Mother’s Day was around the corner. Everyone in the class was discussing what gift they should give to their beloved moms. Their teacher, Ms. Jenkins, was instructing them to make pretty postcards with a soulful message.
On Monday morning, Ms. Jenkins entered the classroom. Before she could say something to greet the kids as usual, 8-year-old Simon raised his hand as quickly as possible.
“Yes, Simon?” asked the teacher with a questioning look and the big smile often hanging on her face.
“Excuse me, Ms. Jenkins. What did you get for Mother’s Day?” he inquired.
All his classmates looked at their teacher and Ms. Jenkins smiled again, struggling to hide her sadness, which flashed across her face. “Sadly, nothing. Simon, I don’t have kids.”
Simon felt sorry for his teacher. He could not figure why. It seemed unfair that she didn’t receive anything for Mother’s Day when she was surrounded by kids all the time. She should have received something. Suddenly a good idea hit him.
That afternoon, school over, Simon flew home like a rabbit. After having finished counting the few dollars in his piggy bank, he asked his mother to take him to the flower shop nearby.
When they got in the car, Simon explained to his mother what he would do. Having understood the whole story, his mother looked at him with a loving expression.
The following day, Simon arrived at his classroom with a bunch of flowers and presented it to Ms. Jenkins with a bright smile. “I know you’re not a mother, but you treat us with kindness, affection and patience. You surely deserve a Mother’s Day gift, too,” he said to his teacher, whose jaw dropped in shock. The other kids applauded as Simon hugged Ms. Jenkins.
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。
Astonished and joyful, Ms. Jenkins stood there still.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The other kids came up one by one.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The man was kind of small, but to a five-year-old, he was a giant. Cherry-scented smoke from Grandpa’s pipe kept the hungry mosquitoes at bay. Now and again, he blew a smoke ring and laughed as I tried to target the hole with my finger.
We sat side by side on the old wooden stairs that hot summer evening, watching the traffic, counting cars and trying to guess the color of the next one to turn the corner. We watched the sun go down behind the old Texaco service station across the busy street, which I was never allowed to cross unless accompanied by an adult.
My grandfather was baby-sitting while my mother, father and grandmother went out. While my two baby brothers slept inside the house, my three older siblings (兄弟姐妹) played with friends around the corner, where I was not allowed to go. I stayed with Grandpa, and that was okay with me. “Thirsty?” Grandpa asked, never removing the pipe from his mouth. “Yes,” was my reply. “How would you like to run over to the gas station there and get yourself a bottle of Coke?” I couldn’t believe my ears. On my family’s modest income, Coke was not a part of our budget or diet. “Okay,” I replied shyly, already wondering how I would get across the street.
He stretched his long leg out straight and reached his huge hand deep into the pocket. Opening his fist, he exposed several silver coins. He instructed me to pick out one. After he deposited the rest of the change back into his pocket, he stood up. “Okay,” he said, helping me down the stairs and to the curb (马路沿儿).
“I’m going to stay here and keep an ear out for the babies. I’ll tell you when it’s safe to cross. You go over to the Coke machine, get your Coke out and come back. Wait for me to tell you when it’s safe to cross back.” My heart pounded. Excitement took my breath away.
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。
Grandpa held my hand tightly.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My heart pounded wildly as I approached the Coke machine.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One day a friend invited me to join gymnastics class that she had belonged to for many years. My mom got the needed information and within a few days I was ready to start!
When I got there, I was extremely nervous. The group wasn’t very welcoming so I was regretting signing up. It seemed they were comfortable with the team they had, and they didn’t want anyone to be added to it. But after working together for a few days, we all soon became friends. A month passed and I learned to do many things. I was excited and ready to learn back handsprings(手翻). Back handsprings are one of the main things you need to know for gymnastics because they are done so often. In my opinion, they are the hardest to do, but I was ready to try.
