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.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1.现在许多传统文化正慢慢消失
2. 传统文化消失的原因
3. 我的看法
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历史—中国人种茶饮茶已有4000多年
种类—种类多，龙井茶享誉世界
茶具—陶瓷茶壶，茶杯
喝茶的地方—茶馆，餐馆，家庭，上班休息
喝茶的益处—有利健康，醒脑提神，绿茶防癌
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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.活动目的；
2.活动经过；
3.活动影响。
注意：写作词数应为80左右。
提示词：冬至 Winter Solstice
A Winter Solstice Celebration
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1. 农历(lunar)新年对中国人来说是一个伟大的时刻(occasion)。
2. 作为传统(tradition)的一部分, 房屋被清扫(sweep away), 用植物、水果和鲜花装饰(decorate)。
3. 门上贴着(attach)对联, 大门上挂着红灯笼(lantern)。
4. 在新年前夕, 所有的家庭成员聚在一起(gather together)吃团圆饭。
5. 在那之后, 长串的鞭炮(firecracker)和其他焰火被点爆(let off)迎接新年。
6. 到处都是欢乐(joy)的景象。
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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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In early November, I told the pupils in my class I taught in Delaware about my plan. “I'd like all of you to do extra jobs around the house to cam some money,” I said. “Then we'll buy food for a Thanksgiving dinner for someone who might not have a nice dinner otherwise.”
I wanted them to understand that religion is more than noble ideas; that people somehow have to make it come alive. I hoped they could experience a sense of their own power to make changes.
Early in Thanksgiving week, the boys and girls arrived in class holding their hard-earned money. They had set tables, washed dishes, cared for younger sisters or brothers. And now they couldn't wait to go shopping.
I supervised (监督) while they moved quickly up and down the supermarket. At last we headed toward the checkout, pushing a cart (购物车) filled with turkey and other pieces of food. Then someone spotted a “necessity” that sent them racing.
“Flowers!” Kristine cried. The group ran toward the holiday plants.
It was more meaningful to use any extra money to buy staples (主食) that could be stretched into meals. After all, I pronounced, “You can't eat flowers.”
“But Mrs. Sherlock, we want flowers." Defeated, 1 looked at the collection of purple chrysanthemums (菊花). “She’ll like this one,” the children agreed, and put the purple plant into the cart gently.
An agency had given us the name and address of a needy grandmother who had lived alone for many years.
Soon we were bouncing along a road to her house. The atmosphere in the car was definitely not spiritual. “You're squishing (压扁) me!” one voice announced. “I think I'm scared of strangers,” said another. Between giggling (咯咯地笑) and punching, and those purple flowers, I wasn't sure that any lesson about giving and receiving was getting through.
注意：
1.续写词数应为100左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
We finally pulled up in front of a small house.
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I was eight years old the first time I felt sympathy (同情) for my sister. It happened on Easter, one of our favorite holidays.
“Michelle,” I whispered on Easter morning. But there was no reply. “Now!” I shouted before putting my hand over my mouth. The last thing I wanted to do was wake up our parents. After a few minutes, my sister finally pulled herself out of bed.
It didn’t take long for me to find my basket. But twenty minutes later my sister was still looking for her basket. At her repeated requests, I decided to help, but don't get the wrong idea. It wasn’t because I felt sorry for her. It was because I’d now been issued a challenge. I had a mission and a case to solve. The Case of the Missing Basket.
By now, our parents were awake. “Looks like the Easter bunny (复活节兔子) came!” Mum said, “You haven’t found your basket, Michelle? Let’s keep looking.” Mom pointed to the hallway closet (壁橱), saying “We haven’t looked in any closets”. Michelle shot across the room, opened the closet door and started searching through the shoes and bags and gloves on the closet floor. Nothing.
“Look up!” I said. “Up above the jackets!” Mission completed.
“My basket !” she shouted. “Mom, can you get it?” Way up on the shelf where we usually kept our soaps was my sister’s Easter basket.
“Here you go, honey” Mom said, as she handed Michelle her basket, too excited to notice anything strange before passing it off. And that’s when it happened. My sister, the tough girl that I, until that day, had never seen break down, started crying.
注意：
1.续写的词数应为120左右；
2.按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
My sister’s Easter basket was empty except for the chocolate box ruined by mice.
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But as I read my magazine, I felt something I’d never felt towards my sister before.
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After dinner, Mrs. Quimby told the family that Grandma, who lived on a farm, had sent in a lot of pumpkins for jack-o’-lanterns (空心南瓜灯) for the neighborhood children. There was one in the basement waiting to be carved, she added. Ramona sprang to her feet and dashed down to bring it up, but it was too heavy for a second-grader. Finally Mr. Quimby gave a hand.
“Let’s make it smile like last year,” exclaimed Ramona.
“Hmm. Let’s see.” Mr. Quimby studied the pumpkin, turning it to find the best side for the face. With a pencil he sketched (素描) a nose-shaped nose, not a triangle. Then the mouth turned up on both sides. “smiling!” Ramona clapped her hands.
Mr. Quimby nodded with a smile, cut a circle around the top of the pumpkin and lifted it off for a lid. Without being asked, Ramona found a big spoon for scooping out the seeds. Picky-picky, the Quimbys' shabby old cat, came into the kitchen to see if something had been put in his dish. When he found that it had not, he paused, sniffed the pumpkin smell and angrily walked out with his tail twitching.
Mr. Quimby began to whistle as he carved with skill and care, first a mouthful of teeth, each one neat and square, then eyes and eyebrows. He was working on two ears shaped like question marks when Mrs. Quimby announced it was bedtime for Ramona. Unwillingly Ramona ran, took a shower and quickly returned. Now, Mr. Quimby had just carved a few C-shaped curls (卷发) around the hole in the top of the pumpkin. He reached inside and dug a candle holder in the bottom.
“There,” he said, putting down his knife. “A work of art.” Mrs. Quimby found a candle stub (残根), inserted it in the pumpkin, lit it and set the lid in place. Ramona turned off the light. The jack-o’-lantern was smiling with a flickering flame. “Wow!” Ramona threw her arms around her father before going to bed with great satisfaction.
注意：
1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2.应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4.续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
In the middle of the night Ramona awoke to a noise.
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Paragraph 2:
On the table their jack-o’-lantern no longer had a whole face.
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