Due to my unhealthy eating habits, I became fatter and fatter after college. My good friend Anoush was a running enthusiast. So he advised me to lose weight by running. I didn’t agree at first until he promised to accompany me to run although he was busy with his work.
Seven years later, I got more serious about running. And I dreamed to participate in Boston Marathon. Anoush encouraged me to realize my dream. He also said he enjoyed running too and wanted to attend the same marathon with me. Every day we spared our time to practise hard and did about 2 marathons a year, during which time Anoush gave me much professional guidance and encouragement. And then one day, both of us qualified for the 2017 Boston Marathon. We were excited but unfortunately, several weeks before the marathon, we had a serious quarrel. Even I swore never to talk with him in the future.
The day came. Anoush and I stood at the starting line. He said, “Good luck! You will certainly finish the marathon.” Hearing his words, I looked at him, saying, “It’s none of your business.”
Then we started running. I had strong mental confidence by using positive self-talk when running distances, which has helped me finish 18 marathons. Soon, I passed Anoush.
But I struggled in the heat starting at mile 16. I felt most of my oxygen went to the muscle in my legs and less in my brain, which made me feel a bit lightheaded and fuzzy (迷迷糊糊的). I continually encouraged myself. “Just get to the finish, run bold, and you will win,” all phrases that I say to myself didn’t work any more.
Gradually I felt out of breath and had to slow down my pace. As I ran down the famous last stretch of the Boston Marathon on Boylston Street, I fell down on the ground with my legs moving like jello (果冻).
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。
Just then, I felt that someone picked me up.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When Anoush and I crossed the finish line, the audience at present applauded.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was a great pity when one day I heard that the Sunshine Bookstore was closing after fifty years of business. I was also heartbroken. The bookstore was a place where anyone in the neighborhood could drop by (顺便拜访) and be connected through their love of books.
When I hurried to the store, I saw the books were being packed into boxes. Sighing deeply, the store’s elderly owner, Thomas, told me how it was becoming difficult to run an independent bookstore. Most young people preferred to read e-books on tablets. Customers were being attracted by chain stores and online discounts. I tried to think of some words of sympathy, but I had to admit that the Sunshine Bookstore couldn’t stay in business much longer.
Childhood memories came flooding back. A bunch of us kids would frequently drop into the store after school, looking at the new books, or just chatting with old Thomas. He knew every book in the store and would always pick the perfect one for us. We spent hours reading, seated on the store’s old, but comfortable furniture. Thomas encouraged us to share our ideas and comments on the books by writing them on a large board in one corner of the store.
When I left the bookstore, it was becoming cold and dark outside. I turned to wave goodbye to Thomas, but both he and his bookstore were already hidden in a thick mist. It made me realize that the bookstore and all that old Thomas had given to the community could soon disappear for good.
A few months later, I was back in the neighborhood from my vacation and was surprised to see that the Sunshine Bookstore was still there and open for business. Its old brick outside hadn’t changed, but inside it was like a different world. Clearly, the Sunshine Bookstore was in good and creative hands.
I was told that the community had decided to work together on a campaign to save the Sunshine Bookstore. The campaign had been led by Martin, a salesman who had grown up in the neighborhood and who was helping Thomas run the bookstore.
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 entered the bookstore and saw how it had changed.
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“Where is Thomas,” I said to myself.
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My son David was injured in his forehead so I had to take him to a hospital. I looked around the crowded waiting room in the hospital and sighed. I thought, “Will the doctor be able to see my eight-year-old son soon?” I tried steadying the ice pack (冰袋) over his forehead, but it was no use. I couldn’t stop shaking. The injury in his forehead was deep, but at least blood wasn’t pouring from it anymore.
His face was full of tears, but he seemed really brave for his age. I handed him the ice pack, and he covered his forehead with it. He was doing a much better job than I had. We were at the hospital because another child had thrown a rock at David during a break between classes as he was running around the corner. His teacher called me, and when I arrived, I found him sitting in front of her. His teacher was caring for his injury, trying to keep him calm. She felt terrible about what had happened, but I knew none of it was her fault.
David received four stitches (缝线) and didn’t cry once throughout the whole treatment. For the next two days, his forehead was swollen and black and blue. I felt like I’d had a mini nervous breakdown. Every time I tried to sleep or tend to housework, horrible thoughts crept into my mind. Fear had taken over, and then the fear turned to anger. I was angry with the child who’d thrown the rock. I just couldn’t shake it. What was she thinking? She should have known about that better.
David’s headmaster and teacher called me that evening to see how David was feeling and told me Cherry, the girl, felt terrible. I wanted to stand up for my son, do the right thing and protect him.