My friend was the queen of back handsprings, so she helped me understand each and every step. Our coach pulled out a handspring machine to help the kids who were learning how to do them for the first time. This machine is a block that has cushion(垫子) all around it. You basically sit in the mouth of the machine and push off with your feet and go backwards until you land on your hands, then feet.
Even with the handspring machine, I couldn’t get my feet right, so I had to try again and again. Impatient, some of the girls seemed to get angry. I was feeling like the new kid in the group again. The new kid that didn’t know what she was doing but everyone else knew 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。
Luckily, my friend, the queen of back handsprings, kept encouraging me.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One day, I finally got it right.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Learning motivation only accompanied by interest can last long. My grandfather used to be the director of a local museum. So since I was young, I had the opportunity to visit various museums with him. After entering high school, I became interested in history, and I constantly collected information related to museums.
When I was 17, I read a magazine article about a museum called the McNay, once the home of a watercolourist named Marian McNay. She had requested the community to turn it into a museum upon her death.
Do not miss your chance to see Texas’ first modern art museum—the McNay Art Museum. There are more than 20,000 different and significant works. With beautiful Spanish gardens and the amazing architecture of the building, the art within the walls isn’t the only wonder to see.
On a sunny Saturday, Sally and I drove over to the museum. She asked, “Do you have the address?” “No, but I’ll recognize it, there was a picture in the magazine.”
“Oh, stop. There it is!”
The museum was free. We entered, excited. A group of people sitting in the hall stopped talking and stared at us.
“May I help you?” a man asked. “No,” I said. “We’re fine.” Tour guides got on my nerves. What if they talked a long time about a painting you weren’t that interested in? Sally had gone upstairs. The people in the hall seemed very nosy (爱管闲事的), keeping their eyes on me with curiosity. What was their problem? I saw some nice sculptures in one room. Suddenly I sensed a man standing behind me. “Where do you think you are?” he asked. I turned sharply. “The McNay Art Museum!” He smiled, shaking his head. “Sorry, the McNay is on New Braunfels Street.” “What’s this place?” I asked, still confused. “Well, it’s our home.” My heart jolted (震颤). I raced to the staircase.
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 called out, “Sally! Come down immediately!”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Thirty years later, a woman approached me in a public place.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A boy called Mike Duncan came into my school one morning in oversized hand-me-down clothes and worn-out shoes. He was a black-letter sight, standing at the front of our second-grade class. He shifted (转换) from foot to foot as our teacher, Mrs. Lydia wrote his name in the roll book. We weren’t sure what to make of the newcomer in worn-out clothes.
“Attention! This is Mike Duncan,” Mrs. Lydia said with as much enthusiasm (热情) as possible. Looking around and smiling, Mike hoped somebody would smile back. Although nobody did, he kept on laughing from ear to ear anyway.
Unfortunately, Mike had found a firm footing at the bottom of our school’s social ladder (阶梯) by the end of his first week. In fact he was pleasant to be around and was by far the most energetic boy I knew. After lunch each day, we joined forces to conquer (征服) the playground, moving from monkey bars to swing set to sandbox. As we lined up behind Mrs. Lydia for the march back to class, I made up my mind that Mike would remain friendless no longer.
I said one night as Mother pushed me into bed, “Mum, tomorrow is his birthday; and he’s not going to get anything. Mike’s mother worked all day in the orchards (果园) . His special day would go unnoticed.” “Don’t worry,” Mum said as she kissed me good night.
I wished Mike a happy birthday in the next morning; and his smile showed me that he was glad I had remembered. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a terrible day after all. By mid-afternoon I had almost decided that birthdays weren’t that big a deal. Then, as Mrs. Lydia was writing on the blackboard, I heard a familiar sound coming from the hallway.
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。
A voice I knew was singing the birthday song.
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Mike generously shared his cake with the class.
