For years, putting up Christmas lights had been a family tradition for the Patrick’s household. It was an occasion when they would busily prepare for the celebration of Christmas.
Their Christmas light display was always a highlight of the neighborhood and brought much delight to the whole community. Typically, Anthony would invite the neighbors over as they decorated the Christmas tree in the front yard. Emily, who lived next door and had known Sara’s family for long, often came to admire their wonderland of Christmas lights.
In early December, Anthony would string colorful lights all around their roof until it looked dazzling. On the front lawn, he would blow up a large white Frosty the Snowman and a Rudolph with a glowing red nose. Sara always joined in, along with their warm-hearted neighbors, hanging gifts on the tree and playing “White Christmas” over and over to keep everyone in the spirit.
Yet the bad news came in the midst of the festive mood, before they could finish the Christmas decoration. Anthony fell desperately ill. The symptoms suggested acute heart failure and he was soon admitted to hospital. Sara spent days and nights in the ward, attending to Anthony and praying for his recovery, though the hope was slim. On Christmas Eve, Anthony passed away.
It came as a huge blow to Sara. In the following days, she had to manage the funeral while struggling to figure out a way to cover housing and household expenses, and tackling a seemingly endless list of difficult to-dos. Perhaps hardest of all, she had to persuade herself into accepting the loss of her father. It was too much to take.
When she pulled up to the house after a long day on the go, the only thing that could comfort her were the twinkling Christmas lights, which brought her a spark of hope-it felt as if the brightness of the lights could cancel out some of the darkness of the past days’ misfortune.
Wanting to help, Emily shared their story on a community website.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Touched by their kindness, Sara decided to fulfill the lighting decorations, though Christmas was gone.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________At one table by the window, a lady just finished up her lunch. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a sandwich and some salad, with a cup of tea to wash them all down. She seemed to be in her own little world, staring out the window every now and then, like she was waiting for something. After a bit, she got up, paid for her meal at the counter, and left.
Her table was still a mess, with bits of her meal left behind. It wasn’t a big deal—this happens all the time. But today, something different was going to happen. A young boy, who looked like he’d had a pretty rough time, had been watching her and the table from around the corner.
This kid was in bad shape. His clothes were too big and looked like they’d seen better days. His hair was all over the place, and there was dirt on his face. He had that look of someone who hadn’t had a good meal for way too long. When the lady left, he saw his chance. He quickly sat down and started scarfing down (狼吞虎咽) the leftovers like they were the best meal he’d ever had.
But then, the waiter walked over. He was an older guy who’d probably seen everything. He didn’t say anything at first, just watching the kid for a second. The boy got scared and stopped eating, and tears started to well up in his eyes. He thought the waiter would kick him out for sure. Instead, the waiter took away the half-eaten plate, and the boy’s heart sank. The boy got up to leave.
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。
But before he could get far, the waiter came back.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Then all people in the canteen started clapping.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Holidays are not necessarily for fun or rest. Doing something meaningful can also gain special pleasure. When the final bell rang, the students were reminded that there was no school on Monday—the Labor Day. “Enjoy your extra day off” said the teacher to her class.
An extra day off unsuited Kayla just fine. She loved breaks. She wanted to go out to play with her friends. When the school bus dropped Kayla off, she ran into the house happily.
“How was school, Kayla?” asked her mom.
“It was great, Mom. I am excited about no school on Monday.”
“You just started back to school two weeks ago. Already in need of a break, huh?” asked Kayla’s mom with a laugh.
Kayla slept in the next morning. Saturday was her favorite day of the week. I trained most of the day, so Kayla enjoyed playing videogames inside. On Sunday, her friends came over and they played basketball for several hours.
Then it was Labor Day, you know, the extra day off that Kayla was so looking forward to. But Kayla was awakened early that morning by her dad. He told Kayla that in honor of Labor Day, the family would be cleaning both inside and outside the house. Kayla couldn’t believe it. This was a holiday. A day when she was supposed to be enjoying freshly squeezed lemonade while playing in her tree house. As Kayla wiped here yes, she began to wonder if this was just a bad dream.
