We had moved to a new town for my husband’s work. After living here for just a couple of weeks, I was more than ready to pick up my luggage and move back home. I was lonely for a friend. My boy Samuel was lonely. My husband, Lonny, adapted just fine, but he was occupied with work most of the time.
I missed our old neighborhood. It had been like a closely knitted community where neighbors chatted over fences. Newcomers were welcomed with chocolate brownies (巧克力蛋糕) and carrot bread. It had been easy to find friends there.
Our new community was different. It seemed that family roots grew deep. Deep as the Mississippi River that flowed past this tiny river town. Breaking in was tough.
“I’m so alone here,” I said to Lonny one evening. Lonny is a good listener, and a problem solver. “What have you done to meet people?” he asked. “I go to the park every day. I even dropped by a book salon (读书沙龙) at the library the other day and came across a nice lady with a boy.”
“Sounds not bad,” he said. “Did you talk to her?” The answer was no. It wasn’t that people here were unkind. I just didn’t feel like initiating conversations, and I preferred minding my own business in a new environment.
A few more months passed and winter settled in. It was harder than ever to meet people. I began to feel bitter. I was tired of trying to fit in a place where we didn’t belong.
Lonny noticed my low spirits. “Amy, you look unapproachable, with your arms crossed and everything,” he whispered in my ear one afternoon. He and I were sitting in the yard. Samuel, our five-year-old was playing baseball next to us.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m not going to have friends here.” Just then Samuel looked up. He must’ve heard our whispers. “Mom’s right, Dad. We’ll never ever have friends here. And we just want to go back to our old home.” I sat there and looked at my tiny innocent son. His words mirrored my attitude. And I didn’t like the disturbing reflection.
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。
That’s when I knew that I needed an adjustment.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One afternoon, Samuel and I ran into the lady with her boy again at the library.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In 2018, 17-year-old Hemesh spent a life-changing summer with his grandmother Anne, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Witnessing the impact of the disease firsthand, Hemesh was awakened to the seriousness of the situation.
One night, Hemesh walked into the kitchen only to discover that his grandmother had left the gas stove (炉) on after making tea. Shocked by the dangerous consequences Alzheimer’s disease could bring about, he couldn’t help but wonder what might have happened if he hadn’t been there.
Hemesh’s worries increased as he observed his grandmother’s behavior. She would wake up in the early hours of the morning, believing she was on a train, and wander outside aimlessly. This wandering tendency could potentially lead her to get lost or put herself in risky situations.
Determined to make a difference, Hemesh engaged himself in extensive research about Alzheimer’s disease and its symptomatic (症状的) progression. Through his studies, he discovered that wandering was a common problem among dementia patients, especially those with Alzheimer’s disease.
Inspired by his newfound knowledge and fueled by his desire to help, Hemesh told his family, “I can’t just stand by and watch this happen. I need to do something to keep Grandma safe. I think I have an idea that might help not just her, but others in similar situations.”
With firm determination, he developed an inventive answer to the wandering dilemma, a device he called the Guardian Companion. It was a wearable device, similar to a smartwatch, specifically designed for Alzheimer’s patients. It integrated advanced GPS technology and a panic button to assist those who tended to wander, ensuring their safety and well-being. After the device got its official approval, Hemesh happily went to try it on for his grandmother.
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 Anne put on the Guardian Companion, Hemesh explained how it worked.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In the next few weeks, the device made a difference to Anne and her family.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After little Julie lost her parents, she lived with Aunt Clara, who worked day and night to support her and her own daughter Mira. As the school prom (舞会) approached, both Julie and Mira dreamed of buying beautiful dresses for the occasion. However, Clara’s limited budget posed a challenge, as she could only afford one dress.
To determine who would receive the dress, Clara suggested the girls draw lots (抽签). Unfortunately, luck was not on Julie’s side, but she remained optimistic. “Don’t worry about me,” Julie smiled. “I’ll figure something out.”
