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.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was two days before Christmas and young Maggie was told again that Paxton would not be returning.
Maggie’s father had found the weak deer a year ago and they had taken care of him. Maggie’s father, a vet, tended to the deer’s injuries and bandaged his foot. Maggie noticed that he had markings above his eyes that resembled the sun with rays of light. She named him Paxton and promised to take care of him.
Maggie couldn’t sleep that night and kept checking on Paxton from her window. The next morning, she rushed to the house to see Paxton. Paxton was still timid around her, but with time, he started eating carrots from her hand. Every morning before school, Maggie would feed Paxton.
Maggie wanted to keep Paxton, but her father explained that he was a wild animal and needed to be released after his foot was healed. Mr. Dotson could see his daughter’s affection for the little deer. That scared him, because he knew Maggie would never be able to say goodbye. So when Paxton’s foot had been healed, Mr. Dotson came home early one afternoon to set Paxton free. Maggie was overcome with sadness and called out to Paxton every day, hoping he would hear her.
In time, though, Maggie did come to understand that wild animals, even little deer, need to be in their natural habitat. But that didn’t change how much Maggie cared for and missed Paxton.
One day, as it started snowing, Maggie stood by a pond behind their house, feeling upset. The pond hadn’t frozen that winter, as the weather was warmer than usual. Mr. Dotson felt guilty about having not been more supportive of his daughter’s belief that she would see Paxton again. Although he didn’t want to give her false hope, he realized that no longer mattered, since Maggie was hurting and he wanted to help.
As Mr. Dotson walked outside to greet his daughter, he carried a pair of binoculars (双筒望远镜) with him. He and Maggie would spend the next couple of hours in the woods, where they searched for deer tracks in the newly fallen snow. As Mr. Dotson had expected, their search came up empty.
“I’m sorry we didn’t have better luck, Maggie.”
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。
Para1.
As they hiked through the snow towards home, Maggie’s heart felt heavy.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Para2.
“Daddy, look! It’s Paxton!” Maggie shouted, her voice filled with excitement.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________There once was a little village situated in the rich area of New Delhi, Just beyond the village lay a pond, which was a deep dark blue in the middle. Beautiful plants grew all over it. All the children in the village loved the pond. They frequently came to swim and play with water in it. During the summers, the cool water would refresh them from all the dust and heat, and even prevent them from getting immersed (沉溺于) in social networking apps like We Chat or Whats App.“It’s so nice and beautiful,” they would all say.
Then, one day, the villagers began to send the water from the pond into small channels leading to the nearby fields. These channels looked like tiny streams, and they called them irrigation (灌溉) channels, saying that it would help the growth of the plants in their fields to become taller and greener. After some time, the plants did grow taller and stronger. However, the pond was no longer as deep as before; it became shallow.
Sometime later, a factory appeared near the village, letting out a lot of thick black smelly smoke and released (排放) many chemicals into the pond. As these chemicals traveled from the pond through the channels to the fields, many plants died. The pond turned black and produced an awful smell, causing the children to lose their desire to get close to it anymore. They couldn’t even think of splashing water and playing in it as they used to. “It is so dirty.How can we play in it?” they said. Then came the burning hot summer. The pond dried up entirely, without a single drop of water remaining. The beautiful plants surrounding it died too. The once lively village now looked ugly, its beauty lost forever, leaving only memories of what once was.
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。
The children decided to do something to make a difference.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Over time, their efforts, especially what they did through the apps, took effect.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The classroom was so quiet that I only could hear their breath. I found that between classes, there were few students chatting or playing. It seemed that every student was buried in books and did exercises on and on. I knew the exam was drawing near and every student was preparing for it. Some of them even took books to the dining hall and there were others staying up studying. It was obvious that students took the exam seriously.
However, John, a top student in the class, wasn't among them. He used to work harder than anyone. Now, he was not only late for class but it was also typical of him to sleep in class. When I checked his exercise books, I found all blank（空白的）. I wondered what's wrong with him. So I called him out and asked him if he had trouble with his study. He bit his lip, lowered his head but explained nothing.
With puzzles increasing, I called his friend Mike into the office. Mike knew nothing about why his friend behaved so strangely. He also told me that John would be the first student to rush out of the classroom after school and refused to wait for him. And even when Mike invited John for their favorite football on weekend, John refused, saying he was busy, and hung off quickly. When I asked about John's family, Mike told me that John lived with his grandmother because his parents passed away many years ago. Though living a poor life, John's grandmother looked after him well. So John studied hard to live up to his grandmother's expectation.
Suddenly, I sensed maybe John was in need. So I asked Mike if he was willing to accompany me to John's house. To find out the truth, I decided to pay a visit to his family. Mike agreed and we set out without delay.
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 door was open, John was surprised at our arrival.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After the truth was discovered, we decided to take action.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My name is Wen Yu, but you can call me “Fish”. I want to talk about the time I went to the US to meet my American pen pal Drew, but first I need to go back a little bit to explain things.
