I sat in the breakfast corner with my four-year-old son, Matthew, trying to ignore the ache in my stomach. I was still recovering from a surgery. I hoped for strength and happiness. But the future seemed so hopeless.
Matthew jumped up from his spot on the kitchen floor. “Bird!” he shouted, rushing to the sliding door. Sure enough, there was a white dove seated on a rubber tree. It sat there a few moments, and then flew away. I’d never seen one in our neighborhood before.
When I dragged myself to the kitchen the next morning, the dove was back. This time it was with a mate carrying twigs (嫩枝), “Look, Matthew,” I said, pointing to the tree. “They’re going to make a nest.” The doves flew in and out of the courtyard all week, building on the top of the rubber tree. Matthew could hardly contain his excitement. Every morning, he’d run into the kitchen and take his spot by the sliding glass door, talking to the birds while they worked. As much as I was grieving (感到悲伤), I couldn’t help but look forward to the doves’ visits too. We watched their progress as if it were a real-life soap opera unfolding before us. Gradually, my pain disappeared, replaced by joy.
Then it all went wrong. The courtyard was a safe enough spot for a nest, but the rubber tree’s broad, thin leaves were far from stable. One night, a strong wind blew through, throwing the doves’ nest to the ground. I heard the twigs break apart. Nothing good ever lasts. I wouldn’t blame the doves if they never came back. But they returned. And they paid no attention to the pi le of sticks that had once been their nest. They started again from scratch, though the wind destroyed all their hard work. The next day, and the next, they renewed their efforts, as if nothing had happened.
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。
Paragraph 1: I knew I had to do something for the poor creatures.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:“The birds were back!” Matthew announced.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Teachers are a gift, especially Troy’s teacher, Donna. She always goes above and beyond for her students, but what she did for Troy’s family is truly beyond selflessness but a miracle(奇迹).
Donna is one of those teachers who pay close attention to the students in their classroom. She began to notice something odd in one of her elementary students, Troy. He was not active in class like he had been. Troy used to be a passionate student in class, engaging with teachers and his friends. Being a helping hand to the teacher and classmates, Troy was always welcomed by everybody. However, he was all of a sudden so shut down and his behavior was simply not the same. He seemed to be silent all the time, and his eyes lost light of desire for knowledge and passion for any activities. Donna grew very concerned and wondered if there was something going on that affected his performance at school. So, she reached out to Troy’s mom to express her concerns.
And that was when she discovered something wrong. For the past year, his mom had been in stage-five kidney(肾)failure. She was in pain every day and desperately needed a new kidney. But she had a rare blood type, so finding a match for a kidney transplant was virtually impossible. Her condition had been a very long and anxious journey. It had been so painful for the family, and it had definitely made an impact on Troy. And in class, he had been silently carrying the pain his mom was going through at home.
The news broke Donna’s heart. She knew that she just had to do something. She was there as a loving friend to help Troy with his studies, but she was also there for his mom. Donna researched how to become a kidney donor and discovered that she had the same rare blood type as Troy’s mom. She got tested and, surprisingly, she was a match.
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。
When Donna told the news to Troy’s family, everyone was surprised.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Soon the kidney transplant took place.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________At Sandringham I got to know this kid, Teddy, a funny guy. He is one of those friends with whom you start hanging out and from that day forward you’re never apart. We were both very naughty. When you put us together, it was a disaster. Walking home from school, we’d throw stones through windows, just to see them broken, and then we’d run away.
One Saturday night, we were at the shopping center and most of the shops were closed. The cinema was still showing movies and the building was still open. There was a shop that sold greeting cards and magazines and it didn’t have a door. So when it closed at night, there was only a metal gate, like a trellis (架子), which was pulled across the entrance and padlocked (用挂锁锁上). Walking past this shop, Teddy and I realized that if we put our arms through the trellis, we could reach the chocolates just inside. We reached in, took a few, and then swallowed the chocolates. We started going back again and again to steal more.
