The first time I saw Suzy Khan, I knew I had to help her. She was really small for her age of 12. The boys in my class often joked about her and laughed their heads off. She would open a book, pretending to read, with tears dropping on the open page.
All I knew was that she was an orphan (孤儿) from Africa. She had just been adopted by a family in town and they decided that the best way for her to learn American ways of life was to be with American kids in the school. I looked down at this tiny girl and promised myself that somehow I would help her.
“But how could I help her fit in with us? There had to be a way”, I thought to myself.
One day, when I went into the classroom, I saw that Suzy had opened her geography book to a picture of a train, and in her notebook, she had made a perfect copy of it.
I was surprised and thought that she could do something in the coming talent show. So, I shared my idea with her and took her to see the art teacher, Miss Parker. I showed her what Suzy had drawn. “Wow, it’s wonderful,” said Miss Parker. She then showed us a poster she had painted for the talent show. “I need more of these, but I just don’t have enough time. Could you help me, Suzy?” “Of course, Miss Parker. I’d love to” said Suzy. I was on the edge of my seat with a strong sense of fulfilment.
On the day of the talent show, Suzy’s posters were everywhere—all over the hall and all over the school, each one different.
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。
“And finally,” said Mr. Brown, the schoolmaster, at the end of the show, “we have a special award.”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mr. Brown thanked her for all the wonderful posters and gave her a professional artist’s set as an award.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As I went home, my heart was filled with excitement. I had earned a perfect score of 100 on my math test! Mom had promised that a big cream cake would be my reward for such a performance. Bursting through the door, I couldn’t wait to share my great news.
“Mom, Mom!” I waved the test paper. “I did it! I got a perfect score!”Mom’s face beamed (发光) with pride as she took the test paper. To my surprise, her expression darkened, but she quickly regained her smile. With a gentle smile, she said, “Oh, that’s wonderful, honey! I’m so proud of you.” “Can we get the cake now?” I asked eagerly. “Of course,” Mom said. “I’ll just go to the store and pick one up.”
As Mom left, I couldn’t contain my excitement. I switched on the TV, watching my favorite cartoons. Time seemed to fly by as I eagerly awaited Mom’s return. When she finally arrived, we divided the cake, enjoying every bite. The sweet cream melted (融化) in our mouths. It was so delicious.
The following day in class, as we exchanged answers with classmates, I noticed something was wrong between my paper and the answer key. Puzzled, I went to Miss Johnson after class. “Excuse me, Miss Johnson,” I said. “I think there might be a mistake. My answer to question number 15 doesn’t match the answer key.”
Miss Johnson took my test paper and examined it carefully. Her eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, my goodness, you’re right!” she said. Miss Johnson compared my answer with the correct answer key and discovered that I had made an error on question number 15. My actual score was 95. A wave of embarrassment washed over me. “I’m so sorry, Miss Johnson,” I lowered my head. “I didn’t realize that I had made a mistake.” Miss Johnson smiled gently. “Don’t worry about it, honey. Mistakes happen.”
Though Miss Johnson decided that she wouldn’t change my grade, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I should tell Mom the truth.
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。
Later that evening, as I got home, Mom was preparing dinner.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________To my surprise, Mom burst out laughing, saying, “Oh, honey, I already knew that.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A tracking camera set up by a team of dog tracking experts in Colorado has caught the incredible journey of a missing dog named Ullr. He managed to survive 11 months alone in the wilderness, following a snow crash that separated him from his owner.
Jacob Dalbey, Ullr’s owner, received the long-awaited confirmation of his beloved dog’s survival through photos taken by the tracking experts he had employed. Dalbey expressed his great joy and gratitude on a GoFundMe page, launched by his friend, Deborah Wieker. “After 341 days, 11 months to the day of setting up tracking cameras and food and moving them around in the hope of attracting Ullr into one to finally get confirmation of what I have known all along, it happened,” Dalbey shared. “To all of you. friends and supporters of Ullr and me, I want to thank you so much. Knowing you believe in us really means a lot, even when I don’t say it. It has been extremely difficult to say the least. Your support has made it possible to keep searching for Ullr over the last 11 months,” he added.
The separation between Dalbey and Ullr occurred on March 17, 2023, when they were caught in a snow crash near Chair Mountain while backcountry skiing with friends. Despite being seriously injured and hospitalized, Dalbey displayed incredible resilience (韧性), recalling, “I was fully buried with my right arm sticking out of the snow. I was able to clear my airway immediately and then dug myself out over three hours with a broken hand and frozen fingers.”
Deborah Wieker explained that Dalbey, unable to work due to injuries during the snow crash, faced a significant financial burden with unplanned medical bills. At the same time, he needed to cover the expense of the tracker that played an important role in Ullr’s discovery.
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 story of Jacob Dalbey and his dog moved people online.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Jacob Dalbey finally recovered, leaving the hospital to pick up his dog.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________There is a saying that we should all just mind our own business and let the chips fall where they may, because no good comes from doing good. This, of course, is not necessarily true.
