Twelve Days of Kindness
Although it was less than two weeks before Christmas, I found it difficult to be in a festive mood. We had moved to Canada, and holidays were difficult for us because we missed our friends and relatives in Minnesota. Our family was also going through a very difficult year, with health problems and a serious work-related problem for my husband.
“Mom, How I wish we could spend Christmas with Grandpa and Grandma in Minnesota. I really miss them and my friends there.” said my fifteen-year-old daughter, Rachel.
“I know, Rachel. So would I,” I said. “But Minnesota is 2,000 kilometers away. Don’t you remember how hard it was to drive in that snowstorm last year? And then the temperature dropped to-30℃ on our way back?”
“I remember,” she said and ducked her head disappointedly.
We thought driving to Minnesota for Christmas was too risky and buying airline tickets for three people was out of the question. We would be spending Christmas alone in Canada, and had no money for a Christmas tree or a Christmas dinner.
We were surprised when the doorbell rang. It was dark and cold outside, and we weren’t expecting anyone. Hesitantly, Rachel stood up and went forward to open the door, and then said, “Mom, there’s a big box on the doorstep and nobody is out here!” My husband also went and looked. But there was nobody insight.
They brought the box in. We were surprised to find that the box contained many packages covered in bright Christmas paper. Each had a typewritten note: Open Dec.14, Open Dec.15...There were a total of twelve—the “Twelve Days of Christmas.” The note read: Our LOVE is given anonymously(匿名地), so enjoy fun with your family, but don’t tell anyone please.
注意：
1.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:
After that, we opened one more gift each day.
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Paragraph 2:
We opened the 12th package on December 25th.
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They don’t mean it
Our family moved here from China two years ago, and we thought we were pretty well adjusted to American ways. This year my parents decided to give a party on Chinese New Year and invite some of our American friends.
The party went pretty well. Our guests were amazed at the flavor of all the special foods. After the dinner, they thanked us for showing them what a real Chinese New Year dinner was like.
“I loved the dishes. You and the girls must have spent hours doing all the work!” Mrs. O’Meara said to my mother.
“The girls helped with the cutting and I’m sorry they did such a terrible job.” said Mother.
I heard a little gasp(倒吸气) from my friend Kim O’Meara, who stared wide-eyes at Mother. When I asked what the matter was, she told me she just didn’t understand why my mother said so.
I had to laugh. “She doesn’t mean it! It’s just the way she talks.”
Seeing her still confused look, I went on explaining, “In China, parents consider it good manners to deny praises about their children. Otherwise, it would be the same as bragging(自夸).” Kim seemed a little hesitant, but she nodded anyway.
That Easter, the O’Mearas invited our family for dinner. Mrs. O’Meara cooked a huge ham which we enjoyed a lot. As Mrs. O’Meara started cutting up the cake for dessert, Mother said, “I’m not sure if I can eat one more bite. That was the best ham I’ve ever tasted!”
“Aw, that ham was terrible,” said Kim. “I bet you could do a lot better, Mrs. Yang.”
注意:1. 续写短文词数应为150左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1:
There was a stunned (震惊的) silence around the table.
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I finally knew how Kim had misunderstood what I had said.
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