Marcus was really excited to watch a solar eclipse(日食) in Bloomfield on a sunny Saturday afternoon. He set up the telescope he’d borrowed from his teacher on an open area near the baseball field, where the school baseball team was practicing. Marcus didn’t like baseball; he was more interested in the stars. A solar eclipse was a special event, and he didn’t want to miss it.
While the baseball team practiced, Marcus paid no attention to them. As he looked through his telescope at the sun, the moon started covering it, creating a cool crescent shape (月牙形). Marcus was amazed by it. He wished he could share this moment with someone who loved it as much as he did.
Then, the baseball coach, Bernardi, announced over the loud speaker that the baseball game was put off for 30 minutes because of the solar eclipse. Coach Bernardi’s announcement brought Mareus back. to reality. He realized he was alone near the baseball field, holding his telescope. He had been so into the eclipse that he didn’t notice a baseball flying toward him. It hit the telescope and broke the lens(镜片).
Marcus was angry, and he shouted, wondering who had thrown the baseball at him. He picked up the ball and headed toward the baseball field. He was worried about telling his teacher, Mr. Baker, about the broken telescope. Sure, it wasn’t his fault, but he had positioned the telescope near the baseball field, and he still felt he should take responsibility.
As Marcus stepped onto the baseball field, he realized some fans and players were watching the eclipse. Each person was trying to get a chance to look through the telescopes that some fans had brought to watch the eclipse. Marcus noticed a boy running toward him. ”I’m really sorry about what happened with your telescope. I didn’t mean to break it. I should have been more careful," said the boy, with a sincere expression.
注意：1.续写词数应为150 左右;2.请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
Marcus understood that it was just an accident.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After a while, it was Marcus’s turn to look through the telescope.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Avoiding people in a small town requires the skills of a spy. Alban, 22, hasn’t seen or spoken to his junior school teacher, Ms Taylor, in his town for many years.
In Grade 9, Alban argued fiercely with one of his classmates, Robert. Robert grabbed his arm and verbally (言语) threatened him. When Alban turned to Ms Taylor, hoping for help, she kept silent and seemed to be thinking about something. Before she spoke, Alban rushed out angrily. That was the end of his relationship with Ms Taylor who had been the one person in school he could depend on. Then Alban moved like a ghost, taking precautions to stay far away from Ms Taylor.
One day after graduation from college, Alban was halfway home when he felt his cellphone vibrate (震动). It was Julia, the monitor in Grade 9, who had announced the classmate reunion and Ms Taylor’s retirement ceremony, which would be held in the school meeting room. Alban’s heart sank. Although he missed his classmates, Alban felt embarrassed to attend the reunion. Ms. Taylor would be there!
Despite his hesitation, Alban arrived on time for the big day. From where he sat, Alban saw his teacher, thin and tired, walk unsteadily into the room. She had not been well. Alban hesitantly walked over to her. He didn’t say much, just a few pleasant words. No hug or smile. Many people crowded in. The ceremony began and Alban sat there, just listening to the speeches of Ms Taylor and other students.
After the party Ms Taylor’s image, present and past, always haunted (萦绕) him. Alban’s memory of Ms Taylor began when he was in Grade 7. She’d listen to him patiently and help solve his problems in every aspect. She’d often suggest interesting books, and they’d share their opinions. Sometimes she even took him to camp near the school on weekends. Great memories still remained in his mind.
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。
Alban decided to visit Ms Taylor again.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As scheduled, the day when Ms Taylor and Alban went camping came.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________For 8-year-old Perryn Miller and his family from Holly Ridge, North Carolina, Christmas was anything but relaxing. Their troubles were far more depressing than the regular holiday headaches. Earlier last year, the Millers lost their home to Hurricane Florence. They’ve been staying in a small house ever since.
Last December, the family travelled to Utah to visit their relatives, where they were hoping for a brief break. That was when Perryn started experiencing headaches. His parents, Jacob and Jaimee, received shocking news that their little boy had cancer after a trip to the emergency room. Doctors diagnosed Perryn with glioblastoma multiforme, a rare and aggressive form of brain disease. The family has remained in Utah ever since, so Perryn can go through chemotherapy and radiation at Primary Children’s Hospital. He’s already proved what a little fighter he is by making it through surgery.
