Teachers are a gift, especially Troy’s teacher, Donna. She always goes above and beyond for her students, but what she did for Troy’s family is truly beyond selflessness but a miracle(奇迹).
Donna is one of those teachers who pay close attention to the students in their classroom. She began to notice something odd in one of her elementary students, Troy. He was not active in class like he had been. Troy used to be a passionate student in class, engaging with teachers and his friends. Being a helping hand to the teacher and classmates, Troy was always welcomed by everybody. However, he was all of a sudden so shut down and his behavior was simply not the same. He seemed to be silent all the time, and his eyes lost light of desire for knowledge and passion for any activities. Donna grew very concerned and wondered if there was something going on that affected his performance at school. So, she reached out to Troy’s mom to express her concerns.
And that was when she discovered something wrong. For the past year, his mom had been in stage-five kidney(肾)failure. She was in pain every day and desperately needed a new kidney. But she had a rare blood type, so finding a match for a kidney transplant was virtually impossible. Her condition had been a very long and anxious journey. It had been so painful for the family, and it had definitely made an impact on Troy. And in class, he had been silently carrying the pain his mom was going through at home.
The news broke Donna’s heart. She knew that she just had to do something. She was there as a loving friend to help Troy with his studies, but she was also there for his mom. Donna researched how to become a kidney donor and discovered that she had the same rare blood type as Troy’s mom. She got tested and, surprisingly, she was a match.
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。
When Donna told the news to Troy’s family, everyone was surprised.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Soon the kidney transplant took place.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When I was seven years old, my family moved from Mexico to America. In Mexico, I was a cheerful girl who loved making people laugh with my jokes and inventing fun games to play with my friends. However, when I arrived in America, I found it hard to fit in, and I became quieter.
We lived in a small house with a modest yard where we grew vegetables—my responsibility. While I took pride in watching them grow, there were times when I dreamed of having a beautiful garden like my schoolmate Luella’s, with its delicate tulips (郁金香). Although Luella lived in the same neighborhood as me, we barely knew each other.
It was after a tornado that Luella and I finally became close friends.
The tornado struck on a Sunday afternoon.The gentle breeze transformed into a strong wind, and thick gray clouds filled the sky. Gradually, the tornado took shape, starting as a thin rope and growing into a large black funnel (漏斗). My entire family gathered in the bathroom, seeking shelter from the storm. Terrified, I sat close to my mom, knees in my chest. After the storm had passed, our worries and fears were replaced by relief that we were unharmed and that our house had remained undamaged.
As I stepped outside, I witnessed the extent of the damage the tornado had caused to our neighborhood. Across the street, a tall tree had fallen, crushing Luella’s garden in front of her yellow house. We hurried over to check on it. Fortunately, her family seemed to be away at the time, and no one was injured. However, her once-beautiful garden was in ruins, with the fallen tree destroying the tulips and debris (碎片) spread everywhere. I could only imagine how heartbroken they must feel seeing this.
Then my mom’s usual words rang in my ear, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” and my family started to think about how we could help.
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 at that moment, Luella’s family returned in their car.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Even after the debris was cleared, I could still sense Luella’s sorrow for her lost garden.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was a Saturday morning as I prepared to take my eight-year-old son, David, to the aquarium. His eyes were widened with excitement, and he chattered non-stop about the sea creatures we would see, the sharks, the dolphins... We boarded the bus, and after a few stops, we made ourselves comfortably seated. David gazed out the window, watching the world go by with wonder.
The bus continued its route, and with each stop, it became increasingly crowded. Passengers of varying ages and backgrounds filled the seats. David and I were engaged in a light-hearted conversation about marine life, our anticipation and joy building with each passing minute.
As we approached a mid-route bus stop, an elderly lady boarded, her movements labored and her legs visibly unsteady. The bus was full, and for a moment, there was an obvious hesitation among the passengers, each perhaps weighing the social morals against their own comfort. The elderly lady seized her walking aid, swaying slightly with each lurch of the vehicle.
