I taught English as a Second Language (ESL) at a school. One particular sixth grader, Pablo, was struggling with fluency in reading, so after class I suggested that he get extra practice by reading aloud to his mom while she prepared dinner each evening. This was something I routinely encouraged my struggling students to do. Imagine my surprise when Pablo responded by starting to cry. He said, “My mom can’t cook dinner!” Then he cried harder. Eventually, he calmed down enough to tell me that his mom was only able to “cry in her bed” when he got home every afternoon. He said that he was caring for his six-month-old baby brother by himself from the time he got home each day. His mother, it seemed, had a bad tooth and was in extreme pain. He said that his father didn’t have enough money to get it fixed, and that there was no way for her to go to a dentist. This child’s heart was broken for his mom.
I was speechless! He was still crying when he left me that day, and I promised him I would try to help. I kept asking myself how I could help this student. How could I help his mother when we didn’t even speak the same language?
The next day, I sent a note, which a friend helped me translate, to Pablo’s mother asking if she would like me to find someone to help her. The following day, Pablo brought me a note from his mom accepting my offer to help.
Meanwhile, I had been doing some networking among my friends asking if anyone knew a dentist who might do some free work for this lady. At the time, I was not able to pay for the work to be done myself. Several friends suggested a dental office that had recently opened up in the area, thinking that they might be willing to provide the services. I didn’t want to waste a lot of time going to several dentists, so I prayed that this would be the one.
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。
Stopping by the dental office, I went to the reception desk.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Pablo’s mother came to meet the dentist at the appointed time.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________There were three children in my family. Kind Larry was the oldest, followed by smart Emily and I. One year, our family moved into a bigger house and we each had our own room. Both Larry and Emily chose to live upstairs while I preferred living in the basement. Emily laughed at me because I picked a room with poor natural light. However, I never cared about it. I had a secret kept only between my brother Larry and me-I wanted to be the neighbor of our large refrigerator where something delicious was always stuffed including the whole family’s favorite-ice cream.
During the week, we drank only milk at our meals and never ate dessert. But Sunday was different- Mom would make her famous roast meat dinner and Dad would make an exception to the dessert rule. One Sunday, my father sat happily at the head of the table and said, “Great meal! I think we should finish it with something special, “He told my brother, “Larry, go downstairs and get Breyers!”
Breyers is a brand of ice cream, the family’s favorite. When it went on sale, my mother would buy some, about a gallon of it, storing it in the refrigerator in the basement for such a special occasion.
But when the moment really came, I spoiled it. For a few nights, I couldn’t resist the temptation and ate a half box of ice cream at the rate of a small spoonful per night. So when Larry was about to run downstairs, I hurriedly pulled his hand under the table. Larry turned to look at me and felt surprised, but he immediately understood what had happened.
Emily was impatient at the table, looking at her empty dinner plate and urging Larry to be quick. Larry didn’t move, and instead, he said to Dad, “Why don’t we enjoy it on Children’s Day?” Dad smiled, “We can eat again on that day. Come on, Larry! Go and get it!” I knew Larry didn’t look like himself today. He was an ice cream lover like everyone else present, but it was unbelievable that he should refuse to eat it today. I felt very sorry for making my brother Larry so embarrassed.
注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1: With one more look at me, Larry had to walk slowly down to the basement.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2: To my great shock, just when I hesitated to admit it, Larry said,“Yes. I ate it.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
One year, I was burn by hot water, which left me with some permanent, ugly scars on my arms. Growing up, I tried to hide those scars. Even in the hot summer, I’d wear shirts that had long sleeves which could cover all my scars. I feared being laughed at by other kids, although many loved me because I was nice and kind. I saw myself as different.
At 12 years old, I went to junior high school. On the first day of school, I found that we had swimming class every week and we were required to change into swimsuits in the open locker room before the class. This meant I would have to undress before the other girls. They would see my scars.
“Would you feel better if I talked to your teacher to see whether you could change your clothes after the other girls are gone?” my mother asked. “Yeah,” I said quietly. “I’m afraid they’ll laugh at me.”
My mother looked at me. Even though she may have been hurting for me inside, she didn’t let me see it. The next day, my mother met with my teacher and they worked out a solution: I would wait until the other girls got dressed and went to the class, and then I would put on my swimsuit and be allowed to be late. I was relieved.
