At one table by the window, a lady just finished up her lunch. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a sandwich and some salad, with a cup of tea to wash it all down. She seemed to be in her own little world, staring out the window every now and then, like she was waiting for something. After a bit, she got up, paid for her meal at the counter and left.
Her table was still a mess, with bits of her meal left behind. It wasn’t a big deal—this happens all the time. But today, something different was going to happen. A young boy, who looked like he’d had a pretty rough time, had been watching her from the table around the corner.
This boy was in rough shape. His clothes were too big and looked like they’d seen better days. His hair was all over the place, and his face had streaks (条痕) of dirt on it. He had that look of someone who hadn’t had a good meal too long. When the lady left, the boy saw his chance, He quickly sat down and started wolfing down the leftovers (吃剩的食物) like it was the best meal he’d ever had.
But then, the waiter walked over. He was an older guy who’d probably seen everything. He didn’t say anything at first, just watched the boy for a second. The boy got scared, stopped eating, and tears started to fill his eyes. He thought the waiter would kick him out for sure. Instead, the waiter took away the half-eaten plate, and the boy’s heart sank.
The boy got up to leave, but before he could get far, the waiter came back and asked the boy to wait for a moment. The waiter gave him a full and fresh meal.
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 whole cafe went quiet when they saw what was happening.
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The boy, with a full stomach and a happy heart, looked as if he couldn’t thank the waiter enough.
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Braving the Waters
Joel Boyers and his wife Melody Among were heading home from the Nashville airport. Among had just earned her helicopter pilot’s licence when Boyers received a call from a stranger. The caller told him that her brother and his two daughters were trapped on their roof in Waverly, 60 miles from Nashville. They were surrounded by rising floodwaters caused by the heaviest rainfall that year.
Desperate, the caller begged, “Could you please, please rescue my loved ones?”
Boyers, 41, looked at the address the caller mentioned while glancing at the storm clouds. “Ma’am,” he said, “no one will fly in this weather ...” But even before he finished the sentence, Boyers knew they would go back up. “I’ve got a daughter myself,” Boyers says. “I’ll see what I can do.” He put the brother’s address into his phone and they drove back to the airport.
Before long they were in the air, unprepared for what they were about to see. It was nothing but raging water below them. There were two houses on fire. Cars in trees. Tons of debris (残骸). No one was going to be able to swim in that.
The flooding also took out cell phone service, meaning that Boyers couldn’t use his phone to pinpoint (精确定位) the house he was looking for. He flew on regardless.
As Boyers controlled the helicopter, Among began searching for people caught out on rooftops, bridges — anywhere they could land and get them on board. Suddenly, she saw a teenager trapped in a tree. The teen, soaking wet and exhausted, was barely out of the water. Since there was no place to land, Boyers lowered the helicopter until it approached to just above the water line. Among jumped out and swam to the tree, where she helped the teen into the helicopter. The teen was shaking and looking behind anxiously when she said, “Thank you so much, but my sister and uncle ... please help them ...”
Boyers dropped off the teen on a patch of land across the street. Then he and Among were back in the air.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150词左右；2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
Seconds later, they spotted two people on the roof of a destroyed house.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Their mission ended 90 minutes after it began, when professional rescue teams showed up.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My family had a hard time when I was in Grade 11. My parents lost their jobs during the Depression. Dad was too ill to work outside, while Mum had a tough time raising us kids on her own in our small community. We relied on our community assistance to keep us clothed, and although our clothes were secondhand, we thought they were beautiful.
Looking back, I realize what Mum went through for sending us kids to school. Every morning she would put a new piece of cardboard in our shoes, because our shoes were worn out. Moving house constantly was typical for my family during the period. Rent was twenty-five dollars a month, but Mum couldn’t pay it. These were hard and sad years, but we never complained.
The new year was approaching, and we were entitled (享有)to a twenty-five dollar fund for social services. Mum said that instead of buying food, she would use the money to pay back rent, making sure we all had a roof over our heads for a little while longer. She told us then there would be nothing for the new year.
