The classroom was so quiet that I only could hear their breath. I found that between classes, there were few students chatting or playing. It seemed that every student was buried in books and did exercises on and on. I knew the exam was drawing near and every student was preparing for it. Some of them even took books to the dining hall and there were others staying up studying. It was obvious that students took the exam seriously.
However, John, a top student in the class, wasn't among them. He used to work harder than anyone. Now, he was not only late for class but it was also typical of him to sleep in class. When I checked his exercise books, I found all blank（空白的）. I wondered what's wrong with him. So I called him out and asked him if he had trouble with his study. He bit his lip, lowered his head but explained nothing.
With puzzles increasing, I called his friend Mike into the office. Mike knew nothing about why his friend behaved so strangely. He also told me that John would be the first student to rush out of the classroom after school and refused to wait for him. And even when Mike invited John for their favorite football on weekend, John refused, saying he was busy, and hung off quickly. When I asked about John's family, Mike told me that John lived with his grandmother because his parents passed away many years ago. Though living a poor life, John's grandmother looked after him well. So John studied hard to live up to his grandmother's expectation.
Suddenly, I sensed maybe John was in need. So I asked Mike if he was willing to accompany me to John's house. To find out the truth, I decided to pay a visit to his family. Mike agreed and we set out without delay.
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 the door was open, John was surprised at our arrival.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After the truth was discovered, we decided to take action.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mark Mancuso’s phone started ringing. He glanced at it. It was an alarm for the calendar, informing him that it was his mom’s birthday. His mom, Amelia, was two hundred miles from here, a bit of drive, but Mark had driven further to have dinner with a friend. It was just that he didn’t like his mom’s complaints. Then he went to a flower shop. With a smile, he had an idea.
Entering the flower shop, Mark said with a wide grin, “Can you arrange to have flowers delivered to Syracuse, N. Y.? It’s my mom’s 70th birthday, so I’d like to send her a bouquet.”
he flower shop owner replied, “Of course, I only need your mom’s name, phone number and address. Do you want me to help you write a birthday letter?”
“Yes,” Mike said as he read out those information. Then, he added, “Please write: Happy birthday to the most wonderful mom in the world. Your son, Mark.”
Mark went out with a sense of success, seeing a little girl in the corner, crying. Mike crouched (蹲) next to her. “Hi, honey, are you OK?”
“I’m Mandy, and I’d like to buy my mother a rose,” the little girl said as she sobbed.
“But I’m short of money! The flower shop owner told me that I could only get a daisy, but my mother loves red roses.”
“You just wait here,” Mark said and then went to the flower shop and bought Mandy a beautiful red rose. “This is for you,” he said, putting the rose into her hands. Mandy received the rose and looked up at Mike with a smile. “Thank you. But can you take me to my mother? It’s not too far, but I don’t suppose I can get there on my own.”
Mark nodded. Mandy led him along the road. A moment later Mandy took a left, and Mark saw with amazement that they were at the gate of a cemetery (墓地).
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。
The girl lightly placed the rose on a grave.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mark could feel his eyes filling with tears.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________We met Max at the pickup area of Alaska Airlines. A standard poodle (鬈毛狗) born on Valentine’s Day in 2002, he came to us in a small blue box. We had adopted him from a friend, who raised many dogs.
We were a sweet little family—me, my husband, and our children, Sophie and Jake. But for years I’d felt as if we wouldn’t really be complete until we had a dog. Also, my husband travelled for some 200 days a year on business, and I knew I’d feel safer with a large animal sleeping by the door.
When we opened the box, we saw him. With his curly black hair and intelligent eyes, Max was beautiful. He was so small that he fit into the palm (手掌) of my hand, his big paws (爪子) lapping over the sides. He was also scared. As I pulled him close, I felt his heart pound and wondered if we’d done the right thing, taking him from his mother. But it was too late. Sophie and Jake were already fighting over who would hold him next.
Over the following months, we spent endless hours watching Max play with his toy or run around the living room. Like most poodles, he was smart. He mastered house-training quickly and never chewed on our furniture or shoes. He considered himself one of us.