We did this every weekend for at least a month. Then we pushed our luck too far. It was a Saturday night. I reached in to take a chocolate, and at that exact moment a security (安全) guard came around the comer and saw me with my arm in up to my should. I brought my hand out with a bunch of chocolates in it.
注意：1. 续写部分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。2. 续写词数应为150左右。
I saw him. He saw me. His eyes went wide.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The next day when Teddy and I ran into the classroom, the headmaster was there waiting.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The Gratitude Jar
Once upon a time in a small town, there lived a woman named Emily. Emily was known for her warm smile and compassionate heart. Despite facing life’s challenges, she carried an atmosphere of gratitude that inspired everyone who knew her.
One day, Emily came across an old, dusty jar in the comer of an antique shop. Interested, she picked it up and noticed a small label that read. "The Gratitude Jar." The shopkeeper explained that the jar was meant for collecting moments of gratitude — tiny notes that captured the essence(本质)of thankfulness.
Excited by the idea, Emily decided to start a journey of gratitude. Each day. before the sun dipped below the horizon, she would sit down with her Gratitude Jar and reflect on the blessings of the day. From the warmth of the morning sun to the laughter of children playing in the park, Emily found joy in the simple things. She set down the joy in different tiny notes and put them into the jar.
As the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months. Emily’s jar began to fill with an abundance of notes of gratitude. She was amazed at how her perspective on life had shifted. (Instead of thinking about what she lacked) Emily focused on the richness of what she had — the love of family. the support of friends, and the beauty of the world around her.
One chilly autumn evening, Emily faced an unexpected challenge. The news of a job loss cast a shadow over her sunny disposition. Feeling a mix of uncertainty and fear, Emily sat down with her Gratitude Jar. wondering if she could find anything to be thankful for in such a trying time.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右：
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
As she read through the gratitude notes in the jar, something magical happened.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Two weeks after the application, she received a letter for her new employment.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________For years, putting up Christmas lights had been a family tradition for the Patrick’s household. It was an occasion when they would busily prepare for the celebration of Christmas.
Their Christmas light display was always a highlight of the neighborhood and brought much delight to the whole community. Typically, Anthony would invite the neighbors over as they decorated the Christmas tree in the front yard. Emily, who lived next door and had known Sara’s family for long, often came to admire their wonderland of Christmas lights.
In early December, Anthony would string colorful lights all around their roof until it looked dazzling. On the front lawn, he would blow up a large white Frosty the Snowman and a Rudolph with a glowing red nose. Sara always joined in, along with their warm-hearted neighbors, hanging gifts on the tree and playing “White Christmas” over and over to keep everyone in the spirit.
Yet the bad news came in the midst of the festive mood, before they could finish the Christmas decoration. Anthony fell desperately ill. The symptoms suggested acute heart failure and he was soon admitted to hospital. Sara spent days and nights in the ward, attending to Anthony and praying for his recovery, though the hope was slim. On Christmas Eve, Anthony passed away.
It came as a huge blow to Sara. In the following days, she had to manage the funeral while struggling to figure out a way to cover housing and household expenses, and tackling a seemingly endless list of difficult to-dos. Perhaps hardest of all, she had to persuade herself into accepting the loss of her father. It was too much to take.
When she pulled up to the house after a long day on the go, the only thing that could comfort her were the twinkling Christmas lights, which brought her a spark of hope-it felt as if the brightness of the lights could cancel out some of the darkness of the past days’ misfortune.
Wanting to help, Emily shared their story on a community website.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Touched by their kindness, Sara decided to fulfill the lighting decorations, though Christmas was gone.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________That was a big competition. We all knew it. The entire school was filled with excitement and anticipation. It was the annual choir(合唱) competition, and we were determined to participate despite knowing that many of us were not the best singers.
As the class monitor, I felt responsible for calling in my classmates and convincing them to join the chorus. I knew it wouldn’t be easy; some of them were hesitant and gave me skeptical looks, while others ran away. But I wasn’t ready to give up.
