Be yourself and always follow your heart. Never let anyone change who you are. This is the lesson I have learned from my childhood experience when I figured out I wasn’t invited to the party, Bridget’s party.
One morning, I got off the bus and saw my friends except me hugging under the tree where we used to stand. The circle seemed tighter as I approached；the white invitation cards being hastily stuffed into backpacks gave it away. I knew as well as the entire universe that Bridget’s party was this weekend. Bridget was the most popular girl in our class. She was thin and beautiful, always wearing fabulous clothes and fine makeup.
Why hadn’t she invited me? My feet were too big? No. Maybe. My face was broken out? Why did she invite every person in my group except me? I tried to think of any interactions I’d had with Bridget recently. A few days earlier, we’d been partners during a sixth period project. I was determined to get the project done and she was absorbed in looking at fashion magazines. She barely spoke to me except to say, “You’re so serious. You know, you should smile more."
Soon, I had overheard all the details about the party. They were going swimming. It was a sleepover. They were renting scary movies and were going to stay up all night. Each time someone mentioned the party, I smiled weakly and nodded, with my stomach in knots.
When having my favorite English class, I found myself just unable to concentrate on the short stories we were supposed to be reading in class. Maybe she didn’t invite me because of my coat. It is pretty ugly compared to some of the other girls’ coats. I should have bought another color. Maybe I should smile more but I just can’t get into smiling at people unless I know them really well. But I just couldn’t pretend to be the person I wasn’t. I felt sick.
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。
At lunch, my friend Kate who had been invited came over to me, trying to show off.
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I was about to let it go when Bridget invited me as a substitute for a girl who couldn’t come.
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The e-mail request came into Ekiben restaurant late on a Thursday afternoon in March. Brandon Jones, the man who sent the e-mail didn't actually want the food himelf. He was writing on behalf of his mother-in-law, Shirley, who loved the broccoli（西兰花）dish with fresh herbs and cucumber vinegar. He went on to explain that she was now in the final stage of lung cancer at her home in Vermont and that he was hoping to get the recipe（烹饪法）to make it for her there. Steve Chu, one of the restaurant's co-owners, read the e-mail and quickly replied, "Thanks for reaching out," he wrote. "We'd like to meet you in Vermont and make it fresh for you."
Brandon was shocked. "I emailed back, saying, 'You do know that this is Vermont we're talking about, right?'" says Brandon. "But Chu responded, 'No problem. You tell us the date, time and location and we'll be there."
For the past six years, every time Shirley visited Baltimore, the first place she wanted to go was Ekiben so she could order that dish. "She loves that broccoli, and I really wanted her to have it one more time," Brandon says.
"She had always told us, 'When I'm on my deathbed, I want to have that broccoli,'" recalls Brandon's wife, Rina Jones. That Friday after work, a day after receiving Brandon's e-mail, Chu loaded his truck with a hot plate and a cooler and then headed for Vermont with his business partner, Ephrem Abebe, and an employee. They stayed overnight in a tent and drove the next day to the small town where Shirley lived.
As soon as Chu and his team pulled into the parking lot, they got to work. They pulled down the gate of the pickup, fixed the hot plate on the truck's power port, and started cooking and deep-frying. In addition to broccoli, they made tofu with peanut sauce and fresh herbs and some steamed rice. After neatly boxing everything up, they knocked on their customer's door.
注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡上的相应位置作答。
"Go ahead and answer," Rina told her mother.
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The Joneses invited Chu and his team to join them for dinner.
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At the end of the class, Mr. Smith announced our assignment for the next Monday was to talk about someone we were grateful to instead of a book report. Upon hearing it, I couldn’t help complaining to Mareya that I was so nervous about having to talk in front of the whole class.
“ Arizona ,you’ve been in at least three plays ,” Mareya pointed out.“ If you don’ t get stage fright in front of those big audiences, why are you bothered by a few kids in our class ?”
