Meles Mauro fled from his village near Addis Ababa to the Nigeria capital because he had nowhere else to go. He was five years old and both his parents were dead. He’d headed to his aunt’s, but she had seven children and couldn’t take him in permanently. Soon Mauro was participating in the street economy, along with roughly 10,000 other orphaned kids in Addis. To survive, he shined shoes, sold peanuts and begged.
Then, when he was about nine, Mauro met Kelsey Golden. A year earlier, in 1996, Golden had flown from Germany to her hometown of Addis to visit her mother for the first time in well over a decade. Accompanying Golden were her husband, Scott Smillie (a social worker), and their two children. The family had come with the intention of helping street-involved children, but without a set target.
When they were walking on the street of Addis, their children found something confusing. “Why aren’t they wearing any shoes?” “Why do they just sit there aimlessly on the street without going to school?” Golden was constantly asked about the kids in the street, bringing her back into the memories of her childhood. Golden had left Nigeria in 1981 on a scholarship to Germany, where she finished her bachelor of science degree at the University of Alberta, began teaching, met Smillie and started a family.
Deep in her heart was the words by her father, a general who had passed away. Her father’s final wish was for his children to someday return to help their country and get orphaned street-involved children to class.
“Mom, do you see that boy, who seemingly looks hungry and wants my hamburger?”
Golden’s mind was drawn back to the present. Following the direction of her son’s finger, she noticed a boy, barefoot, in rags, sitting on the ground, eyes fixed on the hamburger.
Instantly she walked over to the boy, bent down and asked gently, “what’s your name?”
“Mauro, Meles Mauro.” the boy answered, eyes still on the burger.
“Would you like to have a lunch with us together?
“Can I?” Mauro’s eyes fell on Golden, wide open in disbelief.
With the firm nodding from the woman, the boy’s face cracked a radiant smile and had the most delicious meal ever in his life.
注意： 1.续写词数应为150 左右；2.请按如下格式在答题卡得相应位置做答。
With the help of the couple, Mauro enjoyed a wonderful life.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Aged 29, Mauro had a job as a professor in a college and he still stayed in touch with Golden.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I pressed my fist into Dad’s old baseball glove as I stared out of the window of my stepfather’s van. Not a day went by that I didn’t think about Dad and how much I missed him.
The van stopped at the edge of the baseball field. “Hey, buddy, have fun at practice. And don’t forget about your sister’s recital (表演) tonight,” said my stepfather as I climbed out.
Zoe is not my sister, and you can’t tell me what to do, I grumbled (嘟囔) to myself.
A bunch of guys from the team waved from the dugout. I jogged over half-heartedly. “Why do you look so unhappy?” David asked. “I have to go to my stepsister’s dance recital,” I sighed. “It could be worse,” David replied. I shot him an I-highly-doubt-that expression. “What if you had to perform in it?” Kevin said as he leaped and twirled (旋转) like a rodeo bull. I tried not to smile.
The truth was that I had a lot of mixed-up feelings since Mom remarried a few months ago. I had always loved baseball, but even that felt different lately. I could barely concentrate.
After practice, David and I sat together waiting for our ride. “I wish things didn’t have to change,” I said, “you know, for my mom and me.” “I have a stepmother and stepbrother too,” David said as if it were no big deal. “Seriously?” I hadn’t realized that, so I asked. David shrugged, “They’re just Mom and Dennis now. Give it a chance.” I let out a breath, still unsure about the recital tonight. Still unsure about everything!
Back home, I found Zoe in her costume, but something was wrong. Her arms were folded tight across her chest, and her eyes were glossed with tears. “What’s wrong, Zoe?” I asked. “Opening night jitters (战战兢兢),” my stepfather said. “She doesn’t want to be in the recital,” Mom said.
Huh. This should have been the best thing that could have happened — the possibility of not having to go to the performance. But somehow it wasn’t. Zoe had practiced so hard. And she’d reminded me at least a thousand times where she would be onstage.
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。
Thinking of Kevin’s funny dance, I had an idea.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After Zoe disappeared into dancers backstage, we found our seats.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________William grew up in Miami in a rough area. William’s father ran a fish business in the Florida Keys, and William helped with it. Fishing was a huge part of their life. His father always said, “Fishing is so peaceful, and it is like an escape.”
Inspired by his father. William founded a nonprofit fishing organization in Lakeland, Florida, which took many kids on fishing trips. Its purpose was to instruct poor kids without their fathers’ company through the sport of fishing.
