When I was in middle school, I became blind. Suddenly thrown into a world of darkness. I was troubled by frustration and self-pity. Depression consumed me and I was frightened to try anything challenging.
Imagine my surprise when my teacher asked me to enter a speaking contest. I rejected it out of hand. Among so many students, why did she pick me? I was an average student. blind and plain-looking. Anyhow. she insisted that I go for it. Her reply:“Because I believe you can deliver a good speech. You are more capable than you imagine!” Encouraged by her words,1agreed to give it a shot
I decided on a fictional mole (鼹鼠) as my topic. It was a cute creature with poor eyesight mostly living underground, digging holes and helping get rid of pests. Not a brilliant idea, but unique; and undoubtedly a relatable tale.
What did the mole think, as he fought his way in the darkness? Would he get scared? Have second thoughts? Want to quit? It struck a chord immediately. I got exhausted from preparing the speech. I had doubts about my choice. I wanted to escape from reality. But, like the blind mole. I kept it up. I doubled my efforts. I checked out books from the school library. I referred to some great speeches. I turned to my father for guidance.
A week before the competition, I presented my speech to my teacher. She smiled, saying “Good. Now, polish your writing and practice your delivery.” I couldn’t remember how many times I made adjustments to my writing. Nor could I recall how I practiced it over and over again, with mixed feelings. “Could my message get across to the audience?” “How would they react?” Tons of questions crowded into my mind.
注意：1.续写词数应为150个左右：
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
The big day finally arrived
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I went up to my teacher after the award ceremony.
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Jack sat by the radio at exactly five minutes before seven o’clock. This was a part of his daily routine he never broke. The old man sighed, turned the radio on, and tuned it to a specific frequency. He wanted to contact his best friend, Gerry. With the noise in the house, his step-son (继子) always had an argument with him.
When his wife passed away, Jack’s step-son, David, wanted to persuade a doctor that he was crazy and had dementia (老年痴呆). So, he could get his power of lawyer and then send Jack to a nursing home.
Phillip didn’t understand why Dad wanted Grandpa to leave his home. The next day, Phillip decided to find out what was happening with Grandpa. Phillip bit his lip and moved closer to ask the most important question: “Where is Gerry now?” Grandpa frowned, “It’s been forty-five years, and I still haven’t heard from him, but I haven’t given up hope either. I know my friend will contact me one day by radio at a specific frequency. ” Phillip nodded. He felt that Grandpa was telling the truth.
After listening to Grandpa’s stories about his friend Gerry, Phillip returned home feeling better about Grandpa’s health. However, that evening, Phillip suddenly heard that the doctor would arrive a few minutes before seven o’clock. This time, he realized he needed to take action.
At about seven o’clock, the doctor and David peered into the sitting room and watched Jack sit down and turn on the radio. The static (电流声) was loud enough to hear in their hiding spot. The doctor turned to David. “It seems you’re right about your step-father’s state of mind,” he said.
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。
Just then, a voice spoke over the radio: “Jack, can you hear me?”
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One day, when Jack entered the boy’s bedroom to surprise Phillip, Jack got a surprise.
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Once there lived a girl named Melanie. The little girl was living with a dream. She wanted to be a ballet dancer. Her body was very flexible and she had a strong will power. Melanie’s parents never knew of the great dancing skills their daughter had until one day, they saw the little girl dancing with the beautiful steps of a ballerina.
“Isn’t it strange? Melanie is dancing so well without any formal training!” the mother said.
“We must give her ballet lessons to help her improve her skills,” her father said.
The following day, Melanie’s parents took her to a local dance training school. The teacher asked Melanie to dance. The little girl was happy and showed some of her favorite dance steps. However, the teacher didn’t seem interested in her performance.
“That’s OK. You can leave now!”the teacher said.
Melanie was shocked to hear this. So were her parents. They couldn’t believe their ears.
“The girl is common. She does not have the possibility to become a ballerina, ”the dance teacher said. “Don’t let her waste her time dreaming of becoming a dancer.”
Disappointed, Melanie and her parents returned home. Tears rolled down Melanie’s face. Her dreams were broken within a matter of minutes. Without confidence, Melanie never attempted to dance again. She completed her studies and went on to become a teacher in school.Life was good and she kept herself busy with family and work. However, whenever she happened to pass the school’s ballet room, memories of childhood dreams danced before her eyes.
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, the ballet teacher in her school was late.
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“What a performance, Melanie! You are a true ballerina!” said the ballet teacher entering the classroom.
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I was backpacking and planned to climb a volcano called Volcan Baru. At 3,474m, it is the highest peak in the country and one of the only places on Earth from where you can see the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans at the same time. It is an active volcano, but last erupted around 1550.
I set off before sunrise. It was a little cold, so I had pulled on tights under my trousers. I intended to reach the top by midday, and then return before dark to get a lift to my hotel.I’ve always felt safe travelling as a woman on my own, which I’ve done since my 20s. I love the freedom. When I got to the base of the volcano at 7 in the morning，the ranger disagreed to let me go alone, but said OK because an American couple were behind me.
The first part of the climb was beautiful. It was not dry as you might imagine a volcano might be — there were trees and flowers all around, and a dirt road for the farmers who worked around there.I walked for an hour and reached a fair height. The views were impressive, so I stopped to take a photograph.
Suddenly I heard violent barking behind me. I turned and saw two dogs running aggressively (挑衅) towards me. I expected them to stop, but they didn’t. As they got closer, I could see their teeth looked sharp, and that they looked angry. There was nowhere for me to run. I tried to keep calm, but my heart was racing. I’d never been bitten by a dog, and I couldn’t help but fear what would happen. They stopped a dozen feet from where I stood and kept barking. I knew they could move fast, so I didn’t want to try to outrun 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。
Terrified, I slowly kept walking, saying, “Come on, good dogs!”
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Just at this critical moment, a pickup appeared, driven by the ranger.
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要求如下: 1.包括思维导图的所有信息；
2.重点谈谈你喜欢这个节日的原因；
3.短文中不得出现考生真实的个人信息。
