American football can be pretty competitive. From old opponents to fan drama, it’s just another part of the game. There have even been all-out violent fights in the name of defending your team. However, one high school football player Mario Hoefer showed that his love for the sport didn’t take priority over helping a person in need.
One afternoon in September, Charles City High School football team Mario was on faced nearby New Hampton in a Friday football game. Mario was captain of his team and Carter the quarterback of the opposing team.
It was really foggy and awfully hot. Filled with excited audience in the stands, the stadium felt like a heated steamer. Every player was we win sweat even during the warm-ups. All this meant the game would be a tough one and a test or the mind and body of both teams.
Soon the game began and for the first three quarters, each team seemed to have a chance to win and they took the lead by turns. So exhausted was Mario running back and forth that he cramped (抽筋) up twice. Each time he got a cramp near the New Hampton sideline, his teammates came to his assistance and stretched his leg to ease the cramp. Though feeling uncomfortable and worn out, Mario soldiered on as Charles City protected a slim lead and New Hampton attempted a late comeback.
In the fourth quarter, Mario saw his teammates across the field break up a crucial pass intended for Carter. Mario was about to cross over to the other side of the field to high five his teammates when he noticed that beside him, Carter fell onto the ground, screaming in pain, his eyes wide open and a look of panic on his face. Carter grabbed his left calf (小腿肚), trying to move his leg in different positions. Judging from Carter’s desperate expression, Mario realized Carter was possibly experiencing an unbearable cramp just as he himself had gone through minutes before. But the New Hampton players were farther away from the quarterback.
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。
Mario knew what to do next.
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The photo was posted on social media.
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One night, sitting on the cold steps at the back of my apartment in Kansas, I’d been staring out into the darkness. The only light came from my cigarette. Rain soaked (浸湿) through my pants, but I didn’t care. Back in my room, there was a knife on the bedside table and a note on my computer screen. I hoped that whoever read it first would understand why I had the plan to end it all.
Six months before that night, a car accident caused a brain injury in me. I lost my job and had to live on my savings in my lonely apartment. Since then, I had been suffering from depression and struggling to get through each day.
I sat there on those cold steps just wanting to end it all. “Tonight. I will,” I thought as I took another drag of my cigarette.
“Meow?”
I looked up. A black and white cat with round green eyes looked back at me. He meowed again. Then, walking out from his hiding spot, he jumped at me. He was tiny and damp, but he rubbed up against my legs. When I reached down to pet him, he leaned into my touch, purring (发出呼噜声).
That was all it took. I cried. The cat just watched me. I didn’t scare him away. In fact, he stood there as if he knew how desperately I needed a companion right at that very moment.
I looked into his big green eyes and he looked back. Clearly a stray (流浪的) cat. “When was the last time you ate?” I said. My plan to end it all was put on hold, at least until I found this cat some food.
It became a routine: Every day, I’d go to the back steps with some cat food. Usually, the cat, whom I named Scout, was already waiting for me. He became more than something to live for. Over time he inspired me to get help for my depression and even gave me the confidence to get into a serious relationship with Becky in Pittsburgh, whom I had known for years.
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。
Scout became my constant companion.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I was far from the lonely and depressed man that Scout had first approached in the rain, but I still needed to make a few more changes.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In the classroom of Class 7, Grade 8, students were excited about an upcoming event. The school had organized a speech competition titled “Ways to Become Successful,” and many students were eager to showcase their public speaking skills. Among them was 13-year-old Zora, who, had already won two speech contests and was full of confidence that she could win again.
Zora volunteered to represent her class in the competition, and after a round of voting, she was chosen as the class representative. Although there were only seven days left until the big day, Zora felt a sense of ease about the competition. After all, she had been here before and knew what it took to win.
At home, Zora’s father congratulated her on her achievement, while her mother reminded her to take the competition seriously. Despite her parents’ advice, Zora was convinced that her past successes meant this would be a walk in the park. Her teacher also urged her to prepare diligently, but Zora only sought help once to revise her initial draft.
As the days went by, Zora did not put in the necessary effort to refine her speech. When the day of the competition arrived, she was hit with a sudden wave of panic. She couldn’t remember the content of her speech, and as she stepped onto the stage, her anxiety only grew. After delivering the opening lines, she froze, unable to continue. The supportive applause from the audience only added to her confusion, leaving no room for her to recall her prepared words.
Zora struggled through the rest of her speech, finishing it in a state of embarrassment and shame. As she walked off the stage, she saw the disappointment in her teacher’s eyes and felt the letdown from her classmates. It was a heavy burden to bear.
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。
Back at home, Zora could no longer hold back her tears.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The next day, Zora went to school and apologized to her class.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Normally, Levi greeted the bus driver, Larry Farrish, with his usual cheerful smile and a warm wave. He was always the first to board the bus, excited to start the day ahead with his friends. However, on this particular day, Levi’s behaviour was strikingly different.
As the bus came to the scheduled station, Levi slowly made his way onto the vehicle, his head bowed and his steps heavy. Farrish, who had come to expect Levi’s bright smile and enthusiastic greeting, couldn’t help but notice the change in the boy’s manner. He watched as Levi took his usual seat at the back of the bus, his shoulders sunk and his eyes fixed on the floor.
