A GIFT FOR GRANDPA
Summer vacation was coming. Jack and his brother Berlin were filled with excitement as they thought of visiting their grandparents again.
The big day came at last. After the happy family got ready, they set out for the grandparents’ eagerly. On the way, the brothers were excitedly talking about the fun they had with grandparents.
A little blue house with a tall white chimney finally appeared. Behind the property was the forest carrying their good memories with Grandpa. They arrived at the driveway, at the end of which Grandma was waiting for them joyfully.
Jack and Berlin each gave Grandma a big hug and then swept to the living room, shouting excitedly “Grandpa, we are back!”
Seeing his grandsons, Grandpa was wild with joy and tried to get up with all his strength from the chair but in vain. A helpless expression flashed on his face. Grandma explained that his health was declining rapidly and maybe couldn’t stand up on his own forever. But Grandpa declared stubbornly (倔强地), “I can!” Certainly, he was stuck in his boyish way. Mum and grandparents were happy to meet again after a long time. They sat together and chatted about what happened recently.
The brothers were soon bored with adult conversation, went out and wandered into the forest. Tall trees stretched up to the heavens with large branches crossing each other, while young ones rose straight like soldiers. Grandpa was once a great explorer full of wisdom. He could tell where the birds came from only by their calls and songs. The trees, birds, lizards, lots of bugs...How many merry moments they spent with Grandpa in the kingdom!
But now Grandpa couldn't get up. This made them worried. “We’d think out a way to cheer him up.” Jack said. “Grandpa is a bird lover, and we can catch him a bird.” Berlin suggested. “But he hates birds being caged!” Jack shook his head.
Then a bright idea came to Jack’s mind. “Why not make a cane (拐杖) out of a young tree!”
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。
Berlin thought it was a good idea.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Jack and Berlin handed the cane to Grandpa.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Sabrina and I were in gym class together. I was quiet and kind. She was a bully(仗势欺人者). She and her friends enjoyed harassing(骚扰)me on a daily basis.
I was less than athletic. That day, we had played soccer. I not only embarrassed myself, I also made Sabrina mad — basically because she was on my team, and we didn’t win. So, in the shower, she threatened me! “I will meet you after class,” she sneered(讥笑).
Immediately class was over, I slid out the teacher’s entrance and ran to my locker where Susan, my older sister, was already waiting for me, so we could walk home together.
“What’s up with you?” she asked, noticing the look of panic in my eyes. “Sabrina!” I choked. “We lost the soccer game in gym and it was my fault.”
“Oh,” Susan simply stated. “Well,” she said, “we will walk down Seventeenth South instead of Harrison. It’s out of the way enough that Sabrina won’t find us.”
Next day, in the math classroom, Sabrina’s best friend passed me a note that stated, “At lunch, you will pay for running away!” I didn’t even look up, but I accidentally swallowed my gum and felt a severe pain in my chest. Mr. McKonkie excused me going to the nurse’s office.
Walking down the hall, I felt a slight sense of relief and freedom. But suddenly someone hit me on the shoulder from behind. “You little chicken!” Sabrina’s voice sneered. I didn’t turn around. I started running down the hall. I had no idea what she was going to do and I was extremely scared.
Sabrina was now rushing after me. At last, she caught up with me enough to kick the back of my legs, trying to knock me down. In a panic, I swung around to the stairs. Sabrina was so close to me by then that my sudden change in direction knocked her off balance and she fell down the stairs. I stood there watching her fall.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1:
At first, I felt a sudden independence and victory.
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Paragraph 2:
Sabrina never harassed me after that.
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Strange Footprints in the Snow
Jonathan woke up and looked around. For a moment, he wasn’t sure where he was. Then he remembered. He and his sister, Julie, were visiting Aunt Gwen. They had spent yesterday helping Aunt Gwen clean her basement. Today they would have time to play.
He looked out the window. Fresh snow covered the ground. He could hardly wait to go outside. Jonathan dressed and hurried downstairs to the kitchen.
