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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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.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was somewhere between spring and summer, and my mom and I were driving through the countryside. Back then, I was 13 years old, and always felt unhappy with Mom. But I didn’t know that this trip was going to be a special one.
A pot of flowers sat in the back seat, whose heavenly fragrance(香味)filled the car. Suddenly, in the middle of nowhere, my mom stopped the car. “What are you doing?” I shouted, fearing that the car had broken down and we’d be trapped there, so far from home. But that wasn’t the case. My mom jumped out of the car, grabbing(抓)the flowers from the back seat. “It’ll just be a minute,” she called back through the open windows.
I impatiently looked at the side of the road before finding a little sign showing that it was a nursing home. I looked back to the building, a little annoyed, as my mom reappeared ——empty- handed.
Before she started the car, curiosity drove me to ask, “Do you know someone there?” She shook her head. “Then what did you do with the flowers?” She smiled slightly, “I gave them to the receptionist (前台接待员).” “What?” She laughed at my confusion. “I told the receptionist to give the flowers to whoever needed them, especially those who haven’t gotten any in a while.”
I kept silent for a moment. Not long after we continued our driving, I spoke again, “Did you leave your name?” To this, she answered instantly, “No. Leaving flowers there for someone who will appreciate them makes me feel good, which is enough of a thank for me.”
Suddenly, still thinking about Mom’s deeds, I heard something burst loudly. It was our car that broke down! Nothing could be worse, because neither my mom nor I understood how to repair it, and we didn’t know where the garage was. It also seemed impossible to wait for any passer-by, since we had seen so few people along the way.
注意：1. 续写的短文的词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式作答。
Paragraph 1
We were worrying about what could be done.
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Paragraph 2
As we drove along, a flower shop came into sight on the road.
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Christmas Day was coming. I was just a kid then, and my big sister told me there was no Santa Claus. I fled to my Grandma because she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told me the truth. Grandma was home, and I told her everything. “No Santa Claus?” She shouted. “Ridiculous! Don’t believe it. “Now, put on your coat, and let’s go.”
“Go where, Grandma?” I asked. “Where” turned out to be Kerby’s General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. “Take this money, and buy something for someone who needs it. I’ll wait for you in the car.” Then she turned and walked out of Kerby’s.
I was only eight years old. I’d often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people competing to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, holding that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy and who to buy it for. I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker, who was a kid with bad breath and messy hair. He sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock’s grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn’t have a coat. I knew that because he never went out for break during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn’t have a cough, and he didn’t have a coat. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat! I chose a red one, which looked really warm, and he would like that.
“Is this a Christmas present for someone?” the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid ten dollars down. “Yes.”
The nice lady smiled at me, put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1:
That evening, Grandma helped me wrap (包裹) the coat in Christmas paper.
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Paragraph2:
Grandma and I waited breathlessly for Bobby Decker’s front door to open.
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A few years ago, the company I worked for sent my wife and me to live in New York for a year. I’ve always loved running, so I was really happy when I found out I lived next to Central Park. This meant that every morning I could go for a run before I went to work.
Because a lot of people had told me to be careful of robbers in the park, so usually I didn’t take anything with me. How could they rob me if I didn’t have anything? But one morning, my wife gave me a S 10 bill and asked me to buy some bread on the way.
It was a beautiful morning and the park was quiet with very few people walking or jogging (慢跑) around. While I was running through the park, another jogger knocked into me. He apologized and continued running. For a while, I didn’t think too much of it. However, when I noticed the wide path where I was running, I thought was kind of strange. The warning of robbers in the park occurred to me. ”It could have been a robber!” I suddenly became alarmed, so I checked my pocket and found that the money was missing. Without thinking twice, I ran after that jogger. I finally caught up and held him by the arm. I shouted, “Give me the $10 bill! Now!” I am not usually a hot-headed (性急的) person, but I got really angry this time. I couldn’t believe the robbery was actually happening to me. Filled with anger, I shook my fist at him. This seemed to frighten him. He quickly put his hand in his pocket and gave me the money. Then he ran away as fast as he could.
I bought the bread and went home. As soon as I got home, I couldn’t wait to tell my wife my story. “You won’t believe what happened to me,” I started with pride. She immediately stopped me, “I know, you left the money for the bread on the kitchen table.”