“Kayla, your breakfast is ready. We have a lot of work to do today. Let’s get a move on,” said Kayla’s mom. As she sat down at the kitchen table, Kayla asked her parents，
“Are you serious about working today? Isn’t Labor Day a holiday?”
“Yes, Kayla. It is,” replied her dad. “But your mom and I thought working hard today would make you appreciate why Labor Day was observed in the first place.”
注意：1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右;2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
At first Kayla felt disappointed at her parents’ plan for the holiday.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________But things began to change as she was doing the chores.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Marco stared at the blank canvas (油画布) spreading out before him, its stark whiteness almost laughing at his sudden lack of inspiration. He was in his final year of high school, and his art portfolio (画集) was fast approaching its due date in a week. This canvas was meant to be his masterpiece, the crown jewel of his collection, but all his ideas seemed to escape the moment he stood before it. “What’s wrong with me? What should I do?” Marco murmured to himself.
Having grown up in the bustling city of New York, Marco had always found beauty in the chaos. The harshness of roaring cars, the colorful palette of street art, the symphony of diverse tongues and the odd behaviors of the passengers-all served as inspirations for his art. Yet, now, when it mattered most, he found himself lost.
Upset and distressed, Macro walked out, longing to run across something unexpected. Unaware of the duration of his wandering through the streets of the city, Marco chanced upon a small, hidden park he had never noticed before. It was a pocket of quiet amid the urban uproar, which attracted Marco immediately. An old man sat on a bench, feeding pigeons that flocked around him in a dance of fluttering wings.
The old man noticed Marco’s thoughtful gaze and gestured him over. They struck up a conversation aimlessly as if they had been old friends for a long time. In their talk, everything was full of interest from life to art. At last Marco confided (倾诉) his artistic block to the old man. The old man listened intently before offering a piece of wisdom. And then, the old man stood up slowly and patted Marco’s shoulder softly. “Sometimes, the best inspiration comes from the places we least expect. Look beyond what you see.” The gentleman said in all earnestness.
要求:
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 next day, Marco returned to his canvas.
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The time presenting his portfolio came soon.
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One night, when we were having dinner, suddenly Mom let out, “I have a great idea!” My sister Keira and I looked at each other, feeling confused and wondering what she wanted to say.
“What if,” she said, with a long pause, “we furnish Nancy’s apartment while she’s away?”
Nancy, our nanny (保姆) had returned to her hometown to get her children and bring them back with her. When her children were only one and five years old, she had left them to work as a caregiver abroad where the working conditions were not very good. Later, through friends, Nancy heard that our country was the land of opportunity. With rich working experience, Nancy came to our house and here we got along well with each other although sometimes we had difficulty in communication because of language.
Five years after her arrival and working here, she was allowed to apply for a permanent resident’s statue. It took so long to get it, so we celebrated with a cake the night the letter that informed her finally came.
“Could you do me a big favor?” Nancy asked Mom before she left for her hometown. ”I’ve ordered some mattresses (床垫) so we have something to sleep on when we arrive. Do you think you could receive them and let the delivery man deliver it into my apartment?“
”No problem,“ said Mom.
”Hey Mom, I hate to burst your bubble (幻想),” I said, “but how are we possibly going to furnish an entire apartment? ”
“Well, we have some extra stuff in the attic,” she replied. “Maybe we can help our neighbors and Nancy at the same time. The neighbors can donate their extras, and we can piece together a great home for Nancy. Let’s send an e-mail and see.” So the e-mail went to about seventy neighbors in our community.
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。
Throught the following week, e-mails and texts kept flooding in.
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The big day came as we welcomed Nancy and her children to their new home at the door.
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A Little Boy
A little boy selling magazines for school walked up to a house that people rarely visited. The house was very old and shabby and the owner hardly ever came out. When he did come out, he would not say hello to his neighbors or passers-by but simply just glared at them.
