An Insignificant Task
The day when the jobs were handed out was one of the most exciting for all the children in the class. It took place during the first week of the term. On that day, every boy and girl was given a job for which they would be responsible for the rest of that school year.
As with everything, some jobs were more interesting than others, and the children were eager to be given one of the best ones. When giving them out, the teacher took into account which pupils had been most responsible during the previous year, and those children were the ones who most looked forward to this day. Among them, Rita stood out. She was a kind and quiet girl. During the previous year she had carried out the teacher’s instructions perfectly. All the children knew Rita was the favourite to be given the best job of all: to look after the class dog.
But this year there was a big surprise. Each child received one of the normal jobs, like preparing the books for the lessons, telling the time, cleaning the blackboard, or looking after one of the pets. However, Rita’s job was very different. She was given a little box containing some sand and one ant. Even though the teacher insisted that this ant was a very special ant, Rita could not help feeling disappointed. Most of her classmates felt sorry for her. They sympathised with her and remarked at how unfair it was that she had been given that job.
Yet, Rita, who liked her teacher very much, chose to prove her worth through excellence. “I will turn this little task into something great,” Rita said to herself. What she didn’t know was that the teacher had secretly entered her into a rainforest insect raising competition.
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。
Rita started investigating all about her little ant.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On the last day of the school year, the teacher burst into the classroom with excitement.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A Birthday Surprise
I stood at the kitchen window watching Papa as he sat in the old, wooden lawn chair staring out at the lake. Ralph, his old black dog, lay on the ground at his side. Papa’s hand absently stroked (抚摩) the head of his old companion as they dreamed the dreams of old men and old dogs in the evening sun. “He does this day after day?” I asked Mama.
She nodded, sadness filling her eyes. “I don’t know what to do for him. There is a strong desire in his eyes that I can’t satisfy -a desire for the past. The past can’t be brought back to the present. Once days are gone, they are gone forever,” Mama sighed.
“I’m going down to talk to him,” I said.
I called out to Papa and handed him a cup of coffee. “What are you and Ralph thinking about all these hours you spend out here?” I asked,
“We’re not thinking,” he said softly. “We’re wishing.” I sat on the grass beside his chair. “Wishing for what?” “For the impossible, I suppose,” he sighed. “You always told me that nothing was impossible if you wanted it badly enough and were willing to work hard for it,” I reminded him.
He laughed softly, but there was no amusement in the sound. “But Ralph and I have come to learn that when you reach our age, some things are actually impossible.” “Maybe I can help you. What do you want so badly?” I asked.
Papa grinned (咧嘴大笑), and his eyes shone brightly at the thought of his dream becoming a reality. “Ralph and I want to fix up the old boat and go out on the lake again. We used to spend all day out on the lake, fishing, drinking beer and eating sandwiches,” Papa said.
Yes, I remember. When I was young, Papa and Ralph often enjoyed themselves on the lake on weekends. They’d start for home when the sun went down, totally satisfied with themselves and with life. Now, Papa was almost eighty-five years old and had a heart condition, so Mama was horrified by the idea of him going out on the lake again at first. But eventually I managed to convince her.
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 Mama agreed, I persuaded my friends to join in my secret plan.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On the day of Papa’s birthday, we were all eager to give him a surprise.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In fifth grade, my family moved across town. I hated being the new kid at school.
I was tall for my age and already wore a size nine shoe—how awkward! My ponytails (马尾辫) and short bangs (刘海) seems quite different from others. I wanted to fit in, but in vain.
Theresa was thin but strong, with blond bangs and tightly pulled-back hair. For a reason unknown to me, she decided that I was worthy of her attention, and every day she walked up to me and kicked me in the back of the legs. Theresa was smart and quick. No teacher ever saw her, and within a week, my legs were bruised (淤青) black and blue.
