Cedar Point was an amusement park in Ohio I had been expecting to visit as a child. We lived close to the park, so I often heard the screams of people on the roller coaster, saw the tired kids with their parents when they left. Sometimes, I looked wistfully at the lights through my window at night.
When I was nine, my grandmother managed to save a little bit of money here and there and took me there one day that summer. I yelled, excitement bubbling inside me. As we arrived at the park for the first time, kids were everywhere, eating popcorn (爆米花) and blowing bubbles. My eyes widened in delight at the scene. I wanted to do all those things, but deep down, I knew we didn’t have enough money. We could only afford to buy a ticket only for one ride for fifteen minutes. I pulled my grandmother toward the ticket window to buy a ticket for the carousel (旋转木马).
It was exactly as I had imagined, straight out of a movie. My grandmother smiled fondly and leaned down, giving the ticket to the ride operator, Mr Salas. Letting go, I rushed to the ride, stopping only to pick which horse to sit on. They were all so beautiful, coming in different colors with’ different expressions ‘on their plastic faces. To me, it felt like the decision of a lifetime.
“Come on, sweetie! The ride is going to start!” my grandmother called out, laughing at my indecision. Seeing that, Mr Salas also smiled warmly. Finally, I picked the horse with the pink hair and blue saddle. In the following minutes, I was absorbed in enjoying the ride, forgetting my family was struggling. My grandmother waved each time the ride passed her by. Mr Salas watched me from a distance.
Sadly, the carousel ride ended much too quickly. My grandmother was waiting and took my hand. I got down from the horse unwillingly, feeling bittersweet.
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 that moment, Mr Salas approached us with a warm smile on his face.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
After a while, Mr Salas returned, with an all-inclusive ticket for Cedar Point for the entire day.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mash Assadollah was the grocer at our corner store. Standing behind his glass display case, he tore out a page from a book. He twisted the page into a cone-shaped envelope and then filled it with tobacco. He then weighed the tobacco. He folded the envelope of tobacco closed and handed it to me. I was also buying sugar cubes and tea. Mash Assadollah calculated the amounts on an abacus (算盘). I paid him and left.
When I got home, Grandmother took the goods I had purchased, emptied the envelopes of their ingredients, handed me the wrappers, and asked me to throw them away.
It was summer vacation, and I didn’t have much to do. To keep myself busy, I sat down in a corner of the room and started to read the wrappers, which had once been eight consecutive (连续的) pages of a book. How well written and attractive the words were! It was a good story. I sat there until I had read all eight pages. Honestly, I had never read a book before, except for my textbooks. But when I read those eight pages, I realized that I now loved reading! The only problem was that the story stopped right at the best part, right at the end of Page 22, which was the most important and exciting point in the story.
It was about a boy who wanted to run away from home and escape his father who was always spanking (打屁股) him, but the boy was afraid. He finally left home but didn’t know where to go. I was excited to find out where he would go and what would happen to him.
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 decided to go back and get the rest of the book from Mash Assadollah.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mash Assadollah didn’t know what I was talking about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I had run away from home after finishing high school. My parents had insisted I go to college, but I was tired of school. I hated it. I was determined not to go. And, besides, my father was too strict. I had too many chores to do around the farm. I haled the work!
There had been a quarrel between my father and me. I threw some things into a bag and left angrily, as my father shouted after me, “If you leave, don’t come back!” My mother cried openly, and I had seen those tears during a hundred sleepless nights.
Then it was time to write a letter to my father.
Dear Dad,It’s been more than a year now. I’ve traveled east to west. I’ve had dozens of jobs. None of them amounted to very much. Always the same questions: “How much education have you got?” It seems they always want college men for the good jobs.
Dad, you and Mother were right about everything. I know now that the work on the farm didn’t hurt me, and I’m convinced I need college. I’m also convinced that both of you loved me.
Dad, I’ve learned a lesson. I want to come home. I know you said if I left, I couldn’t come back, but I’m praying you’ll change your mind. I want to come home and be a part of the family again.
