I was a single parent of four small children, working at a low-paid job. Money was always tight, but we had a roof overheads, food on the table, clothes on our backs, and if not a lot, always enough. Not knowing we were poor, my kids just thought was serious. I have always been glad about it.
It was Christmastime, and although there wasn’t money for a lot of gifts, we planned to celebrate with a family party. But the big excitement for the kids was the fun of Christmas shopping.
They planned weeks ahead of time, asking each other what they wanted for Christmas. Fortunately. I had saved $120 for presents to share by all five of us.
The big day arrived. I gave each kid a twenty dollar bill and reminded them to look for gifts of about four dollars each. Then everyone scattered (散开). We had two hours to shop; then we would meet back at the gate,
On the way home, everyone was in high Christmas spirits, except my younger daughter Ginger who was unusually quiet. She had only one small, flat bag with a few candies—fifty-cent candies. I was so angry, but I controlled myself and didn’t say anything until we got home. I called her into my bedroom and closed the door, ready to be angry again. This was what she told me:
“I was looking around thinking of what to buy, and l stopped to read the little cards on the ‘Giving Trees’. One was for a little girl, four years old, and all she wanted for Christmas was a doll. So I took the card off the tree and bought the doll for her. We have so much but she doesn’t have anything.” I felt so proud of my younger daughter.
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 gathered the other kids and shared with them what Ginger had done.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________We walked excitedly to the nearby children’s hospital.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Every Saturday, Arizona hung out at her grandma’s laundry and dry-cleaning store while her mom worked. Arizona loved being with her grandma, but she wanted to do more than just draw and read.
“How about I write down what people bring in and pin a number to it?” Arizona offered.
With Grandma nearby, she did fine. But the next order was an enormous bedspread (床单). Arizona checked it in, but when she went to lift it off the counter, it wouldn’t move a bit. She tried sliding it, but it fell over on her. “I’m OK!” She giggled from under the soft mounds of material. Grandma lifted the bedspread off her and smiled.
“Why don’t you draw for a little while,” she suggested. “You’re such a good artist.”
Arizona sighed. “But I wanted to help you.” Arizona was too short to reach the tall rod (竿) that held the fresh clothes in neat alphabetical order. Grandma didn’t want her handling the iron. She could slide cardboard into the ironed shirts, but that was about it.
“Why don’t you draw a picture of more customers coming in?” Grandma joked. “Maybe that would help!”
Arizona went outside. It was a crisp fall day. The last leaves were starting their lazy drift to the ground. She spotted her babysitter, Stephanie, across the street. Stephanie was painting big letters on the window of the hardware store.
“Stephanie!” Arizona called. “You’re going to get in trouble.”
Stephanic laughed. “The high-school cheer leading team is painting windows for our home coming football game next weekend. Some of the shop owners said we could.”
“Does that paint wash off?” Arizona asked.
“Yep. It’s just cornstarch, soap, and food coloring,” said Stephanie.
Arizona saw other kids from the high school painting designs on windows up and down the street.“GO, TIGERS!” said the window of the nail salon in huge letters. “HEAR US ROAR!” said the window of the smoothie shop.
“I can help you!” Arizona called to Stephanie, her heart pounding. “I can draw!”
“Sorry,” Stephanie said. “I’m out of paint, and I have to get home. Thank you, though!”
Arizona was so disappointed she could taste it. She stared at Grandma’s windows. They have nothing on.
注意：1.续写字数应为150个左右 ；2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Suddenly an idea burst into Arizona’s head.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When she finished, Arizona went inside to get Grandma.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Growing up in a coastal town in San Francisco, Christian had a special love for the ocean and its creatures. He had always found joy in the rhythmic tides and the ocean waves against the shore. The salty wind and the cries of the seagulls (海鸥) had been like a comforting song to him during his childhood.
However, all these changed over the years. Every time he wandered along the familiar stretch of sand, his heart sank. The once charming beach was now littered with plastic bags, bottles and other wastes, a distinctive contrast to the natural beauty that had always absorbed him.
The sight was a painful reminder of the harm the locals were bringing to the very land where he was growing up. Christian felt a deep sense of loss and responsibility. Previously, he had seen the news reports about the severe effects of plastic pollution on the oceans, and the images of sea creatures stuck in plastic wastes haunted (萦绕于脑际) him.