One day on the playground, as Theresa was about to close in on me again, I escaped away. I glanced over one shoulder and, with relief, didn’t see her and thought she had given up. I stopped abruptly and turned around, unaware that Theresa had been running full-speed toward me. She didn’t expect my sudden stop and crashed into me and fell to the ground. A group of kids standing nearby laughed. Angry, she got up and began to kick me. I couldn’t stand any more. So I made a fist and swung my arm wildly. I caught Theresa in the nose, and she was bleeding. I didn’t know which of us was more surprised. Then we made a big fight. Consequently, we were taken to the principal’s office. He said we should be punished and then filled a form, I stared at his desk and realized that I could read the form upside down. It reads, “Labor punishment for one week.”
Theresa leaned toward me and whispered, “I guess we should get a two-week labor punishment.” I shook my head and said, “No, one week. I can read the form upside down.” Both of us were surprised that we should talk with each other.
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。
We were arranged to take care of the flowers and plants in the school garden together.
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I was surprised that Theresa and I have so many things in common.
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“Wow, these trees are so tall!” William shouted excitedly, while walking with his classmates in a forest near his school. They were on a field trip to the forest as part of a science lesson.
Over there, they met the forester (护林人), Victor. When William learned Victor lived in a simple wooden house there for years, he laughed at him with his friends.
Then, they passed by an entrance to a cave. William wanted to explore inside the cave, but his teacher didn’t allow it. “I’ll come back here,” he thought. On the way back to school, he remembered the exact location of the cave.
The next day, William asked his four friends to the cave together. They told their parents they would go to the library and return home in the evening. None of the teenagers told their parents about their plan to visit the cave.
When the teenagers reached the cave, they left their school bags outside to reduce the burden. One by one, they entered the cave. Just when they took a few steps inside, some rocks from the cave wall fell and blocked the entrance.
“How are we going to get out now?” one of the teenagers Sarah shouted. William had an idea and said, “Maybe we can try digging through the fallen rocks with our hands to reach the entrance.” But realizing getting out of the cave only by their hands was impossible, they had great fear. The sun was about to go down. The teenagers started calling for help, but nobody could hear them. The teenagers were losing hope.
Victor happened to pass by the entrance to the cave, and five school bags caught his attention. He also heard some sounds coming from inside the cave. “Who’s in there?” Victor shouted.
“I’m William! We came here yesterday with our teacher!” William replied instantly.
“Help us, please! We are stuck! Sarah can’t breathe here because of fear.”
“Okay, calm down, children!” Victor said. “I’ll help you get out!”
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:Victor immediately called the first-aid center and rushed home.
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Soon, the teenagers walked outside the cave and took a deep breath in the fresh air.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The Gratitude Jar
Once upon a time in a small town, there lived a woman named Emily. Emily was known for her warm smile and compassionate heart. Despite facing life’s challenges, she carried an atmosphere of gratitude that inspired everyone who knew her.
One day, Emily came across an old, dusty jar in the comer of an antique shop. Interested, she picked it up and noticed a small label that read. "The Gratitude Jar." The shopkeeper explained that the jar was meant for collecting moments of gratitude — tiny notes that captured the essence(本质)of thankfulness.
Excited by the idea, Emily decided to start a journey of gratitude. Each day. before the sun dipped below the horizon, she would sit down with her Gratitude Jar and reflect on the blessings of the day. From the warmth of the morning sun to the laughter of children playing in the park, Emily found joy in the simple things. She set down the joy in different tiny notes and put them into the jar.
As the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months. Emily’s jar began to fill with an abundance of notes of gratitude. She was amazed at how her perspective on life had shifted. (Instead of thinking about what she lacked) Emily focused on the richness of what she had — the love of family. the support of friends, and the beauty of the world around her.
One chilly autumn evening, Emily faced an unexpected challenge. The news of a job loss cast a shadow over her sunny disposition. Feeling a mix of uncertainty and fear, Emily sat down with her Gratitude Jar. wondering if she could find anything to be thankful for in such a trying time.
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 she read through the gratitude notes in the jar, something magical happened.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Two weeks after the application, she received a letter for her new employment.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I clearly remember the day I walked into class with a big change — my very first pair of eye glasses and I was the first to wear glasses in my primary school. I was filled with excitement, eager to show them off to my friends. I had chosen pink framed glasses, thinking they would look fantastic on me.