I was a second-year junior high schooler when my English teacher, Ms. Gao, had us experiment with a pen pal program set up through our school. This was an amazing opportunity at the time since it meant we could use our English skills to communicate with other teenagers the same age as us around the world through email! Still, I was a bit shy and nervous since I knew my English was pretty poor; but at the same time, I was excited to make a new friend and was determined to improve with this new opportunity presented to me.
Ms. Gao assigned me to write emails with a boy named Drew in the US. He was from a city called Cincinnati in Ohio. I knew a little about the biggest cities in the US— New York, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago— But Cincinnati? I had no idea where it was. Maybe it was somewhere near one of those cities?
As we continued to talk through email, I was surprised to find my English was slowly improving. I found my English going from stiff and formulaic (刻板的) to more natural and casual to match the way he wrote. I even picked up some slang (俚语) words along the way! We got to know each other’s hobbies and interests as well as our dreams and hopes for the future. Drew seemed so nice, and I found myself wanting to visit him someday and see what Cincinnati had to offer. He, too, wanted to visit Beijing and try out the local food I had told him so much about.
We continued our email conversations even after the program ended. Drew told me how long his summer break was going to be and said he’d show me around if I were to ever visit. To my surprise, that opportunity would come sooner than I thought.
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，每段的开头语已写好；
As it turned out, my parents were planning a surprise vacation to the US.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Entering the baggage claim area (行李领取处), I finally came face-to-face with Drew.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Due to my unhealthy eating habits, I became fatter and fatter after college. My good friend Anoush was a running enthusiast. So he advised me to lose weight by running. I didn’t agree at first until he promised to accompany me to run although he was busy with his work.
Seven years later, I got more serious about running. And I dreamed to participate in Boston Marathon. Anoush encouraged me to realize my dream. He also said he enjoyed running too and wanted to attend the same marathon with me. Every day we spared our time to practise hard and did about 2 marathons a year, during which time Anoush gave me much professional guidance and encouragement. And then one day, both of us qualified for the 2017 Boston Marathon. We were excited but unfortunately, several weeks before the marathon, we had a serious quarrel. Even I swore never to talk with him in the future.
The day came. Anoush and I stood at the starting line. He said, “Good luck! You will certainly finish the marathon.” Hearing his words, I looked at him, saying, “It’s none of your business.”
Then we started running. I had strong mental confidence by using positive self-talk when running distances, which has helped me finish 18 marathons. Soon, I passed Anoush.
But I struggled in the heat starting at mile 16. I felt most of my oxygen went to the muscle in my legs and less in my brain, which made me feel a bit lightheaded and fuzzy (迷迷糊糊的). I continually encouraged myself. “Just get to the finish, run bold, and you will win,” all phrases that I say to myself didn’t work any more.
Gradually I felt out of breath and had to slow down my pace. As I ran down the famous last stretch of the Boston Marathon on Boylston Street, I fell down on the ground with my legs moving like jello (果冻).
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。
Just then, I felt that someone picked me up.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When Anoush and I crossed the finish line, the audience at present applauded.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I am not a gamer. I’ll be honest: video games and I don’t really see eye to eye, and I have no ambitions to become better. I never have the experience playing against my kids and winning. And that’s okay. Board games, on the other hand, are a different story. At least there, I stand a chance of victory.
One day, my 12-year-old son begged me to play a game with him. He held out a game controller and begged, “Just one game with me? You can use it to control the game through your movements.” His eyes were full of anticipation and I could see the excitement welling up within him. How could I possibly resist such a sincere and heartfelt request? “Just one game.” My son’s face lit up. In a matter of minutes, we were standing in our living room, virtually bowling away.
My son’s amusement at my lack of gaming skills was evident. I could see the struggle on his face as he fought to hold back his laughter. The game controller felt awkward and unfamiliar in my hand, but I did my best to copy my son’s movements and follow his lead. At one point, my son said, “No, Mom. You really have to put some force into it. Like this.” With that, he threw his arm back, stepped forward, and with plenty of force extended out his arm that was holding the controller. Instead of sending the virtual bowling ball flying, the controller went off his hand and broke the TV screen. The impact was immediate and destructive. The screen cracked, sending a crazy mosaic (马赛克) of colors dancing across its surface. It looked like something straight out of a dream.
The air stood still at that moment. The look on my son’s face was a funny mixture of horror, disbelief and guilt. He stayed absolutely frozen for a long moment. Then, slowly, he turned to me. “Mom...” with a weak smile, “Did I just... break the TV?”
注意：1. 续写的词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡上的相应位置作答。
Surprisingly, I wasn’t angry at all.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________But my son insisted on keeping the broken TV.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Summer vacation was finally coming, and Rose couldn’t wait to have a trip with her parents. She recalled the joyful experiences they shared last summer, which filled her with excitement for the upcoming holiday.