With a persuasive tone and genuine enthusiasm, I spoke to my classmates, explaining why it was important for us to participate as a team. I told them that it wasn’t about being the best, but about coming together and enjoying the experience of singing as a group. Slowly, I started to see some students were interested and a few of them promised to give it a try.
Our rehearsals (排练) were intense, filled with laughter, and sometimes frustration. We tried our best to perfect our harmonies and cooperation, but deep down, we still held onto the belief that we would probably end up at the bottom of all-the choirs. In that moment of despair, a boy from our choir whispered, “Are we just asking for humiliation(羞辱)?” The words made our doubts and fears stronger.
But right before it was our turn to step onto the stage, Mrs. Wood, our music teacher, brought us together in a tight group. She looked into our eyes and said firmly, “We are not here to impress; we are here to express.” Her words made all the difference.
With an understanding of the true meaning of our performance, we stepped onto the stage. As the music started, we sang from our hearts. We didn’t worry about being perfect or winning the competition; we focused on expressing our love for music and the joy of singing together.
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 performance ended, our headmaster stepped onto the stage.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The competition results were announced later, and we were awarded a special medal for our team spirit.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Alice, you spend too much time on your phone,” her father said. “You need to focus on your studies.”
“But Dad, I’m doing my best,” Alice replied. “I’m balancing my phone time with my studies.”
In the tense meal, Alice and her parents argued about her recent changes. They were focused on her increased attachment to her phone and its impact on her studies. Her parents were concerned that she was neglecting (忽视) her studies and worried about the impact it might have on her future. They felt that her attachment to the phone was taking her away from her studies.
Alice said, “I know you’re worried about me, but I’m trying my best. I just want to have some fun with my friends and take a break from studying sometimes.” However, her parents didn’t seem to understand or accept her explanation. They felt that she needed to focus more on her studies and less on the phone.
The argument escalated (升级) when Alice announced that she wanted to leave the science club she had been a member of for years to join a new social media club. Alice explained, “I’m not sure if leaving the science club was a right decision or not. I just feel like I need a change.” Her mother was shocked and said angrily, “You made this decision without thinking it through. You’ve done well in the science club, and you have a lot of potential to go further. You’ll regret it if you don’t keep going.”
After that argument, Alice, feeling increasingly frustrated, withdrew into herself and spent more time in her room. She started to avoid her parents as much as possible and didn’t want to talk to them about anything related to her studies or her future.
Her parents saw that the little girl who had come back laughing and talking was gone, and now they saw a face that was alternately angry and sad. She did spend less time on her phone, but she became increasingly unhappy.
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。
One night, Alice’s parents knocked on the girl’s door and said they wanted to talk to her.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________At this point, Alice seemed to see some hope of joining the social media club.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When he was around 5-6 years old, my brother Ted, who is four years younger to me, suddenly found his legs unable to move one night. What followed was one of the hardest times of my parents'life. Months passed with them meeting various doctors, visiting different hospitals, and knocking at the doorstep of every possible chance — all the time with Ted in their arms, since he wasn't able to walk on his own anymore.
There were doubts of permanent paralysis（瘫痪）— the very mention of which was enough to break us down. From finding it extremely painful to walk, to not being able to get up on his own, and to not being able to stand at all, Ted's problem was worsening day by day. Most surprisingly, all this while, he was as strong as, perhaps, only children can be in such difficult times.
During this period, it was not unusual for my mother to have sudden breakdowns. Once, she burst into tears while watching Ted playing joyfully. He wiped off her tears, and said, “Don't cry, mummy. See, I can stand and even run on my own!” Saying this, he tried to get up, stood on shaking legs for just about a few microseconds and fell down, only to be safely caught in the arms of my mom, who hugged him dearly and cried some more.
This was the most heart-breaking thing that I had ever experienced. But it was also a powerful one for the simple fact that it was my little brother who taught us what life was all about—HOPE.