During the weekdays, William worked as a tire salesman. On weekends, he and a few other volunteers, mostly people from his workshop, took about 20 kids out to fish in the nearby river at a time. To make the kids enjoy fishing safely and happily, he previously led his staff in professional training in fishing and boating.
William went to local homes himself to invite the kids to go fishing. Many had never been fishing or even on a boat, so William. or Big Will, as the kids call him, started by teaching the basics. Then came the life lessons that fishing offered: patience, teamwork and the simple joy of relaxing outdoors. The fishing organization took more than 600 fishing trips with almost 2,000 kids who lacked their fathers’ company in their lives.
Of course, William’s great kindness was widely recognized in society. When William explained his mission to Captain Jack, who was in charge of a boat in Clearwater, Captain Jack offered him a great deal. Then the nonprofit fishing organization paid less money to spend weekends on the boat. The kids were inspired to release little fish. On a recent trip with kids from a group home, William kept some big fish and enjoyed delicious fish soup with the kids at dinner.
William kept searching the neighborhood for kids in need and sharing his love of fishing with the kids. He said, “I just want to show them that I care about them and that I’m there for them.” Many kids went on multiple trips, so William was able to build relationships with them.
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, William noticed his eight-year-old neighbor, Camron, sitting sadly in front of his door.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Big Will’s reputation was growing, and the nonprofit fishing organization attracted more sponsors besides Captain Jack.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I love stories of kindness, and one of my personal favorites from my travels happened in Morocco. My husband John and I got to experience their kindness and generosity first-hand during a 10-day trip across the High Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert. On our second-to-last day in Morocco, we took a trip to Essaouira, a quiet seaside town on the Atlantic. During the journey there, we stopped at a restaurant, where we got to taste local special oil and honey.
After a long time, we reached our small hotel in Essaouira at around dinner time, and on our way to a local restaurant, my husband started to feel unwell. He went back to the hotel. while I had dinner alone. When I got back to our hotel, I found my husband sitting on the bathroom floor. His face almost had no color. He had been sick about six times in an hour. And he spent a lot of time in the bathroom. We guessed that local special oil and honey probably didn’t agree with him, which caused him to feel so uncomfortable. At about 1 am, my husband finally managed to leave the bathroom and climb into bed. He was very weak and dehydrated (脱水的), so I went down to the hotel’s reception (接待处) to buy a bottle of water.
I found a young man behind the desk—he didn’t look older than 18. Knowing little of the native language, I explained to him in English that my husband was sick and that I needed to buy some bottled water for him. Our hotel was very small and basic, and didn’t have a restaurant or cafe inside. Gladly, the receptionist was good at English. He understood me. He introduced himself as Pierre and said they didn’t sell any water, so I asked him where the nearest shop was. I looked out the window and my heart started to race. I didn’t have the courage to go into the unfamiliar streets in the dark, all by myself. Pierre noticed my fear. In-stead of giving me directions to the nearest shop, he asked me to wait for him for a while.
Paragraph 1:Before I nodded, he had rushed out.
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Then, Pierre called a taxi and we went to the hospital together with him.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Cedar Point was an amusement park in Ohio I had been expecting to visit as a child. We lived close to the park, so I often heard the screams of people on the roller coaster, saw the tired kids with their parents when they left. Sometimes, I looked wistfully at the lights through my window at night.
When I was nine, my grandmother managed to save a little bit of money here and there and took me there one day that summer. I yelled, excitement bubbling inside me. As we arrived at the park for the first time, kids were everywhere, eating popcorn (爆米花) and blowing bubbles. My eyes widened in delight at the scene. I wanted to do all those things, but deep down, I knew we didn’t have enough money. We could only afford to buy a ticket only for one ride for fifteen minutes. I pulled my grandmother toward the ticket window to buy a ticket for the carousel (旋转木马).
It was exactly as I had imagined, straight out of a movie. My grandmother smiled fondly and leaned down, giving the ticket to the ride operator, Mr Salas. Letting go, I rushed to the ride, stopping only to pick which horse to sit on. They were all so beautiful, coming in different colors with’ different expressions ‘on their plastic faces. To me, it felt like the decision of a lifetime.
“Come on, sweetie! The ride is going to start!” my grandmother called out, laughing at my indecision. Seeing that, Mr Salas also smiled warmly. Finally, I picked the horse with the pink hair and blue saddle. In the following minutes, I was absorbed in enjoying the ride, forgetting my family was struggling. My grandmother waved each time the ride passed her by. Mr Salas watched me from a distance.
