Mama was weaving a mat (织垫子) with wild-grass stalks (茎秆) when she called to Achenyo, “Will you do me a favor and fetch me some water for the paints, Achenyo?” In the corner were pots of coloring matter she’d use to paint the finished mats. “Of course, Mama!” Achenyo picked up a clay pot as she slipped outside.
She didn’t like mat-weaving, although it was a tradition for a mother to pass on the skills to her daughter. Achenyo would rather be playing outdoors with her friends. Outside, Achenyo called to Ajuma, whose house was across from hers.
Both girls, with clay pots balanced on their heads, made their way to the Niger River. When they arrived at the water’s edge, what they found was shocking. The river was gone! In its place was a blanket of dark green leaves dotted by colored flowers.
“Oh no!” Achenyo cried. “The river is gone! There’s no water for drinking, cooking, or bathing! Mama won’t have water to mix the paints for her mats.
Last year, the rainy season brought an invasion of water hyacinths (水葫芦).The plants covered the river and left no room to put in a pot to fetch water. There was no room to bathe or swim. Fishermen couldn’t cast their nets for fish. And now the water hyacinths were back
“How could such a pretty plant cause such harm?” Achenyo wondered
The adults jumped into the water among the broad, green leaves, They began throwing them onto the riverbank. Achenyo and Ajuma joined them. When they’d cleared enough plants, the girls filled their pots with water. A pile of water hyacinths lay on the riverbank What a pity to waste such pretty flowers, Achenyo thought. She picked some for Mama, and then the girls headed home.
Each day, they found the river covered by water hyacinths as if no one had cleared the waterfront the day before. One day, as Achenyo moved an armful of dried water hyacinths out of her way, she had an idea. Carrying the plants under her arm, she ran home. “Mama, will you teach me to weave?
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。
Mama was too glad to pass on the mat-weaving skills to her daughter.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mama and Achenyo then taught their neighbors.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A Pleasant Surprise
It was one week before Christmas and my house was filled with festive cheer. The only thing I hoped to get from my Christmas wish list was a puppy (小狗). I had always dreamed of having a puppy, as I was the only child, and it could be quite lonely at times. However, I did not want to get my hopes up, as I knew neither of my parents liked the thought of having a puppy around the house and all that came with it.
Every time I begged for a puppy, my parents would say, “It is a lot of responsibilities, and you will have to clean up after it, give it baths, feed it regularly and walk it.”
I knew the responsibilities and was ready to take them on. Unfortunately, even with my enthusiasm (热情) and determination, my parents still disagreed to get me a puppy. There were very few chances of getting it, but I still tried asking them again that week.
“Oh honey, pick something else instead. There are so many toys that you can pick,” my parents responded as usual. As expected, I thought, giving a resigned sigh (无奈的叹息). For the rest of the evening, I decorated the Christmas tree as my parents hung some stockings. That night, I went to sleep with the hope that my dream would ever come true.
My alarm clock woke me up. “Oh my goodness, it is finally Christmas day!” I shouted excitedly and rushed down the stairs to the living room.
“Good morning, Bella!” both my parents chatted with huge smiles on their faces that were brighter than usual. My curiosity was inspired and many questions rushed into my mind. They played Christmas carols, and they sang along to the merry tunes. Just then, I caught my father smiling at my mother as if they had a secret plan and walking out of the door. When I asked my mother where my father had gone, she simply said that he had gone to pick something up. I grew confused.
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。
I wondered what they could be hiding from me.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I fell in love with the puppy at first sight and named her Daisy.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In the summer of 2005, Kathryn Fumie graduated from university and moved into an apartment to start her career. She was learning how to cook for herself, and one day, she decided to cook a hard-boiled egg by putting it in a mug (大杯) of water in the microwave.
She let the egg cook for a bit, then pulled the mug out and looked down at it. And that’s when the egg exploded in her face, burning her skin and eyes.
It was a terrible injury, and the pain was unbearable. Luckily, a roommate was available to call her an ambulance. When it arrived, the EMT (急救医疗医生) who cared for her during the 45-minute drive to the hospital helped to keep her calm.
She was extremely uncomfortable. She felt everything burnt and everything just was on fire. She kept asking him if he could do something, and if she could have a cold pack. And she was just begging for a cure.
The EMT calmly explained that he couldn’t give her a cold pack—he said he wanted to save as much of her skin as possible, and that extreme cold could cause even more damage. She had to just bear it until they got to the burn unit.
He talked her through what he was doing to take her mind off the pain. They also chatted about her new job as a receptionist at a travel agency. Most importantly, he made her feel like she was going to be OK.
He had an amazing voice, and just was so calm. And he made sure that she got passed off to the right people at the hospital.