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Amy loved to draw, and her hands, always dirty from the pencil lead, moved on the paper, showing the pictures in her mind. She would sit for hours, lost in art. Trees on her pages seemed to swing in an unseen wind, and the faces she drew wore lifelike expressions. But Amy didn’t look like the art she made. Her clothes were old and had many patches (补丁) that her mother made with care. Amy’s family did not have much money, but they loved each other very much. Her mother worked hard at many jobs to take care of them after Amy’s father got sick and died.
Amy had her good times and hard times in school. She loved different corners of the school which were sources of her inspiration and expected the art lesson. Yet other kids’ laughing at her dress made her sad. She wanted to change the situation, but didn’t know how to go about it. Despite this, she would quietly help someone with a hard math problem or pick up garbage on her way home. She always found comfort in her drawing. In the middle of the term, an art contest on the theme of “My Dream” was to be held, which would select the top three winners, and the head teacher would award them prizes. This news thrilled the children, Amy in particular. They enthusiastically registered for the contest and, after thoughtful consideration, finished their own art pieces. The contest organizers gathered all submissions one week later and set up an exhibit showcasing every participant’s work in the school gym.
The school gym was filled with viewers as the walls displayed the efforts of the young artists. There were paintings of colorful landscapes where the sun burst through thick clouds. Some students had created portraits (肖像) of their heroes. In this sea of creativity, one painting stood out. In the painting, a community garden was drawn, a place where people from all walks of life were planting seeds together. The heartfelt work drew the viewers into a world where every detail had meaning. The exhibition would last a week and all the students and teachers could vote their favorite work.
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。
Finally came the day when the winners were announced.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The children who had laughed at Amy started to see her in a new way.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“And that’s ‘The Ray of Hope’ for you!” Asta said as she ended her book review. She took a deep bow and was given thundering applause. I, too, gave applause. I was happy for my friend. Well, I was pretending to be happy for her. Deep down inside, I was rather feeling envious of Asta. She was always the one who makes speeches, debates and tells stories to others. Me? No! I had stage fright and was always the shy, quiet one who was never courageous to speak in front of others. I had never managed to do a presentation without stammering(结巴). Every time I saw someone making a speech, I would imagine myself in his or her place, receiving the applause and praise.
I was walking to the canteen with Asta. She, as usual, was looking at the script. She had been chosen to be the presenter for the National Day Celebration. I sighed to myself. Why could I not be like her, always loud and brave? If only there was a way to prove myself...
Just then, I caught a glimpse of a poster on the noticeboard.
“Minute to say it?” I read the poster out loud.
It was a competition where one has to prepare a speech about a particular topic and summarize it on the stage within one minute. This could be my big chance to overcome my stage fright! And the best part was, if I won the competition, I would receive a mini-trophy (小奖杯).
Without thinking twice, I grabbed a form and filled in it. I took a seat in the canteen with Asta and told her what I had done, after which she said that she had also signed up for the competition. Suddenly, regret hit me like a 20-pound hammer. I was competing against Asta who was the best speaker in the school! I was bound to lose! Why was I so ill-fated? I just wanted a chance to prove myself that I could overcome my stage fright.
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 finally arrived.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Next, it was Asta’s turn.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lilly paused, her plans — going climbing momentarily forgotten, as she watched the older woman’s wheels stuck in the railroad tracks. The woman, with a mixture of frustration and determination across her face, pushed against the stubborn wheels, trying to free herself.
Without hesitation, Lilly approached her. “Do you need some help?” she asked, her voice gentle yet clear.
The woman looked up, surprised and slightly embarrassed. “Oh, dear, I thought I could manage, but these tracks are more of a challenge than I expected,” she admitted.
Lilly smiled. “Let me help you,” she offered, placing her bag on the ground before grasping the handles of the wheelchair. With a joint effort, they managed to get the wheelchair back on solid ground.
“Thank you, young lady. I’m Martha,” the woman introduced herself.
“I’m Lilly. It’s nice to meet you. Martha. Are you heading somewhere nearby?” Lilly asked, curious about the woman’s journey.
“Yes, just across the street to the park. My granddaughter is playing in the school band there. It’s their first public performance, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Martha explained, her voice filled with pride.