Noticing the elderly lady’s struggle, David made a decision. Without a moment’s hesitation, he rose from his seat. His small hand gestured towards the elderly lady. “You can sit here, ma'am,” he said, his voice clear and sincere. The elderly lady’s face transformed with a mixture of surprise and gratitude. “Oh, thank you, boy,” she said, her voice filling up with emotion. David then took her hand gently, helping her navigate through the crowd to the seat he had left for her. With the help of David, the lady eased herself into the seat, her relief evident. I felt pride welling up within me as I watched what David had done. Looking at David, who was standing now, I saw not just the playful child he was known to be, but the empathetic and considerate young man he was growing into.
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。
As the bus rolled on, it was filled with renewed warmth among the passengers.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________That evening, as we returned home, I couldn’t help but reflect on the true treasure of the day.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Most nights, there was a light coming from the tiny island on the other side of the lake. I always thought that was strange because supposedly, no one lived there anymore. That’s why people called it Ghost Island. Stranger still, one night, the light flashed.
“There’s the light again,” I said to my brother, Dale.
“Yeah, strange,”he said.“Take a look, Ben,”Dad said. He had set up his telescope to view the planets, but now it was aimed at Ghost Island. I found that there was a spotlight (聚光灯).Dale looked too and guessed it was a tree branch, blowing back and forth in the wind.
Then I asked Dad what he knew about Ghost Island. “Mr. Mori has owned it since I was a kid. I remember he once served in the Coast Guard. And he must be quite old by now,” Dad said. “He used to spend summers there, but I wonder if he still comes up at all.”
The next day, we planned to go fishing. We always go before sunup and I was so worried about oversleeping that I woke up extra early. Dale was already on the boat. I looked across the lake, which was smooth as glass. “Huh,” I said. “There’s the light again. Only this time there was no wind, and the flashes appeared in a specific way. “It’s an SOS distress signal!” I said immediately. Dale laughed. “Morse code (摩斯密码)? No one uses that old thing anymore.”
“No, watch,” I said. “It goes dot-dot-dot, dash-dash-dash, dot-dot-dot. That’s SOS. I learned it at Boy Scouts. I had to send and receive messages using Morse code.”
“You guys are going to scare all the fish away!” Dad said. “What’s going on?”
I told him about the light but it had stopped. And he advised us to check if Mr. Mori was at his cabin (小木屋). He might know Morse code due to his Coast Guard experience.
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。
Paragraph 1:
Dale doubted if we’d find anyone, but we set out for Ghost Island.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
We visited Mr. Mori several times after he returned to Ghost Island from the hospital.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The snowstorm was supposed to hit the evening of Monday. I was driving from the city center back home. All of a sudden, the snow started and within minutes I was in a whiteout, totally losing sight. Soon I had to stop because I didn’t know where I was. I kept the car running to keep warm and called 911. But no rescue would come until the next morning. I searched around in a whiteout but nobody or no car was nearby. I felt a deep sense of loss.
Taking a deep breath, I told myself that being afraid won’t help.
My kids! It was the first time that they had spent a night without me at home. I called and told them what was happening, forcing myself to sound calm. I didn’t tell them I was frightened. But I, a problem-solver all my life, couldn’t figure out what to do.
Suddenly, a colleague texted me and I joked about my driving home ending in disaster. But he had an idea. “Share your location (位置) on Google Maps and send it to me,” he said.
I did, and a few minutes later he texted me back a screenshot (屏幕截图) of the satellite view of where I was. We figured out that I was on a road called Bouvier Lane, in between two farms. I posted this new information to my Facebook community group, hoping to find anyone who lived on the farms to help me get rescued.
After that, all I could do was sit in the car and try to stay warm. I’d done all I could, and no matter what happened, I had to be at peace with that. But even if someone did figure out where I was, would help be able to come through the heavy snow and high winds?
Soon enough, though, people started commenting on my post. They knew a family who lived there! I got a message from someone who was going to put me in touch with 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。
At 8 pm, my cellphone rang.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When Andrew and I reached the house, his wife treated me to hot drinks.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was a thrilling basketball game, with the stadium filled with crowds from two schools. During the match, Jack’s team faced a tough challenge. They were behind by a wide margin (差距). But with Jack’s leadership and the team’s spirit of unity, they managed to make a comeback and win the game in the last minute. It was a moment of teamwork and perseverance.
