My best friend's mother was a social worker in Detroit, Michigan. Because of that, my friend Victoria and I were introduced early to the world of volunteering.
We did plenty of charity(慈善) work. We always had a good time, and continued to volunteer whenever we had time, often even when we didn't. It became second nature. Hairstyles came and went, but Victoria and I found places to donate our time because that's how we were raised.
One particular morning we signed up for "Paint the Town",an organization in Detroit to help lowincome homeowners clean their houses. We were assigned(分配) a dilapidated(破烂的) house in one of the worst communities of the city. I was afraid as we got near to the front door, not knowing who we would find on the other side. We knocked three times quickly and stepped back, waiting to be let in.
When the door opened, my mouth did, too. Standing there was a little old lady with wisps(一束) of white hair and a purple apron(围裙) tied around her waist.
"Hello" she said, "I'm Amelia. Please come in and I will show you where to start."Her smile shone brightly. “I am just baking some cookies for you girls to eat.”
As she led us to the parts of her house that needed painting, my heart softened. Here was one of the scariest looking houses in the city, but behind its doors was a sweet old lady with a cane and a big smile.
Here we were coming to help her, and instead she was doing something for us—baking homemade cookies and serving us tea!
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。
There was no age barrier that day as we worked on Amelia's house.
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“Nonsense！” she criticized(批评).
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It’s funny that you can always tell when somebody’s laughing behind your back. Jodie hadn’t really heard anything, maybe a whisper, but when she turned around, the girls in the back row of the class were looking at her, trying to hide smiles and laughs. She looked back at her teacher. Mr Swales was talking about what people do all day. He also wanted to find out what his students wanted to be when they grew up.
He called on Billy Miter first. “My daddy works in a bank,” Billy Miter said. “I guess I want to work in a bank too. There’s lots of money in the bank.” My parents have a grocery store,” Emmy Disal said. “Papa’s behind the counter and Mama keeps the cash register. But I want to be an airline pilot.”
Jodie liked it when Mr Swales asked them questions like this. He was about to call on Jodie when the girls in the back row burst out laughing.
Shirley Danes yelled, “Jodie’s daddy is a garbage man!”
Everybody in the class laughed out loud. Everybody except Jodie, that is. She felt her face turn bright red. She looked around the whole classroom. Everyone was laughing. Some kids were even holding their noses.
Jodie looked at Mr Swales. He was angry. He almost never raised his voice, but now he did.
“Silence! I want everybody to quiet down this instant.”
The laughter stopped immediately. The sound of cars and people going by out on the street came through the windows.” You should be ashamed of yourselves,” Mr Swales said. “Being a garbage man… I mean, is a difficult and enormously useful job. We should all be grateful to Mr Harris. Where would we be without him? Up to our cars in garbage, that’s where. How would you like that?”
“It’s not funny,” Mr Swales went on. “Garbage is a serious matter. I think you all owe Jodie an apology. And after that, you’re all going to write Jodie’s father, Mr Harris, a nice letter to tell him how much you appreciate what he does for all of us. In other words, keeping our city clear.”
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。
Everyone said “Sorry, Jodie”, but Jodie could tell they didn’t really mean it.
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Jodie’s father came to walk her home from school as usual.
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Lily was cleaning windows, and it was what she must do for her family's new Chinese restaurant. Everything had to be absolutely perfect: unique decorations, skillful employees, and delicious traditional food. Then customers would love the place, making the business a success.
Lily's family had just moved here from San Francisco, having bought a small restaurant, which was opened yesterday. She was new in the neighbor and had few friends. The first few days at her new school hadn't been easy, either. She found it hard to talk to people she didn't know and it seemed like the students hadn't even noticed her. She was eager for a friendship, though.
Lily shifted her vision to look outside the restaurant as a girl about her age, with abundant red hair, walked up the street. The girl paused to study the sign announcing their opening and then looked directly at Lily with a friendly smile. Lily smiled back shyly and lifted a hand, accidentally waving with the cleaning cloth. The girl smiled at her amusement and waved back happily.
Lily hesitated, not accustomed to starting friendship, but she felt courageous, so she opened the door. "Hello," she said, adding the first thing that entered her head, “do you like Chinese food?”
“I don't know, but I like to try new things," the girl remarked, and then she introduced herself as Gabriela.
Lily could not think of additional conversation until she had a sudden idea.
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The following day, Lily was doing her restaurant routine when she heard an unexpected knock.
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Lungs nearly bursting, I struggled to lift my head out of the water. Inch by inch, my tired body reached for the end of the pool.
The extent of my swimming career was purely recreational, while the competitive swimmers nearby thought nothing of the seemingly simple task of a 500-meter swim test. Pushing myself to finish what I had started, I could only think: why not take the easy way out?
Earlier that week, I had turned in my first job application at a local pool. Overqualified, I was hired on the spot. However, the tasks were boring: helping confused visitors and measuring the height of children before they went down the slide, those sorts of things. I was capable of more.