Lilly glanced at her watch, realizing her own plans could wait. “Would you like me to walk with you to the park? It’s no trouble.” she offered.
Martha’s face lit up with a grateful smile. “I would appreciate that very much. Lilly.”
As they made their way to the park, Lilly learned that Martha had been a music teacher for most of her life, instilling(灌输) a love of music in countless children, including her own granddaughter. Lilly found herself absorbed in Martha’s stories of past concerts, and the joy that music brought to her life.
Upon reaching the park, they found a spot where Martha could have a clear view of the stage. The air was filled with the excitement of parents, friends, and locals, who gathered to support the young musicians.
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。
“Would you like to stay and listen to the performance?” Martha asked Lily.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As the concert drew to a close, Martha opened her eyes and turned to Lilly.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Twenty-five years ago,our neighborhood had a new family: a six-year-old boy called Tim, his little sister Cassie and his mother. They lived in a tiny house next door to us. They wouldn’t live there long — perhaps four or five months, extending through the up coming Christmas that year.
Things were difficult for the family. They were struggling to make ends meet, and it was usual to find them without electricity because of unpaid power bills. I tried to do what I could, but it wasn’t much because I was on a tight budget myself.
That Christmas, like others, my children Lily and her little brother Tom were up early opening gifts, running around the neighborhood, and showing off their gifts. As I handed my neighbors my usual spread of Christmas baked treats over the fence, Cassie walked by with her new baby doll.
Tim,smiling proudly, waved his only Christmas gift — a race car he had been dreaming of. These two kids spent hours on that Christmas day playing with their beloved toys. I was surprised when Lily noticed and said sadly, “Mom,they both only got one toy.”
The following morning, after breakfast, I prepared to go to the cinema with my kids, who had looked forward to it for a very long time. I had been saving money for the movie tickets, and finally I could afford them.
When I was preparing for the trip, I saw Tim’s mother put a box in the backseat of the car. Tim stood there crying as the car pulled away. I wasn’t sure what had happened until Lily told me the truth later.
“Mom, Tim told me his mom took his race car back to the store. His mom said they needed the money,” Lily said, taking pity on Tim. “Did his mom take Cassie’s doll back, too?” I asked. “No,just Tim’s,” Lily answered again. I felt upset but helpless.
Later, when I asked my kids to catch the bus to the cinema, I found Tim sitting before their door.
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。
With empty hands, he looked down at the ground.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I was struck by my children’s big hearts.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As an educator, I have discovered that the life lessons that students bring with them to school are the ones that I truly need to learn.
One story that describes this awesome responsibility starts with a second year college student. Every day, he would come into my math class, sit in the very back and avoid eye contact. When I would ask the class questions, I could hear a deep voice coming from his direction saying the correct answer every single time. I immediately began to investigate and found that he had high standardized test scores but his report card in school did not match his performances. I knew something had to change.
Through our school mentoring (辅导制) program, I asked him if he would like to be a part of a support team that was specifically designed to help him graduate on time with his classmates. This program required me to visit all of his classroom teachers, help him complete every assignment, provide him with materials to finish projects, and constantly remind him that success could be achieved if he stayed on this path. In his senior, he was able to make the Honor Roll (光荣榜).
This student had been living with his great-grandfather instead of living with his mother and six siblings (姊妹). The concept of family had not been demonstrated in his life. However, at school, this program provided him with a team that focused on his academic needs as well as celebrated his successes. The idea of family, where he was cared for and was seen as important, was able to become a reality.
Unfortunately, during his senior year, his great-grandfather passed away, which terribly influenced his newly positive view of life. But because of the bond that was established over the past two years through the program, I was able to keep him focused on what he could control to achieve his goal. He showed determination and perseverance, and he became a senior with his original class and had the opportunity to graduate with his friends.
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。
Sadly, when graduation day approached, he refused to attend the ceremony.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I can still remember his smile face as he walked across that stage to receive his diploma.
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