In Hawaiian culture, aloha has many meanings. First, it is a greeting. However, it is also an expression of love and friendship. One man was a living example of “aloha”, for he had a story to unfold.
Amanda was shopping with her young son, and she was absorbed in picking up their groceries for their family reunion. She was in such a hurry that she even forgot her wallet in the shopping cart, which contained her driver license, credit cards, plenty of cash, and even a gift card that could easily be redeemed (兑换) by anyone . It was not until she arrived home that she found her wallet gone. The woman returned to the supermarket, and started her search for the lost wallet by watching hours and hours of security footage in the supermarket. After turning to several different cameras around the store, but in vain, she completely gave up hope.
Andy Jose was a security guard at the World supermarket. He moved to Maui 5 years ago, and worked as a security guard at the grocery store to support the family and put himself through college. He rode his bike to work and school every day because he didn’t have a car.
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。
Para .1: He was busy collecting the shopping carts when something caught his eyes.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Para.2: Amanda and her husband decided to do something big to show their gratitude .
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One day my grandfather gave me a gift — a piggy bank. It had an opening through which one could put money in, but the opening was not big enough to reach in. The only way to get at the money was to break the piggy bank open. My grandfather explained that was the whole idea: the piggy bank would help save my money so that, at the end of the year, I might have enough for that bike I dreamt about. He asked if I would put some of the money he gave me into the piggy bank. I agreed immediately and promised that I wouldn’t break it open until I could afford my dream bike.
Whenever he gave me money, I saved some and put it in the piggy bank. I loved the feel of shaking the piggy bank and hearing the sound of the coins. As it became heavier, I grew more excited, dreaming about buying my new bike, and all the adventures I could have on it.
Whenever I wanted to take some money from the piggy bank to buy delicious ice-creams or beautiful pens, I would imagine riding my bike on the street, and thinking of that, my thoughts about ice-creams or pens faded away. So for almost six months, I only put money into the piggy bank without taking any out. I thought I wouldn’t break my piggy bank for anything. But one day something unexpected happened. I saw a piece of news on the television that a serious earthquake had happened in a nearby province. As many houses were destroyed, a lot of children became homeless. Seeing their crying faces, I was sleepless that night.
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。
I knew I should do something.
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My grandfather was surprised by my behavior.
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It was right after Thanksgiving that registered nurse Jennifer Smith got an early morning phone call from John Burley, one of her favorite patients. He was extremely worried about his beloved dog.
Smith came to work early the Monday after Thanksgiving. Burley, who struggles a bit with speech, was calling from his hospital room, “Boomer is in the pound (流浪狗收容所)! Boomer is in the pound! Boomer is my world.”
Smith, who has been a nurse for 12 years, has a 13-year-old dog herself she has had since a puppy, so she fully understood the panic. She told Burley that she could tell he was concerned and also scared about what would happen to Boomer.
Burley took a breath and asked Smith, “Will you take care of Boomer?” “Of course, John, I will find Boomer and take care of him for you,” Jennifer Smith became a nurse to help people: any way that she can help somebody.
Smith had met Burley at the Grand Rehabilitation (康复) and Nursing Center in Rome, New York, through its adult day health care program, which is for patients requiring supervision (监护), and which allows them to socialize with others while receiving medical care.
60-year-old Burley still had his own apartment where he lived alone with his dog Boomer. Burley had adopted the 12-year-old dog in Arkansas when he was a puppy and later moved to New York. Most of his family still lives in Arkansas, so when he was hospitalized for pneumonia (肺炎) and lung problems, he had no one to take care of Boomer. No one—except Smith.
Smith formed a friendship with Burley in the adult daycare program and he would often talk about Boomer, showing off pictures of his furry companion. “I couldn’t separate the two of them. I just couldn’t. It made my heart sad for him and Boomer,” thought Smith.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；2.请按如下格式作答。
Burley didn’t know which shelter Boomer was in.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________With the permission (允许) of the nursing center, Smith was able to bring Boomer to work with her.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One afternoon in August, five years after Mom passed away, I was unpacking my groceries(食品杂货) in my kitchen. When I lifted my left hand out of a grocery bag, I suddenly couldn’t breathe. Looking at the ring on my finger, I found the star sapphire (蓝宝石)was gone. Mom had given me the ring on my twenty-first birthday. I had worn it every day for twenty-nine years. It was a reminder of Mom and a symbol of our love.
“No! No! No!” I yelled, hurrying to check the bag and the floor, and then my car, but the star sapphire was nowhere to be found. Feeling helpless, I called my best friend, Marie. “The star sapphire in my ring fell out. I don’t know what to do,” I said, extremely worried.
Marie replied, “Please don’t be anxious. Try to stay calm and positive. You can go back to the places you just visited and take a look.” But how could I keep hope in seemingly impossible situations? Anyway, I started my car and drove to the grocery store again. I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was little chance that I could find my stone.
