I was four years old in 1993, when my family emigrated .(移民) from the United Arab Emirates to Toronto. Young enough to be changed by my new home, but old enough to know I was different from everyone around me. I was the only Arab and only Muslim in my junior kindergarten class. Beyond those obvious differences, Canadian life proved to be quite distinct in other ways. And I discovered another surprise that December.
Overnight, everything was suddenly covered in red and green. My classmates talked excitedly about cookies and what gifts they’d asked Santa for that Christmas. At some point, I must have asked myself, “What is Christmas?” There’s nothing quite like it in the Muslim world. The closest comparison might be Eidal-Adha, which translates from Arabic to “Festival of sacrifice”. While both holidays show the same spirit of sharing with the less fortunate and spending time with loved ones, Eid meant new clothes and a family dinner. And that was about it. No tree decorated with ornaments (装饰物), and no gifts covered in wrapping paper.
Christmas was completely foreign to me, but then my parents unexpectedly informed me that Santa would be paying us a visit on Christmas Eve. “But aren’t we Muslim?” I asked.
“Yes, but Santa loves all children equally and gets them all gifts,” my mother replied.
So on that first Christmas Eve in Canada, she hung oversized red and white stockings, each one customized with our names, off our bedposts. I have a distinct memory of the restless expectation that kept me awake long after bedtime and my joy when I got up on Christmas morning to find my stocking filled with gifts.
Still in my pyjamas(睡衣), I ran over to the kitchen to tell my parents that Santa had indeed visited us last night. I asked if they’d seen him, and Mom said, “Of course!” Mom offered Santa a cup of coffee, as is the Arab custom when hosting guests. He needed the energy for the long night ahead, she told me.
When I returned to school after the holidays. I had a story to share with my classmates. Santa had visited me too! I could show off gifts while other kids showed off theirs.
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。
My parents kept our Christmas tradition going for years, until I was too old to believe in Santa anymore.
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As an adult. I’ve come to realize creating a sense of belonging is joining in traditions.
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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.”
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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.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It’s just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, just a short note inside which says what we have done to celebrate Christmas. It has stuck through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.
It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas—oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it—the overspending, the anxious running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma—the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else.
Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to avoid the usual shirts, sweaters, ties, and so on. I reached for something special just for Mike. The idea came in an unusual way.
Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling (摔跤) at the junior level at the school he attended. Shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team supported by an inner-city church. These teenagers, dressed in sport shoes so ragged (破烂的) that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast (对比) to our boys in their stylish blue and gold uniforms and new wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears. Obviously, the poor team could not afford.
Well, we ended up defeating them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he walked around in his rags with a kind of steet pride that couldn’t acknowledge defeat.
Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, ‘‘I wish just one of them could have won, "he said "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them. ’’
注意∶1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡相应位置作答,
Paragraph 1:
That’s when the idea for his present came.
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For each Christmas, the envelope has become the tradition of our family.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. 讨论的目的；
2. 讨论的内容；
3. 你的感受。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
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Marcus sat by his window, staring at the lights on other buildings. He thought of his Papa who was visiting Marcus' sick Grandpa in the hospital. "I will try to help Mama while you are gone," Marcus had promised his father.
His little brother, Peter, sat beside him. "When are we getting our Christmas tree, Marcus?" Peter asked. "I can't wait to decorate it with Mama's straw bird." "We're not getting a tree this year, Peter." "Why not?" "Too many bills with Grandpa sick. Mama said we can't afford one."
Someone knocked on their apartment door, and they hurried to see who it was. It was Jack from downstairs. They let him in and he looked around. "No tree yet? I helped put up our artificial tree a week ago. It's up to the ceiling. Just two more days till Christmas! I guess you're not getting a tree." Jack's words left Peter quite unconvinced. "Of course not! We are going to buy a real Christmas tree, a real one!" Jack shrugged his shoulders and walked away.
Marcus walked slowly to his room and gathered his pocket money. It's only seven dollars. He thought that, with school out, he could earn enough money in two days to buy a tree and surprise Mama.
The next day, he stayed busy carrying goods to help shoppers. By the time he left, six more dollars were earned into his pocket. It was his lucky day and he expected that thirteen dollars should buy a small tree.
He whistled all the way to the tree lot（场地）. But even the smallest trees were fifteen dollars or more. Tomorrow would be busy with more shoppers. Marcus had to earn those extra dollars. He asked the seller in the tree lot: "Can you save this tree for me, sir?" "I can't," the man said, "but come back tomorrow. It might still be here." "I will be back." Marcus waved and dashed off.
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 next day, Marcus and Peter came to the tree lot, only to see an even smaller tree.
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They went to a nearby store to buy decorations with the spare dollars.