Some days after school, I’d find Jake curled up with Max inside his box. When I suggested that my son get out of the dog box, Jake yelled, “Max wants me in here! We’re brothers!”
By his first birthday, Max had grown into a 50-pound guard dog. He manned the front door like a soldier, barking fiercely at other dogs walking by. I felt safe with him there, especially when my husband was away. Sometimes, when I was missing my husband a lot, I held Max close.
Many years later, my husband passed away. My kids grew up and went to university. They worked in other cities after graduation.
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。Paragraph 1:
And then, suddenly, I was alone.
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One Day, I found there was something wrong with Max’s back legs.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The instant my family boarded the plane, I felt like every head turned to us, looking at us with a fake politeness. I knew what they were thinking: “Oh! No. Please, don’t sit in the aisle next to me.” In my head I could even hear the flight attendant saying, “You can feel free to store your... child in the overhead compartment (隔层).”
We found our seats. My son sat by the window, my wife in the center, and I took the seat on the aisle. I saw a “cool guy” get onto the plane, a man about my age. He was wearing a concert T-shirt, ripped jeans, and I could hear that he’s listening to rock music on his iPhone. This guy represented who I was as a traveler before I had a child. He took the aisle seat directly across from me. We took off.
Planes are not designed with children in mind. There is no ball hole, no playground. To keep my child occupied, my wife and I took turns walking him from the pilot’s cabin to the tail. Suddenly, we hit turbulence (强气流) and needed to take our seats. The plane was shaking. My son’s ears began hurting from the drop in cabin pressure, and he had a meltdown. This is a child who has difficulty with crowded social situations and excessive stimulation. My wife and I could do nothing but held him to live through this moment.
I looked over at Cool Guy, and he was staring at me, trying to pour Coke. I wanted to say, “Look, Cool Guy, I am sorry if we are ruining your time on United Airlines, but we have a crisis here, and if anyone on this plane needs to drink, it’s me!”
Finally, my son fell asleep from exhaustion. And that wave of exhaustion flowed over my family. I just sat there, listening to the slight sound of the engine and hoping we would start our landing in Chicago soon.
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。
Paragraph 1:
Then, I felt that somebody patted my shoulder.
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My son’s eyes lit up, and he eagerly grabbed the toy, delighted.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Karl was Fred’s son. When his son was little, Fred’s wife passed away, so a mountainous responsibility landed on Fred’s shoulders. Fred was fond of and cared about his son so much that he raised his son with all his heart and soul. He taught him to walk, talk, read and write. He also taught him how to be a true and moral man. When Karl came home with an injury due to falling off his bike or something else, it would hurt Fred’s heart more than it would hurt the boy. Whenever Karl went down with a fever, Fred would sit beside him day and night, barely sleeping a wink (合眼). He always supported Karl in every aspect. Gradually, Karl grew up to become an adult.
How deeply Fred loved his son! However, Fred was unprepared for the day when his beloved son Karl told him he would leave and start his own business in a new city.
“But, Karl, you are too young to start a business,” Fred warned his son. “You still have a long way to go. I think you can help me manage the cafe my grandma left to me first. This way, I’d be able to teach you more about business.” But Karl was stubborn and wouldn’t follow Fred’s advice. “Dad, I am not a kid anymore, so allow me to determine my life. OK?” said Karl. One week later, Karl packed his things and left for the new city, leaving the sad and worried father behind.
Three months passed. One night, Fred got a call from his son. It was strange because Karl seldom called him up after he left for the new city. “Dad, I should have followed your suggestions and stayed at home. I went bankrupt (破产的) and I am in debt now,” Karl said. “I knew this would happen someday,” Fred painfully thought. He planned to help his son and made one of his most difficult choices. “Don’t worry, my son. Luckily, you will succeed to (继承) a huge amount of money from your uncle, soon,” Fred told Karl.