“Girls!” Rose heard her father calling. She raced to her big sister’s room, telling her that Dad was calling them, and they rushed downstairs log either. Dad put his arm around Mom and told them that they were going on a trip to the Virunga Mountains of Africa. There were three national parks that they would visit.
Rose and Gina looked at each other. “What?” they said with one voice. Mom told them it would be really exciting to go there on a trip. At 12 years old, Rose would prefer going to an amusement park or a beach. She thought it important to let her parents know she didn’t want to go there but to the beach for a week or two.
“Well,” said Dad, “I have to go for an assignment for the paper. We’re covering the mountain gorillas (大猩猩) because they’re critically endangered these years. So, I thought it’d also be a great place to take a vacation. I’m sure it’ll be very educational for you girls.”
Gina let out a sigh, unable to contain her disappointment. She wanted to say something but Mom interrupted and announced that the trip was set on the next Monday.
“Sit down, both of you.” Dad had on his severe look. “Girls, it’s important for you to know about the world around you. This is a wonderful chance for you to experience and learn an amazing place. Do you know anything about the mountain gorillas?”
The sisters shook their heads.
“Well, get your laptop computer, Gina. I want you to look them up right now,” said Dad, “Rose, there is a book on the bookshelf about the cute mountain gorillas. Find it and read it.”
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。
The girls dragged their feet upstairs.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The next Monday came and the family set out excitedly.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My younger sister and I loved to play the piano, so when the annual winter concert was canceled, we were disappointed. We had been looking forward to it for a long time and had already prepared two of our best pieces. “You and your sister can perform at Carriage House Senior Living (CHSL),” my mom suggested. “The seniors there would love your music and you could each play more than just two pieces.” It seemed like a win-win situation because I’d play more songs and also have the chance to cheer up the residents with some lively music.
My mom called CHSL and made arrangements for my sister and me to perform. We were told we could play the piano during the Sunday dinner hour in two weeks. In the coming days, I worked hard to polish up fifteen pieces that I thought the crowd would enjoy. My sister and I decided that first I would play three songs and then she would. We would take turns playing until the end of the hour.
When the day finally arrived, we reached CHSL, and stepped into an entryway that overlooked the big dining room. Right at the entrance to the room stood the piano. The dining area was filled with round tables. At nearly every table several gray-haired people were seated, enjoying an early dinner and the company that the crowded room provided. Regardless of the conversations going on at various tables, isolation (孤独) hung like a dark cloud in the room.
Almost immediately, we were greeted by an old woman who introduced herself as Phyllis. “You two must be here to play the piano,” she said smiling. When we nodded, she seemed pleased and told someone to get a microphone. “I’ll introduce you to the audience,” she said. She told us that she was always the one in charge of doing things like that. I asked her if I could introduce myself and she agreed. While we were waiting for the microphone, I pressed a key on the piano and it produced a beautiful sound.
注意：1.续写词数应为150 左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡相应位置作答。
Soon a man returned with a microphone.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My nervousness disappeared as I began the song.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In Mr. Russo’s classroom, excitement filled the air as he announced, “We’re down to our final two spellers!” Jasmine couldn’t hide her joy, confident she was going to win. Finn, her competitor, reached out for a handshake, wishing her good luck. But Jasmine replied with a smile, “Luck has nothing to do with it,” leaving Finn embarrassed.
Then, it was Finn’s turn to spell his word. “Apology,” Finn took a deep breath and spelled, but he got it wrong. Jasmine watched closely, waiting for her turn. When she spelled “apology”, she stressed the letters Finn missed. After spelling the final word “Arrogant” (傲慢), Jasmine was announced the winner.
At lunch, Jasmine couldn’t stop herself from showing off as she walked by Finn and his friends. “How hard can it be to spell a few words?” she bragged (吹牛). Before they could answer, she walked away with pride.
The big day of the spelling bee showed Jasmine a different picture. Surrounded by older students, she started to doubt herself for the first time. She hadn’t thought about the tougher words she might face. A comment from Josh, a fourth grader, that “apology” was an “easy” word, made her worry. “Maybe I should have studied the list of words Mr. Russo gave the class,” Jasmine thought to herself.
As Principal Lopez introduced each of the spellers, cheers from each student’s classmates came from different areas of the hall. When Jasmine’s name was announced, most of Mr. Russo’s class clapped for her except Finn, who seemed to be looking at her angrily.
As the bee went on, Jasmine felt increasingly nervous with each word spelled right by others. Finally, it was her turn. Jasmine walked slowly to the front of the stage, her earlier confidence now mixed with caution. The audience watched, waiting. “Please spell ‘caterpillar’,” Principal Lopez asked.
Jasmine’s heart sank as she didn’t know the word.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After the competition, Jasmine opened the classroom door.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