His parents are obviously heartbroken, but they say they’re also moved by the outpouring of support they’ve received. Just over two weeks after creating a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Perryn’s medical expenses, they’ve already received nearly $50,000.
For Perryn, though, there was one thing missing in his recovery: the comforting presence of his dog, Frank. Perryn has a deep bond with Frank. Every afternoon, Frank would go to the side of the road to wait for Perryn who would come home on the school bus. However, the 8-month-old German dog had been left behind in North Carolina while they were visiting their relatives in Utah, and it was being looked after by their neighbor. It is 2,300 miles from Holly Ridge, North Carolina to the house of Perryn’s relatives. Under normal circumstances, it takes 52 hours to drive to get to the Primary Children’s Hospital. Perryn’s story quickly spread on social media, where it caught the eye of a former truck driver, Bob Reynolds, who was a stranger to the Millers at that time.
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。
Bob Reynolds decided to offer Perryn an amazing gift.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Then after thorough preparation, Bob set out.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In a small town located in the mountains, there was a young boy named Owen. He was crazy about basketball more than anything else in the world. He would spend hours every day practicing his dribbling (运球), shooting and passing. He dreamed of one day winning games on a team.
Owen’s town had a small basketball court that was often empty. Owen would go there every day after school to practice. One day, as he was shooting hoops (投篮), he heard a voice behind him, “Hey, kid! You’re pretty good!”
Owen turned around to see a tall man with a friendly smile. The man introduced himself as Coach Johnson and asked Owen if he wanted to join his basketball team. The team was made up of kids from all over the town, and they practiced every day after school.
Owen was overjoyed because he had never played on a team before. He wanted to start and win games. Owen quickly became the star player of the team.
However, the team never won a game. “I had trained so hard and performed excellently, but we were always losing! Jack should have run much faster towards me and Kris should have passed the ball to me!” Owen kept complaining to the coach.
The complaint seemed understandable! Owen was admired by his teammates because he was fast and had incredible shots. However, Johnson knew Owen lacked something important. He told Owen to learn to play with his teammates as a team instead of just focusing on himself. Owen didn’t quite understand that at first and insisted he just needed to practice harder to win games.
However, disaster struck. Owen injured his ankle one day and had to sit out for several weeks, which let him fall into anxiety. He felt his dream was slipping away.
During his recovery at home, Owen refused to see anyone on the team, except his coach. Johnson handed Owen a phone downloaded with some videos about the best basketball teams and some cards from Owen’s teammates.
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。
Owen couldn’t wait to watch those videos.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After recovering, Owen returned to his team as a changed player.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In 2019, an unattractive package arrived at my front door. Inside was a 2-by-4-foot scrapbook (剪贴簿) filled with candy wrappers over 70 years old. It was sent by Jeffrey S. Green, who was a famous candy company’s vice president. After the company closed down, the scrapbook traveled 2,950 miles to La Verne, California, to the farm my family and I call home.
I’m the founder of the online website “Roadside Attraction: Candy Wrapper Museum”, where I share my 50-year collection of little slips of paper, designed to be tom and thrown away. Why? Because these small objects serve as time machines, opening an emotional door to the past.
I was 15 years old when I started collecting candy wrappers, inspired by friends with cool collections like beer bottles from around the world. Some of their collections are classified either by size and color as well as sports or people. Inspired by these novel collections, I wanted to start one of my own, but of what? I usually spent my few coins on candy at the candy shop. The candy shelves were a wonderland of tasty treats with colorful wrappers in different themes, all shouting: Pick me! Big Bears, Milk Duds, Jujyfruits, Choco’Lite, Lemonhead… How could a girl decide?
Then inspiration struck. Instead of throwing away those wrappers, I would save them. I would create a Candy Wrapper Museum. I hoped that the wrappers would one day be enjoyed as art, nostalgia (怀旧) and humor. It was 1977 when I was a teenager. An idea struck me: I would collect these wrappers throughout my lifetime, then open up the museum as a roadside attraction in my old age. I chose my first pieces, Nice Mice and Cinnamon Teddy Bears, and so began this journey.
My family were the first to leave the candy wrappers to me. Then the relatives. My friends caught the spirit of fun and donated pieces. Collecting became an affordable, novel way to explore the world around me, one that could turn even an ordinary shopping trip into a treasure hunt.
In 2002, inspiration struck again. Why wait until retirement? Why not open the museum right now on the internet, the ultimate “superhighway”?