Sadly, the carousel ride ended much too quickly. My grandmother was waiting and took my hand. I got down from the horse unwillingly, feeling bittersweet.
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 that moment, Mr Salas approached us with a warm smile on his face.
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After a while, Mr Salas returned, with an all-inclusive ticket for Cedar Point for the entire day.
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I am a proud mother of three children, my last little one being delivered in the middle of this pandemic (疫情). She was born in August and her name is Aida.
Shortly after having Aida, my mother-in-law Ann showed me something she learned from her friend’s mother in an art class she attended weekly, She had showed me how to knit (编织) a scarf.
I spent a lot of time breastfeeding my sweet little girl, so I had some extra time to do something with my hands throughout the day. I enjoyed making the scarf so I purchased tons of yarn (线) since it was winter. I wanted to make scarves for my three children as Christmas gifts.
There was a new family that moved in down the street. The only daughter of the family was Jane, a shy girl, aged 14, the same age of my oldest son David. It seemed that she came from a financially disadvantaged family, for she always wore old clothes. Worse still, in such cold days, she had no more clothes to wear and trembled with cold.
Due to the pandemic, society was thrown into crisis mode. Schools were closed, food supplies and deliveries were suspended and children were stuck at home. In such discouraging time, however, they became good companions, talking and playing at home or around the houses.
It was dreadfully cold this winter. Every time David came back from outside, with red face, he always cried, “Mum, it is freezing outside!” Then, he came over to see whether I finished the scarf. I could tell how impatient he was to wear my scarf sooner! I had to speed the project to satisfy his expectation. But David comforted me by saying he could wait a few days. What a kind and considerate boy he was! Then my great art project finally was accomplished on the morning ahead of Christmas.
注意：1.续写词数应为150词左右；
2.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语己为你写好。
Paragraph 1: I wrapped the scarf around David’s neck.
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Paragraph 2: Later that day David came back saying Jane also deserved a scarf.
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In DeAnza Community College, 15 minutes’ drive from the university Trevor Wallace studied in, his beloved grandmother had worked there. When she was alive, she was a respected learning disabilities specialist and instructor. In recognition of her work, her co-workers dedicated a large, cement angel fountain with a plaque (匾) saying Heart’s Garden: In Memory of Marilyn Rosenthal. That was in 1999.
Trevor knew well that the fountain meant a lot to his mom, Sarene. She was only 36 when her mom died. At the sight of anything to do with her mother, she would tell stories or anecdotes related, especially the fountain. Though she cherished it, living six hours away, she didn’t have the opportunity to visit it regularly.
As time went on, the fountain was hidden under trees, falling into disrepair----the statue’s bowl at its base broken; cement benches nearby damaged; the water pump blocked with leaves and the surrounding area littered with dead leaves and trash, etc.
Finally, in 2013, it was once repaired by one of the school gatekeepers, who thought she was popular with colleagues and students when she was alive. After knowing the repair, Sarene and Trevor took the 300-mile trip to visit it. On a quiet afternoon, they posed for a photo together. Sarene recalled, “We sat watching the fountain for a while. The water welled over then it went into the bowls. It was so peaceful.”
Flash forward to 2015. When deciding what to give his mom for Mother’s Day, the fountain came to mind. Trevor called Sarene that Sunday to wish her a happy Mother’s Day and told her to expect a surprise. Then he drove to DeAnza with his camera, tripod, and two sponges.
When he arrived, the fountain was covered with leaves and piled with dirt, in worse shape than he had expected. Motivated by memories of his late grandmother, whom he called “Bubby”, he set up his camera on the tripod, checked the lighting and took a before shot. Then his hand-scrubbing (手工擦洗) work began.
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。
There was one problem—the fountain’s water was turned off.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When she opened the photos attached in the three emails, she burst into tears.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It’s the Saturday, 1:00 am, and Stormy, my dog, and I were going on a pre-dawn bird-watching adventure. The weatherman predicted fog, but as we hit the road, it’s clear. Along our journey, I stopped at a petrol station, ensuring Stormy was safely locked in the truck.
“Stormy, hang tight,” I whispered, stepping out into the night air.
Back on the highway, as we were near the marshlands, a heavy fog began to swallow everything. At a sharp bend, my truck hit soft ground, and I lost control. “Oh, no!” Panic set in as the vehicle slid off the road with a bang, falling down a steep bank and into the water.