Farrish, a kind and considerate man, couldn’t bear to see Levi’s sadness. As he drove the bus through the familiar route, he considered what could be causing the boy's sufferings. He knew that Levi was a happy and outgoing child, so the sudden change was puzzling. He felt it a must to figure out the source of the little boy’s depression.
As the bus neared Levi’s school, Farrish turned around in his seat, gently called Levi out and inquired about what was wrong. The boy looked up, his eyes red and swollen from crying. Levi hesitated for a moment, and then whispered in a quiet voice, “I forgot my pajamas for Pajama (睡衣) Day.” Farrish’s heart sank. He knew how much Levi had been looking forward to Pajama Day, a special event at his school where students could come dressed in their comfortable pajamas and enjoy a relaxing atmosphere. It was a day that Levi had talked about for weeks, eagerly anticipating the opportunity to show off his pajamas.
Now, however, his excitement had turned into disappointment. He had simply forgotten to pack his pajamas, and as a result, he would be unable to participate in the festivities. Farrish could see sadness stand on Levi’s face, and he knew that he had to do something to help relieve the boy’s pain.
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。
Waving goodbye, Farrish decided to take action.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Levi participated in Pajama Day with a newfound joy.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My political career in the Student Union(SU)began by throwing frisbees (飞盘) on the campus lawn. I would throw a frisbee to someone I didn’t know and they would throw it to someone they didn’t know. Before long, we had built a community of people who met every day at lunch to throw frisbees.
Besides frisbees, the group decided to climb the mountain near our campus. When we reached the peak, it felt like we were at summer camp. We laughed, danced and told jokes.It was totally fun. While playing like little children in the cool mountain air, we all decided to do it again the following week. Our motto (座右铭) was “Bring a Friend” . We started out with a small group of hikers. But as the word spread, the number of participants increased.We made it a rule to climb the mountain every weekend. All of us were passionate about the fantastic experience, which we were looking forward to.
One day on campus, I decided to throw my frisbee to some strangers, run over and invite them to climb the mountain. Much to my surprise, a girl sitting in a wheelchair got hold of it. Her name was Grace. I asked her if she had ever been to the top of the mountain.She said she hadn’t. Holding the wheelchair tightly, she hung down her head in awkward silence. Then she told me that she had suffered from lung disease when she was young and depended on oxygen twenty-four hours a day. So, it was impossible for her to move without help. Fortunately, things got better.
With continuous efforts and treatment, she managed to live on her own with the assistance of the wheelchair: I told her that my friends and I would carry her if she were up for it. On hearing what I said, she refused without hesitation, adding that it would be a bother to carry her. But I tried my best to persuade her to come along with us by talking about the interesting experiences.
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。
Having thought for a while, Grace still refused my offer.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On the downhilt path, Grace asked me why not run for the SU election.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Bobby, my brother, and I would spend our usual Saturday with Grandpa, cleaning his house. Mom would take us to his home in the early morning. Since childhood, Bobby and I had been spending the day dusting, mopping and changing the sheets on his bed.
Grandpa grew up in a poor family. His dad died when he was a teenager. Then he had tol eave school, run the family farm and raise his brother and sister. He worked as a nightdoor keeper for a company within walking distance of his home, and the highlight of his week was the reward that he gave my brother and me for cleaning. And it was the moment when we felt the happiest.
This Saturday, after Bobby and I finished cleaning, Grandpa decided to invite us to dinner. When we finally arrived at his favorite restaurant, the waitresses greeted him as along-lost elder. Their smiles and waves followed us to our favorite table as we placed our orders. And then we laughed and ate. Grandpa praised how well we had cleaned his place, telling anyone who would like to listen about every task we had accomplished.
Regardless of who was serving us at the time, each of the other waitresses would come up to say “hi” to Grandpa and congratulate his grandkids on their work. It was a restaurant, but it was like our home. When dinner was over, the waitress would bring the check and hand it to Grandpa. This time, it was Gloria that bent close to him, and told him the amount of the check.
Grandpa carefully dug into the pocket of his trousers and brought out a worn coin purse. He carefully laid out the coins and paid the bill. Then he gave Gloria a tip, but it wasn’t enough. I was ashamed that he got the amount of the tip wrong, and we were embarrassed. I was about to say something when Gloria grabbed my hands. “Come and get some flowers, today’s gifts, Susie,” she said as she led me toward the counter.
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 want you to listen carefully, Susie,” Gloria said to me seriously.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I listened to Gloria and stared at those flowers, deep in thought.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Guys, remember. This competition is extremely difficult. There will only be a few selections to make it to the final round with the judges,” the music teacher, Mr. Brooks, explained. “But I hope all of you put your best foot forward and make our academy stand out!” The teacher was talking about a state-wide competition held by the best musicians in the area.
Shahnaz, the new student who had only come to the class two weeks before, took the teacher’s words to heart and put her heart and soul into a composition. She had learned how to play the piano for a long time and really did well in it. She wanted to prove herself.