It was true, but in a play you were part of a group. I shook my head. Plus, there were so many people I was grateful to. There was no way I could possibly pick just one. Plus, even if I picked one I’ d have no idea what to say. Plus, even if I figured out what to say, I was a million- percent positive I’ d mess up if I tried to say it out loud! I’ d be standing there with everyone staring at me, waiting for words to come out of my mouth.“ Oh , my goodness !” I pulled my sweatshirt hood ( 兜 帽 ) over my face, put my hands over my ears and said,“ I don’t want to talk about it !”
But one thing about really good friends who knew you really well was that they didn’ t always do exactly what you asked them to. Mareya could be pretty pushy talking of being helpful. She scribbled(潦草地写) something on a piece of paper , lifted my hood, and smiled. She’ d drawn a funny elephant (named Franky) with the word BREATHE coming out of its trunk .
“ This is Franky, the ‘everything is going to be all right’ elephant ” Mareya giggled. She held the picture up to her ear and asked, “What’ s that you say, Franky? You think my friend Arizona should come over to my house this weekend so we can work on our talks together?”
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. And that was exactly what happened.
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Paragraph 2 .On Monday morning, however, I decided to talk about Mareya.
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About a half-mile behind our Minnesota farm lay a pond. In summer, my brother Harry and I would run through a stand of oak trees to skip stones there. The pond wore a collar of black mud. It was not a place for swimming.
In late summer, the pond would be covered by a green and bubbly scum (起泡的浮渣).Some times a strong, unpleasant smell rose from it. We stayed away.
When winter came, the pond was once again an inviting place. One day when ice covered it, Harry said to me, “Try walking across. The ice looked solid. No water showed through it”, but I hesitated. “Go ahead.”Harry urged. “Try it. You’re lighter than I am. If the ice holds, we can run and slide carefully on it. It’ll be fun.” I wanted to please Harry and I thought about the fun of a long slide on the ice. I began to slide across the pond.
In the middle of the pond, the ice gave way with a sudden crack (裂缝)! I stretched out (伸展) my arms. The next thing I knew I was hanging on to the edge of a hole in the ice by arms outstretched on the ice. From my shoulders down I hung in icy water. I thought of the bottom of the pond. I knew it would be black and awful down there, full of mud and maybe rotting creatures.
I tried to climb out of the hole, but when I got a knee on the ice, it broke like window glass. Again and again I tried to get out. Again and again the ice broke into pieces. The hole widened. I was wearing a coat of heavy material. As it became completely wet, it dragged me down. I was tired of the struggle and rested with my arms stretched out on the ice.
I looked at Harry on shore. He seemed rooted to the spot.“I can’t get out!”I screamed when I caught some breath. Then I saw he turned and ran from the pond. Despair and scare beat me out of breath. After what seemed to be hours of fruitless waiting. I was on the verge of breaking down.
注意:
1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式作答。
Just at that moment, here dashed Harry with a large V-shaped oak branch.
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The moment I crashed through the kitchen door, sobbing, mum rushed over.
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Mo was waiting in the corridor outside her class. She was feeling sick. She had two exams that day and physics was first. She really hated physics. It was her worst subject. Terry looked back at her from the front of the line, and then looked away quickly. Mo thought she looked guilty. She didn’t have a problem with physics she didn’t have a problem with anything ... Miss Perfect!
“Hi, Mo, it’s your favorite exam today,” said Nima, laughing as she joined the line. Terry was looking at Mo again. “So, what’s wrong with her?” asked Nima. “I thought you were friends.” “Yes, so did I,” said Mo. “But she hasn’t spoken to me for two weeks now. She promised to help me review for the physics exam too, but then she’s ignored all my calls and texts. She’s forgotten who her friends are!” said Mo angrily. Mr. Reed was talking to the class and the other students were going into the exam room. Mo gave Nima a worried look and followed them.
Mo couldn’t answer question number five. She looked up and saw Terry sitting two rows in front of her. Mo couldn’t believe it! Terry was holding her phone on her knee under the table and reading from it. Is that how Terry always got such good grades? She felt really angry at Terry, but she didn’t know what to do. She thought about telling the teacher, but what would everyone else think of her? “Stop writing and put your pens down.” said Mr. Reed as he started to collect the exam papers. Oh no, Mo hadn’t answered two of the questions. She was going to fail again!
