It was time for the annual Potato-Salad Contest in Russet Park. After trying for the third time, Alexis shook her head sadly. There was no way she would win the Golden Potato again because Grandpa wasn’t here this year.
Memories of how Grandpa taught her to make potato rose in her mind. She sighed and missed Grandpa so much.
Alexis cut the potatoes and mixed the boiled potatoes, some sauces and a little salt and peppers in a bowl. But it didn’t taste right. Alexis tried a bite of the salad mixture, wondering what was missing. Seeing her frown, Mom suggested, “What about something spicy? Your Grandpa loved spicy things.”
“You’re right! Maybe he put a jalapeno pepper in it,” Alexis said, cutting up a bright green jalapeno and adding it to the bowl.
It was closer, but it still didn’t taste right. Alexis was drooping her head, disappointed. “Should we look in a cookbook?”
“Grandpa was never one to follow a recipe,” Dad entered the kitchen and said.
It was true. People loved Grandpa’s potato salad because it was one of a kind. Alexis remembered posing with Grandpa for a photo while they were making the salad.
Photo! That gave her an idea. Alexis hurried to the bookcase and found an old photo album. She immediately flipped it open, expecting to find clues in the photos there. Lots of photos showed Grandpa and Grandma cooking together. Dad laughed, “He and Grandma loved to tease each other but he always called her Honey.”
“Do you think he put honey in the potato salad?” Mum asked.
“It is worth a try,” said Alexis. She stirred some honey into the bowl.
But it still wasn’t quite right. Alexis’ heart sank, on the verge of giving up. Dad kept flipping the album. At the end of the album was the picture of Grandpa and Alexis making the salad together.
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。
It looked like Grandpa was crying in the photo.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________With hesitation, the family tasted the potato salad with onions in it.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Billy, a salvage (沉船打捞) diver, hunts for unique items that might have historical value During one of his dives earlier this year, he found a sealed bottle containing a handwritten message, which would turn out to have treasured emotional value for a couple 200miles away, who suffered the loss of a son.
Billy first spotted the green glass bottle floating above a sunken boat. It turned on his curiosity because it appeared to contain a letter. Billy took back the floating bottle, then gently removed the enclosed letter with sticks. He allowed the wrinkled and damp paper to dry out. Once dried, he and his boss, Brad, attempted to reconstruct the remaining pieces of the letter, written in the handwriting of a child. They could make out the name, the year and the location: Dahl; 1989; Oxford, Mississippi.
Touched by the letter and the child’s adventurous spirit, Billy and Brad set out to return the keepsake (纪念品) to its rightful owner. “It really just fueled us to go and say, Let’s go find this guy because this is kind of like-minded,” said Brad.
Billy and Brad stayed late that day to contact local schools, searching for clues. That search didn’t result in a match. However, the note remained on their minds and they decided to continue their search using social media. They posted a picture of the note on social media, which instantly generated interest. Others shared the story widely, and it took on a life of its own.
The news of the mysterious message in a bottle soon made its way to Eric and Melanie Dahl, a couple 200 miles away. The couple had an instinct (直觉) that the letter was composed by their late son, Brian. They recalled that, when he was a sixth grader, he was assigned a creative class project that required him to write a message and place it in a bottle.
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 couple contacted Billy and arranged to check it out.
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Then the couple took it back.
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Honesty Won’t Let You Down
Asad was a 13-year-old boy who was very honest and hardworking. Recently, he had entered a new school so he had no friends yet. On Monday morning, he was nearly late for school. The night before, his family attended his cousin’s wedding and reached home late, which was why he couldn’t get up on time as usual.
At school, Asad could not pay attention to anything and wanted the bell to ring so that he could buy something to eat. After a few hours, when the bell rang, Asad quickly opened his schoolbag to find his money, but just then he remembered that he had left for school in a hurry in the morning and forgotten to take the money. He looked under his books, hoping to find some money but there was nothing.
Not knowing what to do, he walked out of the classroom and sat on a bench in front of the dining room. He saw a few of his classmates there, among whom was Fahad. He was one of the richest kids in his class but he was very arrogant. But as Asad was new, he didn’t know much about anyone.
Asad thought he might borrow some money from Fahad and return it to him the next day. So he got up and slowly went towards Fahad and asked if he could borrow some money.
Fahad smirked (讥笑) and said, “I knew you were a loser, but I didn’t know you were also a beggar?” Fahad laughed out so loud that the other kids heard and also made fun of Asad.
It was too humiliating (丢脸的) for Asad. He could not answer Fahad and slowly walked back towards an empty bench. He could still hear them laughing at him in the distance. When he reached the bench, he noticed something lying near it. It was a wallet. He picked it up and recognized it was Fahad’s, as he remembered Fahad showing it to his friends and saying that his uncle bought it for him from the UK. There was quite a lot of money inside for a kid.
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。
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At first, Asad wanted to keep it a secret and punished Fahad.
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Then Fahad said, “why are you giving it back?”
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Dad and Madison were walking through the party store, gathering decorations for Madison’s upcoming birthday party.
“But I don’t want to invite Lucy Gilbert! I don’t like her!”