I had never worn glasses before, so selecting them felt like a fun shopping experience. I got to pick the shape I liked and even chose a pretty pink and purple colour combination.
The reason behind getting the glasses was my poor eyesight. I couldn’t copy words and proper grammar from the blackboard because I sat at the back of the class, and everything was too vague for me to see. My friend would read aloud every phrase to me so that I could write them down, like a parrot.
Wearing those glasses was like stepping into a 3D cinematic world. I could see everything as clearly and each tiny detail felt like a delightful surprise.
However, on the day I wore my glasses to school, everyone’s reaction to my transformation was beyond my expectation. All the boys laughed and even teased me. Some kind-hearted girls forced a smile and told me that my glasses looked good on me, but I knew they didn’t. They all lied.
Though I needed those glasses more than I wanted them, yet I started to dislike my new glasses in the following week. A month passed, my classmates still weren’t used to seeing me in glasses and I took them off during the lunch break or when the classes were dismissed. However, little did I know that my decision to wear them would change the lives of many of my friends.
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。
One Monday, one of my friends looked at me with curiosity.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A week later, I was shocked to see the same friend return to school with a pair of glasses.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The snowstorm was supposed to hit the evening of Monday, Jan. 31. I was working from home but I had to leave that afternoon and go to my office to sign an emergency financial aid check for a student. The route to the office took about 30 minutes along the highway. When I got there, my colleague came to my office to co-sign the check, and left. As I was packing up, I noticed he had left his laptop bag in my office.
“I can bring it to you,” I assured him. It was just past 4:30 p. m. The snow wasn’t supposed to start until later. On the way to his place, I picked up a new cellphone charger, and filled up my SUV with gas.
It took me about 15 minutes to get to my colleague’s house, where I dropped off the laptop case and got back on the road. Then the snow started, and it was coming down fast. Within minutes, the windows were fogging up and getting covered with snow, so I rolled down my driver’s side window, thinking I could better follow the edge of the road and keep to a straight line. But really, I didn’t have a clue where I was or even which side of the road I was on.
I called 911, but the dispatcher (调度员) told me that nobody was coming to get me until morning at the earliest. The storm would continue for longer than predicted and I worried I’d freeze to death.
Breathe, I told myself. Panicking won’t help.
I stopped the car, pinning my location on Google Maps, figuring out that I was on a road called Bouvier Lane, in between two farms. I posted this new information to my Facebook community group, pleading for anyone who knew who lived on the farms to help me get rescued.
At 8 p. m., my cellphone rang. It was the son of the farmer, André Bouvier, who owned the land beside the road I was stuck in. He told me that his dad had just helped two other cars get to his house, a father and his two kids, and a couple with their daughter. He comforted me that his dad was coming to get me.
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, about 45 minutes later, I saw a tall figure, pacing toward me in the dark, carrying a flashlight.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________We reached the house at last, I driving slowly behind Andre Bouvier.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was a freezing winter morning. The sun was on its rising journey to warm the world, and Josie was on her way to school. The 10-year-old girl was walking forward followed by her father. As usual, Josie was curious about everything and observing. The office workers were hurrying to work. A guitar player was playing and singing surrounded by passers-by and tourists. A grey and black bird was hopping (双足齐跳) on the ground. Josie imitate (模仿) the little creature, hopping and laughing.
When she turned around to see if her father was within reach, she noticed a beggar in rags sitting on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign with some words on it. With curiosity, Josie held her father’s hand and moved closer to the beggar. Josie found the beggar was an old blind man and his sign read, “I am blind. Please help.” There were only a few coins in the hat. Josie’s father took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. “We need to go, honey, or you will be late for school.” The father held the girl’s hand and they left, but little Josie turned her head several times until they turned left to another street and the blind man was invisible.