Mo wanted to talk to Terry at lunch time, but she couldn’t find her anywhere. The next exam was history. That was Mo’s favorite subject but she wasn’t feeling good. Mo went to the library to study, but she couldn’t concentrate. She didn’t know what to do about Terry. She thought about telling a teacher, but everyone would hate her if she did that. “It wasn’t fair!” she thought. “Terry was getting good grades by cheating all that time.” thought Mo. Just then, Mr. Reed walked past her table. “Mr. Reed.”
Mo was sitting behind Terry again in the history exam that afternoon. Mo was feeling terrible. Why had she told Mr. Reed? But it was too late now. And anyway, Terry didn’t want to be her friend! Mr. Reed wanted her to look at him and nod if she saw that Terry was cheating in the exam. She was working on the last question when she saw that Terry had her phone under the table.
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:
Without thinking, Mo looked up and nodded to Mr. Reed.
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Paragraph 2:
Mo was walking towards the school gate, when she heard footsteps behind her.
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The darkness was gathering as she wobbled（颤颤巍巍）in high heels along the side of the highway. The car had come to an unexpected stop, and like a normal teenager she did the only thing she could think of...get out and walk.
It was cold and late, and home was far away. This could be a long night. If only someone would stop and offer her a ride. She prayed for help and dragged herself forward.
The lights of a truck shone from behind as it approached. “Maybe he will stop,” she hoped. The brake lights flashed on as it stopped. Next instant, the cab door opened. A wordless invitation was extended and she understood. Without hesitation the girl climbed up into the seat and closed the door. Slowly the truck pulled back onto the road and disappeared into the night, never to be seen again.
I woke up in a cold sweat, alarmed. Was that a dream or was it a vision? It was unbelievably real, and the girl was my daughter! I jumped from my bed and ran to her room. Her bed was empty.
I stood in horror trying to think why she had not come home. As the mental fog began to lift, I remembered she was visiting her friend that evening. Perhaps she stayed there for the night. It was 1:30 am, but I raced to the phone and dialed a number.
“Hello?” The voice was heavy with sleep.
“Hey. Sorry to wake you. Becki didn’t come home tonight and I was wondering if she stayed at your place?”
“No, she left here a few hours ago. She should have been home at least by midnight!” The voice on the other end began to reflect my own panic.
Over the next forty-five minutes I alternated between lying in pray and pacing the floor in anxiety.
At 2:15 am lights appeared as a car turned up our long driveway. I could tell immediately that it was not my daughter’s car.
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150词左右；
2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
My face pressed against the window and found it hard to breathe.
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Paragraph 2:
“Mom, she gave me a ride home,” Becki said.
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The young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.
As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father said in a loving tone, "My dear son, I am so proud of you. But I hope you can remember: never spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for. Sometimes we don't realize the good fortune we have or we could have because we expect 'the packaging' to be different. What may appear as bad fortune may in fact be the door that is just waiting to be opened." The young man was inattentive (不注意的) to his father's words and responded impatiently. "OK, I know. Now, where is my gift? Dad." His father handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name carved in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money, you give me a Bible?" He then stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.
Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful wife and a lovely son, but realizing his father was very old, he thought perhaps he should go to see him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make the arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take charge.
Paragraph1:
When the young man arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart.
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Paragraph2:
The young man came into his father's private study again and he began to...
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Nowadays, an increasing number of young Chinese spend money because they are “lazy”. According to a report issued in December by China’s e-commerce platform Taobao on China’s “lazy economy”, Chinese people spent 16 billion yuan on products and services online in 2018. The post-1995 generation was the “laziest” as its consumption increased by 82 percent, compared with that in 2017.
The so-called lazy economy refers to a new type of consumption of products and services which are designed to save time and labor. According to the report, many people of the post-1995 generation buy high-tech electronic devices such as floor mopping robots and automatic window cleaners, which save the trouble of doing household chores. Meanwhile, take-out food delivery services are also popular among people born after 1995.