Witnessing my brother's strong will and positive attitude inspired me as well. As a brother, I could not stand by doing nothing at all. Hope was burning in my heart when I had the idea to train my brother to walk again. I firmly believe Ted could stand up and walk as he used to. Whenever school was over, I would put Ted into a pushchair and tell my mom that we'd just go to the park.
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。
In the park, I would put Ted one meter away from me, encouraging him to walk.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________We agreed to keep this a secret from our parents until mom's birthday.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________9 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。
Peter was a Russian Borzoi (a kind of dog). He weighed close to eighty-five pounds and had the long nose and narrow head of the Borzoi. So narrow was it that it didn’t seem to have much room for brains. In Peter’s case, it didn’t. He was what might be termed “dim (迟钝的)”, and he became easily confused, but he had gentle nature.
We loved him dearly. We attached identification tags to his collar in case he got lost. When he became confused, he would sit in one spot waiting for one of his humans to come to his rescue. And someone always did.
On the day in question, I had gathered up my dog family of one Old English Sheepdog, one Whippet rescue, one little wolf rescue, and Peter. They were all settled in my covered pickup truck bed, and I was headed out for our daily exercise, six miles into the country where there was no leash (拴狗绳) law and they could run free. They were all trained not to chase wild animals, to stay reasonably close, and to come when called.
After I had walked for about ten minutes, I noticed that one dog was missing. Peter, of course! It seemed obvious that he had stopped to investigate some irresistible smell, and then, becoming confused, had turned back the way we had just come. He would easily be able to follow our smell but in the wrong direction. And when a Borzoi runs, he covers a lot of ground in a very short time.
Feeling guilty, knowing I should have kept a closer watch on him, I walked back, calling and whistling, but there was no sign of him. It was winter and would soon be dark. In desperation, I started to pray, hoping someone might help Peter.
After about half an hour of intense searching and calling at the top of my voice, I finally decided the best thing to do was to drive the two other dogs and little wolf home, which would leave me free to come back and hunt for Peter.
I reached my house in record time just as it opened to reveal my husband standing there.
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。
“We’ve lost Peter,” I shouted breathlessly.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
My husband said, “No. It was this gentleman who sent Peter home.”
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A boy called Jamy always arrived home hungry every day and his parents couldn’t figure out why, despite making meals for him. When Jamy wouldn’t share what was going on, his parents decided to visit the school principal (校长), hoping the principal could offer some insight.
After talking with Jamy’s classmates, the principal and his parents heard a story they weren’t expecting. Although Jamy never talked about it, his classmates told them that he always came to school without food. The principal and his parents were shocked. No wonder Jamy was always so hungry after school! Was there something happening on the way to school that Jamy didn’t tell them?
To make the situation clear, the principal asked Jamy’s teacher, Callum to talk to Jamy in private. During the conversation with the teacher, Jamy refused to say any further details about the situation, leaving everyone frustrated and helpless. And despite multiple questioning, Jamy still refused to say any knowledge of the situation. This left the principal with no evidence to take any action regarding the missing lunch of Jamy.
Jamy’s parents were becoming increasingly concerned as their child continued to come home from school without saying a word. Despite their meeting in the school, they thought that they hadn’t gotten any closer to uncovering the truth about why Jamy was always so hungry. The lack of communication from their child only added to their frustration and helplessness. They knew they needed to take action, but they had no idea where to start.
Determined to get to the bottom of the problem, Jamy’s father decided to take action again. The next day, Jamy’s father went to school and requested to speak with Jamy’s teacher Callum.
When Jamy’s father reached the school, Callum spoke with him and patiently answered all of his questions. However, despite a deep conversation between them, no conclusion could be reached, which still puzzled Jamy’s parents.
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, by accident, Jamy’s father found a thank-you note from his study (书房).
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Jamy’s parents were touched by Jamy’s act of kindness.
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