Julie reached under her bed and pulled out a box containing money from Grandma. Grandma loved Julie and Mira very much. Every year, Grandma would send cash gifts to both of them. Julie had carefully saved her money and now had enough to buy a prom dress. With excitement and anticipation, she purchased a beautiful black dress, imagining being the prom queen at the prom.
The following Sunday morning, Aunt Clara left for work early. When Julie woke up, she was shocked that the dress she had hung over the nearby chair was gone! She looked out of the window and froze in horror at the sight of the family dog tearing it to pieces.
She screamed as she ran toward the dog. “What have you done to my dress?” Mira soon learned of the situation and rushed to help Julie to remove her dress caught between the dog’s teeth. However, it was already completely ruined and unable to be repaired. Julie felt heartbroken at the thought of not being able to afford another dress.
Lost and unsure of what to do, Julie went to her grandma’s house with the remains of her dress, seeking comfort and advice. When Grandma answered the door, Julie cried and said what had happened. Grandma comforted her and offered a glimmer of hope. “I can help you with your dress,” she smiled. “Follow me."
Grandma, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease (帕金森病),walked slowly and led Julie into the dining room. There, she removed the cover from her old sewing machine and instructed Julie to open the top drawer of the dresser, where an abundance of colorful cloth was stored.
Paragraph 1:Julie said, “But I’m afraid that you couldn’t sew anymore. You know, your hands.”
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Eventually, their joint efforts bore fruit, and they completed a new prom dress.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Jay, 24, got home from work shortly after midnight. Then, suddenly, a horror-filled scream ripped through the still night. He rushed outside and saw flames lighting the sky half a mile away. Hurriedly, he called the fire department and rushed out to check the situation.
Seconds later, Jay was fishtailing his car on the main road. The fire raged at a small hillside complex of mobile homes. Jay slid the car to a stop and sprinted up a steep lane toward the reddening glow. Reaching the hilltop, he saw that a 70-foot-long trailer (房车) was on fire. A young woman in torn nightclothes was running wildly back and forth, jumping to smash at the 6-foot-high windows with her hands. “Dear God!” she screamed. “My family is dying!”
Jay felt a moment of panic. He seemed to be the only person there to help. Never had he seen such a fire! Flames were leaping out of broken windows at the far end of the trailer and winding along the roof; the roaring, crackling noises grew louder by the second. He grabbed the woman by the shoulders. “What happened?” he shouted.
Barely coherent, Cindy told him she had escaped through one of the master bedroom windows. Her husband, Leonard, had gone for their two children: 22-month-old Ryan and 6-week-old Angela. He was supposed to hand them out to her from the bedroom. But, seconds later, flames had burst from the kitchen and living room windows. Cindy began crying miserably. “Where are they?” Jay yelled. Cindy pointed to the end section of the trailer, where thick, black smoke poured from the windows.
From the time he was old enough to play sports, Jay had learned to battle the odds. As a Little Leaguer, he led his underdog team to the state championship. And in tiny St. Maries, his courage had earned him townspeople’s respect. Always, Jay recalled the words of his father: “The word can’t never did anything for anybody. You can do it! Never stop trying, son!”
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。
Para. 1 Jay’s father’s words echoed in his mind.
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Para. 2 As her husband was placed in the ambulance to be driven to the hospital, Cindy walked over to Jay.
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When I woke up, I felt pains all over. A pool of sticky blood surrounded my head. I lay trapped in the bottom of n smooth-walled pit (坑) with an empty water bottle.
I thought of what had happened. I was climbing down the mountain as I was admiring the beautiful scenery. Accidentally. I stepped on a loose rock. Then I slipped, fell with the rock and got stuck somewhere below the top. It was getting dark in the pit. Only my mother knew where I’d gone. I promised to have lunch with her. Thinking of this. I took my phone out and dialed her number with shaking fingers. No service. The silence, which earlier I’d valued, was now horrible.