Fumie ended up staying in the burn unit for four and a half days. About two months later, she went back to work at the travel agency.
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, a man walked up to the reception desk.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was then that she realized he was the EMT from that ambulance ride.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________注意：1. 词数80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Jennifer,
How is everything going? I am more than delighted that you take an interest in Chinese.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yours,
Li Hua
My students were already talking about Christmas plans, even though it was only October. With each day passing, everyone became more anxious, waiting for the final school bell. As soon as the bell rang, everyone would rush for their coats and go home, everyone except David.
David was a small boy in ragged (破烂的) clothes. I had often wondered what kind of home life David had, and what kind of mother could send her son to school dressed in so unsuitable clothes for the cold winter months, without a coat, boots, or gloves. But something made David special. I can still remember he was always wearing a smile and ready to help. He always stayed after school to straighten chairs and mop the floor. We never talked much. After he finished cleaning, he would just simply smile and ask what else he could do, then thank me for letting him stay and slowly head for his home.
Weeks passed and the excitement grew into restlessness (坐立不安) with the coming Christmas until the last day of school before the holiday break. I smiled with relief when the last of them hurried out of the door. Turning around, I saw David quietly standing by my desk.
“I have something for you,” he said and took out a small box from behind his back.He handed it to me and he said worriedly, “Open it.” I took the box from him, thanked him and slowly unwrapped (打开) it. I lifted the lid but to my surprise, nothing was there. I looked at David’s smiling face and looked back into the box and said, “The box is nice, David, but it’s empty.”
“Oh no, it isn’t,” said David. “It’s full of love. My mum told me before she died that love is something that you couldn’t see or touch unless you know it’s 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。
Tears welled up in my eyes.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________From that day on, David and I became good friends.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When I was 12 years old, my grandparents passed away. I was really close to them, and losing them was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through. I couldn’t eat, sleep, or think; I felt like I couldn’t ever breathe. It was as if my whole world had fallen down from under me, and I fell into this huge hole of depression.
Although I was battling depression, I was determined to make my high school years the best of my life. It was difficult to be happy, but I had to try. I joined Women’s Choir (合唱团). Mr. Wright was the choral director and he was so funny that the first day, I just knew I had made the best decision of my life.
As the year progressed, I loved chorus more and more. I began to smile again and really enjoy life.
Then one day that all changed. My friends—or those that I thought were my friends—started talking about me behind my back. I was hurt, and I sat by myself. Mr. Wright came over and asked what was wrong. The look in his eyes told me I could trust him, Trying hard to hold back tears, I told him the whole story.
When I finished, he nodded and told me, “If you never learn anything from me, learn this: No one is worth stealing your joy.” What Mr. Wright said really struck a chord (心弦) in my heart. He truly cared about me and what was going on. He not only saved me but influenced every day of it.
I began to realize that my happiness didn’t depend on what others thought of me. I slowly let go of the hurt and pain, and with each passing day, I felt myself regaining the strength to smile again. The chorus became my sanctuary (避难所), a place where I could lose myself in the beauty of music and forget about the world’s troubles.
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。
Out of gratitude for all of these, I decided to write a letter to Mr. Wright.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Years later, I follow in Mr. Wright’s footsteps, becoming a choir teacher myself.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________We had a nice and laid-back Saturday. We took the kids to the park having a great time during the day and we ordered pizza for dinner. After I got the kids into bed, I went to the kitchen to get a drink for myself. That was when I unintendedly looked out of the window to our neighbor’s house across the street. To my surprise, it was completely dark.
Our neighbor was an older woman, Mrs. Biddle. She was the kind of woman who kept to herself. She lived in a big house by herself and rarely left except to go grocery shopping. Her son would visit from time to time. Although I had attempted to get close to her, all my efforts to be neighborly toward her failed. I tried to strike up conversations, but she would cut me short. Oftentimes, if she saw me walking to her house, it was obvious from the expression on her face that she didn’t want to be bothered. She would hurry inside to avoid me.
Now looking at her house, I thought it was odd that all her lights were off. Mrs. Biddle never went out at night. As a matter of fact, she was a night owl like me, with her lights usually burning way past midnight. That’s when it hit me: I had to go over to her house. I knew something must be wrong.
Concerned about her safety, I walked across the street and rang her doorbell several times. There was no answer. With a growing desire, I tried peeking through her window, but her curtains were drawn. I went back to her door to ring the bell again when I heard something stir inside. “Mrs. Biddle?” I called out loudly. Then I heard a small voice. I couldn’t make out what she was saying, but I knew it was Mrs. Biddle, and she needed help.