Young people are willing to spend money on such products because they want to enjoy hard-earned leisure time after a busy and stressful day at work or school, reported Global Times. Because they need to focus on their studies or jobs, these so-called lazy people tend to use their leisure time more efficiently. For example, Wei Duo, a 21-year-old college student, is a frequent user of take-out food delivery services. “I once had a birthday cake delivered to my friend who lives far from my home. It cost me 50 yuan but it saved me almost half a day that would have been needed to deliver it myself My friend was also happy because she got to eat the cake instantly.” Wei told the Global Times.
While the “lazy economy” might be convenient for young people, it might also create problems. The lazy economy’ on campus is expressed in things like people buying food or other things without leaving the dormitory. As a result, they stay in their dormitories all day long, playing on computers and smart phones. According to Jinan Daily, this situation could lead to young people becoming less sociable and even developing problems of communicating with others. Young people should be alert (警觉的) to it.
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Bobby was getting cold sitting out in his backyard in the snow. Bobby didn't wear boots, or rather, he didn't own any. The thin sneakers he wore had a few holes in them and they did a poor job of keeping out the cold.
Bobby had been in his backyard for about an hour already. Try as he might, he could not come up with an idea for his mother's Christmas gift. He shook his head as he thought, “This is useless. Even if I do come up with an idea, I don't have any money for a gift.”
Wiping tears from his eyes, Bobby started walking down to the street where the shops were. It wasn't easy being six without a father, particularly when he needed a man to talk to.
Bobby walked from shop to shop, looking into each decorated window. Everything seemed so beautiful but so out of reach. It was starting to get dark and Bobby reluctantly turned to walk home when suddenly his eyes caught the glimmer (微光) of the setting sun's rays reflecting on something on the roadside. He reached down and discovered a shiny dime (一角硬币).
Never before had Bobby felt as wealthy as he did at that moment. As he held his newly-found treasure, warmth spread throughout his entire body and he walked into the first store. His excitement quickly turned cold when salesperson after salesperson told him that he could not buy anything with only a dime.
He saw a flower shop and went inside to wait in line. When the shop owner asked if he could help him, Bobby presented the dime and asked if he could buy one flower for his mother's Christmas gift. The shop owner looked at Bobby and his one dime offering. Then he put his hand on Bobby's shoulder, saying, “You just wait here and I'll see what I can do for you.” As Bobby waited, he looked at the beautiful flowers and even though he was a boy, he could see why mothers and girls loved flowers.
Paragraph 1:A few minutes later, the shop owner came out.
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With the bunch of roses in his hands, Bobby walked out of the door and then broke into a run.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A MOTHER’S DAY SURPRISE
The twins were filled with excitement as they thought of the surprise they were planning for Mother’s Day. How pleased and proud Mother would be when they brought her breakfast in bed. They planned to make French toast and chicken porridge. They had watched their mother in the kitchen. There was nothing to it. Jenna and Jeff knew exactly what to do.
The big day came at last. The alarm rang at 6 a.m. The pair went down the stairs quietly to the kitchen. They decided to boil the porridge first. They put some rice into a pot of water and left it to boil while they made the French toast. Jeff broke two eggs into a plate and added in some milk. Jenna found the bread and put two slices into the egg mixture. Next, Jeff turned on the second stove burner to heat up the frying pan. Everything was going smoothly until Jeff started frying the bread. The pan was too hot and the bread turned black within seconds. Jenna threw the burnt piece into the sink and put in the other slice of bread. This time, she turned down the fire so it cooked nicely.
Then Jeff noticed steam shooting out of the pot and the lid starting to shake. The next minute, the porridge boiled over and put out the fire. Jenna panicked. Thankfully, Jeff stayed calm and turned off the gas quickly. But the stove was a mess now. Jenna told Jeff to clean it up so they could continue to cook the rest of the porridge. But Jeff’s hand touched the hot burner and he gave a cry of pain. Jenna made him put his hand in cold water. Then she caught the smell of burning. Oh dear! The piece of bread in the pan had turned black as well.
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 the twins looked around them in disappointment, their father appeared.
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