“Madison, you are being unreasonable. If every girl in your class is invited to a party but you, you’ll feel left out. It would be a big mistake not toinvite Lucy to the party. ”“She never even talks to me! ”
Dad sighed and moved down the aisle ( 走廊). “Lucy is a new girl in class. She just moved here a little over a month ago. Think about how that must feel. She doesn’t know one single person in the school. She left all of her old friends behind and now she has to try to make new friends. Your party will be a great chance for her to get to know everyone. ”
“No, it won’t. She will probably sit in the corner and not talk to anyone. Every day at lunch she sits all by herself. She wants to eat alone!" Madison shrugged and rolled her eyes (翻白眼).
“Madison, I’m done discussing this. You will invite every girl in your class, including Lucy Gilbert!"
On Saturday morning, the family blew up balloons and decorated the house cheerfully. Madison was dressed beautifully for the day, wearing her new blue dress. It was not typical of her to dress herself like this. She usually wore sports clothes because she loved to be outside riding her horse Star with a lead rope (缰绳).
Madison greeted her friends at the doorstep, picturing (想象)various presents her friends would bring her. In the meanwhile, she was wondering whether Lucy would ruin the party if she came. Anyhow, all the girls she invited came finally, including Lucy. The girls had a fantastic time by singing and dancing while Lucy sat in the corner silently alone. Later, all the girls gathered around the table as Madison opened her presents. Opening them one by one, Madison thanked her friends, with a bright smile on her face.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；2. 请按如下格式作答。
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Lucy’s present was the very last to be opened.
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Deeply moved by what she said, Madison held the lead rope tightly in her hands.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Hannah was my best friend, and our bond went beyond mere friendship; we were inseparable. Whether we were exploring new places, laughing until our stomachs hurt, or comforting each other during tough times, our connection grew stronger than anything else in the world. We shared secrets, countless adventures, and, most importantly, our dreams. Both of us aspired to be actresses, and our personalities were equally strong. We were determined and ambitious, always striving to be the best in everything we did.
One day, our school announced an important drama festival, and the highlight of the event was the selection of the leading lady. Hannah and I both set our sights on this prestigious role. As the audition(试镜) approached, our friendship faced a significant test.
The day of the audition arrived, and the tension between us was obvious. We both delivered outstanding performances that left the judges impressed. However, when the final decision was announced, I was devastated to hear that Hannah had been chosen as the leading lady.
The aftermath of the announcement was challenging for me. My ego got the better of me, and I couldn’t handle the overwhelming feeling of being left out. As I saw everyone around us celebrating Hannah’s success, I felt a wave of shame washing over me. Unable to hold back my tears, I impulsively ran out of the audition hall.
Moments later, my phone rang, and I saw that it was Hannah calling. She must have known that I had left. I hesitated, unsure of what to say to 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。
In confusion, I ended up hanging up the phone without a word.
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On the day of the performance, I took up the courage to attend Hannah’s play.
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As he lay awake that night, Tony could hear his parents discussing his sister Alice's birthday. It was just two days away. Birthdays were always a lot of fun, even though there was no money for store-bought gifts. Nearly all the toys he and his sister had were homemade. There was nothing wrong with that, he knew. Like many families in this part, they were poor.
This birthday would be different, though. Alice was older now, and he'd seen how her eyes lit up when she saw the new doll at Honey House, a neighborhood store just down the road from their house.
How he longed for her to have it! An idea finally came to him just before he went to bed. After a quick breakfast the following morning, he placed a tin can and a piece of string in a large bag. Then he tied the bag to the handlebars of his bike and headed toward a village hill.
After a long journey, he reached his destination, the mango forest. There were already two other boys there. Tony grabbed his bag and set to work immediately. The smaller trees had already been picked over pretty well, but he was able to find a half-dozen mangoes before noon.
When the sun was high overhead, the hard work began. Nearly all of the taller trees held ripe mangoes, but they were well beyond reach. The other boys took their fruit and went away. Tony used his pocketknife to cut a long piece of bamboo. Then he took the tin can from the bag, tied it to one end of the bamboo stick, and walked over to the base of the mango tree.
He stayed there, holding the tin can high up into the tree. His efforts were occasionally rewarded when a mango dropped into the can. After a while his neck ached from looking upward, and his arms grew sore. He kept at it, though, and by late afternoon his bag was nearly full.
注意:
1. 续写词数应为 150 左右；
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
On the way back to town, Tony began to worry that the other boys might already have sold or traded their mangoes with Honey House.
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The following morning, Alice walked into the kitchen and took a seat at the breakfast table.
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A Father’s Day Surprise
“Mano, do you know when Father’s Day is celebrated?” Ali asked his sister.
“Yes, it is going to be celebrated on June 19 this year. Yesterday my friend and I were talking about it.” Mano replied.
“Do you have any idea how we should celebrate this day and make it memorable for Dad?” Ali asked.
“Hmm... I was thinking about it too and have some ideas.” Mano answered excitedly. “What are you kids talking about?” their mum asked, entering their room.
“Mum, we were wondering about how to celebrate Father’s Day.” Mano said.
