It was eight o’clock on a cold spring night. Our apartment was full of the artwork of an energeic five-year-old. The house was in a mess.
I was so tired that night. I had depended on a walking stick to go anywhere for seven weeks, recovering from an operation, and I couldn’t find a way to cheer myself up.
The phone rang - for the sixth time in less than an hour. I knew who it was. My mother had been suffering from dementia (痴呆). Though we visited her every few days, she believed that her daughters had not visited in months. She thought that her friend Jimmy never wanted to see her again, but he called her and visited weekly.
She had no idea that she had repeated the things she was about to say a million times today and a million times the day before. She had no idea that I had an operation, nor could she remember her own grandaughter’s name. She forgot most of her own past and she drifted in the present. Also, she was lonely.
This time I cast my anger at the easiest target: my mother, the very victim of this chance horror. “Mom!” I shouted. “We visited two days ago! You have to believe me, and even if you don’t, I cannot talk anymore! Everything is fine!”
Silence. Then: “I was only calling to say hi. Why are you shouting?!” she continued. “Do you have a minute?”
“No, Mom, I don’t. I can’t stand this!”
I sat on the couch, defeated. I was suddenly aware of all that my daughter was watching me shouting at my mother and losing my patience. I have failed at being a good example to my 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。
My daughter approached me, saying, “Can I talk to Grandma Ellie?”
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After many kissing noises, they eventually hung up.
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Desiree, a 4-year-old girl, was sobbing quietly over her father, Ken, who had died nine months earlier. She was hugging a photograph of her father with her fingers running around his face. “Daddy”, she said softly, “Why won't you come back?”
Instead of gradually adjusting to her father's death, Desiree refused to accept it “Daddy will be home soon,” she'd tell her mother. “He's at work.” When she played with her toy telephone, she pretended she was chatting with her father “I miss you, Daddy,” she'd say. “When will you come back?” Desiree's situation made her mother worried.
Days later, it was Ken's birthday. “How will I send him a card?” Desiree asked her mother “How about if we tie a litter to a balloon.” her mother said, “and send it up to heaven?” Desiree's eyes immediately lit up.
Her mother took her to a store and Desiree picked out a balloon with HAPPY BIRTHDAY above a drawing of The Little Mermaid (美人鱼). Desire and her father had often watched it.
The child's eyes shone as they were on the way to Ken's grave. Then Desiree dictated (口述) a letter to her Dad. “Daddy, Happy birthday, I love you and miss you,” she rattled off (快速说). “I hope you get this and can write to me on my birthday in January.”
Her mother wrote the message and their address on a small piece of paper, which was then wrapped in plastic and tied to the end of the string on the balloon. Finally, Desiree let fly the balloon. For almost an hour, they watched the shining spot of silver grow smaller and smaller till disappear. “Now Dad's going to write back to me,” Desiree said confidently.
Every day since they'd flew the balloon, Desiree had asked her mother, “Do you think Daddy has my balloon yet?” Several weeks passed, and she stopped asking.
Paragraph 1One day, 3,000 miles away, Wade was on a duck hunt when suddenly something in the bush caught his eyes. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2
Desire's fifth birthday came and later on the afternoon, a package arrived.
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