The boys at the back of the school bus were restless. Stevie did his best to ignore the others. “”Settled own!”Mr Taylor said. “We’ll be there soon. Wait till you see the climbing walls. You’ll be very happy.” Stevie hadn’t liked this “Boys Rulz” club from the start. They were troublemakers. Mom had made him join because she was worried that he didn’t seem to be fitting in. It was n this fault, thought Stevie, school was boring. None of the teachers trusted him, and no special boy’s group was to change that.
All the boys stared up in wonder at the huge climbing walls. Stevie looked down at his thin arms and wondered how he could climb up that. Mr Taylor and a man called Rick helped the boys get into their harnesses (保护带) and showed them how to climb up. “Now find a partner and get them to check all your straps (带子) and everything,” said Mr Taylor. The boys quickly paired off, leaving Stevie standing there alone. “Cool, you’re with me,” said Rick, holding up his hand for a high-five. Stevie high-five d him back weakly. Stevie was on a tiny wall which the others had called the “baby wall”. He gritted his teeth (咬紧牙关), his face pressed against the rough surface and reached for the next, hold. “Done!” he called down from the top. “Now let go of the rock and walk down as I showed you,” said Rick. “It’s perfectly safe.” Stevie did as instructed, and Rick started to let him down slowly. “Well done,” said Rick when Stevie got to the bottom.
Then someone pointed out that Mr Taylor hadn’t done any climbing himself.” I plan to, “said Mr Taylor.” But I’ll need a partner, someone I can really trust. “The boys volunteered actively, but Mr Taylor pretended he hadn’t heard. He looked around the group. “How about you, Stevie?” he said at last. “Fancy being my belayer?” A be layer is somebody who controls how you come down, the one that stops you from falling.
要求：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。
Stevie looked up, greatly surprised.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Ready to let me down?” Mr Taylor called down to Stevie.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Alex was a friendly boy, but he had a bad temper and often found it challenging to control his anger. Whenever something didn’t go his way or if he felt upset, a fiery anger would build up inside him like an angry monster.
One sunny afternoon, Alex went to the playground with his friends, Sarah and Ben. They were excited to play on the swings, slide, and monkey bars. As they started playing, Alex’s turn on the swing was interrupted by another child who cut in line. Alex felt his anger rising inside him, and without thinking, he shouted at the child very angrily, demanding his turn back. Sarah and Ben looked at Alex with surprise, scare and depression. They didn’t like it that their friend lost his temper like a monster and yelled. They stopped playing together.
Alex’s anger not only ruined his own mood but also spoiled (破坏) the fun for his friends and the other children at the playground. Feeling ashamed and realizing the consequences of his actions, Alex slumped (跌坐) down on a nearby bench. He saw his friends playing happily without him, and he felt upset at losing control.
Alex’s memories flooded back when his friends and family were often taken aback by his outbursts. When his best friend, Emily, wanted to play a game he didn’t like, he would shout and throw a tantrum (发脾气), refusing to play with her. His little sister accidentally knocked over his tower of blocks, he would explode in a fit of rage, yelling and stomping his feet.
He had lost a lot of fiends and hurt his family because of his anger. Now he might lose these friends too. He realized that his mean words constantly hurt the people he cared about. He didn’t want to be like a monster anymore, so he decided to find a better way to handle his anger.
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。
That evening, Alex told Grandma about what had happened.
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Alex made up his mind to change.
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I spotted my neighbor, Monica, working in her garden one day when I returned home from school. It was sunny, and the smell of cut grass made me feel refreshed. I popped my head over the fence, and Monica and I got talking.
“I’ve seen you’re very good at using a lawn mower(割草机) and gardening tools,” Monica said. “There’s a hedge(树篱) growing over the pathway near here. It’s so overgrown that it becomes a head ache for the passers-by. I was planning to cut it back myself. Would you like to help out?”
I loved the idea of helping Monica and our community. We agreed to cut the hedge the following Sunday. My brother Ivan, aged 10, also came along to help us. We wheeled Monica’s garbage can down to the hedge, which the community council was responsible for. All three of us cut it with shears (大剪刀) until a trouble-free pathway came in sight. Mr. Brown, a wheelchair user, was grateful that he didn’t have to make a detour(绕行) any more to pass the hedge. Encouraged by his words, I suggested doing more for our community, to make it a better place.