After the exciting game of basketball, Jack and his teammates were eager to celebrate their victory. As they gathered around the court, Jack noticed a small, shining object in the grass. Curious, he bent down to pick it up and realized it was a gold ring with a letter “H” on it.
Jack’s heart skipped a beat. He had never seen anything so valuable before. His teammates noticed his excitement and crowded around to see what he had found. Some of them whispered excitedly, while others looked at each other, uncertain what to do. Should they keep the ring as a souvenir of their victory or return it to its rightful owner. As the students hesitated on the playground, the ring shone brightly in the sun, as if it possessed some mysterious power that guided him towards the right path.
He and his teammates began to search for the owner on the busy playground, but with so many people around, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Instead, they decided to take the ring to the school’s Lost and Found, hoping that the owner would come to look for it.
On their way to the Lost and Found, Jack unexpectedly bumped into a visiting player (客队球员) who was looking around anxiously. Jack walked up to the boy and asked if he was looking for something. He said that he had lost a gold ring during the basketball game. He also explained that the ring was a gift from his grandfather and that it was a symbol of honor. It’s a meaningful gold ring with a letter “H” on it.
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。
It turned out that the boy named Danny was the owner of the ring.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Looking at the medal with the letter “H” awarded to him by the school, Jack was lost in thought.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On a flight from Atlanta to Seattle, Alaska Airlines flight worker Amber May came across an unexpected and unusual request that saw her go above and beyond her normal duties.
With ten years of flying experience, Amber has me t with many special situations, but non e of them were more unique than the task waiting for her on that flight.
Six of Zoo Atlanta’s valuable Chilean flamingo (火烈鸟) eggs were on their way to Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo on the plane, where a zoo official placed them in a moveable warm box.
However, unfortunately, during the flight to Seattle, the zoo official found that the warm box stopped working without knowing what the reason was. As a result, the temperature inside the container was dropping fast. If the temperature continued to drop, this would put the eggs at risk. If the problem was not solved, these valuable eggs would never turn into young birds.
The zoo official was so worried that he first tried to repair the warm box by himself, but he was not a repairman after all. No matter how hard he tried, the warm box just wouldn’t work. He had also wanted to contact his colleagues at the zoo to ask for a solution, but he was on the plane and he couldn’t make a call. He realized that he was indeed in trouble.
And all of a sudden, he had a brainstorm. He thought of the workers on the plane, and immediately pressed the call button. He asked Amber May if she could find a way to help keep the eggs warm.
In response to this request, Amber May broadcast (广播) to find someone who can provide help. And after that, Amber May worked positively with the zoo official to think of other solutions. By filling rubber gloves with warm water, Amber created a place to keep the eggs comfortable and protected them from the coldness on the plane.
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 unexpected call of duty also caused interest and kindness from other passengers.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Months later, the zoo called Amber May, inviting her to visit the young birds.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My family had only recently moved into a new neighborhood. All of my neighbors have been very friendly and helpful since we moved in.
However, Mrs Davis, an elderly lady living in the last house on the other side of the road, escaped associating with us, or anyone else. When I asked around the neighborhood why, they warned me not to go after her because they thought she was insane (精神失常的) and preferred staying alone after losing her husband and only daughter in an aircraft crash. After that, she stayed isolated (孤立的) from all the neighbors, refusing all the care and help.
I often saw her on the streets during the evening, but she was always by herself. She appeared weak and I always wanted to help her, but after hearing what my neighbors had said about her, I wasn’t sure whether I should.
One day, when I was on my way to the supermarket, our paths crossed. I was walking past her and overheard her singing a tune. It immediately drew my attention because my parents used to sing the same song with me. I began to sing along with her, and she smiled at me for the first time. But when I smiled back, she quickly hurried her pace and went home.
She seemed very different to me that day. I refused to trust my neighbors’ claims that she had cut herself off from the rest of society because she was insane, so the next day, I knocked on her door. Mrs Davis was home, and instead of letting me in, she just looked at me silently through the window. I noticed her staring at me and was about to walk to the window when she quickly closed the curtains.