“Hi, sleepyhead,” said Aunt Gwen. “Julie has already eaten her oatmeal. She’s outside.”
“That’s where I’m going as soon as I finish breakfast,” Jonathan said.
A short time later, he zipped up his coat, put on his boots, and walked out the front door. The sun made the snow sparkle. He looked around. He didn’t see his sister, but he saw something else. Strange footprints in the snow tracked across Aunt Gwen’s yard.
“They’re way too big to be Julie’s. They look like they belong to a dinosaur,” Jonathan said. Then he added, “But that’s silly. Dinosaurs are not around anymore.”
He looked closer: The footprints were the shape of a very large oval (椭圆) with a stem. “Maybe they belong to an elephant or a hippo that escaped from the zoo,” he thought. He held his breath and listened. He didn’t hear anything.
He remembered a book he’d seen earlier on Aunt Gwen’s shelf. It was a book about animal tracks. He dashed inside to get it. The book had pictures of animals and the tracks they made. He turned the pages one by one, but none of the photos looked like the footprints in Aunt Gwen’s yard.
He stared at those footprints again. An animal that made such big tracks would have to be heavy. Its tracks should sink far down into the snow. Yet these footprints seemed to skim across the top.
How can that be? He wondered.
Jonathan noticed something else. The tracks never left Aunt Gwen’s yard. Instead, they turned and went around the house. “Maybe the animal is still here,” he whispered.
Paragraph 1:
Quietly, he began following the footprints.
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Paragraph 2:
That was when he saw her—his sister, Julie.
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1．倡议的原因；
2．倡议的内容。
注意：
1．词数80左右；
2．题目已为你写好；
3．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
More Exercise, Better Health
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A Run to Remember
Thirteen can be a challenging age. Not only did I have to adapt to my changing body. I also had to deal with my parents’ bitter divorce, a new family and the upsetting move from my country home to a crowded suburb.
When we moved, my beloved companion, a small brown pony(小马), had to be sold.
Feeling helpless and alone, I couldn’t eat or sleep, and I cried all of the time. I missed my family, my home and my pony. Finally, my father, realizing how much I missed my pony, purchased an old red horse for me at a local market.
My horse, Cowboy, was without a doubt the ugliest horse in the world. He was pigeon-toed and knock-kneed. But I didn’t care about his faults. I loved him beyond all reasons.
I joined a riding club and faced rude comments and mean snickers about Cowboy’s looks. I never let on how I felt, but deep down inside, my heart was breaking. The other members rode beautiful registered horses.
When Cowboy and I entered the events where the horse is judged on appearance, we were quickly out of the game. I finally realized that my only chance to compete would be in the timed-speed events. I chose barrel racing(绕桶赛), an event in which a horse and its rider attempt to complete a triangular pattern around three barrels in the fastest time.
One girl named Becky rode a big brown horse in the race events. She always won the blue ribbons. Needless to say, she didn’t feel threatened when I competed against her at the next show. She didn’t need to. I came in next to last.
The bitter memory of Becky’s smirks(得意的笑)made me determined to beat her. For the whole next month, I woke up early every day and rode Cowboy five miles to the arena(运动场地). We practiced for hours in the hot sun and then I would walk Cowboy home. On the way home I would be so tired; those five miles seemed twice as long.
All of our hard work didn’t make me feel confident by the time the show came. I sat at the gate and sweated it out while I watched Becky and her horse charge through the pattern of barrels, finishing the course with case.
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。
My turn finally came.
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No cheers filled the air when I finished my show.
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Kathy's family vacation to the beach was usually the highlight of her summer. This year, however, her parents announced a new rule: no phones for the entire week.
“But my friends will be expecting updates about the trip, "Kathy complained. Kathy's mom gave her a serious look. Unwillingly, Kathy handed her phone over and her mom locked it away.
The drive to the beach house took most of the day. As they turned off the highway onto country back roads, the clouds darkened. Rain started to pour. "Even more beautiful in the rain," her mother said. " What do you think, Kathy?" Kathy glared at her mom. "Beautiful, "she muttered.