Back at the grocery store, I pulled into the same parking spot and looked everywhere for my star sapphire. My hands and knees felt the hot ground as I searched crazily around and under my SUV car. Then I rushed inside the store, searching for a familiar face for more help. I spotted Amanda, a staff member whom I had met on previous shopping trips, and urgently tapped her on the shoulder. “I was just here twenty minutes ago and lost the stone of this ring. It’s very special to me. It’s from my late mom. Could you please help me look for it?” I cried, unaware that many other people around also heard my words.
Amanda’s eyes softened and she nodded understandingly. She immediately took a large mop(拖把) and started carefully sweeping it back and forth down the first aisle (过道) of the huge store.
Paragraph 1:In tears, I called after her, “It’s light blue and small.”
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
Suddenly, a customer near the counter excitedly called out loudly, “Oh, Madam, I’ve found it!”.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was Father’s Day and I wanted to make it special for my father. I planned to surprise him with a homemade breakfast in bed and a day full of activities that he loved.
I woke up early that day and started preparing his favorite breakfast, paratha with butter and honey, and a glass of milk. I put a note on the side of the plate where I had written, “I love you, Dad!” and arranged everything perfectly.
With the plate in my hands, I walked toward Dad’s bedroom. I opened the door and tiptoed(踮着脚走)toward his bed. But to my surprise, Dad was not in bed. I looked around the room, but couldn’t find him there. I searched for him in the house. But there was no sign of him.
I checked his car and it was in the garage(车库). I was very worried and did not know what to do. Just then I saw my mum coming out from the other room. I asked her about Dad and she told me that he had to leave early for work that day. He had an important meeting and a car was sent from his office to pick him up.
I was sad to hear that. Then I slowly walked towards my room, and there I noticed a note on my side table. It was from my dad. He had written the same thing Mum had just told me, but he had also promised to buy oranges on his way back as I had asked him to do so the night before. He had also expressed how sad he was to be spending this day without me, but promised to make up for it as soon as possible.
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: I was disappointed but I knew that work was important to my dad.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph2: The next morning, I woke up early and quickly freshened up.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I was 10 years old when I asked my mum for piano lessons. She was recently laid off due to the economic downturn. She said a polite “no”.
That didn’t stop me. I Googled the dimensions of a keyboard, drew the keys on to a piece of paper and stuck it on my desk. I would click notes on an online keyboard and “play” them back on my paper one keeping the sound they made on the computer in my head. After a while I could hear the notes in my head while pressing the keys on the paper. I spent six months playing scales and chord sequences without touching a real piano. When my mum saw what I did, she borrowed some money from family and friends, and bought me 10 lessons.
I still remember the first one. I was struck by how organic the sound of the piano was, as I had become familiar with the artificial electronic sound. The teacher tried to explain where middle C was but I could already play all the major and minor scales, as well as tonic and dominant functions.
I took the first grade piano test after eight lessons and got distinction. By the time I started secondary school, we couldn’t afford lessons again, so I returned to my paper keyboard. I passed grade three, then grade five, practicing only on my piece of paper.
When the head of music at my school knowing my experience, he said I could practice on the school’s grand piano. I would wake up at 5: 30 am to get there in time and play until lessons started. I’d forgo lunch and then practice after school until the caretaker kicked me out. At home, I’d have dinner, do one hour of revision, and then mental practice until 11 p. m.
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。
One evening, when I was about 12, I came home, and my mum said she had a surprise for me.
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My dad was very much against me playing, but when he heard that piece, something inside him changed.
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Ophelia went in for a job interview at a company that had several start-up businesses under its wing. She was applying to be the secretary to the CEO, but she was late for the interview.
“I’m truly sorry I was late, sir,” Ophelia said. “I had an emergency earlier today. That’s why I couldn’t make it on time. I hope you can give me another chance,” she added.
The boss answered, “You’re applying to be my secretary. You need to be at the top of your game 24/7for this role, and being late for your interview is just not good, though. I’m sorry, but I can’t employ you.”
Ophelia had to leave the company. That evening, she looked sad.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” her son Jessie asked her.
“I didn’t get the job, son. I didn’t make it in time for the interview,” she said.
Jessie was very sad when hearing this, so he decided to do something for his mom.
The following day, Jessie came to visit the boss.
“Hello,” the boss greeted him. “I’m James. How can I help you today?”
“Hi, sir,” the young boy said. “My name is Jessie. My mom came in for an interview yesterday, but you refused her. Is there any chance you can give her a second interview? I promise you, my mom is the most hardworking person you’ll ever meet!”
“Really? Why should I give her another chance?” James said, surprised.
“It was because of me that she didn’t make it on time. I accidentally dropped some food on my shirt, and she had to wash it because I only had one uniform to wear in school. It took a while to get the stain (污迹) out, so she was late,” Jessie explained.
“My mom works hard, sir. My parents once ran a cleaning supplies (清洁用品) and equipment business. Because of an accidental fire, their company was destroyed. My parents had to start all over again,” he continued.
James listened and felt sorry for Ophelia. He remembered Ophelia didn’t mention the company in her resume (简历). He told Jessie he would give his mom a second chance.
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。
That same day, Ophelia was asked to return to the company.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Ophelia was too surprised to speak.
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