“I want to help the poor old man.” Josie was thinking about how to help the poor old man the whole day. At 3:00 p. m. in the afternoon, Josie’s father showed up at the school gate to pick up Josie. “I want to help the poor man,” Josie told her father, “but I have no idea.” It was the warmest time of a cold day. The sun was casting its warm light generously on the father and the daughter.
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。
Suddenly, an idea occurred to Josie that she could change the words on the man’s sign.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Seeing the new sign, more people paused their steps and soon the hat began to fill up.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One sunny afternoon, I was playing in the backyard when I noticed a beautiful shiny piece of paper lying on the table. It was leftover aluminum foil (锡纸) from a package my mum had opened. I picked it up and was immediately attracted by its sparkling appearance. Curiosity got the best of me, and I couldn’t help but ask my dad about it.
“Dad, what is this paper called? It’s so shiny and beautiful!” I inquired, holding the aluminum foil up for him to see.
My dad chuckled and replied, “That’s. called aluminum foil, and it has many uses.”
Naturally, my curiosity was piqued (激发), and I eagerly asked, “What can it be used for?”
My dad smiled and said, “Why don’t you research it yourself? It’ll be a great opportunity for you to learn something new. ”
With a sense of excitement, I grabbed my phone and started researching on the Internet. I found out that it is a type of metal paper called aluminum foil, which is moisture-proof(防潮的). As I looked through the information, an idea popped into my head. What if I put some water in a small aluminum foil container and heated it in the microwave? Would the water boil?
Unable to resist the urge to experiment, I cut a piece of aluminum foil and folded it into a small square container. I added some water into the container and placed it in the microwave. With my eyes wide open, I anxiously watched the aluminum foil container, filled with anticipation. But before I could see any changes in the water, suddenly a burst of fire erupted from the microwave, surprising me. I quickly rushed to unplug the appliance and collapsed onto the floor, feeling a great fear.
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 dad, hearing the sound, hurried over and asked, “What happened? ”
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My dad’s comforting words sank in, and I made a promise to myself to become more careful in my life.
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In the quiet of the earthquake shelter, I found myself calling out to a nameless cat, hoping for the familiar sound of a meow or the sight of a black and white figure running toward me. My worry grew as time passed, realizing that the cat I had been feeding for months, the highlight of my day, was nowhere to be seen.
Our unlikely friendship began on a cold night as I sat on those same cement (水泥) steps, rain soaking through my pants. The only light came from my last cigarette, exposing the pieces of a broken picture frame and a handwritten letter illustrating the consequences of the earthquake on my computer screen. Having experienced the impact of an explosion in the earthquake, I returned home with a severe brain injury and PTSD, facing challenges in adapting at Fort Riley, Kansas. Anxiety seized me, and each day felt like a struggle. That night, as I wrestled with the pain of depression with the last drag of my cigarette, a faint “Meow?” echoed through the darkness.
A small black and white kitten with round green eyes emerged from the bushes, wet and seeking shelter. Fearlessly, he approached me, rubbing against my legs. As I reached down to pet him, he leaned into my touch, purring (猫的呼噜声). In that moment, tears blending with the rain on my face, I found an unexpected companion. The kitten stood there, as if understanding my desperate need for companionship.
Looking into his eyes, I realized he was a wanderer. The plan to end it all was briefly set aside; now, my mission was to find him food. The cigarette was forgotten as I stood up, determined to tackle his problems since I couldn’t face my own.
A routine developed—daily visits to the back steps with a packet of tuna (金枪鱼) and a paper plate. The kitten, a source of comfort and purpose, became more than just a reason to live. Over time, he inspired me to seek help for my depression and find the confidence to enter a serious relationship with Becky, a high school classmate from Pittsburgh.
Despite the fear of losing my new found companion, roll call and the early morning darkness forced me indoors. Worried that I had seen the last of him, I called Becky, expressing my concerns. The hope of his return remained, but he never did.
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。
One day, Becky and I found an animal adoption event near the base, surrounded by various cats.
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In July 2009, Scout moved with me to Pittsburgh.
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