Determined to make a change, Christian decided to take action. He knew he couldn’t solve this problem alone, but he could start something that might grow into a powerful movement. With the passion and belief of a young man who loved his ocean and his land deeply, he founded an organization called Waves of Change. The early days presented challenges in calling on volunteers.
He began by reaching out to the students in his school. He shared the shocking reality of the polluted beaches and the urgent need to reduce plastic litter. To his delight, gradually more and more schoolmates started showing interest in the organization and many were eager to join in the cause. They were all too familiar with the beauty of the ocean and were equally saddened by the damage they had witnessed. As high school students, Christian and other members properly allocates (分配) time to balance the cause and their academic 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。
Together, Christian and other members did a lot of things in their free time.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Their efforts finally paid off.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. 时间和地点；
2. 活动内容；
3. 收获和感受。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
An Unforgettable Sports Meet
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One bright Saturday morning, Mali and her mom walked around the neighbourhood. That is, her mom walked, but Mali ran, skipped, jumped over puddles and visited the neighbours’ dogs. Mali paused to look at the budding (发芽) trees on her block. “I can’t wait until summer,” she said, “especially for Mrs. Fair’s great tomatoes at her market stand.” She pointed.
Mali’s mom stood looking at the empty lot where the market was set up every summer weekend. She looked at Mali, “Honey, Mrs. Fair told me last week that she had to close her stand. She’s really getting too old to run it anymore.”
Mali turned, stared, and put her hands on her waist. “But Mrs. Fair’s stand can’t close!” she said. “It’s the only place in the neighbourhood we can buy fresh, delicious tomatoes.” Then she added, to show she wasn’t being selfish, “Everyone needs fruits and vegetables for a healthy diet.”
After they got home, Mali headed out to her backyard swing to think. “If only I could plant a garden,” she thought. “but our yard is way too small.” Just then, she noticed her neighbour, Mr. Taylor, looking at his daffodils. Mali knew he was thinking about how he had planted those flowers with his wife. This was the first spring since his wife had died, and Mali saw the sadness on his face. Then she had an idea.
Mali cleared her throat, and Mr. Taylor looked up. Mali decided to walk over to the fence. “Hi, Mr. Taylor,” she said. He waved, and turned away. “Wait!” Mali cried. Taking a risk while she still felt brave, she rushed to gather her thoughts. “Mr. Taylor, Mrs. Fair isn’t doing her tomato stand anymore because she’s getting old. So I’d like to grow tomatoes. I don’t want to get in the way of your flowers, but I really want tomatoes.”
Suddenly, Mr. Taylor smiled. “Mali, I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but you’ve made me smile. Reasons to smile have been scarce lately. What do you want to do?” Mali repeated, “I wanted to plant tomatoes, but I have no big land.” She sounded a little awkward.
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。
Just then, an idea came to Mr. Taylor.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When the fruit ripened, there were more juicy, red tomatoes than even Mali could have imagined.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. 劳动状况描述;
2. 原因分析；
3. 你的建议。
1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 按如下格式作答，题目已为你写好。
Housework, Our Responsibility
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Thomas, a skinny young boy, loved football with all his heart. Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had. But being half the size of the other boys, he got absolutely nowhere. At all the games, this hopeful athlete sat on the bench (板凳) and hardly ever played.
This teenager lived alone with his father, and the relationship between the two of them was very special. Even though the son was always on the bench, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a game.
This young man was still the smallest of the class when he entered high school. But his father continued to encourage him. All through high school he never missed a practice nor a game but remained a benchwarmer. Besides, his faithful father was always in the stands, always with word of encouragement for him. The young man loved football and was determined to hang in there, and perhaps he’d get to play when he became a senior.
It was at the end of his senior football season and as he ran to the practice field shortly before the big playoff (夺标决赛) that the coach met him with a telegram(电报). The young man read the telegram and he became deathly silent: Biting his lip, he breathed, “My father died this morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today?” The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, “Take the rest of the week off, son. And don’t even plan to come back to the game on Saturday.”
Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the second half when the team was two scores behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football wear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were surprised to see their faithful teammate back so soon.
注意：1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
“Coach, please let me play. I’ve just got to play today,” said the young man.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________This little unknown, who had never played before, was doing everything right.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Role Change
It was a Friday night, and I was just picked up from school by my uncle. He told me that my mother had been in a terrible car crash and had been taken to a nearby hospital.When we got to the hospital, my grandmother pulled me aside and said whatever I did, I mustn’t cry in front of my mother.