Give my love to Mother and the girls.
Love,Your son
As I folded the letter and put it into an envelope, I felt a refreshing relief. It was as if a heavy load had been lifted from my shoulders. And I had to be on my way home.
I started down the desolate road—the long road home. Fortunately, a car picked me up, and it was good to have someone to talk with. The driver was a salesman and very pleasant.
“Where you going, boy?” he asked good-naturedly.
There was a long silence before I said, “Home.”
“Been away from home long?”
I smiled, a little self-conscious, and said, “One year, one month and two days.”
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。
Having heard my story, he expressed his support for my final decision and told me something surprising.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Finally, I arrived home when. it was completely dark.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4 . Mental Health Crisis Among Teens Demands a New Approach
Since the CDC released its survey results last month showing alarmingly high rates of sadness and depressive thoughts among teens, fingers have been pointed from two sides at the causes of this crisis.
According to the CDC’s findings, more than one in five of the 17,000 high school students surveyed reported mental breakdown. Their rates of sadness and hopelessness are the highest in a decade, reflecting an increasing trend exacerbated by society’s isolation(隔离)and stress.
Parents as well as teachers and others who have direct contact with children must accept this preventive approach. It is crucial that they not be afraid to ask direct questions about depressive thoughts.
| A．And they should resist the false idea that raising a question creates a risk that was not there before. |
| B．This means that we must put aside our disagreements and approach this issue as a matter of life and death. |
| C．Some have argued that the climate issue has created an existential threat and accompanying anxiety. |
| D．Hospitalization may also be appropriate when the person in question shows an immediate danger to themselves. |
| E．At the macro(宏观的)level, our country can do so much more to help people struggling with mental health problems and their families. |
| F．It’s time to stop blaming and turn our attention to this generation of struggling teenagers. |
| G．It’s time for those who have the power to amplify(放大)their voices and drive change to focus on helping teenagers and families access the help they need. |
My baby Reese started screaming as we watched my eight-year-old kick and hit while he was tested for his longing-for black belt. I struggled to hold him in my arms as we pushed our way through the crowd to the side of the taekwondo (跆拳道) studio.
I looked up, and that’s when I saw it. There was a woman on a flyer with a bright white smile surrounded by her daughters. “OUR MOM NEEDS A KIDNEY (肾脏),” it said above the photo. “My name is Vonchelle Knight, and I have kidney disease. I am a single mother of two girls and have been on the transplant waitlist for eight years,” it said below.
As I continued to read, I was attracted. My eyes couldn’t get to the next word fast enough. My eyes were filled with tears as I thought about how desperately this mother needed a kidney. And that’s when I felt deep in my gut, “It’s me. I’m going to be her donor.” In the middle of that busy taekwondo studio, I was called on to donate my kidney to a woman whom I had never met.
The drive home was not a typical Saturday kind of drive home. I trembled at the thought of speaking aloud what I was so convinced of just moments before. I glanced over at my husband who was driving.
“Hey, babe?” I asked nervously. “I need to tell you something.”
He looked at me, unsure and a little afraid of what might come out of my mouth next. After all, I do like to keep him on his toes. “Yeah, what is it?” he asked intently.
“I think I want to donate my kidney to a stranger.”
I thought he might drive right off the road. By the look on his face, he clearly thought I had lost my mind, I was a busy mom of two boys, working a full-time job as a sales account manage.
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 husband stood firm against my ridiculous (荒谬的) idea.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I decided to donate my kidney to Vonchelle and persuaded my husband.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I was born in a small village in the mountainous province of Lao Cai in Vietnam. In my poverty-stricken small village, girls hardly had the chance to complete their education. But I was lucky. I was born into a family where my parents supported our education. As one of the very few families that could afford all children to continue to study till high school, my parents faced a lot of negative opinions from our neighbors.
I was not always there for the criticism, however, as I lived in boarding schools for ethnic minority (少数民族) children. There were a lot of girls and boys from different ethnic groups in our schools. In these second homes, I learned from teachers and friends and most importantly, I was trained to live independently and with confidence. And this gave me the motivation to try harder every day.
