16-year-old Lisa hated looking at herself in the mirror. She was not comfortable in her own skin and feared people would label her “ugly” after seeing the burn scar on her face. It hurt her every time she had to recall that tragedy where her face was badly burned in a big fire. She enjoyed being alone, lost in books and melodies on her guitar. Shortly after Lisa’s 15th birthday, Chris, Lisa’s father, was stricken by a severe illness and lost his ability to walk. However, Chris managed to provide for the family. He sent his daughters to school and did everything possible to improve their lives. But their difficulties never ceased, mainly after he had to spend much on his mother’s heart treatment. It appeared as though fate had only terrible plans for this family.
Lisa knew everything, and she couldn’t bear to watch her daddy struggling so much. She wanted to help relieve her family’s burden. “What can I do to improve our lives?” Lisa lost in deep thought. One day, a leaflet promoting a local music contest landed on Lisa’s foot. Lisa’s eyes sparkled with hope when she read it and saw that the cash prize was $25,000.
Lisa secretly registered for the music contest. Over the years, she had been passionate about music, skilled at playing the guitar and mastering numerous musical pieces. Now, she needed to compose an original song, sing it and accompany it with her guitar. Lisa locked herself in her room in her spare time, preparing for the contest. In her original composition, she illustrated the joyful moments spent with her family, and she emphasized her heart felt gratitude for her father’s contribution to the entire household. Her lyrics over-flowed with genuine emotion. She tirelessly worked on the song, determined to perfect her performance. With the date for the contest approaching, Lisa spent more time on her preparations. She seemed no longer afraid to look at herself in the mirror. She often stood in front of the mirror, practiced her song and imagined her performance on the stage. Hopefully, she thought she would give her father a big surprise.
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 big day arrived, and Lisa was nervous.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Despite not winning the contest, Lisa’s performance impressed many audiences, including a musician.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________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 .
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Beyond the Horizon
Oshima was sitting at the sea side but the beautiful site did not make her feel good. Her face was dull and gloomy. She was staring at the setting sun without an expression on her face.
But she was not an unhappy child like this always. Six months before, Oshima was a happy child who loved playing at the beach with her brother and sister. Her brother Mittsu used to make sandcastle and Oshima and her sister Osheen collected the sea shells. Her father always shouted, “Come home, it's late”, but they would not listen. The seaside was like their second home. At house also, they were a happy family who always laughed and played and had no problems to bother for.
One day all of a sudden something terrible happened. A violent tsunami came and took the entire country in its grip. It was a huge natural disaster. Most of the houses were washed away. The cities and towns were flooded with water. Oshima’s town was near the sea and so the tsunami flooded her town as well. Her house was washed and they lost all their belongings.
Her grandmother Midori cried and cried and was totally shocked. She has not seen such destruction in her whole life. They were homeless. Oshima wept and wept and complained that why a violent tsunami hit her city. She was very angry.
The government shifted them to a refugee (难民) camp where many families shared the living space. Helicopters dropped food packets and they had to stand in long queues even for drinking water. Their life had turned upside down. Oshima could see the sadness visible in her parents' eyes. Now she did not like the sea at all and always felt that the sea had broken her trust and was very disappointed with the waves. For her the sea was very cruel who had taken her beautiful house away.
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 day Oshima saw two little children playing in the camp without any trace of sadness on their face.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A new ray of hope filled her spirits, making her cheer up.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My brother Matthew was becoming a teenager. Now everything was changing. He spent most of his time indoors talking on the phone. He refused to dive after the football for fear of getting his jeans dirty when we played catch. Yet I kept expecting to return to the past when I was his hero, his big brother and his best friend. It was tough facing the fact that I was no longer the center of my brother’s universe, and I worried about where I fit in his new life.
I discovered the answer during Matthew’s seventh-grade year, when he attended a summer camp and I served as a volunteer.
He was usually the center of attention, blowing straw wrappers at all of his friends and showing off football skills. He was the kid everybody knew and loved. It was happy for him, but I barely saw my brother the whole week. I felt being cast aside like an old shoe. I was the one who had taught Matthew how to blow the wrappers of straws off and play football. I had been with him for every major moment in his life until now, and suddenly it was as if none of that mattered.
Then, on the last evening, Matthew called me as I was leaving. “Chris! We’re gonnia play football. You have to come!” I blinked in surprise. “Are you sure? Won’t embarrass you?” I asked. “It doesn’t matter. Just play.” he replied, smiling.
I followed Matthew to the football field. When his cool new friends saw me, they laughed, “I thought you were getting a real player!” one of the guys shouted, eyes widening with disbelief.
“He’s my brother,” was Marthew’s reply. “And he’s really good!”
I wound up on the opposite team from Matthew. Still, I wanted to score a hundred touchdowns to prove to my brother that his faith in me wasn’t misplaced. Unfortunately, I never got that chance. The guys on my team simply refused to pass the ball to an older man. Exactly they wouldn’t let me anywhere near 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。
That football game might have been the most frustrating one I’d ever played.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“He’s my brother! ” Matthew said proudly to all his friends.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
When the sun rose one summer morning, Mark, a high school student, was riding his bike on the way to school as usual. He admired the attractive sights along the road with colorful flowers on both sides, and fresh air full of pleasant smell. It seemed to be a great day.