The next day, David’s teacher stopped by to see how David was feeling and dropped off a get-well card that Cherry had made. David and I read it several times, and I couldn’t help but feel a little choked up. It was a sincere apology.
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。
This card mattered a lot to us.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________We wondered how Cherry would make a response after reading the letter.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was the first swim meet of the year for our newly formed middle-school swimming team. The atmosphere during the three-hour bus journey was filled with anticipation as the group of forty-eight young teenagers thought of nothing but victory. However, the excitement turned into shock as our kids got off the bus and stared in disbelief at their muscle-filled Greek-god-like opponents.
The coach checked the schedule “Surely there has been a mistake,” he thought. But the schedule only confirmed that this was the right location and time.
The two teams formed a line on the side of the pool. Whistles blew, races were started and races were lost. Haifway through the meet, coach Huey realized that there were no participants for one of the events.
“Okay kids, who want to swim the five-hundred-yard freestyle?” the coach asked. Several bands shot up, including Justin’s “I’ll race, coach!” he shouted. The coach looked down at the youngest boy and said, “Justin, this race covers twenty lengths of the pool. I’ve only seen you swum eight”.
“I can do it. Coach. Let me try,” Justin insisted . Coach Huey hesitantly agreed. ”After all, “be thought,” it’s not the winning but the effort and determination that build character.“
The whistle blew and the opponents rushed through the water and finished the race in just six minutes and fifty seconds. The winners gathered on the sidelines to socialize while our group struggled to finish. After three more minutes. the last exhausted (筋疲力尽的) members of our team came out from the water-except for Justin.
Justin was stealing breaths as his hands slapped against the water, pushing i: aside to push his thin body forward. It appeared that he might go under at any minute, yet something seemed to keep pushing him forward.
“Why doesn’t the coach intervene?” the parents whispered among themselves. “It looks like he’s about to drown, and the race was over four minutes ago.”
注意：1.续写词数应为150个左右：
2.请按如下格式作答。
Approaching Justin, the coach noticed the determination in the young swimmer’s eyes.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Touched by the scene, members of the opposing team also cheered Justin as he continued to swim.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Goodbye, Mum and Dads, don’t worry. We’ll take care of everything!” Carly waved from the front door of the shop as her parents drove off. They were headed for a well-deserved vacation from their candy store, and Carly had promised them she’d be able to run it by herself.
Her parents didn’t quite agree, however, so they compromised by having Carly’s Aunt Maggie come over and help. Aunt Maggie didn’t have any experience running a store, but Carly did, and at least her aunt would be good company. Carly put on her pink shop apron (围裙) and removed a white one from a hook, handing it to her aunt. “Please put this on. The main job is to serve customers, but we also make some of the candy ourselves. Dad and Mum did most of the work already, but we have to finish up a few things. I’ll show you.” Carly took her aunt behind the counter and over to where the family made some of their own candy, such as fresh fudge (软糖), cotton candy, and ice cream. They had lots of delicious flavours to choose from. Aunt Maggie took a little bite of the chocolate mint-flavouted fudge, saying. “It’s delicious.”
“It’s good, but… unoriginal.” Carly said, “We can do better.” Before Aunt Maggie could question what she meant. Carly went into the kitchen, coming back with her hands full of items. She spread them on the work surface. “I want to create new flavours and our customers should try something new, something innovative.”
Aunt Maggie’s eyes grew wide as she looked at the items. Brussels sprouts (球芽甘蓝). Flaming Hot Chili Sauce (辣椒酱)… “Are you sure they can be added into fudges or ice creams?” Aunt Maggie shook her head in disbelief. Carly looked at her aunt, saying that it would work and the cold would perfectly balance out the spicy sauce.
After a while, today’s new specials were done—Brussels sprout fudge, barbeque-flavoured cotton candy, hot sauce ice cream… Carly looked at them proudly but Aunt Maggie disbelieved and said. “I just wish our customers would like them.”
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 put up a sign in front of the store showing the new flavours.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________But to her delight, the two boys came back, followed by a crowd of kids.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Along a beautiful river lived a young and beautiful bird named Hamsa. Besides, he was unique from all other birds that lived in the area. He had two heads and a single body.
One day, Hamsa was walking along the river bank. He saw a beautiful golden-reddish fruit lying on the sand. As soon as the first head saw the fruit, he cried, “Oh, my Lord... this is the most beautiful fruit I have ever seen. God has sent this fruit for me.”The second head replied, “Oh, you cheap fellow. Let me have it; I wanna taste it!”
