“ Rachel Pettingill! ”
As Truman came home from school, he repeated the name in his head. Throughout third grade and the year before, Rachel Pettingill had earned the highest science grade in the class. Truman was used to being second best.
“ But science is my thing, ” he declared.
Truman’s parents were scientists, and he would be a scientist. That was just a fact. Somehow, with only one week and one assignment left before break, they were neck and neck. Dead even.
The subject of the project was beehives (蜂窝). As his teacher had explained, to earn an A+, he needed a “ new angle. ”
Truman pushed open the front door to find his four-year-old brother, Bryan, playing his paper towel tubes on the living room floor, hard at work.
Bryan leaped to his feet. “ Truman, help me build a city! ”
“ I’d like to, but I have to do a report on beehives. Bryan. Sorry. ” Truman stepped carefully between the tubes. He went to his room, dropped onto the bed, and studied the ceiling.
“ Rachel Pettingill! ”
Her report would be extraordinary.
“ Truman? I know where there’s an old beehive. ” Bryan poked his head in. “ Follow me. ”
They marched to the firewood. Bending down, Bryan pointed out the hive deep inside the tree. Truman carefully removed the hive from its hole.
Back in his room, Truman sat at his desk, turning the delicate hive under a lamp. Each cell was a perfect hexagon (六角形). How did the bees fit the cells together so neatly? And how did they make each cell six-sided? Could they count?
“ Boys, dinner’s ready! ” his mother called.
As he walked to have dinner, his foot came down on something strange.
“ Truman! You’re ruining my city! ” Lost in thought, Truman hadn’t seen Bryan settle in behind him with a mess of paper tubes. Bryan began to cry. Loudly. He gathered an armful of his tubes, threw them into a sink and ran sobbing into the living room.
Truman sighed and gathered the rest of the tubes in both hands.
注意：
1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2.至少使用5个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:
As he held the tubes over the wastebasket, they suddenly reminded him of something.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Truman ran to the living room and gave his brother a big hug.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Grandfather was a wise and honorable man. His house was not far from ours, and I would visit him often going home after school.
No matter how rotten I had been, I could tell Grandpa anything. My secrets were safe. Whenever there was a problem, he gave me the tools to fix it. I knew I would always find the best answer from him. He always understood. He loved me.
I remember a time when a bunch of us were playing baseball in the field behind Mrs. Ferguson’s house. I hit one pitch just right and slam! It was a home run that soared high and away, and ended up breaking Old Lady Ferguson’s kitchen window! We all ran! Walking home, my best friend, Tom, asked, “How will she ever know who did it? She’s blinder than a bat!” He had a point.
I was afraid that Mrs. Ferguson would stay mad at me, so I ran. I didn’t know what she would do. I tried to calm down. However, my stomach was in knots. On the way home. I imagined that she was a mean witch (女巫) chasing me, and the further way I ran, the larger she grew... until finally she towered over the whole town, seeing my every move with an evil eye. Thoughts rushed through my mind. Would Mrs. Ferguson stay mad at me? Would she call police? Worse still, would she tell my parents I couldn’t even imagine the disappointment on Mom and Dad’s face. They were hoping I would act honestly and in a responsible way
I decided to stop by Grandpa’s. I felt ashamed. I wanted to hide. I wanted to knock my head against a tree a thousand times and make the world just go away —as if punishing myself could undo things.
“I would tell everything to Grandpa,” a voice inside me said.
“I was wrong.” I told him, with my head down. He must have known something was up by the expression on my face. He knew we had been warned many times about the dangers of playing where we shouldn’t.
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: But he just listened while I continued talking.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Para 2: Grandpa smiled when he knew I had figured it out.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I live with my husband in San Luis Obispo, California, about three miles from the beach. Every few years, the humpback whales come into the bay for a few days while they’re migrating. November 2020 was one of those times, so we took out our yellow double kayak（皮艇）to watch the wildlife. We paddled out the length of the pier（码头）and saw seals, dolphins, and about 20 whales feeding on silverfish. We were in awe watching these graceful giants—each one about 50 feet long—breach and spray through their blowholes. We laughed when they turned their side fins so that it looked as if they were waving at us.