When we first started, we just made the best of the equipment we already had in my parents’ garage. But as time went on, donations came in from the local community. Our garage got filled up quickly with brushes, gardening tools, and even donated power tools like leaf blowers. With everything ready, our first project was to beautiful park near our houses, which looked a bit run-down. Ivan was in charge of painting the fence around, Monica cleared the lawn with a leaf blower, and I was responsible for repairing the benches where our neighbors usually sat at their leisure. After two weeks’ hard work, we felt stunned when stepping back and appreciating the clean and brand new small park. My heart swelled with pride because our efforts paid off.
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。
I posted photos of our hard work on our local Facebook Group.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________With more neighbors joining in, we headed for the flower bed near the community center.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was the afternoon before Christmas Eve as I looked tiredly at my youngest daughter Kitty’s wish list for her presents. Major dental surgery (牙科手术) two days earlier had left my face painfully swollen (肿胀的), and most surely influenced my holiday spirit.
To make matters worse, Kitty had provided me with the world’s least helpful list: “Something red. Something old. Something you can put things in. Something strange ...”
After completing the important shopping of lots of food necessary for a big family gathering the next day, I was just quite tired and impatient. But no matter how hard it was to please my youngest daughter, I couldn’t let her down. Then her older sister Helen came up with the solution. The local antique store was sure to have something that fitted Kitty’s wish list. Owned by an extremely nice couple, the place was packed with valuable things and also not-so-valuable ones.
Surely, it was the last place where I wanted to go. Three years before, I had rushed out of the place in tears after selling them my grandmother’s silver forks and spoons and most importantly my valued ballet-dancer doll. That year had been difficult, and though I told myself that they were only things, it hurt to trade my remaining valued things, especially my ballet-dancer doll, for common things such as electricity and food. The shame of crying in public over it only made matters worse. Since that year, I had never visited that store.
After this long period of time and with a greatly swollen face, I thought it was unlikely that the owners of the store would recognize me. And, sure enough, the place offered gifts for every possible taste.
So in the afternoon before Christmas Eve, wearing a hat, I left home together with Helen to the antique store to pick up the gifts that Kitty wanted. Before long, we arrived at the store. While walking and choosing the gift there, I wondered, “What if the owners recognize me?”
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。
So I pulled down the edge of my hat to hide my face.
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And the owner held out my old ballet-dancer doll, adding, “It’s our Christmas present to you.”
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My dad, John, was a basketball fan. He played in college and even coached a local youth team for a few years. His love for the game was unbelievable, and some of my earliest memories are of us playing basketball in the nearby court. I’ve even seen old photos of him in his college days, a proud smile on his face as he held a basketball. But when it came to my own involvement in basketball, he was surprisingly positive that I should focus only on study. “Basketball won’t pay the bills,” he’d often say, a statement that always struck me as ironic (讽刺的) given how much he loved the sport.
I loved basketball too, and I was pretty good at it. My school coach, Coach Miller, saw potential in me and encouraged me to join the school team. He said I had a natural talent that could take me far if I trained hard. But my dad was against it. He believed that sports would distract me from my studies, and with the final exam around the corner, he didn’t want to take any chances. “Your future is in the classroom, not on the court,” he would insist, dashing my dreams of following in his athletic footsteps.
This tension between us reached a peak when my head teacher, Mrs. Williams, announced a school basketball tournament (联赛). It was a big deal; students from the whole city would come to watch. My friends were excited, and even some teachers were talking about it. However, I knew I couldn’t participate without my dad’s approval. It felt like an invisible chain holding me back, a conflict between my passion and his expectations.
Then something unexpected happened. Mrs. Williams called my dad for a meeting. I was nervous but also hopeful. Mrs. Williams was not just an educator; she was also a parent and understood the balance between academics and extracurricular activities. She had seen students succeed in both, and I hoped she could convince my dad.