Mark was passing a park when he noticed an elderly woman walking about 100 meters ahead slowly falling down onto the ground. He felt his heart standing still with great concern. With nobody else around to turn to for help, Mark decided to ride over to see what was wrong with her for himself.
As he approached the old lady, he found her lying on the ground and looking pale and weak. Judging from her untidy clothes and messy hair, she might have been out for more than one day.
“Are you all right, Granny?” Shaking her arm, Mark asked anxiously. The old lady opened her eyes, a confused and lost expression on her face. She hesitated and then took a closer look. Immediately a big smile appeared on her face. Grasping Mark’s hand, she said with shining eyes, “John, there you are at last! My son, I’m hungry... hungry... Give me food...” She repeated, patting herself on the stomach.
Not knowing what to do, Mark anxiously asked her, “Granny, where is your home? Can you tell me who your son is?” But the old lady didn’t respond, only mumbling (嘟囔), “I’m hungry. Give me food, John.” Obviously, she mistook Mark for her son.
All of a sudden, Mark realized the old lady might be a patient with Alzheimer’s (痴呆症)disease because his own late grandpa used to suffer from such a condition. “She might have gone out without being noticed by her family. They must have been worried about her. Maybe they’re searching like crazy for her everywhere.” Mark thought to himself, “But she is so starved. I must give her some food before I get in touch with her family.”
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。
Looking around, Mark saw Billy’s Hamburgers nearby.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Just then the old lady reached into her pocket, a note dropping out.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________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.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When danger is coming, firefighters are heroes who put their lives at risk to keep everyone safe. But in calmer moments, they can also go the extra mile for someone with something so simple yet impactful.
Many fall in love with firefighting as a child by riding a truck and visiting a fire station. Whether he does or doesn’t grow up to become a firefighter, he will know he is loved and accepted the way he is. This is especially heartwarming when children are at the receiving end of firefighters’ kindness.
Now, one firefighter went out of his way to make sure that a kid didn’t feel left out when his team spent a day with some children from a kindergarten.
These children spent the day in getting a close look at the fire station and the work of firefighters. First, led by firefighters, they paid a visit to the fire station, which made them feel excited. Later, in order to make the children have a more real experience, the station decided to let the young tourists wear red fireman helmets (头盔).
When they wore the red fireman helmets, everyone was so delighted and cheers broke out. But one child was standing with low spirits and didn’t wear a red helmet. It seemed that the child wasn’t welcome, which may influence the child’s confidence. That made the firefighters surprised.
“One child didn’t wear a red fireman helmet. No enough helmets?” One of the firefighters asked the children’s teacher.
“No. Well, his hair was in a high ponytail (马尾辫), preventing him from putting his helmet on. And he likes the high ponytail very much and doesn’t want to break it,” the teacher replied.
“I see. Maybe we can do something, can we mark the width of the child’s ponytail and cut a hole in the tiny helmet to make sure his hair fit s through the hole?” the firefighter said.
Hearing that, the teacher thought it was a good idea.
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。
With the help of the teacher, the firefighter started carrying out his plan.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The firefighter handed the brand new tiny helm et to the child.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I remember wondering if we should even be friends when I found out that my new friend Karina did not share my opinions about some stuff. It was hard to imagine disagreeing with her about anything, because when we first met, we got along so great.
It was as if we’d known each other forever. Whenever we got to pick a partner at camp, we picked each other. Whenever we had a break, we hung out together. And the more time we spent together, the more we realized how amazingly alike we were. We both had two lovely cats. We both liked baking extra-creative cookies.
But then something happened. The tent camp was next to a piece of beautiful land that had a bunch of giant old trees on it. Whenever it was nice out, we’d get to eat our lunch at picnic tables that were right by some of those trees. “Whoa!” said Karina one day. “Look at the millions of holes all the way up and down this trunk.”
“That’s amazing,” I said. “A special kind of woodpecker (啄木鸟)makes those holes to store acorns (橡子).”
“Pretty cool! ”said our counselor, Miguel. “Now, let’s all be sure to keep this magical forest as clean and perfect. Don’t forget to put your trash and recyclables in the bins.”
And that’s when things got complicated. “Hey,” said our friend LeVar. “Have you guys heard that shopping-mall rumor (传闻)? They want to cut down a bunch of those trees to make room for a shopping center.”
“That’s terrible!” I said. “We have to stop that.”
“I disagree,” said Karina. “My parents said the shopping center would make new jobs for people.”
“But think of all the birds and squirrels that would lose their homes!” I said. “I want people to have jobs, but not if it means cutting down trees.”
“Don’t you think people’s jobs are more important than trees?” Karina asked.
“Can’t we figure out how to make jobs without destroying nature?” I answered.
“You know,” Karina said, super seriously, “maybe we’re not quite as alike as we thought.”
I sighed sadly.
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。
Maybe two people with opposite points of view just aren’t meant to be friends, I was thinking. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We ended up having much more fun at the tent camp. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