The boy knocked on the door and waited, sweating from fear of the old man. The boy’s parents told him to stay away from the house, and a lot of other neighborhood children were told the same thing from their parents.
Dusk found the boy lingering on and hesitating what to do. As he was ready to walk away, the door slowly opened. “What do you want?” the old man said impatiently. The little boy was very afraid but he had a quota (定额) to meet for school with selling the magazines. So he got up the courage and said, “Uh, Sir, I am selling these magazines and, uh, I was wondering if you would like to buy one from me.”
The old man just stared at the boy without a word. The boy could see inside the old man’s house and saw that he had dog figurines (小雕像) on the fireplace mantle. “Do you collect dogs?” The little boy asked. “Yes, I have many collections in my house. They are my family here and they are all I have.” The boy then felt sorry for the man, as it seemed that he was a very lonely soul.
“Well, I do have a magazine here for collectors. It is perfect for you. I also have one about dogs since you like dogs so much.” The old man was ready to close the door on the boy and said, “No, boy. I don’t need any magazines of any kind, now goodbye.”
The little boy was sad that he was not going to make his quota with the sale. He was also sad for the old man being so alone in the house that he owned. The boy went home and then had an idea. He had a little dog figurine that he got some years ago from an aunt. The figurine did not mean nearly as much to him since he had a real live dog and a large family.
注意:1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
The little boy headed back down to the old man’s house.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________From that day on something changed inside the old man.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Bobby was getting cold sitting out in his backyard in the snow. Bobby didn’t wear boots; or rather, he didn’t own any. The thin sneakers he wore had a few holes in them and they did a poor job of keeping out the cold.
Bobby had been in his backyard for about an hour already. Try as he might, he could not come up with an idea for his mother’s Christmas gift. He shook his head as he thought, “This is useless. Even if I do come up with an idea, I don’t have any money for a gift.”
Wiping tears from his eyes, Bobby started walking down to the street where the shops were. It wasn’t easy being six without a father, especially when he needed a man to talk to.
Bobby walked from shop to shop, looking into each decorated window. Everything seemed so beautiful but so out of reach. It was starting to get dark and Bobby reluctantly turned to walk home when suddenly his eyes caught the glimmer (微光) of the setting sun’s rays reflecting on something on the roadside. He reached down and discovered a shiny dime (10美分硬币).
Never before has anyone felt as wealthy as Bobby did at that moment. As he held his newly-found treasure, warmth spread throughout his entire body and he walked into the first store. His excitement quickly turned cold when salesperson told him that he could not buy anything with only a dime.
He saw a flower shop and went inside to wait in line. When the shop owner asked if he could help him, Bobby presented the dime and asked if he could buy one flower for his mother’s Christmas gift. The shop owner looked at Bobby and his offering ten-cent. Then he put his hand on Bobby’s shoulder, saying. “You just wait here and I’ll see what I can do for you.”
The sound of the door closing as the last customer left pulled Bobby back to reality. All alone in the shop, Bobby began to feel alone and afraid.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在相应的位置作答。
Paragraph 1:
Eventually the shop owner came out and moved to the counter.
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Paragraph 2:
With the bunch of beautiful roses in his hands, Bobby backed off and then turned and ran.
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A dandelion (蒲公英) kept in my dictionary always reminds me of my lunchtimes with my mother.
When I was in the third grade, I was picked to be the princess in the school play, and for weeks my mother had practised my lines (台词) so hard with me. But no matter how easily I delivered them at home, as soon as I stepped onstage, every word disappeared from my head. Finally, my teacher took me aside. She explained that she had written a narrator’s (旁白) part to the play, and asked me to switch roles.
I didn’t tell my mother what had happened when I went home for lunch that day. But she sensed my pain, and instead of suggesting we practice my lines, she asked if I wanted to walk in the yard.
It was a lovely spring day and the rose vine (藤蔓) was turning green. Under the huge trees, we could see yellow dandelions popping through the grass in bunches, as if a painter had touched our landscape with a little bit of gold. I watched my mother casually bend down by one of the dandelions. “I think I’m going to dig up all these weeds,” she said, suddenly pulling a flower up by its roots. “From now on, we’ll have only roses in this garden.”