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。
“Oh, I am so fortunate,” said Kurl.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On his way back home, Kar l was wondering how his father was.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Snow had just melted off the ground that April day at our house in Regina Beach, Saskatchewan. I had just cleaned up the pool in preparation for selling the house. The year before, I had lost my job, and now our financial situation was terrible. In despair, I had finally put the home on the market, and a buyer was due to show up later that day. Even worse, I would have to give up my beloved Great Dane (大丹犬), Brigitte, because I could no longer afford the cost of feeding it. The thought of losing the dog and our beautiful home was almost more than I could bear.
Deep in despair, I sat typing letters for jobs. Out of the corner of my eye I could see my 13-month-old son, Forrest playing near our big, gentle dog, Brigitte.
Brigitte came to our house on Christmas eve when the doorbell rang and I was sure some of my Christmas packages had arrived. I ran to the door and swung it open, but no one was there. I sensed something and looked down, only to find a beautiful Great Dane sitting there, looking up at me with big, intelligent eyes. There was no way that she could have rung the doorbell by herself, was there? Perhaps, someone had found the puppy somewhere and left her there, and then rang the doorbell and ran away. They accurately guessed I would welcome an additional family member and take care of her.
Thinking of these, I couldn’t help but sigh and went straight back to work. However, I hadn’t typed more than two sentences when Brigitte began barking madly and running out of the sliding glass door overlooking our pool.
I raced to see what was happening and noticed that the sliding door was slightly open. Suddenly, I realized my son was nowhere to be seen. In panic, I opened the door and ran outside.
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 saw my son struggling in the water.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Later, I told the story of the dog to the buyer.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Daisy was the only child in her home. She had a quarrel with her mother that afternoon and she ran out of the house angrily.
She couldn’t help crying sadly when she thought of the scolding (指责) from her mother. Having wandered aimlessly in the street for hours, she felt a little hungry and wished for something to eat, but it was not possible for her, since she had nothing with her. She stood beside a stand (摊位) for a while, watching the middle-aged seller busy doing her business. However, with no money in hand, she had to leave. The seller behind the stand noticed the young girl and asked, “Hey, girl, you want some noodles?”
“Oh, yes…, but I don’t have money on me…”she replied.
“That’s nothing. I’ll treat you today,” said the woman, “come in.” The seller brought her a bowl of noodles, the smell of which was so attractive. As she was eating, Daisy cried silently.
“What is it?” asked the woman kindly.
“Nothing, actually I was just touched by your kindness!” said Daisy as she dried her tears, “Even a stranger on the street will give me a bowl of noodles, while my mother, drove me out of the house. She showed no care for me. She is so cruel compared to a stranger!”
Hearing the words, the seller smiled, “Girl, do you really think so? I only gave you a bowl of noodles and you thanked me a lot. But it is your mother who has raised you since you were a baby. Can you number the times she cooked for you? Have you expressed your thanks to her?”
Daisy sat there eating the noodles, speechless. She remembered mother’s familiar face and weathered (饱经风霜的) hands. “Why did I stranger made me feel thankful, but I have never thanked my mum for what she has done for me.” On the way home, Daisy made up her mind to make an apology (道歉) to her mother for her rudeness as soon as she arrived home.
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。Paragraph 1:
Approaching (走近) the doorway, Daisy took a deep breath.
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A gentle touch on her hair called her mind back.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Last summer vacation, I worked as a servant at a BBQ restaurant as a part-time job. One day, a man and his son came in and spent a very long time looking through the menu. Eventually, the father came up and started asking me about ingredients because his son was allergic.
At some point, the boy, who was probably about six or seven, handed me a card that listed all his allergies. It was a lot. I don’t remember exactly, but I know eggs, gluten (面筋), and pork were on there, as well as a couple of seasoning (调味品) things, like onions. There was no way I was remembering this, and I didn’t know what the seasoning blends were off the top of my head, so I asked to borrow the card so I could go check. He agreed, and off I went.
It turned out that a lot of our seasonings and sauces used at least one thing the boy was allergic to, and the allergy to pork took over half our menu options away on its own. I spent roughly ten minutes checking basically everything to see what we could serve him safely.