“Oh, I am surprised you kids remembered! Well, I am thinking of cooking some favorite dishes for your father. You both should think of ways to decorate the house beautifully.”Mum said.
“That would be great!”said Mano and Ali together. Both of them got up smiling, thinking of hundreds of ways to celebrate Father’s Day. Mum went to the kitchen, and Mano and Ali started doing their homework. But soon Ali noticed Mano deep in thought so he asked what the matter was. “Ali, I was thinking that our parents do everything for us and in return they want nothing. Isn’t it bad that we never think about them and are always concerned about our needs?” Mano replied. “Sometimes we are so busy with our lives that we don’t pay proper attention to our parents. We should listen to whatever they say properly and answer them. We must also study hard to get good grades.” Ali nodded.
The next day, all three of them, Mano, Ali and their mum, got busy preparing their surprise celebration for Father’s Day. Mano drew a family picture with her crayons, Ali bought balloons and candles and began writing a poem which he planned to sing that day. In short, a lot of things were being planned and prepared.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
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Finally, when Father’s day came, both Ali and Mano came home from school and started decorating the house.
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Ali and Mano cried out together, “Happy Father’s Day!”
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mom was busy in the kitchen when my brother Marco and I got home from school on Friday. “Did you remember your grandmother’s coming today?” She asked. “Sure, Mom,” we laughed. “Didn’t you notice we cleaned our rooms?” Mom smiled and continued, “Thanks. I know I shouldn’t be nervous, but my mother hasn’t been here for almost six years! As I was growing up, her house always looked perfect. So I want everything to be well.”
“Perfect,” I said with a smile. “What else can we do to help before she gets here?”
Mom looked around,“You two could set the table. Use the good bowls. And be very careful with the glasses Grandma gave to us before you were born!”
As Mom prepared a big meal, Marco and I set the table. I taught Marco how to line up the forks on the left side of each p late and the knives and spoons on the right. In the center of the table, we placed a set of tall white candles. Then we stepped back and looked at our work. It seemed something was missing. “What’s missing?” I asked Marco.
“Napkins?” He asked. “And I don’t think Mom would want us to use paper ones!”
We both laughed. Marco opened a drawer and took out the nice cloth napkins Mom saved for special occasions （场合）. The soft white squares were folded in the middle, and we placed one on each plate. “Do you think that looks good enough?” I asked.
“No,” Marco answered. “Let’s make them look better. Remember the restaurant we went to last year? Their napkins were folded into different shapes! That was great!”
I nodded and unfolded the cloth napkin in front of me. “Look,” I said, pointing to the napkin, “These lines make special shapes. That gives me a great idea! Let’s do origami （折纸）. That’ll make the napkins unique!”
Marco looked confused, so I explained,“Origami’s a kind of folding art. People usually use paper, but you can use cloth. You make boats, birds or flowers just by folding. Nothing else is needed!”
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。
Mom heard us and came to help.
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We placed a different origami napkin on each plate.
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9 . It was a beautiful day for sightseeing around downtown Portland. We were a bunch of advisers on our day off, away from the campers, just out for some fun. The weather was perfect for a picnic, so when lunch time came, we set our sights on a small park in town. Since we all had different desires, we decided to split up (分组), get what each of us wanted, and meet back on the grass in a few minutes.
When my friend Robby headed for a hot dog stand, I decided to keep her company. We watched the vendor (小贩) put together the perfect hot dog, just the way Robby wanted it. But when she took out her money to pay him, the man surprised us. “It looks a little flat on one side,” he said, “so never mind paying me. This will be free of charge.” We said our thanks, joined our friends in the park, and dug into our food.
But as we talked and ate, I was distracted by a man sitting alone nearby, looking at us. I could tell that he hadn’t showered for days. Another homeless person, I thought, like all the others you see in cities. I didn’t pay much more attention than that.
We finished eating and decided to head off for more sightseeing. But when Robby and I went to the garbage can to throw away my lunch bag, I heard a strong voice ask, “There isn’t any food in that bag, is there?” It was the man who had been watching us. I didn’t know what to say. “No, I ate it already.” “Oh,” was his only answer, with no shame in his voice at all. He was obviously hungry, couldn’t bear to see anything thrown away, and was used to asking this question. I felt sorry for the man, but I didn’t know what I could do.
注意:
1. 所续词数应为150 左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
At the sight of this, Robby ran off and went across to the hot dog stand.
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With the hot dog in his hand, the homeless people was too choked to speak.
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When I was in Grade 8. I had a heated argument with my classmate,Tony. I have forgotten what the argument was about, but I have never forgotten the lesson I learned that day.
I believed that I was right and he was wrong, and Tony believed that I was wrong and he was right. Our teacher, a kind and smart lady, decided to teach us a lesson. She brought us to the front of the class and placed him on one side of her desk and me on the other. In the middle of her desk was a large and round object. I could clearly see that it was black. The teacher asked us what colour the object was. To my surprise, Tony answered “white” I couldn’t believe he said the object was white! “Clearly, it was black!” Another argument started between Tony and me, this time about the colour of the object.
The teacher told me to go and stand where Tom was standing and told him to go and stand where I was standing.
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My teacher taught me a very important lesson that day.
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