Unknown to Mum, I had been removing snow and doing odd jobs to earn enough money to buy a new pair of shoes. I knew exactly which shoes I wanted. They were made of genuine leather and they had a price of twenty-three dollars. Well, the big day came on the last day of that year. I was very excited, as I was hurrying up to catch the bus. It was only a half-a-mile walk, but on the way I noticed a house with lights and decorations. It was then that I realized in our house, we had no lights, no decorations, nor any money for goodies (好吃的东西). I knew then that we would have no delicious food for the new year, and I felt sad.
As I continued walking, I began to feel confused. I was sixteen years old, and I was feeling a strange sense of guilt. Here I was going to buy a new pair of shoes while Mum was home in tears. She would be trying to explain to us why there were no presents.
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 thought how I ought to use the money I had earned.
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Soon I got to my house with the groceries (食品杂货).
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One day, Anna was walking home from school when she suddenly came across a homeless cat. Looking at Anna from the bushes, the cat caught Anna’s eyes at once.
“Hey, kitty... Are you hungry?” Anna asked softly and reached into her schoolbag for her lunchbox. She took some pieces of beef and held them out to the cat. The cat stepped forward and ate the beef next to Anna. A short while later, Anna started to touch the cat as it at e the beef. The cat began to lick (舔) Anna’s hand when all pieces were finished. “That was the only food left with me.” Anna said in a soft voice. As she got up, the cat began walking around Anna, hoping to play with her. “Sorry, kitty. I have to go home.” Anna said.
Later that evening, Anna saw the cat sitting outside her yard through the window. She immediately ran out to it. “Kitty, what are you doing here?” Anna asked as she playfully touched it. The cat meowed (猫叫) in delight.“Let me see if my mom minds taking you in.” Anna said.
Anna ran back and told her mom about the cat. “Are you crazy, Anna? We don’t have enough money to support ourselves. I’m sorry, but it's a NO!” Mom turned her down. Anna understood what mom meant and went to say goodbye.
But when she got outside, she noticed a heavy storm was coming. She hoped the cat would look for shelter somewhere, but it just sat there. She realized it was still waiting for her, so she went out into the rain, trying to lead her friend to shelter. “Come on, kitty!” Anna said, but it wouldn’t move. It stayed right by her side. The rain began to pour down harder.
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。
Just then, Mom opened the door and asked them in.
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The following week, Anna was busy looking for the cat’s owner.
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When Mrs. Russell finished one of her lessons, she was out of breath. A sudden burning stomachache started but she hoped her students wouldn’t notice.
“You look pale, Mrs. Russell, are you alright?” a kid, Tony, asked. Mrs. Russell tried to explain everything was alright, but the words just wouldn’t come out. She became unconscious and fell down in front of her class, and there were red and blue lights, many adults, and the sounds of children crying. An oxygen mask was then put on her.
“We’ll see what we can do for Mrs. Russell. Now all of you have to go back to class and listen to whatever Ms. Hanson tells you,” Mr. Roberts, the headmaster, tried to ask Mrs. Russell’ students to leave the office, but they wouldn’t move. Tony and Hannah were at the front of the pack. They were told Mrs. Russell needed surgery, and hospitals cost money.
“We want to have Mrs. Russell come back! She’s the best teacher ever. Please help us, Ms. Hanson, ” Hannah said, and all the kids nodded. “Kids, let’s go back to the classroom and brainstorm together about helping Mrs. Russell,” Ms. Hanson guided them back to the classroom and she instructed them to write a greeting card to Mrs. Russell.
“A card is not enough to save Mrs. Russell. She needs money to afford the surgery. We need a grown-up to help. ”Tony told his classmates at break. All the kids were thinking hard, and suddenly, Asher spoke up. “My big sister is a senior in high school. Well, I think she can make a link on a website or something. Then we can raise the money needed and help Mrs Russell!”
All the classmates agreed and went home to tell their elder brothers or sisters about this idea. Asher’s big sister, Dianne, started an online group, and she made an internet link immediately with her parents’ approval.