That night after dinner, Kathy wandered into the kitchen, where her father was washing dishes. She gave her father a loving look and said in her sweetest voice, "Couldn’t I have my phone back, just for one second? Just so I can tell everyone what an amazing time I'm having?”
“Can't, "he said. "It's not here. Remember?" Kathy was very annoyed. Having nothing better to do, she examined the dusty bookcase in the living room. The books looked as dull as the weather. On the top shelf, however, she spotted a puzzle. She took it, emptied the pieces on the table, and began to sort them.
After what seemed like a few minutes, she looked up. It was past ten o'clock. She had been working for almost two hours! She yawned. The puzzle was less than half done, but she was exhausted. So, she went to bed.
When Kathy awoke the next morning, she jumped out of bed and threw open the curtains. A blazing sun was rising over the blue ocean. The sky was cloudless. The scene reminded Kathy of a photo that her friend betty had recently sent her.
This view was even better. It would leave everyone speechless. Kathy dashed to her bedside table and reached for her phone. But there was nothing there. She sighed. Still, she wandered in front of the window, admiring the sunrise.
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。
After a quick breakfast, Kathy headed to the beach.
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Appreciating the finished puzzle, she realized she hadn't thought of her cellphone for hours.
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I grew up in a small town where elementary school was a ten-minute walk from my house and in an age, not so long ago, when we children could go home for lunch and find our mothers waiting.
Our lunchtime when I was in the third grade will stay with me always. I had been picked to be the princess in the school play, and for weeks my mother had painstakingly practiced my lines（台词）with me. But no matter how easily I delivered them at home, as soon as I stepped on stage, every word disappeared from my head. Finally, my teacher took me aside. She explained patiently that she needed a narrator (叙述者，旁白员) and had written a narrator’s part to the play, and asked me to play the role of the narrator. Her words, kindly delivered, still hurt me especially when I saw my part go to another girl.
I didn’t tell mother what had happened when I went home for lunch that day. But she sensed my upset, and instead of suggesting we practice my lines, she asked if I wanted to walk in the yard. It was a lovely spring day and the rose vine（ 藤 ）was turning green. Under the huge trees, we could see yellow dandelions（ 蒲 公 英 ） appearing unexpectedly through the grass in bunches (簇，串）, as if a painter had touched our landscape with small amounts of gold. I watched my mother casually bend down by one of the bushes. “I think I’m going to dig up all these weeds,” she said, pulling a blossom up by all its roots. “From now on, we’ll only have roses in this garden.” I immediately argued, “But I like dandelions. All flowers are beautiful — even dandelions.”
注意：
1. 续写词数应为 150 左右：
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已经为你写好。
Paragraph 1：
“Do you mean that every flower has its own beauty?”asked my mother thoughtfully.
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Paragraph 2：
Having learned what had happened, Mom patted me on the back gently and said,“But you will be a beautiful narrator.”
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As we came down to breakfast that morning, with very shiny faces and spandy clean aprons, we found father alone in the dining-room.
“Happy New Year,papa! Where is mother?”we cried.
“A little boy came begging and said they were starving at home, so your mother went to see and--ah,here she is.”
As papa spoke, in came mamma, looking very cold, rather sad, and very much excited.
“Children, don't begin till you hear what I have to say,” she cried and we sat staring at her, with the breakfast untouched before us.
“Not far away from here, lies a poor woman with a little new-born baby. Six children are huddled into one bed to keep from freezing, for they have no fire. There is nothing to eat over there; and the oldest boy came here to tell me they were starving this bitter cold day. My little girls, will you give them your breakfast, as a New Year's gift?”
We sat silent a minute, and looked at the nice, hot porridge, creamy milk, and good bread and butter.
“I wish we'd eaten it up,” thought I, for I was rather a selfish child, and very hungry.
“I'm so glad you come before we began,”said Nan, cheerfully.