So a swim test was required, establishing the mere fact that I was not completely helpless in a pool. Midway through, the manager administering the test remarked, “This looks really easy for you. Why aren't you applying to become a guard?"
“The thought hadn't crossed my mind."
“Well, lifeguarding demands more responsibility, strength and respect. Thus the position pays $2 more per hour. Your swimming skills are strong enough. All you need to do is complete a certification class.”
Inside I was unsure of myself, but his words inspired me-You never know what you are capable of until you force yourself to do it.
Soon I passed the swim test. All left was to practice and learn first aid, CPR(心肺复苏), and procedures for different land and water-based emergencies.
Work started soon. A well- intentioned yet anxious feeling in me soon passed. Days, weeks, and months went by without incident; emergencies were rare. The skills and training I had so carefully studied and acquired seemed unnecessary.
Today appeared to be another uneventful day. However, shortly after the other guards signaled to the children to exit the pool, I noticed one boy was still in the middle while the others had climbed 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。
“Something must have gone wrong with him,” I thought to myself.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Having the boy on the floor, I put my ear to his mouth and my fingers at his neck.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Whether we notice it or not, our child is a little reflection of ourselves. They grow up looking more and more like us. They even have similar personalities and hobbies. And in some cases, the standard of choosing a good friend.
One day, my 10-year-old Jane said, “Mom, I made a new friend at school today. Can she come over tomorrow?” Her words made me extremely happy because Jane was a shy girl and I wanted her to make some friends to bring her out of her shell.
“Sure, honey, that sounds great.” I said, thinking back to my own childhood best friend, Susan. We lived across the street from each other in Washington Heights, New York. We met at the age of 10, too. Like my daughter. I was shy and had trouble making friends. But Susan drew me out. She was one of the friendliest people in school, with shiny black hair and a mile-wide smile. Thanks to Susan. I was happy every day.
In senior high school, Susan went on a trip to Florida. This was the first time we had to be away from each other for a few days. “I’ll be back soon and I will write to you as soon as I arrive.” she told me. But I didn’t get her phone call nor receive any mail from her. Soon, my family moved to New Jersey, making my hope of seeing Susan impossible.
Whenever I thought of her, tears came into my eyes.
The next day Jane brought her new friend home. “Hi, Mrs. Smith.” the little girl said. Her hair was so shiny and black and she gave me a big smile. “My name is Jo. My mom will pick me up 2 hours later.”
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。
Paragraph1:
I was puzzled because my daughter’s new friend looked so familiar.
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Two hours passed really quickly, and there was a knock on the door.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A. J. shut the door of the truck. “Ready,” he said. His dad started the truck. It was six o'clock and freezing, but the strong morning sun promised warmer temperatures. It had been colder than normal over the past week, and the ground and ponds were already frozen.
“After we check on the cows,” Dad said, “you should have some time to practice roping cattle.” A. J. wanted to enter the rodeos (牛仔竞技表演) in which cowboys rode wild horses, and caught cattle with ropes.
The best professionals could break from the gate on horseback, rope a calf (小牛), and hog-tie (捆绑) the calf (牛犊) in less than ten seconds. So far, A.J. needed nearly a minute and a half, but he’d only been at it for a few months.
The truck bounced down the dirt road. In a few minutes, they passed through the field gate.
A. J. pulled a pair of telescopes (望远镜). The black spots of cows on the far hill took shape. The cows gathered around the pond. A. J. guessed they wanted the water locked under the ice. Suddenly, they heard extremely frightened shouts from one cow. Dad stopped the truck, and he and A. J. stared at the frozen pond anxiously.
A calf lay on the ice in the middle of the pond. A cow, no doubt the calf’s mother, stood onshore, shouting desperately. The calf struggled to get up but slipped and fell each time.
The morning sun seemed warmer. Too warmer. A. J. knew that the situation was urgent. If the calf lay there too long, she could fall through the ice and drown. Dad eased the truck down the hill and stopped at the edge of the pond. “No telling how long she’s been there,” he said. “The ice could be about to melt. I don’t think we can risk it.” Dad shook his head, “It’s just not safe.”
注意：1. 续写词数应为 150 左右；
2. 开头已给出。
Paragraph 1:
A. J. watched the calf, whose eyes were wide with fear.
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Paragraph 2:
It would be just like rodeo practice, A. J. thought, trying to stay calm.
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Once there was a slave named Androcles, who was so badly treated by his master that he resolved to run away from him. He therefore secretly left his master’s house and hid himself in a forest, some miles distant from the city.
After wandering about for some time, he came to a large cave, and overcome by hunger and tiredness, he lay down in it, and soon fell fast asleep.
He was suddenly awakened by the roar of a wild beast; a great lion stood right at the mouth of the cave. There was no way he could escape!
Androcles expected nothing else than to be at once torn to pieces, but to his great surprise, the lion came gently towards him, without showing any signs of anger. It gave forth a low and mournful (悲哀的) sound, as if it were begging for his assistance. As the lion approached him, he noticed that one of its feet was swollen.