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 link and the group were shared throughout the community quickly.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mrs. Russell was back at school two months later.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Bus driver Charlie was out at 3 am to drive his bus around Torresdale Avenue near Cottman in the Tacony neighborhood when he saw a tiny girl waiting at the bus stop. It was Jill, a 4-year-old little girl.
It was the early hours of a rainy morning and Charlie was out to drive his SEPTA’s 56 bus on his regular route. As usual, he picked up his passengers one by one. Of course, he had no idea that he would pick up a special passenger at this time in the morning. Just as he was about to pass a stop near the Tacony neighborhood, a woman passenger told him about a little girl she had seen, all alone waiting at the bus stop. He stopped his bus and was amazed at what he had seen. Wearing her purple raincoat, sleeping clothes, and her boots, little Jill waspatiently waiting for the bus to stop so she could ride on it.
The bus driver could not believe his eyes. His passengers at the time were also surprised to see a tiny kid all alone in the rain at that moment. Seeing a child about the age of a preschooler at 3 am without any adult with her was surely a shock. Charlie was worried about her and then he had an idea. He had to do something to take the little girl safely back home.
He and the passengers on the bus tried to find out how this had happened. As it turned out, Jill even walked 5 blocks in the rain before she reached the bus stop where she was found. Without hesitation, Charlie called the local police and told them of the little girl.
As Jill sat on the bus, the passengers comforted her and made sure she was okay. As the little girl sat with the other passengers, she shared her mission (使命) that early morning. “All I want is a box of chocolates,” she said.
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。
Charlie drove the bus until it got to the stop which was not far from a police station.
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Jill’s parents hurried to the police station.
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It was Emily’s turn to tell her class where she went this summer. She stood up proudly.
“This summer I went to Bradley,” Emily announced. “It has a big market there. My mom bought a painting and I got a second-hand skateboard. What an impressive trip it was!”
“That’s not a trip,” Frank shouted loudly to his partner. “It’s only half an hour from here. My dad and I often go to Bradley to buy tools for his repair workshop.”
“Frank, no interrupting,” said Miss Clare, their teacher. “And Bradley has a fine market. I’m glad that Emily shared her experience with us. Go ahead, Emily,” Miss Clare smiled warmly at her, encouraging her to continue.
But not feeling proud of her family’s trip to Bradley any more, Emily just felt embarrassed and dropped her head, saying in a low voice that it was finished. In the hope of not being noticed, the little girl hurriedly back to her desk with a red face.
She listened as Peter talked about his cruise to Greece and Mary’s trip across the Atlantic to Ireland. She also heard about John’s horseback ride through the Great Canyon. It seemed as if everyone but her had taken a big trip over the summer. “I never get to anywhere,” Emily thought to herself. A sense of loss clouded her the whole day.
After school, things went worse. One of the wheels on Emily’s skateboard came loose. Now she couldn’t even skate. Sitting on the sidewalk, Emily tried to fix her wheel but in vain, during which Miss Clare happened to pass by.
She walked up with a smile, asking, “Why are you sitting here?” Emily lowered her head, tears welling up inside her eyes. “Want to talk about it?” Emily nodded, trying to avoid Miss Clare’ eyes. Bending down, Miss Clare said gently, “You know, Emily, we don’t always have to travel far to learn anything.”
注意：1. 续写词汇数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
At this moment, Frank was walking by and saw them.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“I can fix it,” Frank said with confidence.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The Mango Tree—A Friend of All
It was a usual cheerful and playful day for Dorothy. The only difference was that her family had shifted to a new apartment. Although she had been in the new house just two days, Dorothy had already started liking her new home very much, not only because of the spacious rooms, but also because of a large mango tree which had lovingly extended its branches across the balcony of her house. The mango tree not only gave a beautiful view but also served as a home for a large number of birds and small animals. Dorothy’s mother was also fond of plants and had kept many potted plants in the balcony.