At the time, my friend Liz was staying with us. The next day, I asked her if she wanted to go out on the water to see them.
“No way,” said Liz, now 65. She was not an experienced kayaker and was terrified that the kayak would overturn while we were surrounded by hungry whales. “There’s nothing to worry about,” I assured her. “The craft is stable, and we can turn back anytime. I’ve learned somewhere that whales have enormous mouths but tiny throats. Anything they can`t swallow they spit right out.” After some cajoling（劝诱）, she finally agreed to join me. I didn’t want her to miss this magnificent experience and regret it later.
Liz and I got out on the water at 8:30 the following morning. There were already about 15 other kayakers and paddleboarders in the bay. It was warm for November, so we wore T-shirts and leggings. After a half-hour, we had our first whale sighting just past the pier: two humpbacks swimming toward us. How amazing to be that close to a creature that size, I thought as the whales dipped under the waterline.
When whales go down after breaching, they leave what looks like an oil slick on the water. I figured if we paddled toward that spot, we’d be safe from the whales, since they’d just left. We followed them at a distance—or what I thought was a distance. I later found out that it’s recommended to keep 300 feet away. We were more like 60 feet away.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为 150 左右；
2. 至少使用 5 个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:
Suddenly, we felt our kayak rocking violently.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Still, I didn’t panic and I just kept thinking I’ve got to breathe in this “white wall”.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I wasn’t the most popular kid in my freshman year. I wasn’t into fashion, preferred reading to sports, had difficulty talking to boys. Therefore, the first year of high school hadn’t been kind to me. I had no close friends. I mostly kept to myself with my head buried in a book.
Ashley was very different from me. She was outspoken and fashionable. She was quite popular. These were qualities I knew nothing about. We had always been in the same classes throughout school, but had never talked much.
During summer school, we were both taking classes. The teacher paired us up on an assignment. We met at the library to work on the project and really got well. Of course, Ashley did most of the talking. When classes ended we continued to hang out.
I looked up to Ashley; she was all of the things I thought I wanted to be. I began listening to the music she listened to, wearing the clothes she wore. I quit reading and started watching the TV programs Ashley watched. I even tailored my sophomore (大二) year schedule to her interests. I decided to take art class even though I had really wanted to take theatre.
When we started school again, Ashley introduced me to her group of friends, the “cool girls.” She was the leader of their group. Finally I fit in. I followed them around, laughing when they told jokes, agreeing when they had opinions. I didn’t say much. I wouldn’t want them to think that I was being rude by disagreeing. This continued for several months.
One day, I overheard Ashley and her friends were talking about me.
“She’s such a loser,” one girl said to the group. “Ashley, she just follows you around trying to be you. She copies you; she doesn’t have a personality of her own.”
Then Ashley replied, “I know, I wish she would leave us alone. We were in summer school together and now she thinks we’re best friends or something.”
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：
I stood rooted to the spot, feeling mortified (受辱的) and heartbroken.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2：
Hearing my mom’s advice, l decided I was going to stop crying and discover who I was.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sedona hiking trails can be fun and relaxing, but sometimes can also be challenging and dangerous.
Rogers, 33, an on-duty airman, was in town from Colorado Springs for adventures on Sedona trails. Even he had just taken a sharp turn on his mountain bike in April 2020 when he was stopped short by the sight of a woman sitting on the side of the trail. She was cute and had long blond hair and big expressive eyes. What he didn’t know then was that she was also in extreme pain.
Sydney Linden, 28, had been jogging down Adobe Jack Trail in Sedona, Arizona, for a picturesque sunset view of the Red Rocks when she hopped over a rock and her leg over extended on the landing. The pain was instant.
Her right leg collapsed and she hit the dirt hard. Linden tried to stand but collapsed. She wasn’t sure if she had torn her ACL (十字韧带), broken her leg, or something else. All she knew was that the pain was a 15 out of 10.
Although it was spring, the Arizona sun beat down relentlessly (无情地). Linden dragged herself to the shade, as if an animal preparing to die. She’d called a friend, but after 30 minutes, her friend was lost. That’s when she saw the mountain biker.