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。
Building the online museum was a massive six-month, one-person project.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When the museum was launched, I doubted whether anyone would be interested.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Crane climbed into the last remaining lifeboat. Three men got into the boat with him. They were the ship’s captain, the cook and a sailor named Billie. For three days, the men steered the small boat through high waves along the coast of Florida. At last, they saw land.
A long stretch of coast lay before the eyes of the men. Slowly, the land rose up out of the mountainous sea. The men could see a small house against the sky. To the south, they could see a lighthouse. Tide, wind and waves were pushing the lifeboat northward. The men thought someone on land would have seen the boat by now.
The men waited and waited but nothing happened.
The waves grew stronger. They seemed always just about to break and roll over the little boat. The coast was still far away. The sailor said: “Boys, the boat won’t live three minutes more, and we’re too far out to swim. Shall I take her to sea again, captain?”
“Yes! Go ahead!” said the captain. The sailor turned the boat and took her safely out to sea again.
“It’s funny those life-saving people haven’t seen us,” one of the men said.
“Maybe they think we’re out here for sport! Maybe they think we’re fishing. Maybe they think we’re fools.”
The coast was still far away. The sun began to go down. It got dark and cold. Billie rowed, and then Crane took his turn. They rowed and rowed through the long night. The land had disappeared but they could hear the low sound of the waves hitting the shore. This was surely a quiet night.
A night on the sea in an open boat is a long night. The sailor continued to row until his head fell forward and sleep overpowered him. Then he asked Crane to row for a while. They exchanged places so the sailor could sleep in the bottom of the boat with the cook and the captain.
Crane thought that he was the one man afloat on all the oceans in the world. The wind had a sad voice as it came over the waves.
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。
Para.1:
Suddenly, there was a long, loud swishing(嗖嗖声) sound behind the boat and a shining trail of silvery blue.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Para.2:
When day came, the four men saw land again.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Bonnie raised her granddaughter alone after the girl’s parents died. She hated her granddaughter’s art and wanted her to stop drawing. But everything changed when Mr. Henderson, a famous cartoonist, appeared at her doorstep.
One day, Bonnie called out to Amy as she took the chicken out. “Dinner is ready, honey! Come soon!” But Amy didn’t answer.
Bonnie finished setting the table and served them dinner, but she still didn’t hear a response from Amy. “Amy? Honey, your dinner is getting cold! Are you coming?” she asked her 10-year-old granddaughter again.
When Amy didn’t respond, Bonnie climbed the stairs to the girl’s room and pushed the door open. Amy sat at her desk, with her headphones on. At first, Bonnie thought Amy was studying, but then she noticed the drawing sheet on the table in front of Amy. Bonnie frowned (皱眉) in anger.
“Amy!” Bonnie screamed, and the girl turned around and removed her headphones.
“Granny? I… I was just…” Amy said.
Bonnie stormed up to Amy’s desk, and the little girl tried to cover the drawing, but it was too late.
“Did you finish your math homework, little girl? Mrs. Warren called me today. And she told me you’ve been ignoring her assignments!” Bonnie said angrily.
“I’ll finish the homework,” Amy said. “I was planning on doing it once I finished the sketch (素描) I was working on, Granny.”
“I’m tired of that hobby of yours, Amy! You’re no longer doing those drawings!” Bonnie went on. “Those things you draw are not going to help you in the future! You finish your dinner, and then you’ll be doing your homework. You’re not leaving the house to play with your friends until you finish your homework. Am I clear?” Bonnie said and stormed out of Amy’s room.
Minutes later, Amy walked into the kitchen and quietly sat at the table. They began eating dinner in silence. Bonnie was already in a terrible mood, so she didn’t ask about Amy’s day like she usually did. Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
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。
Amy answered the door and was surprised to see Mr. Henderson.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Bonnie hesitated for a long time and decided to ask Mrs. Warren for advice.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Ridoy, a 12-year-old boy, lived a carefree life under good care of his mom and dad. Just like any other boy of his age, he often lost his temper with his parents. Sometimes he obeyed what they said, but sometimes he would completely ignore them. For example, one day, Ridoy’s mom needed to go shopping for some ingredients for cooking and she asked Ridoy to help look after his one-year-old sister. But Ridoy just blurted “no way”, slapped the door and locked himself into his bedroom. There was another time when Ridoy’s dad urgently needed Ridoy to fetch a pair of fliers for him when he was fixing his bike. Ridoy just refused without thinking. But Ridoy’s parents did not worry a lot since this was very common in kids.