With a sharp pain in my head, I was terrified. I knew I’d fallen far, but I wasn’t sure where I was. I called 911 because I knew by the pain that my back was severely injured, if not broken. My ear was torn badly. There was still no service. I dug through my bag to assess my supplies and found a whistle and some wipes.
I put the whistle around my neck and blew, though I knew no one would hear me. It was 1:15 pm and I was miles from the town where I lived. I used the wipes to clean off as much blood as I could. I rested. Then I screamed, blew my whistle, and let myself think the unthinkable. What if they can’t find me? What if this is it?
I decided to get moving. I climbed through a small opening, but when I peered over the next edge, my heart sank: there was a 30-foot drop. There was no way down. I was trapped.
I knew with that extreme Arizona heat in the day and bitter desert cold at night, I wouldn’t last long. But I thought my mother was sure to call the police for help if she couldn’t get in touch with me. With a little hope, I prayed the police would send a helicopter (直升机) to my resecu.
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。
Around five hours later, a growing buzz (嗡嗡声) in the air broke the silence.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Though the pilot saw me, it was difficult for the team to get to me.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In a small community located at a suburb of Exeter, a disheartening issue had been troubling the neighborhood for years. The once pleasant surroundings were ruined by piles of waste that seemed to multiply with each passing day. Residents were growing tired of the worsening environment, leading many to abandon their homes in search of cleaner neighborhoods. It was in this terrible situation that two young students, Emma and Mia, decided to take matters into their own hands.
Emma and Mia were classmates and best friends from Phillips Exeter Academy, both passionate about environmental preservation and deeply concerned about the pollution crisis their community was facing. Witnessing more and more neighbors’ leaving, they knew they couldn’t stand by any longer. Determined to bring about a change, they undertook a mission that would soon catch the attention of the entire community.
Their journey began with thorough research and planning. The two girls searched carefully on the Internet for information on environmental initiatives and connected with local environmentalists. They organized meetings with residents to understand the issues at hand, collecting data on the types of waste, the sources, and the areas most affected. Armed with this knowledge, Emma and Mia worked out a comprehensive plan and announced it to ask for opinions from the residents. Surprisingly it was strongly supported.
Their strategy was twofold. First, they initiated a waste classification and recycling program. They distributed recycling bins(回收箱) to every household and educated the community about the importance of responsible waste management. Soon, the streets began to show signs of improvement as the volume of garbage inappropriately thrown away decreased gradually.
The second part of their plan was more ambitious. Emma and Mia gathered volunteers from their school and the neighborhood to take part in a massive clean-up campaign. Armed with gloves and trash(垃圾)bags, they began systematically clearing the waste from the streets, parks, and even the local bodies of water. Their firm commitment and hard work inspired others to join the cause.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式作答。
Half a year later, the changes were significant.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Emma and Mia received recognition and honors for their work.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________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.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The day I met Hani Irmawati, she was a shy, seventeen-year-old girl standing alone in the parking lot of the international school in Indonesia, where I teach English. The school is expensive and does not accept Indonesian students. She walked up to me and asked if I could help her improve her English. I could tell it took great courage for the young Indonesian girl in worn clothing to ask for my help.
“Why do you want to improve your English?” I asked her, fully expecting her to talk about finding a job in a local hotel.
“I want to go to an American university,” she said with quiet confidence. Her idealistic dream made me want to cry.
I agreed to work with her after school each day on a volunteer basis. For the next several months, Hani woke each morning at five and caught the city bus to her public high school. Then at four o’clock in the afternoon, she arrived at my classroom, worn out but ready to work. With each passing day, I grew more fond of her. She worked harder than most of my wealthy students.
Her parents’ combined yearly income was 750 U. S. dollars. It wasn’t enough to meet the expenses of even one month in an American university. Hani’s enthusiasm was increasing with her language ability, but I was becoming more and more discouraged.