Rogers was trying to play it cool. He casually rode by at a slower speed, stealing a glance at the woman. Sensing her suffering, Rogers stopped and asked if he could help. Linden explained her situation and that’s when he noticed the swelling under her leggings. She needed a hospital-now.
Rogers helped Linden to her feet and they began the steep (陡坡) over the rocky region and desert bushes. It was a long way to go. Leaning on Rogers, Linden tried to hop along, but the pain was severe. She would never make it to the trailhead (登山口) this way.
注意:
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右;
2. 至少使用5个短文中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:
Then Rogers had another idea.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
It was after the operation that Linden found Rogers gone.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Be yourself and always follow your heart. Never let anyone change who you are. This is the lesson I have learned from my childhood experience when I figured out I wasn’t invited to the party, Bridget’s party.
One morning, I got off the bus and saw my friends except me hugging under the tree where we used to stand. The circle seemed tighter as I approached；the white invitation cards being hastily stuffed into backpacks gave it away. I knew as well as the entire universe that Bridget’s party was this weekend. Bridget was the most popular girl in our class. She was thin and beautiful, always wearing fabulous clothes and fine makeup.
Why hadn’t she invited me? My feet were too big? No. Maybe. My face was broken out? Why did she invite every person in my group except me? I tried to think of any interactions I’d had with Bridget recently. A few days earlier, we’d been partners during a sixth period project. I was determined to get the project done and she was absorbed in looking at fashion magazines. She barely spoke to me except to say, “You’re so serious. You know, you should smile more."
Soon, I had overheard all the details about the party. They were going swimming. It was a sleepover. They were renting scary movies and were going to stay up all night. Each time someone mentioned the party, I smiled weakly and nodded, with my stomach in knots.
When having my favorite English class, I found myself just unable to concentrate on the short stories we were supposed to be reading in class. Maybe she didn’t invite me because of my coat. It is pretty ugly compared to some of the other girls’ coats. I should have bought another color. Maybe I should smile more but I just can’t get into smiling at people unless I know them really well. But I just couldn’t pretend to be the person I wasn’t. I felt sick.
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 lunch, my friend Kate who had been invited came over to me, trying to show off.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I was about to let it go when Bridget invited me as a substitute for a girl who couldn’t come.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
When my boys were younger, going out with them was difficult. My heart sank during the holiday season every time I looked at the long line of kids waiting to meet Santa. This was not an activity our family could enjoy. The noise and crowds caused sensory (感官的) overload for my five-year-old son Noah, an autistic (患自闭症的) child. I also had a younger son, Henry, who needed an extra hand. Waiting in line was hardly possible.
I always hoped for the best but planned for the worst when I took the boys out of the house, but I knew that attempting to get a picture with Santa wasn’t worth the risk. If we had attempted to stand in line for even a few minutes, I would have been chasing Noah, and Henry would have experienced an emotional breakdown. It was easier to stay at home.
On the afternoon of Christmas Eve a year ago, the phone rang. The voice on the other end of the line said, “If you’re at home this evening, I’d like to arrange for Santa to stop by.” It was Denny, the friendly owner of a company, who had helped us with our do-it-yourself project. In a short time he was at our home, Denny’s kindness and ability to relate to our kids were evident.
I felt nervous and excited about having Santa come to our home. Denny told me it would be well arranged. Would our kids even notice? Would they be frightened by a stranger in a red suit? Would they cry?
A few minutes before I was planning to cook dinner on Christmas Eve, Santa tapped gently on the living-room window. Noah was speechless, and his jaw dropped. Henry, two years old, waved and said, “Hi, Santa!”
注意：
1. 续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1:
Excited and nervous, I opened the door and Santa stepped inside.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Santa left after staying for only a few minutes and tears streamed down my face.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
My first semester at MIT (Massuchusetts Institute of Technology麻省理工大学) was awesome — I was very motivated and got all A’s, with everything being pass. My second semester went pretty well, too, but I struggled very much in organic chemistry and ended up with a B. This was my first B ever, and though I was disappointed, I shook it off and tried to stay positive.