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为80左右；
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
Looking at the money on the table, I stood there, shocked.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A few years ago, I was working in a grocery store(食品杂货店). As there were too many customers during the Christmas holidays, I was not used to the management nor the customers there. As I was checking groceries that morning, an elderly man in a wheelchair came through my check stand with a basket filled with candies, soft drinks and other small things. As I finished ringing up his goods, I told the man how much he should pay. He presented an out-of-state cheque(支票) from his son. He explained to me that his son had sent him the cheque for his Christmas present and he wanted to use it to buy gifts for the friends and wonderful workers at the nursing home where he lived, which was a few blocks behind the store. When he talked about them, he appeared very happy.
Since this was not my “home” store, I needed to check the cheque before accepting it. When the manager came over, she looked annoyed and told the gentleman that it was out of the question, in a very impolite manner. She told the gentleman he would just have to go to a bank to cash the cheque. The elderly gentleman started to softly cry as he looked up at me. He was sorry for being unable to pay his bill. He had no choice but to leave with nothing to take.
Seeing his lonely figure(人影), I felt my heart stopped. I could only think this man could be my grandfather. I was sure he must have been a wonderful functioning member of our society before he went to the nursing home because of illness and old age. I was influenced by his kindness and gentleness on his face, and couldn’t believe the impolite way the young manager had refused the gentleman’s request. I felt sad while trying to check out for the next few customers.
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。
That night when I got home, I still cared about that gentleman and I thought I could do something for him.
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As I gently touched the man’s hand, he woke and looked at me in surprise.
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Yoghurt
It was a rough week. The price of oil skyrocketed as the temperature dropped sharply in Maine. We were looking at a high of eight degrees that week, and I had missed three days of work so my paycheck was going to be lower than normal. I was stressed, to say the least. I shopped strategically, looking for every possible way to cut pennies so I could buy groceries and keep the house warm.
My eight-year-old son didn't understand when I told him we were struggling that week. He wanted a special kind of yoghurt, but I didn't have the extra three dollars to buy it for him. It was the kind of yoghurt with a cartoon kid riding a skateboard on the front of the box, and a mere two spoonfuls in each cup. It was the kind of product that wastes a parent's money and makes me hate advertising.
I felt guilty as a parent when those big eyes looked at me with confusion, as if to say, “It's just yoghurt. What's the big deal?” So I found a way. I put something back as single mothers often do. He got his yoghurt.
On the way driving back from the grocery store, I noticed a homeless man holding a sign by the side of the road. My heart hurt, and I tried not to look at him. I watched people stay away from him on the street and walk by without even meeting his eyes. My son didn't seem to care much, either. I looked at the man closely then — bare hands grasping a piece of cardboard, snot frozen to his face, a worn-out jacket. And there I was struggling because I had to buy oil and groceries. But I decided to help. I pulled over to the man and handed him a five-dollar bill.
Paragraph 1:Seeing this, my son became confused and surprised.
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On that day, my son performed an act that most adults wouldn’t have done.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________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.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________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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Humphrey and his wife Hildy had ten white sheep, eight black-faced sheep, and five long-legged lambs. Early every autumn, they would drive their sheep onto the ground beside the big, yellow barn（畜棚）. Then Humphrey would hold each sheep still while Hildy cut off the wool.
When they finished, there were twenty-three soft piles of wool on the floor, and twenty-three pink, skinny sheep jumping around happily as they were freed into the field. Humphrey and Hildy collected piles of wool and put them in the house.
The next few weeks were very busy. They finally finished on cold, fall evening. Twenty-three bright, woolly blankets lay in cheerful piles around the kitchen. They would sell the warm blankets when winter came. By the time the snow flew, the sheep’s wool would have grown long enough to keep them nice and warm. Humphrey and Hildy both smiled, content with a job well done, and went to bed early.
The alarm clock went off at 5: 00 a.m. Humphrey and Hildy listened to the local weather report. “The earliest cold air in history,” The announcer said, “has brought a freeze（霜冻）to our area! So put warm coverings, folks!” They stared at each other in horror.
“The sheep!” shouted Humphrey. They hurried to put on their clothes and raced outside. What a freeze it was! The golden autumn grass fell to the ground, and the sheep without wool were shaking with cold painfully. Their pink skins had turned blue.
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
“What will we do?” Hildy cried. “The barn can’t hold so many sheep.”
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Outside the messy kitchen, Hildy had a good idea, eyes falling on the blankets.
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