I occasionally went up to update the family on what I was doing. The father seemed mildly surprised that I was going out of my way to figure this out. Eventually, I did figure out what I could serve the boy. Because one of his allergies was meat. I switched out every piece of my cutting board, wiping the table for good measure as pork grease (猪油) gets everywhere. I also cleaned the remains out of the cutting station and made sure anyone else I saw serving them did the same, but that usually took less than a minute.
The father thanked me deeply for being so accommodating. He had apparently had trouble finding a restaurant that served something his son could eat. They quickly ended up becoming regulars, and I would see them at least once a week. Since the boy already knew what he wanted and what was safe, it was much faster.
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 tried to serve them well to satisfy them every time they came here.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________They appeared one afternoon and I asked why they hadn’t come here for a month.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Did you hear what I said?” The band director was looking right at me. So was everyone else. “Yes, ma’am. You want me to do the solo (独奏) at the concert.” I said, trying to hide my fear.
I play the jazz saxophone (萨克斯管). I’m the best player in the sax section of my middle school band; I even do concerts with the senior high band. So, what’s my problem? Stage fright. Performing with a group is no problem. Butraying solo? I will freeze like a water balloon in deep space.
The band director continued, “By the way, the director of the Youth Symphony will be there. You know, if he hears someone who’s really good, he invites them to audition (试演).” I tried to look calm as I headed to the door, but the rock in my stomach had just doubled in weight. I’d dreamed of playing in the Youth Symphony for a long time but never had the courage to audition. I could pretend to be sick and stay home. But there are only two concerts each year, and missing one would be really a great pity.
“What should I do?” I went back home and headed downstairs. I usually practice in the basement. The family calls it Kevin’s Dungeon (地牢). I play great in the dungeon. It’s comfortable down there—just me, my sax, and my music. “Why can’t the school auditorium feel like my dungeon?” I said to myself. Then an idea occurred to me—how about sticking a photo of my dungeon inside the bell of my sax? Looking at it while playing might work for me. I immediately took action and practised and practised.
The day finally came. Suddenly, the lights went down, the curtain went up, and we were off and running. Each song started and ended, but it was like somebody else was playing my sax, not me. Then it was time—my solo.
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。
I stood up and walked to the front of the stage.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________With the last long note ending, the audience burst into applause.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Annie, I bet you know, right? You’re the star student, so why don’t you show us?” Bruce taunted(奚落).
Annie was confused. She wasn’t trying to show off. She was just playing table(印度塔不拉鼓), like everyone else. And why was Bruce being so mean lately? Is it because tab la is a boy’s thing? She didn’t care that people thought it was a boys’ instrument. Annie knew there was no such thing. She danced her fingers across the tab la to perform the composition in confusion. “Ugh!” Annie heard someone groan(嘟哝), and she stopped playing.
“I guess I don’t know it that well after all,” Annie said shyly to the teacher, Mr. White. Her stomach was doing flip-flops. That wasn’t true. Not even a little. Mr. White’s eyes narrowed. He looked like he was about to say something, but changed his mind. “The recital(演奏会)is next week, everyone. Keep practicing. I will be announcing who will get to perform onstage with me at my next concert!” Annie had dreamed of a moment like that. She wanted to win the opportunity, but she needed to sort things straight with Bruce first.
As the class was dismissed, Annie hurried over to Bruce. When she finally made eye contact with him, he purposely looked away and walked off. The next day at school, Annie overheard Bruce whispering to one of his friends. “People are only interested because she’s the only girl in tab la class and they want her to feel special. She’s not that good—” Annie was angry. She excused herself and went to the bathroom. She took some deep breaths but couldn’t relax. Her heart was pounding:
“It’s not my fault that people make a big deal about a girl playing tabla. I make mistakes too, but I work really hard. Maybe he should too. He should be less mean and practice more.”
“If I play in this concert, no one will talk to me again. He will turn everyone against me.”
“I don’t want to see a tab la or hear a tab la or play a tab la EVER AGAIN!!” Annie yelled at the mirror. It was quiet for a moment. She believed it was one of her darkest days ever.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
On the way back to the classroom, Annie saw some inspiring posters on the wall.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After the recital, Bruce walked up to Annie.
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