In the strange silence that followed, I was floating inside the car, gently carried downstream by the canal. “Come on, door,” I said, switching uselessly at the handle. It won’t move; the electrical system had shorted out due to the water. “I’ve got a glass breaker,” I reminded myself, reaching for the tool in the center part.
With each failed attempt to break the window — the glass bouncing back at me — I felt a growing sense of urgency. Water moved over the floorboards, cooling my feet. “Stormy, stay calm,” I said, lying down to kick at the window with all my strength. But my efforts only met resistance.
As the water level rose threateningly close to the ceiling, fear clawed at my heart. In a last effort, I dived behind the seat for my toolbox. “Got to find something solid.” My hands brushed against the cold metal toolbox, then the fire extinguisher (灭火器). “This might work.”
“Here goes everything,” I thought, holding the extinguisher and hitting it against the window. The impact resounded through the car, but the glass holds firm. “Not yet,” I begged under my breath, as the extinguisher bounced harmlessly away.
The water kept rising, and so did my fear. A voice inside me screamed to give up, but another thought pierced through — Stormy. “For Stormy, I can’t quit.” Just then, I sensed a pause in the water’s rise.
An unspoken sound said, “You have more time. What will you do?”
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’ll fight harder,” I promised aloud.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Exhausted, we caught the now flooded vehicle, waiting for daylight.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I wanted to go to a party. Especially it was a beach party. It had been almost the only thing my friends had been talking about for the last couple of weeks. But My mom had said no. The more desperately I pleaded her case, the more forcefully my mother said no. “I don’t care who’s going,” said coldly my mother, “you are not going.” I was heartbroken. This was my best friend’s party.
Sunday dinner came around and my grandmother joined the family for the meal. Gran noticed my depression but didn’t say a word. It was my turn to wash up and Gran said, “Let me help you.” “What’s up?” asked Gran as I dumped the dishes into the foaming water. Gran wiped a plate with a tea towel. “Mom won’t let me go to my best friend’s party.” I said sadly. “Has mom explained why she doesn’t want you to go?” asked Gran. “No.” I replied. “Then for a moment, put yourself in her position.” said Gran. “If you were mom, what would your objections be?”
I hadn’t stopped to think about my mom’s side. “Well,” I answered, “it’s a beach party. Maybe she doesn’t trust us or thinks we’ll get into trouble.”
“Are there going to be any adults there?” asked Gran. “No,” I said, “who wants their parents hanging around when you’re trying to have fun?” “Might it just be,” said Gran, “your mother doesn’t want anything unfortunate to happen to you.”“Nothing will happen.” I objected. “Maybe you’re right,” said Gran, “but maybe mom’s worried in case it could.”
Gran looked at me gently, seeming to expect my agreement. For a minute or so, I kept silent, pondering for a while about my eagerness for the party. “Maybe, you are right, however, is there no hope?” I inquired. “Not necessarily.” answered Gran, lost in thought.
Paragraph 1: “Then maybe think of a compromise.” suggested Gran.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: The long-awaited beach party finally came.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I worked at a local station of the Berlin fire department. We got an alert (警报) around 8:25pm that Friday and rushed to the fire engine, where the printout from the dispatcher (调度员) said there was a nine-year-old boy locked in a safe.
I asked myself: if it were a safe, would it be airtight? I was aware that it might already be too late by the time we arrived. I had to plan for a bad outcome. On the other hand, if we were in time, how long would it take us to open the safe? I knew it would be an incredibly difficult task. It’s what safes are designed for—not to be opened.
It took less than five minutes to reach the property. When I saw a woman crying on the street,
I knew the situation was serious. She was the boy’s mother and she led us into the basement. She told us the boy was alive and we started talking to him; he was very calm. We asked how it had happened: during a game of hide and seek with his five-year-old brother, he had thought the safe would be a good place to hide.
The boy’s parents had got the house from his mother’s father. The unlocked safe had been there when they moved in and was in an area they didn’t use much. The boy’s little brother had shut the safe, then, when he couldn’t open it again. The only person who knew the combination was the boy’s late grandfather.
From the outset, the biggest priority was getting oxygen to the boy. We got oxygen from the hospital. The boy said that he could feel a thin stream of air. I asked his parents if anyone had opened the safe before and they said no. So we had to guess a six-digit code (密码). We started typing them in—but we had to wait 10 minutes between each attempt before we could try again. So quickly we tried them all. No luck.
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。
We were fully prepared at this point to open the safe by force, starting with a drill.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Then, just as we started to make the first cut, my workmate typed in the correct code.
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