It was an unexpected holiday announced by the school of Ridoy and he had a five-day holiday. For the first two days, he spent a good time with his mother. She took him for outings. They went to the beach and amusement parks, and had delicious dining. She cooked his favorite foods and played with him. Three days were left and Ridoy’s mother wanted to clean the house, which she intended to involve Ridoy in. To her surprise, he accepted without hesitation. With the help of Ridoy, the house instantly became very tidy and the floor shone like a mirror. Everything she asked him to do during the three days was done to perfection. Although she was astonished by his behavior, a delicious sweetness well up in Ridoy’s mom’s heart.
While she was cooking the dinner meal on the fifth day, Ridoy gave her a piece of paper written by him. Since his mom was busy cooking, she asked him to place the paper on the dining table. After cooking the meals, she took the paper left by his son. The piece of paper contained the following list:
Cutting grass in the garden -$2
Cleaning the house -$3;
Taking care of my sister -$3;
Removing the garbage -$ 2;
…
In total, you owe me $20
She was literally shocked,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The boy was in tears when reading the paper.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Last year, I started doing some volunteer work for a charity in my town that helps disabled children. I found out that the charity needed to buy some new wheelchairs, but that they really didn’t have the money. So, I started to think about what I could do to raise money.
When I mentioned this to my friends, they said, “Well, why don’t you run the London Marathon?!” They laughed and so did I — we all know that I’m not an athlete at all. I’d never done any running before. But later, I started to think that it might not be a bad idea.
I approached the charity and discussed the possibility of participating in the marathon on their behalf. They were excited with the idea and agreed to appoint me as their representative. With their support, I purchased the necessary running equipment and began my training journey.
Every night, I laced up my running shoes and hit the sidewalk, determined to build my endurance. After a month of consistent training, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I could comfortably run nearly five kilometers. However, the reality remained: the marathon covered a challenging distance of 42 kilometers.
With the race only five months away, I intensified my training efforts. I pushed myself to the limits, knowing that completing the marathon was not only a personal achievement but also a means to secure funds for four much-needed wheelchairs. The thought of making a difference in the lives of disabled children motivated me to persevere.
As the race day approached, I filled my mind with determination and excitement. I knew that crossing the finish line would symbolize the end of my hard work and the success of a noble cause. With the support of my friends and the charity, I could run 25 kilometers during my training sessions.
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。
However, when the big day came, I was not at all sure that I was ready.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________With every step, I fought against my physical limitations.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Everything went according to plan, until it didn’t. The night before my first marathon, I ate the classic runner’ s dinner. That morning, I woke up before my alarm, tiptoed downstairs to toast three waffles and slathered them in peanut butter. I had slept eight hours, my unreliable left knee wasn’t bothering me, my stomach was full. I was ready.
Then my girlfriend, Louisa, knocked on the door asking: “Have you checked your email?” The Twin Cities Marathon in Minneapolis and St. Paul had been canceled. Race officials sent an email at 5: 16 a. m. announcing the race had been called off due to “black flag conditions”-- record-breaking heat.
While I understood why the race organizers didn’t want to put runners at risk, I also knew that I had trained in the baking and humid Washington, D. C. all summer. If I started early and finished around noon, I’d miss the worst heat of the day. Louisa offered to bike alongside me, with water, snacks and salt pills in tow.
I quickly called my friends to figure out what to do. About 40minutes later, we were heading for starting line in downtown Minneapolis, drinking a gallon of water, ready to run our own marathon. There is a psychological difference between running 42. 2 kilometers and running an organized marathon. The distance becomes a shared challenge when you’re running with thousands of others. That gives a runner confidence they can finish the race as well.
“When you’re in that marathon setting, having people on the sidelines, having people running alongside you, maybe running in a new location, there are so many other external things to help keep you focused, “my friend Samson said. The sights and sounds “give you a little of a break from the internal reflection that can happen when you start to struggle.” Indeed, it is a mental race.
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。
On our way to the starting line, we were wondering if anybody else would show up despite the cancellation.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The last 8 kilometers of the Twin Cities Marathon route are largely uphill.
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