But that night as I lay in bed, I felt like a coward (胆小鬼). I didn’t want to be different and to be picked on because I was allowed to do things the other girls didn’t get to do. It was then that I knew what I had to do.
The next morning, as I got ready for school, I told my mother, “I think I might go ahead and put on my swimsuit like everyone else. I don’t want to be different.” Surprised, she hugged me and said, “I’m proud of you. But Stacie, if you change your mind, I’ll support you.”
That day, I felt nervous because I knew that I was going to change my clothes in the presence of other girls for the first 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。
Paragraph 1:
“Okay, girls, it’s time to go in and put on your swimsuits!” the teacher said and blew her whistle.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
They appeared concerned and one girl asked gently, “Do the scars still hurt?”
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The moment my son Joe knew I was going to have another baby, he tried his best to stay out of our lives. By the time our daughter Molly was due to be born, I had grown accustomed to his embarrassment and animosity (敌意). I had grown accustomed to a lot of things, not the least of which was having an unexpected child at the age of thirty-nine. My husband, to his eternal credit, was delighted. Throughout it all, Joe rarely spoke to me, except to say, “You don’t have to come to my school,” and — after a marathon baby naming conference—“Call her Molly, the name of my friend’s dog.”
When Molly finally arrived, tiny, quiet and perfect, four family arms were there to draw her close. But Joe’s remained tightly crossed over his chest, on the far side of the hospital room I signed to him to come closer but he shook his head slightly. I could see him standing there, arms still folded, staring straight ahead.
Joe stayed away at a friend’s cottage when Molly and I came home from the hospital. He was still gone ten days later when I took our daughter for her first check-up. He arrived home just as I was coming back, tears streaming down my face. “The doctor thinks she might have a hearing problem,” I sobbed. “She’s too quiet she’s not responding like she should. We have to have her tested.”
As my husband comforted me, downplaying my worry, I noticed that Joe had stopped beside the baby, sound asleep in her car seat. He reached out to her, shifting her slightly away from a bump (隆起) in the carpet. “She’s okay,” he said, looking down at her. “There’s nothing wrong with her. She’s just little.”
Three months later as I walked the floor at 4:00 A. M. with a crying and inconsolable (难以安抚的) (and otherwise perfectly healthy) baby in my arms, I dragged myself into Joe’s room and woke him up “Joe, could you take her? Just for a few minutes? I can’t settle her down, Dad’s on business, and I just really need a break.”
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。
Saying nothing, Joe took his little sister from me.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Seeing Molly sleeping peacefully in Joe’s bed, I walked out, followed by Joe.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
When John pulled into his mother’s driveway with his young daughter, Lily, the sight of the familiar lychee (荔枝) tree welcomed them. “Look, Lily,” John said, pointing to the towering tree in the front yard. “It’s the family tree.”
Lily smiled as John treated the tree as if it were a real family member, patting its trunk (树干) affectionately. As they were admiring the tree, the screen door opened and out stepped Grandma Mei, bathed in the warm Florida sunlight. Grandma Mei, who came from the province of Guangdong in China, was known for her green thumb, particularly when it came to lychees.
Seeing her granddaughter, Grandma Mei adjusted her baseball cap and asked if Lily was ready for some lychees. But Lily hesitated, for the fruit’s appearance was unlike any other fruit she had tried before. With a laugh, Grandma Mei gave her a gentle hug. “More lychees for me then, John,” Grandma Mei said.
“Let’s get busy!” John said with enthusiasm, rubbing his hands together. “Family tree’s waiting.”
Hearing Dad calling the tree by name, Lily couldn’t help laughing. “Laugh if you want, Lily, but this tree is really family. On cold nights, before family tree was fully grown, Grandma Mei used to take my blanket and throw it over that tree.” Grandma Mei nodded, adding that she had to protect the tree from bad weather so that it would become a big strong tree and grow fruit for the whole family.
John, eager to start the day’s work, began climbing the tree, determined to harvest the best lychees for the family. Lily watched in amazement, noticing the clusters (簇) of lychees, their skin rough yet inviting.
As John skillfully cut through the branches with a cutter, Lily expressed her concern for the well-being of the tree. John explained to her that cutting the ends of branches won’t hurt family tree. Instead such behaviour made it healthier and stronger.