After the meeting, my dad seemed to be in deep thought. He didn’t speak immediately, taking his time as if weighing his words carefully. Finally, he broke the silence, “Mrs. Williams made some good points about teamwork and discipline. Maybe it’s time to rethink my stance (立场) on you playing basketball.”
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 was thrilled but also cautious. “So, can I play in the tournament?” I asked.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As I scanned the audience, I spotted my dad.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A Hearty Welcome
Chase counted his new year gifts one more time as he put a robot-shaped eraser into each envelope. “Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two.”
“Do you have one for everyone in your class?” Mom asked.
“Yep!” Chase said. “I’m ready for the party tomorrow!”
When Chase got to school the next day, he saw a new girl in his classroom. She stood near Ms. Robins and looked around shyly.
“This is Eva,” said Ms. Robins. “Will someone volunteer to show her around today? “Chase raised his hand since he liked showing the new kids around and helping them feel welcome.
“Thanks, Chase, “Ms. Robins said. “Now let’s get down to our work.”
That’s when Chase realized he didn’t have a new year gift for Eva. No one else would have one either. Chase pictured his classmates’ desks covered with gifts while Eva’s desk was empty. He felt sad about that.
At a break, he was careful not to mention the party as he showed Eva around the playground. At lunchtime, he walked Eva to the lunchroom, still worried about what would happen at the party. Eva had brought a packed lunch. so Chase showed her where she was supposed to sit and introduced her to some of the kids at her table.
While eating, Chase suddenly remembered that kids often included candy hearts with the new year gifts they exchanged. This won’t be a New Year’s Day for Eva with no gifts. But as he sat down at his table, an idea flooded into his head. He whispered it to the kids around him. Soon everyone at the table was nodding and whispering.
When they were back in the classroom after lunch, Chase told Ms. Robins about their plan. Ms. Robins smiled. “That’s very thoughtful, “she said. “Let’s go for it.”
It was math time, so Chase invited Eva to study with him. He made sure Eva sat with her back to the room so she wouldn’t notice.
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登作答。
Meanwhile, her new classmates were busying working on something.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Here’s your new year gift, Eva. It’s from everyone,” said Chase.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I watched my dad scowl (绷着脸) as he listened to the voice coming through the telephone receiver. I heard him say, “Yes, Miss Beisner,” and “I understand what you’re saying, Miss Beisner. I appreciate you sharing this information. We’ll see what we can do about the situation. Thank you for calling. Goodbye.”
Miss Beisner was my first-grade teacher, and I loved her. I thought she felt the same about me, but now I was beginning to wonder. The tone of Dad’s voice, the redness in his cheeks, and his repeated clenching. And unclenching of fists made it pretty clear. This was not a warm and fuzzy good news-from-the-teacher call.
As I was deciding whether I should lock myself in my bedroom for the rest of my life or run away from home, Dad hung up the phone. “Jacquie, come here and sit down. We need to talk.”
Uh-oh. When Dad said, “We need to talk,” it meant he needed to talk, and I needed to listen.
I shuffled (拖着脚走) over to the well-worn brown chair in the corner of the living room, plopped down, and waited to hear the nature of my crime.
Dad told me that Miss Beisner thought I was bright but not working up to my ability. She said I had strong verbal skills but weak study habits. Translation: I never closed my mouth, and I seldom opened a book. Apparently, my failure to memorize the addition facts, or even attempt to, was more than she was willing to put up with. Hence, the telephone call.
Dad ended our one-way conversation with a verbal outline for his plan of attack. Bubbles, our Toy Manchester Terrier, was going to teach me math. Silently, I thought, No way is any dumb dog going to teach me how to add, not even our beloved Bubbles. Out loud, I said, “How?”
Dad summoned Bubbles from her bed near the stove and commanded her to sit. “Bubbles,” Dad said, “how much is five plus three?” Bubbles let out eight loud, crisp barks.
I was incredulous (满腹狐疑的). I couldn’t understand how a dog could add, and I was more than a little embarrassed by the fact that the family dog was smarter than me.