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。
Running back to my house, I told my husband, Harold, what had happened.
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The next day, we went to the hospital to visit Mrs. Biddle again.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
There is a story from many years ago of a primary school teacher. Her name was Mrs. Thompson. And as she stood in front of the 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same.
But that was impossible because there in the front row, slumped (萎靡不振) in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.
Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn’t play well with the other children, his clothes were messy and constantly needed a bath. And, Teddy could be unpleasant.
It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in making his papers with a red pen, making bold Xs and then putting a “F” at the top of his papers. At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to relieve each child’s past records and she put Teddy’s off until last.
However, when she relieved his file, she was surprised, Teddy’s first grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners. . . he is a joy to be around.”
His second grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates. But he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness (绝症) and life at home must be a struggle.”
His third grade teacher wrote, “His mother’s death has been hard on him. He tried to do his best but his father doesn’t show much interest in him, and his home life will be in trouble.”
Teddy’s fourth grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is withdrawn and doesn’t show much interest in school. He doesn’t have many friends and sometimes sleeps in class.”
By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful paper and tied with pretty ribbons, except for Teddy’s. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag.
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。
Mrs. Thompson opened it in the middle of the other presents.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After the children left, she cried for at least an hour.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Many years ago, when I was just a child, my family struggled to make ends meet. Despite our financial difficulties, I sought out ways to earn a little pocket money by offering my assistance to our neighbors.
One cold day, I knocked on the door of an elderly woman’s house and kindly asked if she needed help to clean her yard. Surprised by my presence, she looked at me with kind eyes and asked why I wasn’t in school. I shyly pointed to my worn-out coat, unable to stay warm on the freezing cold day. Touched by my situation, she allowed me to work in her yard.
As I worked hard in the yard, the lady watched quietly, sometimes giving me a kind smile. When I finished, she looked at the tidy yard and said gently, “You’ve worked really well today, but you should be in school. Promise me you’ll go back.” Then, she took out a jar of money and told me to take what I needed.
I was grateful and took enough to fix my old coat and buy some food. I kept my promise and went back to see her, sharing my school progress. Each time, she welcomed me warmly, checking my report card with interest. Whenever there was an “A”, she’d be proud and reward me with money and tasty treats.
Even though my family faced tough times, I treasured the moments with the kind lady. Her kindness and support motivated me to do well in school and in life.
I studied even harder, knowing that only through education could I change my life and that of my family. The kind lady gave me strength, urging me forward.
My efforts finally paid off. After graduating from high school, I earned an opportunity to attend a prestigious (知名的) university. Upon graduating from college, I landed a well-paid job that I enjoyed. Our family’s financial situation greatly improved as a result, and I had the means to give back to the community that once helped me. I would never forget the kind lady who gave me a chance when I needed it most.
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, I was walking past a gift shop.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Returning to the little boy, I presented him with the gift.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6-year-old Quinn Hill became her family’s hero when she took immediate action during an emergency that saved her mother’s life with the help of her neighbor, Mrs. Smith.
Jennifer, a 39-year-old single mother, began the day by sending her child, Hill, to school. Having no idea what would happen, Jennifer was filled with anxiety. After all, it was the first day of a new school year for Hill, a fresh start! On the way school. she repeatedly reminded Hill to solve problems positively and fit in. Though worried, Jennifer had to wave goodbye to her daughter, watching her towards the school gate.
The whole day was packed with housework. Jennifer tidied the house, washed clothes, and prepared for the evening meal. As the school bell rang, signaling the end of the day, Jennifer picked Hill up from school. On seeing Jennifer, Hill couldn’t wait to hug her, sharing the school experiences. Chatting and laughing accompanied them all the way. Hill’s innocent laughter was like Jennifer’s ray of sunshine.
Approaching home, they encountered Mrs. Smith, a most kind and thoughtful housewife living in their neighborhood for many years. Mrs. Smith often invited Jennifer and Hill to her home and shared her homemade desserts and cookies. The two families developed a close relationship and Hill liked to stay with Mrs. Smith, who always brightened her days with willingness and timely help. After exchanging greetings, they went back to their own homes.
On arriving home, Jennifer set out to prepare dinner. As the sun began to set, the house was full of a pleasant smell of cooking food. Jennifer and Hill sat at the kitchen table when Jennifer suddenly began to seize. She was sitting in a chair, looking up at the ceiling. and experiencing abnormal breathing. She then fell out of the chair onto her left side, her hands balled into fists, and her body was shaking violently. Her eyes were open, and Hill kept calling “Mommy, Mommy”, but she could not respond.
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。
Realizing the severe situation, Hill ran out for help.
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Jennifer finally came to herself in the hospital.
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