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。
Lily’s hesitation towards the fruit gradually shifted to curiosity and she wanted to try it.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Later in the afternoon, they all sat under the tree, surrounded by boxes filled with lychees and sharing stories related to lychees.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
You never know where life will lead you. When I was a young boy. I found myself constantly overshadowed by my elder sister, Becky. It was not her intention to outshine me, nor did she make any effort to do so. However, with Becky exceling both academically and athletically, it was only natural that her accomplishments got all the attention, while my own achievements went unnoticed. Being the younger brother of someone who effortlessly excelled in all areas of life proved to be a big challenge, as I struggled to find my own identity under her brilliance.
Becky’s talent in swimming was particularly noteworthy and she was recognized as the finest swimmer in our province. Yet, the swimming pool never attracted me. Even as a child, I developed a dislike for swimming after a rather unpleasant experience of water entering my nose. Swimming was not for me.
However, fate had its own way of transforming my life. One day, I fell off my skateboard and broke my leg so badly that the doctors said I could never really engage in the sport again. They said there was only one exercise that would be good for me-swimming!
Reluctantly, I decided to give swimming a try. At first, it was a struggle. I had a lot of fear and anxiety about putting my face in the water, fearing a repeal of the incident that had scarred me as a child. But little by little, with the support and guidance of my sister, I slowly overcame my fear and learned to enjoy swimming.
As I spent more time in the water, I realized that swimming wasn’t just exercise; it was a way to challenge myself and push my limits. I began to set goals for myself, starting with simple tasks like swimming a certain distance without stopping, and gradually progressing to more advanced techniques. With each achievement, my confidence grew, and I found myself becoming more comfortable in the water.
Swimming also brought me closer to Becky. We spent hours together at the pool, motivating and encouraging each other. She became my trainer, helping me improve my technique and providing me with valuable advice. It was through swimming that we developed a deeper bond as siblings (兄弟姐妹).
注意：(1)续写词数应为150左右；(2)开头已给出。
As the years went by, I started participating in local swimming competitions.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Today, as I reflect on my journey, I am grateful for the twist of fate that led me to professional swimming.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In a neighborhood, there was a woman named Mrs. Li who lived next to a young girl named Jenny. Mrs. Li had a large garden full of fruits, which she generously shared with everyone. Many in the neighborhood would advise her to sell her fruits, picturing the large profit (收益)she could earn, but Mrs. Li would always respond with a saying, “Mei guanxi! I have only one stomach so I cannot eat all these fruits.”
One day, Jenny’s mother had to work longer hours, leaving Jenny in the care of Mrs. Li. She introduced Jenny to the wonders of her garden, pointing to the ripe lemons. “They let you know they’re ready to be picked by turning yellow and a little shiny. When you squeeze a ripe lemon, it feels firm,” said Mrs. Li. That evening, Jenny returned home with a basket full of lemons. “What will we do with all these lemons?” Mom asked, looking tired.
“Mei guanxi!” Jenny replied.
“What does that mean?” Mom asked anxiously.
Jenny was embarrassed, as she realized she didn’t know. Out of curiosity, Jenny asked Mrs. Li about the meaning of “méi guanxi” the next time she saw her. Mrs. Li explained that it meant “No problem” “It doesn’t matter” or “Not worry”. “Not worry? How could someone not worry? I worry about everything! I worry about making friends at school. I worry that my secondhand clothes aren’t cool. I worry about getting to school too late or too early. I worry about getting called on in class. I worry about getting a question wrong. When it rains, I worry about getting wet. When it’s sunny, I worry about getting burned,” Jenny said disbelievingly. “Have you tried your best? Then Mei guanxi! What’s the worst that could happen? Rain?
Sun? My trees need both to make delicious fruit!” replied Mrs. Li.
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。
Then Mrs. Li began to tell Jenny how she got her Mei guanxi attitude
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
From then on, Jenny also said “Méi guanxi” every time she faced difficulties.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Long long ago, there was a little prince who was used to having everything he wanted. He was so badly behaved that he wouldn’t let anybody have a new toy if he didn’t have it first. If any child in the land wanted a new toy, they had to buy two and give one to him. Therefore, the little prince had no friends except for his toys.
One day a magic toymaker, who invented the most wonderful toys, came to the land. The little prince liked his toys so much that he invited him to spend an entire year in the palace, promising him great wealth if he made him a new toy every day. The toymaker set just one condition: “My toys are very special and need an owner who will play with them” he said. “Will you be able to devote a little time to each one every day?” “Of course, I will” the little prince replied impatiently.