“But I like dandelions,” I protested (抗议). “All flowers are beautiful---even dandelions.” My mother looked at me seriously. “Yes, every flower has its own beauty, doesn’t it?” she asked thoughtfully. I nodded, feeling pleased that I had won her over. “And that is true of people too,” she added. “Not everyone can be a princess. Hence, there is no shame in that.”
Relieved that she had sensed my pain, I started to cry when I told her what had happened. She listened and smiled.
注意： 1.续写词数应为 150左右；
2.请按如下格式在以下位置作答。
Paragraph1:
“You will be a beautiful narrator,” she comforted.
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Paragraph2:
Backstage on the night of the performance, I still felt nervous.
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In a house far from the city lived John and his mother. John’s only hobby was wandering in the nearby picturesque forest. In its center was a shiny clear lake with schools of fish dancing in it. Lovely animals such as deer or rabbits were playing around and cute birds were singing in trees. Fascinated by the beauty and liveliness of nature, he desired to become a great artist and present all the breath-taking scenes to the world.
John studied in the local primary school. Life was not easy for John and his mom after his father died. Knowing what hard work his mother did to make ends meet, John really didn’t want his mother to worry. His mother knew the significance of education in life but she was against his dream of becoming an artist. “The profession of artist can’t aid a person in meeting his daily expenses,” she would say. But as each day passed, John’s dream became more passionate.
Due to the living circumstances, even buying some new colors would be a luxury. John only used the worn drawing file and limited colors for his daily practice. Though lacking fine painting materials, he never gave up drawing. He spent a significant amount of time staying in the forest, secretly perfecting his craft. With continuous hard work and a distinct gift for art, he drew beautifully.
One day John read about a competition being held in the town, whose deadline was only two days away. He got the perfect opportunity to fulfill his desire but he was in a dilemma (两难境地) as for the competition he needed special paints and some brushes. He didn’t have the courage to ask his mother for money as he knew her prejudice against art.
That evening his mom returned from work and handed him a few paper notes, saying, “This is for your lunch at school next month.” The money was enough for his desired materials! John’s face lit up.
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。
Early the next morning, John secretly left home with the money.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A week later, a phone call came to John’s home.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When I was four, my seven-year-old brother received a baseball mitt (手套) for his birth-day, which was also what I desperately wanted. But, back then, girls didn’t play sports; they played with dolls.
26 years later, I happened to see a notice in my local paper: “Women’s Slow-Pitch Soft-ball League opens soon. Anyone interested, sign up at the recreation center.” I cut it out and set it on the kitchen counter. Was it even possible to play baseball, a game I’d never actually played but had dreamed of playing in my entire life?
Looking at that notice on my counter, I thought of a thousand reasons I couldn’t play. But the idea of playing baseball stuck in my head and wouldn’t go away. Finally, I screwed up my courage and signed up. Days later, word came that I could begin practice in James Park on Monday night.
On Monday, heart pounding, I walked through the park filled with women of all high-school girls practicing at different diamonds. I waited a couple of minutes before approaching the coach, who seemed unhappy to see me. He had just put together top athletes for his team, and didn’t want some old lady messing things up. He looked me over, who had no mitt but wore an old T-shirt and gym shoes. However, I didn’t care.
That very first day was quite bitter. He had me run bases all night and never gave me a chance to bat or play the field, with the attempt to make me shrink from difficulty. But he had no idea how determined I was. I still showed up to play in the following Mondays, which clearly surprised him.
Finally, he gave in. During the last inning of the last game of the season, the coach told me to go to center field. I had to borrow a mitt from a member of our team and used it to catch an impossibly high ball, winning the game for us. Again, the coach looked surprised. It never hit him that I might be able to play.
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。
After the game, I received an unexpected invitation from another coach.
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It turned out I didn’t let my coach down.
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