The next day, I revisited her house. “Hello, I brought you something,” I called out to her. “It’s the record of the music you were singing yesterday.”
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 door opened and Mrs Davis’ eyes widened in surprise at the sight of me standing there.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Several days later in the morning, the doorbell rang at my house.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Ten miles away stood a house with shiny red walls, a green garden and an apple tree. A young girl’s face would be seen reflecting from one of the large glassy windows. Her name is Maggie. Her eyes were sparkling and on her face there was a smile which could light a million candles. She seemed to be longing for a chance to play like a young child, but she had no strength in her legs because she and her family met with an accident, in which she lost both her legs.
But her spirit was strong. She would be inspired by seeing birds fly. The flying eagle would make her want to fly. She was lonely. She longed for a true friend who would talk to her and teach her to fly or at least tell her stories about soaring into the blue sky.
One evening, Maggie slowly rolled her wheelchair to the giant window and looked out to the many houses that lay across the road. Suddenly she heard someone singing and then could see an old man in a pilot suit singing in glory. The beautiful sound and the melody made the little girl happy. Suddenly he stopped and gazed up toward her. “What are you staring at?” he said angrily. “You think I’m a circus clown? (马戏团小丑)” “No, Sir. I was just listening to you. You sing very well,” she said. “I don’t need your praises. I don’t need anyone!” he shouted. He started to walk to his house and shut the door. Tears rolled down from her apple-red cheeks as the man shouted at her. She was lonely.
Next morning, Maggie pushed her wheelchair across the garden to the stone road as little children played hide-and-seek around her. Suddenly out of nowhere a loading truck came rumbling across toward her. Terrified, she tried to move away from its path but the wheels of her chair were stuck. “Oh my,” she thought as the truck came in her direction fast, with the driver unaware of the obstruction in front of him. She screamed loudly but in a split second she was pulled out of her wheelchair by someone and fell on the ground. She closed her eyes and shivered as the truck passed her whistling. As she opened her eyes, she could see a man standing beside her.
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。
She gazed up to him and immediately recognized him as the man she saw singing last night.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Maggie got to know his name was Ken and that he was a retired pilot.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mama was weaving a mat (织垫子) with wild-grass stalks (茎秆) when she called to Achenyo, “Will you do me a favor and fetch me some water for the paints, Achenyo?” In the corner were pots of coloring matter she’d use to paint the finished mats. “Of course, Mama!” Achenyo picked up a clay pot as she slipped outside.
She didn’t like mat-weaving, although it was a tradition for a mother to pass on the skills to her daughter. Achenyo would rather be playing outdoors with her friends. Outside, Achenyo called to Ajuma, whose house was across from hers.
Both girls, with clay pots balanced on their heads, made their way to the Niger River. When they arrived at the water’s edge, what they found was shocking. The river was gone! In its place was a blanket of dark green leaves dotted by colored flowers.
“Oh no!” Achenyo cried. “The river is gone! There’s no water for drinking, cooking, or bathing! Mama won’t have water to mix the paints for her mats.
Last year, the rainy season brought an invasion of water hyacinths (水葫芦).The plants covered the river and left no room to put in a pot to fetch water. There was no room to bathe or swim. Fishermen couldn’t cast their nets for fish. And now the water hyacinths were back
“How could such a pretty plant cause such harm?” Achenyo wondered
The adults jumped into the water among the broad, green leaves, They began throwing them onto the riverbank. Achenyo and Ajuma joined them. When they’d cleared enough plants, the girls filled their pots with water. A pile of water hyacinths lay on the riverbank What a pity to waste such pretty flowers, Achenyo thought. She picked some for Mama, and then the girls headed home.
Each day, they found the river covered by water hyacinths as if no one had cleared the waterfront the day before. One day, as Achenyo moved an armful of dried water hyacinths out of her way, she had an idea. Carrying the plants under her arm, she ran home. “Mama, will you teach me to weave?
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。
Mama was too glad to pass on the mat-weaving skills to her daughter.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mama and Achenyo then taught their neighbors.
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