From then on, every morning the little prince received a new toy. Every day the toymaker delivered a toy better than the previous ones. The little prince appeared very happy.
But the toy collection kept growing and, after a few weeks there were simply too many toys to play with all of them every day. So, one day the little prince put a few toys to one side, hoping that the toymaker wouldn’t notice. However, when it was night time and he was ready to go to bed. The toys that had been put away lined up in front of him and, one by one, demanded their daily playtime. The little prince couldn’t get to sleep until well past midnight because he had to play with every single toy.
Next day, tired after all his efforts, the prince slept very late. In the little time left of the day, he had to get to know a new toy and then play with all the others too. Once again, he finished very late and was so tired he could hardly stop yawning (打哈欠).
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。
Every day was a little bit worse than the one before, with the same amount of time but one extra toy to play with.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The children saw the prince, wondering whether the prince would force them to hand over their toys just like before.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Today was Sunday, so I was in no hurry to get out of bed. As I rolled over and stretched, I heard my father shouted, “Oh, dear, fire!” There was unmistakable urgency in his voice. Upon hearing that, I got up and hurried downstairs. And my mother who was preparing breakfast also stopped cooking immediately. My father showed us a video shot by some witness, where we saw a fire inside a building. My mother stood beside him and shook her head.
“What a pity! Is it local?” my mother asked. As a policeman, my father had a keen observation ability. “It’s your hospital!” he watched the screen carefully and said in surprise.
It turned out that a building of the hospital where my mother worked as a head nurse was on fire. We found out later that an old wire first caused the building to catch fire and it began to spread. The camera captured the firefighters’ figures in black and orange uniform as they aimed endless streams of water at the fire.
“I have to get there,” said my mother, feeling anxious. My father and I offered to go with her. She threw on uniform and drove to the site.
Luckily, the fire didn’t spread to the building where my mother worked. After making sure that it was safe, we came to my mother’s office. My mother’s co-workers came to the office off and on as well. They were horrified at the sight of the next building but still thought about how to help.
Through a front window, I suddenly saw the rows of medical records in the next building, and I hurried to tell my mother. She felt really nervous and instantly consulted with her co-workers about how to cope. The situation was very urgent. They knew that if they waited until the firefighters who were busy evacuating (疏散) patients got here, those recordings might burn up. The fire broke out before the records, which were irreplaceable histories of their patients, could be entered into the computer.
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。
They decided to rescue the records, and my father and I offered to help.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Finally, some firefighters arrived.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Birthdays were a huge deal at my workplace. Co-workers went above and beyond to shower the person of honor with food, decorations, affirmations, love and, yes, embarrassment on their special day. As one who preferred to go unnoticed and felt embarrassed at being the center of attention, I was horrified to walk in on my birthday to see my desk decorated with glittery streamers, and a hot pink sash (饰带) with the words, “Kneel! I’m the Birthday Princess”. I was forced to wear for the duration of the day.
Although embarrassed by the display, I felt extremely loved. I thoroughly enjoyed the pleasant flowers and delicious chocolate cake my co-workers gave me.
Several months after my birthday celebration, our office welcomed Laura, a new member, to the team. Hired as our office manager’s assistant, Laura was also tasked with establishing a human resources department. Possessing an ambitious vision and receiving trust from our manager, she immediately made major changes — which were not well received. Gradually, Laura became the centre of gossip (闲言碎语).
When Laura’s spring birthday neared, it was evident that no one wanted to celebrate. I understood why no one wanted to go all-out in celebrating Laura’s birthday, but it bothered me nevertheless. As an extremely shy and introverted (内向的) individual, being left out or ignored was nothing foreign to me, and it pained me to think of the deliberate effort to ignore her birthday. Although she drove me crazy, too, I knew her time in our office had not been easy.
Stopping by our local grocery store, I selected some rosy-pink tulips and a birthday card in which I wrote a heartfelt note highlighting some of Laura’s qualities I admired, such as her ambitious spirit, creativity, and strong inner drive. Arriving an hour early to work the morning of her birthday, I transformed her corner of the office just like what my co-workers did for my birthday.
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 watched Laura spot her decorated work area when she arrived.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The friendship between Laura and me began since the lunch and continued to grow over the years.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