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: After that, I threw myself into math with newfound determination.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: One day, I asked Dad whether Bubbles really knew how to add.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When I was 11 years old, we lived in Albany, New York. My parents rented the first floor of a two-storey house. My job that summer was to take care of my three-year-old brother, Joey. There wasn’t much to do, but one thing that kept me happy was spending time with our house owner, a young Italian mother-to-be. They called her Catuzza. It was Italian for “sweet little Catherine.” She was well into her pregnancy, happy though she was, but she was also lonely much of the time. She knew very little English, and during the day she missed her husband a great deal. He was a shoemaker and worked long hours to support his growing family.
Catuzza enjoyed spending time with little Joey and me. It was also always nice for children to feel that adults enjoyed being with them, and we knew that she enjoyed time with us. My little brother had golden hair. She loved to play with his hair, running her fingers through it. d Her smile always made me feel that she was wondering about her own small child, not yet born. Sometimes when the baby kicked, she would let us touch her stomach. Once, when Joey was close by, the baby kicked as if it showed a response to Joey’s gentle stroke. Gradually, Joey’s company made Catuzza no longer feel lonely.
After that summer, my family moved to another part of the city, where Joey and I spent the rest of our childhood, but we still kept in touch with Catuzza. I went on to finish school and became a writer. My brother Joey grew up to join the army, go to college, work for the New York State Department of Labor — and, suddenly, discover at age 35 that he had leukaemia, which was cancer of the blood. The disease was killing him.
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。
However, Joey wanted to live.
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Then I realised that the unborn baby saved my brother’s life.
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My husband and I were out shopping on a cold windy day. On the way out of the parking lot, we saw a man standing on the grass, holding a sign. The sign didn’t say anything about needing money or food, but simply said, “Help would be appreciated (感激)!” My husband wanted to give him some money, but he just had credit cards with him, so he picked up a bag of fast food and gave it to the man. But thinking about what we gave wouldn’t be enough, we parked and asked him to go to a restaurant with us. He looked at us for a moment as if we were crazy, but then followed us. The man told us that he was trying to save money for some candles that can warm him up, not for food that day. My heart broke. I explained that it was our treat and he could pick out anything he wanted from the menu. He said he always wanted to try a double cheeseburger, but had never got the chance. So we bought him a double cheeseburger and a cup of hot coffee. The total was around nine dollars. It was a piece of cake for us, but the world to him. He said he had lost his flat after losing his job. Since then he’d lived in a tent because the shelters were full and he wanted to leave room for women and children. Then, he began to enjoy the delicious meal.
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。
After he finished eating, we went to a store and bought some candles for him.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One day, my husband and I went to a fast-food restaurant to treat ourselves.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________For my fourteenth birthday, my mom offered to take me and several friends to the city near our small town to visit a mall, eat pizza in the food court, and then catch a movie. Afterward, we would all return to my house for a slumber party (睡衣晚会). It was just the kind of celebration a teenage girl longed for.
On the awaited day, all the friends I’d invited to join me on this birthday trip attended school — except Nora. When it came time to climb aboard the bus and ride together to my home, she still didn’t show up.
I felt confused. Then I felt mad. Why did she tell me she’d come to the party and then break her word without letting me know? By the time we returned to my house, I decided to call Nora. When she answered, I demanded to know why she had forgotten my birthday celebration. “It’s my birthday!” I declared. “You’re not coming to my party, and you didn’t even let me know. What kind of friend are you?”
Nora explained that she had to stay at home because she was sick.
“OK, so you’re sick ... but how was I supposed to know if you didn’t tell me?” I answered. The conversation only grew more heated from there. By the end of it, Nora could only sob sadly as we both hung up the phone.
At the mall that night, all of us had a great time. I hardly gave Nora or her absence from our fun another thought.
At school on Monday, I avoided seeing her. For the rest of the school year, we barely spoke to one another. I started high school the following year. Our friendship had been relegated (降级) to the past. It happens sometimes, I figured, so I just shrugged it off (不在乎).
Years later, I discovered that Facebook had suggested Nora as a friend. We’d attended the same schools, came from the same town, and had many friends in common; it made sense. It was at that moment that I began to reflect on that ugly phone conversation I’d made with Nora all those years before.
注意：(1)续写词数应为150左右；(2)开头已给出。
Recalling what had happened that day, I felt a deep regret for what I had done for the first time.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________But only a few days later, she responded with a message.
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