I was twenty then, teaching a class of thirty students in Toronto including Mike, a 10-year-old street kid. Having lost his father and mother, he lived with a mentally-disturbed grandmother.
He was always hungry, so each day I’d take him for breakfast before class. Each noon after I shared my lunch with him, I taught him new skills—using a microscope, constructing a camera etc.
One day Mike told me of his dream. Most kids in the class wanted to be doctors, teachers or some such thing, but not Mike! His desire was to be a gangster (强盗)! And he was serious about it.
I believed all children had a gift for what he wanted to be. If he wanted to be a gangster, I’d do all I could to help him become the very best “gangster”.
I had a plan. Every Saturday after we had breakfast, I took him to the Law Library of the city. I explained to him a good gangster had to know something about criminal law, and reading up on law was the only way to learn. His young mind was interested, and he dove in.
That was how we spent each Saturday morning that year. I’d drop him off at the law library. Three hours later, I’d return, pick him up for lunch and after a review of his morning’s work, take him home.
The following year I taught in another school far away, which prevented me continuing to participate physically with him on Saturday mornings. But I provided him with public transportation tickets so he could keep up his regular study at the library.
Later I got married and moved to London. Sadly, and to my great regret, I lost contact with Mike.
Years passed. I often thought of him, wondering what had become of him. Then, one day, I was back in Toronto on business, looking up the number of a former colleague in the telephone directory, and there, Mike’s name as part of a title of “JUDGES and LAWYERS” danced off the page into my eyes.
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 wondered, “Could it be him?”
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When we were able to get together, he told me his road to the law.
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For years Grandpa taught me chess on a well-worn chessboard, the bottom of which was covered with dozens of names and dates.
“What’s this, Grandpa?” I asked one day.
“These are the men from World War I, passing the time with me on the front line. Whenever someone beat me, I let them write their name on it.”
“This fellow, Sergeant Paul Ward, saved me from German soldiers,” Grandpa pointed to a name, “and carried me off the field. While both of us were in hospital, he beat me at chess.”
He handed the chessboard to me saying, “I want you to have it now. That’s the way it is in life: we pass our love on to the next person.
Sadly, it wasn’t long before Grandpa passed away.
Later I volunteered to be the social worker for a retirement community in a park, where I observed elderly residents sitting alone silently, heads down.
Several stone tables in the park had chessboards imprinted on them. One day, I set up my chess pieces and waited.
An elderly man cautiously approached.
“Care for a game?” I cheerfully inquired.
The man smiled weakly and sat down.
“Your move... um, didn’t catch your name.”
“Paul,” he said.
“Your move, Paul.”
He hesitated, as if not sure how to proceed. I tried not being aggressive in my play, but only delayed his defeat.
He sighed, “It’s been long since I played. Will you come tomorrow?”
“Yes, and every day after that.”
The next day when I arrived, Paul was already there, playing another elderly gentleman. I set up my pieces on a table waiting for others.
Soon our play extended to a merry club of chess-playing seniors, twenty people showing up each day and many more watching.
I didn’t played Paul after our first game but he came every day playing chess with others.
We ran short of chessboards, so I decided to bring Grandpa’s.
Paul approached once I set up the board. Staring at the chessboard thoughtfully, he said, “How about a rematch?”
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。
Once we began, I saw Paul not only have his chess skills refined but also show a change of mental state.
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When I told Paul Grandpa’s custom about this chessboard and asked him to write his name on the back, Paul smiled and said, "No need.”
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内容包括：1. 表示理解；
2. 提出建议。
注意：1. 词数100左右； 2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
| Dear Li Hua, My roommates at my dorm isolate (孤立) me all the time. They have their own group chat and never talk to me. We have never had any real conflicts (冲突). I don’t know whether it’s because of different hobbies or my personality. Should I do something to change the situation? Jiujiu |
Dear Jiujiu,
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Best wishes,
Li Hua
1、粽子的种类与制作；
2、与亲人们制作粽子过程的美好时刻。
注意：词数100字左右
参考词汇：芦苇叶 reed leaf；粽子 make rice dumplings
Rice Dumplings: a taste that is out of this world!
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