He then went up to the lion, took hold of the wounded paw (爪子) and examined it as a surgeon would examine a patient. He was not long in finding out the cause of the swelling, for he saw in the ball of the foot a very large thorn (刺). The slave pulled out the thorn, and pressed out of the wound a quantity of matter, which gave the lion immediate relief.
Then, the lion began to show his gratitude by every means in his power. He jumped about like a playful spaniel (西班牙猎犬), wagged his great tail, and licked the hands and feet of his physician. From that moment Androcles became his guest; the lion always shared his prey.
The slave continued to live like this for several months. At length, wandering carelessly through the woods, he was seized by a company of soldiers who were sent by the master to search for him.
注意：
1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1:
He was sentenced to be torn by a lion in the public arena (竞技场).___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
However, the lion didn’t act as most had imagined.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Once there was a ship travelling on the tough sea and on the ship there was a pair of couple. All of a sudden, the ship met with an accident and the couple had no choice but to run to the life boat without delay. After reaching there, they realized that there was space only for one person. At that very moment, the husband pushed his wife behind him and jumped onto the lifeboat himself, leaving his wife standing on the sinking ship, shouting something desperately to her husband eyes filled with tears.”
The teacher stopped her story-telling and asked her students, “Guys, guess what it was that she shouted.”
Most students answered. “I hate you!”
After listening to all this reply, the teacher glanced through the whole class again and noticed that there was a boy sitting silently throughout. Then she asked him the same question.
The boy answered, “I believe she would have shouted-Take care of our child.”
Listening to his remarks, the teacher was surprised and asked the boy doubtfully. “Have you heard of this story before?”
Shaking his head, the boy said softly and sadly, “No, I haven’t. But that’s what my mother said to my father before she died of a deadly disease.”
Moved and feeling sad, the teacher replied. “Your answer is absolutely right!”
Then she continued, “Let’s take up the story. The ship sank eventually and the husband went home and brought up their daughter alone. Many years later after the death of the man, their daughter was tidying up all his belongings when she found his diary. In his diary she found that when her parents were on the ship, her mother had already been diagnosed (诊断) with advanced illness and at the critical moment, the father rushed to the only chance of survival.”
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 his diary, the man mentioned he wished to sink to the ocean with his wife but for their daughter he had to live.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The story was finished and the class was silent.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Recently I graduated from high school, and as a gift I received a huge hunch of flowers, 40 to be exact! I had so many that I didn't know what to do with them. The next weekend my niece and nephew, Sue and Mike, aged 6 and 7, came and suddenly I had an idea. I might let them give out these flowers to people they met on the street, and in this way they could learn how to be friendly to others. So I told them about my plan and explained that these flowers would make people feel happy and smile. They loved the idea and were eager to have a try. So at once we took every single flower and tied a smile card to it. We then went to the street with the flowers.
The first flower went to a policeman. As soon as she saw the policeman, my niece ran up to him and handed him a flower. His smile was so big, but hers was even bigger!
In no time, we neared the end of our flowers. It was lunch time and we went to Subway for lunch. There the kids gave a flower to the waitress, who was really excited to receive the flower. As we were eating our lunch, the waitress came up to the kids with two big chocolate cookies! She said the chocolate cookies were for them and that she really liked the flower! As they ate the cookies, my niece and nephew looked at me with the biggest smiles I had ever seen.
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。
With just one flower left, I said it should be given to the person who needed it most.
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It turned out to be a great day for us.
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One fall,my wife Elli and I had a single goal:to photograph polar bears.We were staying at a research camp outside"the polar bear capital of the world”－the town of Churchill in Manitoba, Canada.
Taking pictures of polar bears is amazing but also dangerous.Polar bears-like all wild animals－should be photographed from a safe distance.When I'm face to face with a polar bear,I like it to be through a camera with a telephoto lens.But sometimes,that is easier said than done.This was one of those times.
As Elli and I cooked dinner,a young male polar bear who was playing in a nearby lake sniffed, and smelled our garlic bread.
The hungry bear followed his nose to our camp,which was surrounded by a high wire fence.He pulled and bit the wire.He stood on his back legs and pushed at the wooden fence posts.
Terrified,Elli and I tried all the bear defense actions we knew.We yelled at the bear,hit pots hard, and fired blank shotgun shells into the air Sometimes loud noises like these will scare bears off.Not this polar bear though-he just kept trying to tear down the fence with his massive paws(爪子）
I radioed the camp manager for help.He told me a helicopter was on its way,but it would be 30 minutes before it arrived.Making the best of this close encounter(相遇），I took some pictures or the bear.
Eilt and I feared the fence wouldn't last through 30 more minutes of the bear's punishment.The camp manager suggested I use pepper spray.The spray burns the bears' eyes,but doesn't hurt them. So I approached our uninvited guest slowly and.through the fence,sprayed him in the face.With an angry roar(吼叫），the bear ran to the lake to wash his eyes.
Para 1.A few minutes later,the bear headed back to our camp.
Para 2.At that very moment,the helicopter arrived.
