angry and upset.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；2.请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1
“Come on, Eileen. One more try.” I said.
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I was not feeling so hopeless any more now.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Once there lived a girl named Melanie. The little girl was living with a dream. She wanted to be a ballet dancer. Her body was very flexible and she had a strong will power. Melanie’s parents never knew of the great dancing skills their daughter had until one day, they saw the little girl dancing with the beautiful steps of a ballerina.
“Isn’t it strange? Melanie is dancing so well without any formal training!” the mother said.
“We must give her ballet lessons to help her improve her skills,” her father said.
The following day, Melanie’s parents took her to a local dance training school. The teacher asked Melanie to dance. The little girl was happy and showed some of her favorite dance steps. However, the teacher didn’t seem interested in her performance.
“That’s OK. You can leave now!”the teacher said.
Melanie was shocked to hear this. So were her parents. They couldn’t believe their ears.
“The girl is common. She does not have the possibility to become a ballerina, ”the dance teacher said. “Don’t let her waste her time dreaming of becoming a dancer.”
Disappointed, Melanie and her parents returned home. Tears rolled down Melanie’s face. Her dreams were broken within a matter of minutes. Without confidence, Melanie never attempted to dance again. She completed her studies and went on to become a teacher in school.Life was good and she kept herself busy with family and work. However, whenever she happened to pass the school’s ballet room, memories of childhood dreams danced before her eyes.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
One day, the ballet teacher in her school was late.
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“What a performance, Melanie! You are a true ballerina!” said the ballet teacher entering the classroom.
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On Saturday, we gathered at the hall to witness the award ceremony for the senior scouts (童子军). Receiving an award on such a day was a great honor for any scout, and all desired to be the scout selected to give the summary of the year’s activities for the association.
I was not the one selected to give the summary and for that, I was grateful. I could hardly stand in front of a large crowd to make a speech, but Sean could. He was selected to do the honor because he was the President of the Boy Scouts for schools. My job was much simpler. Being the Vice-President, I was very much behind the scenes, content to ensure that everything was in smooth running order.
It was an hour to go before the ceremony began, and I had put the finishing touches to the stage. Walking down the stage, I saw my teammates in a state of panic. When they saw me, they ran to me to tell me that Sean met with a traffic accident and would not make it to the award ceremony. Someone else had to give the summary. All of them looked hopefully at me, and I could feel my knees beginning to collapse.
All their arguments against my unwillingness were valid. I had a copy of the speech as well as the benefit of having seen Sean rehearse (排练) it. I was the Vice-President and therefore should take his place. Finally, I was firmly told not to decline any longer and they said that they were convinced that I would do the right thing. I sank down onto the floor, totally shocked by the situation.
I knew I was not a confident speaker, and the thought of presenting a summary in front of so many distinguished guests horrified me. To think that the fame of the scouts would take a beating because of me! The burden of responsibility troubled me greatly.
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。
But there was really no way out of the situation.
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As I stood on the stage, my heart beat violently.
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Kindness is everywhere in our life. Some of us are just thankful and some help a lot.
When browsing WeChat or other apps, there must be a few people asking for help like “Oh, I forgot to bring my book back. Can you take a picture of the text?” It’s nothing at all for us to do more than lifting a finger, but most times, many people choose to turn off their phones or pretend that they didn't see the note. There will be somebody who answers him somehow, but he doesn’t need to be me. Thinking of that, we won't be sorry for him.
But when we’re really in need, it’s such a kindness of him to reply quickly.
It was a beautiful sunny spring day. I had just finished driving my daughter to the airport to catch an early morning flight. My sons and I then went to a fast food restaurant for breakfast before heading back home. After eating we all got into the car and pulled out of the parking lot.
The restaurant was at the very top of a hill. At the bottom of the hill was a stop sign so we found ourselves at the end of a long line of waiting traffic while the cars at the bottom turned onto the main road one at a time.
As I looked down to the bottom of the hill my eyes saw an elderly man standing by the stop sign. His clothes were old and worn. He held a cardboard sign with the words “Need Help Please!” written on it.
My heart went out to him and I imagined myself in his situation.
As car after car turned onto the road without stopping for him, I reached for my wallet to look for whatever cash that was left in it.
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。
As I was pulling it out of my pocket, though, I saw a young woman walk up to him along the side of the road.
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By the time I reached the bottom of the hill, both the elderly man and the lady who had helped him were gone.
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That school year God blessed me with two trusted children—Tom and Mary. Whenever I went out for training, programs or personal matters, I left everything to them.
However, the peace was ruined when one day I lost one thousand pesos (比索) in my bag. I always kept my wallet near me. I only chose my trusted students to get near my things. I kept the door of my office closed every time I went for my classes. My spine trembled upon my seeing my money was no longer there. I scanned my wallet, my secret pocket and everything in my room. But all my attempts were in vain.