One morning in December 1998, I received the announcement of a scholarship opportunity for a major American university. I excitedly tore open the envelope and studied the requirements, but it wasn’t long before I dropped the form in depression. There was just no way, I thought, for Hani to meet these qualifications.
She did, however, have more determination than any student I’d ever seen. When Hani came into the classroom that day, I told her of the scholarship. I also told her that I believed there was no way for her to apply. I encouraged her to be realistic about her future and not to plan so strongly on coming to America. Even after my lecture, Hani remained firm.
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。
“Will you send in my name?” she asked.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I jumped about the room excitedly, shocked.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Maisie and her car
Maisie usually goes swimming every morning before she goes to work. She leaves home at 5:30 am and drives to the swimming pool. She swims for an hour, and then hurries home for a shower and breakfast before she leaves for work at 8 am.
One Thursday morning, Maisie drove to the swimming pool as usual. She did not feel happy because she had a quarrel (争吵) on the phone with a co-worker the night before. She was still thinking about it and feeling so depressed that she did not want to go to work.
“Swimming may make me feel better. Come on,” Maisie said to herself. She parked the car opposite the sports center, took her sports bag from the back seat and walked to the building, forgetting to put on the handbrake (手刹).
While Maisie was swimming, a strong wind came and the car started to move. Very, very slowly the car moved out of the car park and across the road. It was early morning so the road was empty. There were no people walking around and no other cars on the road.
A few moments later, there was a sudden announcement on the loud speaker system. “Is the owner of a white Honda, number plate XJY436, in the pool?”
“XJY436! That’s my car,” thought Maisie. She swam to the side of the pool and climbed out. A lifeguard was standing next to the pool. Maisie ran up to him. ”That’s my car, “she said.” Did I leave the lights On? “No,” said the lifeguard, laughing. “Come and see.” Maisie followed the lifeguard out to the entrance of the sports center. “Look!” said the lifeguard when he pointed to the big entrance door. “Oh, no!” shouted Maisie. Her car was in the doorway. It was half inside the building and half outside. No one could go in or out of the sports center.
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。
“Do you have your car key?” asked the lifeguard.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Maisie’s entire face instantly turned red.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One year ago, when we were in the fifth grade, a new classmate named Jack joined us. He was often late for class and had a strange smell on him, which made the girls not want to be “neighbours” with him, let alone sit next to him. It is said that once, a naughty boy curiously opened his backpack and many crushed soda cans and empty drink bottles that we usually throw into the trash fell out. Therefore, the boys in our class mocked (嘲笑) him as the “trash king”.
Later, during a class meeting, our teacher, Ms. Zhang, told us about his story of using garbage to make inventions. It turns out that Jack is not an ordinary elementary school student, but a “garbage-inspired inventor” who has won the city invention award. According to Ms. Zhang, most of his inventions were picked up from garbage dumps (堆). During that class meeting, Jack showed us his invention of a“domestic wastewater separation system”.
Afterwards, some of us became deeply interested in these small inventions and started to admire Jack’s way of “picking up trash”. We even joined him in picking up trash on weekends and during holidays. From then on, we no longer called him the “trash king“. Instead, we formed a group of five boys and actively searched for usable materials in various garbage dumps around the city. Under Jack’s guidance, we learned that there are many uses for seemingly useless trash. Once, we stayed at school to process the collected materials. Jack mentioned that he was facing a problem with his latest invention—a small cart for buying vegetables that needed to be lightweight. All other materials were solved except for the wheels. How could we find a suitable material for the wheels? We racked our brains (绞尽脑汁) and came up with different ideas, such as using soda cans or taking off the wheels from suitcases. However, Jack reminded us that our group should focus on making inventions from waste rather than causing damage to create them. We were all deep in thought.
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。
When I got home and drank a bottle of water, I suddenly had an idea.
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Jack indeed adopted my suggestion and fixed a row of bottle caps as wheels on his vegetable cart.
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