A week passed by. On a Sunday morning, Dorothy was awakened by a loud noise in her neighbourhood. She ran towards the balcony and, to her surprise, found some people chopping (砍) off the beloved mango tree. She ran up to her mother and explained the matter.
Dorothy and her mother looked down from the balcony. They saw the women under the guidance of Mr. Denver, cutting the mango tree down. Mr. Denver was the resident of the ground floor apartment. He said angrily, “Look, I am getting this job done under my expense. This tree is blocking my view. I cannot see my car properly because of this annoying tree.” Dorothy and her mother understood that there was no point in having an argument with Mr. Denver.
From then on, Dorothy tried all possible ways to take her revenge (报复) against Mr. Denver for cutting her beloved mango tree. She did many tricks such as sticking the gum on his call ng bell, pouring sugar in his balcony to attractants, jumping on the floor to create noise, etc.
Days passed by. One morning, as Dorothy was helping her mother water the potted plants kept in the balcony, she couldn’t take here yes away from the fresh green leaves coming from the injured mango tree. Dorothy couldn’t hold her excitement and started jumping with delight.
注意：1.续写词数应为150个左右；2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Several days later, Dorothy’s parents decided to invite Mr. Denver and his family for dinner.
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Mr. Denver received Dorothy’s mother’s gift warmly with a smile.
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Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus (马戏团) . Finally, there was only one family between us and the ticket counter (柜台).
This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of twelve. You could tell they didn’t have a lot of money.
Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean. The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly talking about the clowns. elephants, and other acts they would see that night with their brothers or sisters in a low voice.
One could sense they had never been to the circus before. It promised to be highlight of their young lives. The father and mother were at the head of the pack, standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband’s hand, looking up at him as if to say, “You are my knight (骑士) in shining armor (盔甲).”
He was smiling and responding in pride, looking back at her as if to say, “You got that right” . The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly responded, “Please let me buy eight child tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus.”
The ticket lady gave the price. The man’s wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, and his lips began to shake. The father leaned (倾斜) a little closer and asked. “How much do you say?”
The ticket lady again quoted (报价) the price. The man didn’t have enough money.
How was he supposed to turn around and tell his eight children that he didn’t have enough money to take them to the circus?
Actually we were not wealthy in any sense. So I understand how the kids would feel. I felt sorry for them.
注意：续写词数应为80左右。Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand in his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________That day my father and I went back to our car and drove home without any tickets.
In a quiet suburb, there lived a high school student named Liam. He was the son of two chemistry. Naturally, everyone thought Liam would follow in his parents’ footsteps and chemistry. Naturally, everyone thought Liam would follow in his parents’ footsteps and pursue (致力于) a career in science and become a scientist. However, Liam’s heart was to put into something entirely different—he was passionate about literature and writing.
Each morning, Liam would wake up to hear his parents discuss the latest scientific discoveries and development over breakfast. One particular morning, Liam was upset, as the task of selecting his high school courses weighed heavily on him. He knew his parents would expect him to fill his schedule with science and math classes and engage in work related to science. At breakfast, Liam’s mother noticed his sadness and asked, “Is everything alright, Liam?” Liam hesitated (犹豫) but then replied, “I’m just thinking about my course selection for next semester.” His father cut in, “You should consider more science courses. They will prepare you for a great career in science, just like us.”
Throughout the day, the thought of disappointing his parents troubled Liam. He loved and respected them but felt hesitated between their expectations and his own ambition. That afternoon, Liam met his best friend, Sam, at their favorite cafe. “Liam, you seem worried. What’s on your mind?” Sam asked. Liam admitted, “I’m struggling with course selection. My parents want me to focus on science, but I really want to take more literature and writing classes.” Sam listened carefully and comforted him, “Liam, it’s important to follow your passion. Maybe you should talk to your parents about what you really want. They might be more understanding than you think.”
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。
Encouraged by Sam’s words, Liam decided to have an honest conversation with his parents that night.
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Liam’s parents listened intently, their expressions softening as they began to understand the depth of his passion.
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