My mother’s room was right next to the nurses' station. As I turned into the room, I saw her lying on her side, with her tiny back to me and a pillow between her bandaged legs. She struggled to turn around but couldn’t. I slowly inched to the other side of the bed and said “hi” in a calm voice, containing my urge to cry out.
Gently holding my mother’s cold swollen hands, I tried to keep calm. She kept looking straight into my eyes as if trying to tell me how much pain she was in. I turned my face away from her, trying to hide the tears that were rolling down my face. Eventually I had to leave her for a moment because I couldn’t take it anymore. That was when it struck me that I really might lose my mother. Then I went home and cried myself to sleep.
From that night on, my life completely changed. Up to that point, I'd had the luxury of just being a kid, having to deal with my “messy” teenage life and enjoying my mother’s care. My concept of crisis was now forever changed. As my mother struggled first to stay alive and then to relearn to walk, my sense of priorities in life changed completely. My mother needed me. The trials and hardships of my daily life at school, which had seemed so important before, now appeared insignificant. My mother and I had faced death together, and life took on new meaning for both of us.
I visited my mother in the hospital as often as I could for the next two months. Finally, a sort of hospital suite (房间) was set up in our family room, and to my relief and joy, she was allowed to come home.
注意: 续写词数应为150 左右。
Her returning home was a blessing, but it meant some unfamiliar duties for me.
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My mother’s dependence on me changed our relationship.
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I was nineteen years old the first time I saw my own true character. At least I can say that my true character changed that day.
For about a year, my voyage to and from work each day included a ten-minute walk through the heart of downtown Toronto. As with most large cities, the homeless population of Toronto often gathered on down-town corners, asking pedestrians (行人) for their spare change. Like most busy citizens, I learned to ignore the nameless faces who begged me for money each day. In my eyes, they are on the streets because they choose to be.
I remember how particularly cold the weather had been that day. I passed the usual crowd of homeless beggars, ignored all of them, and continued walking. As I crossed an intersection (交叉路口), I saw him sitting against a building, holding a white cup in front of him. I heard his shaky voice target me as I sped past him.
“Spare some change?” he asked.
I didn’t even bother looking up at his nameless face. “I have no money on me,” I said quickly.
Looking back now, I feel as though fate had set out that day to teach me a lesson. Just a few feet past him, I slipped on the icy road. I lay on the ground for several moments wondering if I had broken my leg. Then I heard a familiar voice only inches above me.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
I knew immediately that this was the man I had just rushed past. I saw the smooth, sympathetic look in his eyes.
I held his hand as I struggled to get to my feet. He held my arm as I hobbled (跛行) to the nearby bus stop. The pain in my leg told me that I needed an X-ray.
“My name is Mike,” he said. “You really shouldn’t try walking on that leg. You really need to get it checked by a doctor,” he said with deep concern.
“This bus goes past the hospital,” I said quickly, pointing to the bus sign above me.
注意：续写词数应为150左右。
Mike paused and a sudden look of realization crossed his face.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I turned away from his offering hand and reached for my purse.
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Jim slumped on the couch. Mother’s Day was coming up, and he didn’t have a present. “How can I buy a present without money?” he thought.
Jim picked up the newspaper that was lying on the couch. He noticed a large advertisement on the front page. The local department store was sponsoring a contest. “Tell us why your mom is special and win a shopping spree(疯狂购物) for her,” said the ad.
“This is perfect!” thought Jim. He ran to his room with the newspaper, taking a pencil and a blank piece of paper from his desk, he started to write.
“My mom is the best mother in the world. She always makes a lunch for me to take to school, and she never forgets my dessert. She reads as many books to me before bed as I want. She always remembers to check under the bed for monsters. And she gives the best hug, but never in front of my friends, who would laugh at me for hugging my mom.”
Jim liked what he had written. He copied it neatly and got an envelope and a stamp from his dad. He ran to the mailbox with his entry(参赛作品), “Mom will love having a shopping spree,” he thought.
Jim checked the mailbox every day for his prize. Days passed by, and then weeks. Soon it was the day before Mother’s Day. Jim still hadn’t heard anything about the contest.
“What am I going to do now?” he wondered. He didn’t have a present, and he didn’t have a shopping spree, and he still didn’t have any money. He had to think of something. Jim closed his eyes and curled his toes and thought so hard that his ears hurt.
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。
Suddenly he had an idea.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The next morning, Jim handed his present to his mom.
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