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Every previous year on Thanksgiving Day I’d woken up early, filled with excitement, unable to wait for the turkey, pumpkin pie with pecans, and my grandma’s famous cheesecake. But I would never forget the lesson that my mother taught me when I was 14 years old. That Thanksgiving, I couldn’t find the magic anymore. For some reason the holiday seemed fake (假的). I suddenly felt like Thanksgiving was a big lie. I saw no reason to celebrate.
As my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandma started to arrive carrying plates of food, baskets of bread, and pitchers of egg nog, I grew more and more angry and frustrated. None of them were really thankful, I realized. The whole thing was a lie!
When my mom called for everyone to take their seats for dinner, I left. I ran into the guest room where no one would look, crying. I was defiant (反抗的) because I wanted to be an honest person but 1 was realizing that Thanksgiving was fake. It didn’t feel right to join in the tradition---say something beautiful one by one around the table.
My mom, worried that 1 was absent from the table, came to see what was wrong, “No one is really thankful!” I sobbed, “They just pretend for one day because that’s what you’re supposed to do!"
My mom sat down next to me and listened wisely. Then she nodded. “You’re right,” she told me, “it’s fake until you find the truth for yourself.” She said Thanksgiving was a time to reflect because we don’t always get a chance to see loved ones and eat a good meal. Then she left. I didn’t listen to her. I was convinced that I could never find joy celebrating again.
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。
But I was also starving and I had to eat something.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________At her words, I realized they wanted me to be a part of the tradition.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Living in a foreign country probably sounds exciting and romantic to you. Just imagine the noises from the local market or the smell of strange flowers when you leave the house in the morning. But this doesn't mean that life abroad is easy. When people set foot in a foreign land，they tend to keep to what is familiar. Becoming a part of the local culture can be the hardest part of life abroad．
However, in order to get the most of their life abroad, people need to break out of their comfortable routines and explore. The moment you let go of false ideas and stereotypes, you are ready to take your first major step. And more often than not, living in a foreign country can be a truly life-changing experience．
Even for experienced travellers, it is not as easy as it seems to get used to life abroad. Making the transition from living like a visiting holidaymaker to living like a local takes time. Culture shock is part of living abroad and hits everyone eventually. The key is not to let it get the better of you．You have to accept that things are not the same as they are at home and，until you get to that point, try to respectful, patient and humble．
Another problem is that the charm of a foreign life could wear off as time passes by. For most people, a foreign culture appears strange and exciting at first. After all, the main reason for moving broad is of ten the wish to explore foreign cultures. However, after living in a foreign country for a while, little things that you once thought were charming begin to annoy you. You remember how everything ran on schedule back home, how beautiful your hometown was and how much more relaxed and friendly everyone seemed to be.
So, you'd better understand issues with the local food, or problems with adjusting to the pace of life as you live abroad someday in the future.
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8 . It was 1939, and the Great Depression had made all our lives much harder. But we didn’t know how poor we were until our father sat my brother and me down on the couch in our living room to have a talk.
I will always remember the sad look in Father’s eyes as he stared down at his hands, rubbing them back and forth, while he searched for the words to tell us that our family wasn’t going to be celebrating Christmas this year.
A month later, on Christmas Eve, I lay awake in bed late into the night, trying to talk myself out of sneaking into our living room to see if Santa had come. I gathered my courage, then tiptoed down the hallway, hoping I would see the bright sparkling lights of our Christmas tree standing proudly in the corner of our living room, like it did every year.
Instead, I was greeted by my seventeen-year-old brother, Frank, who slept on our living room couch. “Hey, little one, what are you doing up?” he whispered.
I started to cry. “There’s no Christmas tree.”
There would be no presents, no singing, no Christmas dinner. It felt like we were the saddest family in the world. My disappointment overwhelmed me. I looked forward to Christmas each year. It wasn’t only the presents. It was that special feeling I got from seeing my family happy. We hadn’t been happy in such a long time.
On Christmas morning, the sun shone into our chilly bedroom, waking me up. “Maybe Santa came! Maybe he came!” I suddenly insisted. My eyes searched the living room, but there was no Christmas tree. I broke into uncontrollable tears.
I ran to Father in tears and threw my arms around him. “ We aren’t going to have Christmas this year.”
“Now, now, now, calm down. Go on in and see your mother. She will comfort you.” Dad slowly pushed the bedroom door open, leading me into the room.
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。
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something different in the bedroom.
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With my question answered, everything dawned on me.
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支持 | 融入高科技技术，增强美感； 吸引更多地游客。 |
反对 | 破坏了故宫地原貌； 要尊重历史和传统。 |
你的观点 | ...... |
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。参考词汇: the Palace Museum 故宫
正方观点：
represent the ancient civilization
To respect the cultural heritage is to respect ancestors
make people proud of their own culture and country
反方观点
waste a lot of money; make no great sense to the development of economy
你的观点是什么？理由是什么？
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