All the students were supposed to improve their compositions with the help of their teacher, Mr. Brooks. However, he spent most of his time guiding the few outstanding students in his class.
He never had much to say to Shahnaz unless it was a comment about her mistakes, but that didn’t stop her from wanting to impress him. He was a good piano player and could teach her a lot. She hoped that her composition would be improved under the guidance of Mr. Brooks.
“OK,” Mr. Brooks said during one of his lessons, “it’s time for Shahnaz to play.” Shahnaz sat in front of the piano and began moving her fingers softly. She practiced and practiced once her composition was done and could almost play it by heart.
Finally, the piece was finished. Shahnaz looked at Mr. Brooks nervously and hoped to receive his recognition. But he just sighed “Frankly, you made many mistakes. You shouldn’t take part in the competition.”
注意：
1.续写词数应为150个左右；
2.请按如下格式作答。
Shahnaz left Mr Brooks’ class that day with a heavy heart, but she refused to let his words break her spirit.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The night of the competition finally arrived.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was late, about 10:15 p.m., when Janice Esposito arrived at the Bellport train station; she jumped into her Honda Odyssey and began the 20-minute drive home to her husband and seven-year-old son. She’d just returned from visiting her mother and had traveled the route many times before. She practically drove on autopilot: a left onto Station Road, then a left on Montauk Highway, and then—wham!
Out of nowhere a car T-boned Esposito’s minivan, pushing her to move backward some 100 feet onto the railroad tracks. She sat in the minivan, bruised (撞伤) but mostly just knocked out by the impact and the airbags.
As it happened, Pete DiPinto was getting ready for bed. He’d just closed his book and was getting under the covers when he heard the sound of metal on metal and breaking glass coming from not far outside his bedroom window. A volunteer firefighter and retired teacher, DiPinto, 64, never stopped to think. He grabbed a flashlight and, still dressed in his pajamas (睡衣), ran out of the door. “Any firefighter would have done what I did,” he told Newsday. “We’re always on duty.”
The first car he came upon, 2,000 feet from his front yard, was the one that had hit Esposito. Once DiPinto concluded the driver was OK, he looked around and sprinted to Esposito’s minivan positioned on the railroad tracks.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卷的相应位置作答。
Para1.
And then he heard a terrible sound: the bells signaling an oncoming train.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Para2.
The heavy train, traveling at 65 miles per hour, crashed into the minivan.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A vacation with my mother
I had an interesting childhood: It was filled with surprise and amusements, all because of my mother-loving, sweet, and yet absent-minded and forgetful. One strange family trip we took when I was eleven tells a lot about her.
My two sets of grandparents lived in Colorado and North Dakota, and my parents decided to spend a few weeks driving to those states and seeing all the sights along the way. As the first day of our trip approached, David, my eight-year-old brother, and I unwillingly said good-bye to all of our friends. Who knew if we’d ever see them again? Finally,we packed suitcases, books, games, camping equipment, and a tent into the car and bravely drove off. We bravely drove off again two hours later after we’d returned home to get the purse and traveler’s checks Mom had forgotten.
David and I were always a little nervous when using gas station bathrooms if Mom was driving while Dad slept: “You stand outside the door and play lookout while I go, and I’ll stand outside the door and play lookout while you go.” We were never actually left behind in a strange city, but we weren’t about to take any chances.
On the fourth or fifth night, we had trouble finding a hotel with a room available. After driving in vain for some time, Mom suddenly got a great idea: Why didn’t we find a house with a likely-looking backyard and ask if we could set up tent there? David and I became nervous. To our great relief, Dad turned down the idea. Mom never could understand our objections. She thinks everyone in the world as as nice as she is. We finally found a vacancy (空房) in the next town.
注意：1．续写词数应为80左右；
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Para1: The next day we really couldn’t find a hotel with a vacancy and remembered the brand-new tent we had brought with us.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I was eight years old when my mother was told that she would never walk again without calipers (双脚规形夹) , and she wished to visit doctors in London.
The day before we boarded the ship, father committed (托付) his pet dog, Spider to his friend Sandy while we were overseas. We didn’t know how long my mother’s treatment would take or how long we would be away.
Six weeks later, an air-letter arrived from Sandy, saying that Spider had run away just two weeks after we had sailed and that despite many efforts, the dog was never found. I will always remember my father’s eyes watery as he read this news. Though my mother and I tried to comfort him, we knew in our hearts how useless that was.
We sailed back to Australia two years later. My father immediately began his own search for Spider. After many false calls, we had to accept the fact that the dog was gone.
One cold winter’s Saturday morning eight months after our return, my father had a call from Gin Gin, an old lady 375 kilometers away. On the phone she said she had been putting food out “for a very yellow old dog” in the night for weeks and “it was just glimpses of the similar dog in the shadows” in her disused tennis court.
That was enough for my father to drive five and a half hours to see this yellow dog. Sadly, Gin Gin told us the yellow dog hadn’t been around for a few days. My father had a strange look in his 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。
Then, he put two fingers to his lips and did his special whistle for Spider.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was him, my father’s long-lost friend, Spider.
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