“May I go and help carry it to the poor, little children?” asked Beth, who had the tenderest heart.
“I can carry the lassy pot,” said little May, proudly giving the thing she loved best.
“And I shall take all the porridge,” I burst in, heartily ashamed of my first feeling.
“You shall put on your things and help me, and when we come back, we'll get something to eat,”said mother, beginning to pile the bread and butter into a big basket.
Paragraph 1:
We were soon ready and set out.
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Paragraph 2:
Seeing the house totally in a mess, we fell to work immediately.
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In the fall of 2013, I was in fourth grade and my brother Mitch was in second. When many students had puppies, of course we wanted one too!
“Mom, can we get a puppy?” I begged her.
“Well,” she said, “They’re a lot of work, so maybe when you are older.”
“But I’m already ten. I’m old enough to look after a puppy,” I said confidently.
“Yes, we should get a dog!” Echoed Mitch. “Everyone else at school has a puppy,” he exaggerate (夸张). Then mom had to repeat what she had just said: we could get a dog when we were a little bit older. Both Mitch and I were disappointed.
The next day, before getting ready for school, we ran into the kitchen, where mom was preparing breakfast, and packing our lunches for school. In one voice, Mitch and I said, “We are a little bit older. Can we get a dog now?” Mom smiled and said, “We will talk about it tonight with your dad, now go get dressed!” We ran quickly into our room and got ready for school, anxious to get the day over so we could talk about the puppy we were going to get.
That afternoon, as soon as Mitch and I got home from school, we asked mom once more when we could talk about getting a puppy. Mom reminded us, “We’ll talk about it when your dad gets home from work, okay?” “Okay,” we both said and Mitch followed by asking, “When will dad be home?” Mom told us that dad would be home at about 7 o'clock and that we could talk to him after we got our homework done and all ready for supper.
7 o'clock came super slow. And it was not until 7:05 that I heard the key turn and the door open. I jumped up from the chair, and raced to greet dad at the door.
“Dad!” I exclaimed, “Come on, come to the table so we can decide if we can get a puppy!”
“Okay,” dad said as he came into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Then Mitch and I brought out all the reasons we could think of to persuade dad to be on our side. .
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。
Finally our parents agreed that if we could go thirty days on best behavior, we could get a puppy.
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One afternoon, we returned from school to find a little dog running in the yard.
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I grew up in a large family of twelve siblings（兄弟姐妹）.We weren’t poor by most standards, but things were definitely tight for us. My parents never shared their financial worries. Instead, they chose to let us have a carefree childhood. But despite their consideration, I knew, as children often do, that there were times they went without and that certain things my friends had wouldn’t be available to me.
Back in those days, hot lunch was a luxury for the wealthier kids, and hot-lunch buyers sat separately from the students who brought cold lunch. My siblings and I brought lunch from home every day: thick slices of homemade bread hiding one scant slice of bologna, three oatmeal cookies, and a small apple. We would look on longingly as the rich kids proudly sat down with their steaming plates of fried chicken or fish sticks and potato puffs, cartons of cold milk, chilled peaches and a slice of cake.
I never said anything, but my first grade teacher, Mrs. Caruso, must have seen the desire in my eyes. One day she quietly pressed a note into my hand and whispered, “Give this to your mother.”
I skipped home and gave my mom the note. She read it and smiled. “Well, Mrs. Caruso said because of all your hard work, she wants to buy your lunch tomorrow.” The next day, I proudly carried my tray of chicken fricassee across the cafeteria and took my seat at the hot-lunch table. Honestly, the food wasn’t as great as I had imagined, but I was pleased to be there and felt honored to be a part of the group.
One rainy day, Mrs. Caruso asked me to stay after school. My stomach instantly dropped to the floor. Surely, I must be in trouble! Did she know I hadn't finished my math sheet? Did she see me teasing Billy on the playground?
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。
After the other students had left, Mrs, Caruso said she was going to finish her work and then drive me home.
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I don’t know why Mrs. Caruso helped my family.
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