In 2017, I came to Hanoi, the capital city, as a first-year student at the University of Languages and International Studies. It was a life-changing experience for me. I was thrilled at the fact that the students here were so bright and brilliant. The world became much bigger for me — far different from my small town. “Where are you from? Are you an ethnic minority?” Those were the frequent questions I had from my classmates at the beginning. At first, I was afraid of those questions and then I realized that when I began to talk openly about my culture, I was warmly received.
It goes without saying that confidence grows in a nurturing (滋养的) environment. Again, I found myself lucky. Slowly I started to engage in school activities and after some time, I volunteered for community activities.
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。
In 2019, I became the leader of a students’ group working on voluntary projects for our ethnic community.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Now I am working as a teaching assistant in an international primary school.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mary Lee seemed to have everything. She was very beautiful with a wonderful figure and an attractive face. She was very rich. Her clothes were better than anyone else’s and she had more of them. Her books were always new and expensive as were her pens, school bags and bicycle. She was very clever too and without appearing to do very much work. She was always the first in all the examinations and always answered all the questions, while the rest of the class were still thinking.
With all this, or really because of all this, no one liked Mary Lee. She was too good, too clever and she was also very proud. No one was quite good enough to talk to her or to be seen with her or to be her friend. And so, with all her proud ways and riches and brains, she was lonely but she did not care because she was always the best in everything. She was like a princess in the class. She always thought that the other students kept their distance from her because she was too excellent. “Lions and tigers are always lonely, and only the weak get together,” she told herself.
As the end of term drew near, the pupils including Mary Lee began to think about the most important prize of all. This was the prize, offered by the principal, for the best essay to be written on one of two subjects: Happiness and Friendship. All the teachers and pupils paid close attention to the prize, for it was really a great honor. “I needn’t worry about that,” thought Mary Lee, as the others began to read and to think about the essay. “I shall easily win. After all, my compositions are always better than the other students’.”
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。
“Pride goes before a fall,” they say and it certainly did in the case of poor Mary Lee.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mary Lee suddenly realized that how silly she had been.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1.你喜欢的科技产品；
2.喜欢的理由。
注意: 1.词数80左右；
2.开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Hello, everyone,
I’d like to make a speech with the title: My Favourite Invention.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
That’s all. Thank you.
1.讲座内容及目的：火灾的危险；防止火灾的建议……；
2.讲座具体时间及地点：本周日下午两点到四点，学校报告厅；
3.讲座要求（全体学生务必参加，自带纸笔记录等）。
注意: 1.词数80左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯
This is a notice from the Student Union to inform you about the upcoming lecture on fire prevention.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We are looking forward to your punctual participation.
The Student Union
I was watching some little kids play soccer. These kids were only five or six years old. The teams were pretty evenly (平均地) matched. I will just call them Team One and Team Two. Nobody scored in the first period. They fell over their own feet, they fell over the ball, they kicked at the ball and missed it, but they didn’t seem to care. They were having fun.
In the second quarter, the Team One coach pulled out what must have been his first team and put in the uniforms, except for his best player who now guarded the goal. The game took a dramatic turn.
Team Two gathered around the little guy who was now the Team One goalkeeper. He was an outstanding athlete, but he was no match for three or four who were also very good. Team Two began to score. The little guy gave it everything he had, recklessly (不顾一切地) throwing his body in front of incoming balls, trying bravely to stop them. Team Two scored two goals quickly. With all the strength, he covered the boy who now had the ball, but that boy kicked it to another boy twenty feet away, and by the time he re-positioned himself, it was too late—Team Two scored a third goal.
After the third goal,the little kid changed. He could see it was no use. The little boy needed help so badly, and there was no help to be had. He got the ball from the net and handed it to the coach and then he cried. He just stood there while huge tears rolled down both cheeks. He went to his knees and put his fists to his eyes—and he cried, helpless and broken-hearted.
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 boy went to his knees, I saw the father start onto the field.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Daddy,” the boy cried.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