I was angry. That morning before my class ended, I appealed to everyone to help me catch the “thief”. At 4:00 in the afternoon that day, I reminded them about my warning of returning my money before investigation took place. Then suddenly, a boy called Larry said, “Miss, look at the paper on the floor!”
My heart beat wildly when I saw the crumpled paper which I thought useless. I replied to them immediately upon holding the paper. “Yes, here it is!” I showed it to them. They urged me to open the paper. I opened it and to my surprise, I saw the one thousand pesos! I felt relieved. Then, a letter appeared among the banknotes.
“Miss, I am sorry that I stole the money. I returned it. Do not tell my classmates that I returned the money and do not mention anything about it in class, because it hurts me. Thank you, Miss. But I can’t tell you why I stole your money.”
Oh my God! My brain flashed the handwriting of my trusted boy—the “thief”. I was sure this was Tom’s handwriting.
注意：1. 续写的词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡相应位置作答。
The next day, I called Tom to my office.
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We went to the hospital and saw Mary’s mother.
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Eartha lost her balance and fell heavily onto the floor. “I’ll never be as flexible as you are, Grandma.” she sighed softly.
Eartha’s Grandma had been practising yoga for more than 50 years, who could twist, bend and curl her body with ease. She could even stand on her hands and pull her body into different poses.
“Eartha, your name means ‘patience’.You need patience for yoga,” said her Grandma.
Like many schools in the country,Eartha’ s school held an annual yoga competition. Eartha wanted to make her Grandma proud. But she could hardly stand on one leg.
Grandma returned to the kitchen.Eartha kept practicing hard. She stood straight, her arms at her sides. She moved her hands and knees, arching her back. All of these poses were easy,while the competition was certain to be harder. So she tried more challenging poses, lying on her stomach and pushing up on her hands. Her arms soon got tired and she collapsed to the floor. Eartha wandered into the kitchen.
“Finished already?” asked Grandma.
“It’s hard,” Eartha said. “How did you get to be so strong?”
Grandma smiled. “Patience.”
The next morning, Eartha felt ached and sore all over the body. Her legs hurt so badly from the poses she practiced that she even wanted to quit. However, her grandmother’s words echoed in her mind, and she held the pose for a longer time.
Each day Eartha would practice anew pose, before going over the poses she had practiced the previous few days.With the date of the competition approaching, she started to feel stronger and more flexible. Her arms and legs stopped trembling.
The day of the yoga competition arrived as expected. In the gym, Eartha lay on her back with her knees bent and placed her hands on the floor behind her. Everything went smoothly. Just then,so eager was she to win Grandma’s pride that her poses displayed a mix of impatience, and rigidness. Eartha fell on the mat, which cost her edge over other competitors. A bell rang, ending the first half of the competition.
1.续写词数应为150左右:2.请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Thinking she ruined all because of impatience, Eartha looked at the audience for Grandma.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Calm and confident, Eartha stepped on the stage for the second half of the competition.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I was invited to a cookout on an old friend’s farm in western Washington. I parked my car outside the farm and walked past a milking house which had apparently not been used in many years. A noise at a window caught my attention, so I entered it. It was a hummingbird (蜂鸟), desperately trying to escape. She was covered in spider-webs (蛛网) and was barely able to move her wings. She ceased her struggle the instant I picked her up.
With the bird in my cupped hand, I looked around to see how she had gotten in. The broken window glass was the likely answer. I stuffed a piece of cloth into the hole and took her outside, closing the door securely behind me.
When I opened my hand, the bird did not fly away; she sat looking at me with her bright eyes. I removed the sticky spider-webs that covered her head and wings. Still, she made no attempt to fly. Perhaps she had been struggling against the window too long and was too tired? Or too thirsty?
As I carried her up the blackberry-lined path toward my car where I kept a water bottle, she began to move. I stopped, and she soon took wing but did not immediately fly away.
Hovering (悬停), she approached within six inches of my face. For a very long moment, this tiny creature looked into my eyes, turning her head from side to side. Then she flew quickly out of sight.
During the cookout, I told my hosts about the hummingbird incident. They promised to fix the window. As I was departing, my friends walked me to my car. I was standing by the car when a hummingbird flew to the center of our group and began hovering. She turned from person to person until she came to me. She again looked directly into my eyes, then let out a squeaking call and was gone. For a moment, all were speechless. Then someone said, “She must have come to say goodbye.”
注意：1. 续写词数应为 150 左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
A few weeks later, I went to the farm again.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I was just about to leave when the hummingbird appeared.
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