I was not even sure why I took organic chemistry, since I was interested in math. My parents were pressuring me to become a doctor like them so I guess I was trying to make them satisfied. But at the same time, I was desperately running away from them and their control. I was confused and had no idea what I wanted to do in the future.
For my third semester, I took Linear Algebra (线性代数). I had never done higher-level math before, and I ended up with a D. I didn’t do that well in my other classes, either. I started skipping classes more and more, sleeping more and more. It seemed like all my friends were doing so well, getting some internship opportunities over the summers, while my parents made me fly home and stay with them every summer. The next semester I got 2 Fails.
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1:
My fifth semester, I realized that I was awful at higher-level math.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Since I was forced to drop out of university,
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“A usual boring day!” This would be the answer from Roman if somebody asked him how his day was. These days he found everything boring, and nothing excited him.
One day he was lying on the bed in his room as usual. Suddenly the light went off. His room was rather hot without an air conditioner. Though he did not want to leave his room, he had to. Unwillingly, he left his room and came to the living room. It was slightly cool there as the living room had two huge windows.
His young brother was playing with his friend. They were rolling on the floor. He was looking out for the TV remote, but couldn’t find it. He got up and searched for it everywhere, but the remote was nowhere to be seen. He looked at his brother who was still lying on the floor, playing.
He asked him, “where is the remote?”
“Under the sofa,” his brother yelled.
He tried to look through the remote, but it was dark. He put his hand under the sofa. He touched something, grabbed it and took his hand out. It was a snake in his hand!
Upon seeing that, his brother started to yell, “Snake! Snake!” Mom came as soon as she heard the shouting. She was too horrified to see a snake. She was so scared that she even couldn’t speak a word. Two kids were trying to hide behind each other’s back. “What an old trick!” Roman thought and threw it to the kids.
As the snake landed on the floor and neared the kids, it started moving from the left side to the right. Only then did Roman realize that the snake was real, and not a toy. He threw the snake to kids because he thought it was a fake snake and it was the kids who were playing some tricks.
This time Mom almost got a heart attack. Now Roman was scared, too. The snake was only 10 meters away from the kids and was staring at them. They even couldn’t call the rescue team. There might be some deadly damage before their arrival. There was not much time to think. It was the time for a quick action.
Paragraph 1:
As Roman was farther from the snake, he jumped onto the window and grabbed the curtains.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
After the rescue team caught and took the snake away, everyone went inside the home.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I had just passed the bridge on the left side of our school when I saw a young man passing out in front of me. He fell face down onto the steps outside a store, which broke his mouth and left his face covered with blood. Passersby helped him sit up and wanted to know how he was doing by asking him questions, but he made no response.
Some suggested his losing consciousness might be caused by low blood sugar. A woman fetched a bowl of sugar water for the young man and helped him drink it. I bought a pack of paper tissue and a bottle of water to wash clean his face and hands. Some else called 911 for an ambulance.
Two minutes after the kind-hearted passerby called 911, a hospital called back, saying they would charge 200 dollars for sending out the ambulance and wanted to know who was going to pay the money. This added unexpected trouble to the caller. She just wanted to help, but she didn't want to end up paying for the poor man's treatment, so she hung up and quietly walked away.
I was busy cleaning the young man's broken face the whole time. When I finished, I was surprised to hear that the ambulance was not coming. At this time, the young man had got better and was beginning to talk. I asked him if he had any family, relatives or friends who could take care of him, yet his answers were hard to make sense of. A search of his pockets merely revealed a packet of cigarettes and a broken cellphone which was impossible to make a phone call with.
With his face getting cleaned up, the young man's consciousness and speech ability seemed to gradually return. He was able to give short answers to passersby’s inquiries, yet he didn't mention what caused his passing out on the street. He looked skinny and pale, like a cancer patient or a drug addict. His eyes shifted focus when he spoke as if he couldn't look at a person in the eye.
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。
Suddenly he asked me if I could walk him back to his house to get his medicine.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The longer we walked in the alley (小巷), the more scared I got.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