The first head did not want to share the fruit. He said to the second head, “We both share the same stomach, so whether you eat or I eat, it really does not matter. So I will have it.” The first head picked up the fruit and gave it to their wife, who liked the fruit a lot. The second head was very disappointed with the artfulness(狡猾)of the first head. He kept quiet and did not say anything.
A few days later, Hamsa was again wandering along the banks of the river. The second head noticed a bluish and whitish fruit lying on the sands of the river. The second head immediately picked it up. When the first head saw the fruit, he understood what it actually was! He cried, “Oh, my dear partner, please throw away this fruit. Do not eat it. It’s actually a poisonous(有毒的)fruit. Both of us share the same stomach. If you eat it, we both will die. So save both of us.”
The second head was not in a mood(心情)to listen to the first head’s speech. He replied, “Oh, you double-dealing(口是心非)one! You are jealous(嫉妒的)now that I have been rewarded(回报)with a beautiful fruit. Now keep quiet and let me have it.”
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 first head kept warning him.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The wife served medicine to Hamsa.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One year ago, when we were in the fifth grade, a new classmate named Jack joined us. He was often late for class and had a strange smell on him, which made the girls not want to be “neighbours” with him, let alone sit next to him. It is said that once, a naughty boy curiously opened his backpack and many crushed soda cans and empty drink bottles that we usually throw into the trash fell out. Therefore, the boys in our class mocked (嘲笑) him as the “trash king”.
Later, during a class meeting, our teacher, Ms. Zhang, told us about his story of using garbage to make inventions. It turns out that Jack is not an ordinary elementary school student, but a “garbage-inspired inventor” who has won the city invention award. According to Ms. Zhang, most of his inventions were picked up from garbage dumps (堆). During that class meeting, Jack showed us his invention of a“domestic wastewater separation system”.
Afterwards, some of us became deeply interested in these small inventions and started to admire Jack’s way of “picking up trash”. We even joined him in picking up trash on weekends and during holidays. From then on, we no longer called him the “trash king“. Instead, we formed a group of five boys and actively searched for usable materials in various garbage dumps around the city. Under Jack’s guidance, we learned that there are many uses for seemingly useless trash. Once, we stayed at school to process the collected materials. Jack mentioned that he was facing a problem with his latest invention—a small cart for buying vegetables that needed to be lightweight. All other materials were solved except for the wheels. How could we find a suitable material for the wheels? We racked our brains (绞尽脑汁) and came up with different ideas, such as using soda cans or taking off the wheels from suitcases. However, Jack reminded us that our group should focus on making inventions from waste rather than causing damage to create them. We were all deep in thought.
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。
When I got home and drank a bottle of water, I suddenly had an idea.
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Jack indeed adopted my suggestion and fixed a row of bottle caps as wheels on his vegetable cart.
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Many years ago, when I was just a child, my family struggled to make ends meet. Despite our financial difficulties, I sought out ways to earn a little pocket money by offering my assistance to our neighbors.
One cold day, I knocked on the door of an elderly woman’s house and kindly asked if she needed help to clean her yard. Surprised by my presence, she looked at me with kind eyes and asked why I wasn’t in school. I shyly pointed to my worn-out coat, unable to stay warm on the freezing cold day. Touched by my situation, she allowed me to work in her yard.
As I worked hard in the yard, the lady watched quietly, sometimes giving me a kind smile. When I finished, she looked at the tidy yard and said gently, “You’ve worked really well today, but you should be in school. Promise me you’ll go back.” Then, she took out a jar of money and told me to take what I needed.
I was grateful and took enough to fix my old coat and buy some food. I kept my promise and went back to see her, sharing my school progress. Each time, she welcomed me warmly, checking my report card with interest. Whenever there was an “A”, she’d be proud and reward me with money and tasty treats.
Even though my family faced tough times, I treasured the moments with the kind lady. Her kindness and support motivated me to do well in school and in life.
I studied even harder, knowing that only through education could I change my life and that of my family. The kind lady gave me strength, urging me forward.
My efforts finally paid off. After graduating from high school, I earned an opportunity to attend a prestigious (知名的) university. Upon graduating from college, I landed a well-paid job that I enjoyed. Our family’s financial situation greatly improved as a result, and I had the means to give back to the community that once helped me. I would never forget the kind lady who gave me a chance when I needed it most.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
One day, I was walking past a gift shop.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Returning to the little boy, I presented him with the gift.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Sarah, a high school student, had a great passion for baking. With her parents’ support, Sarah dreamed of opening her own bakery, a place where she could turn her interest into a business. However, she knew the importance of improving her skills and gaining real-world experience.
Therefore, every Saturday, without fail, she would set up a small but charming table at a local park. The park, filled with families and laughter, was the perfect place for Sarah to sell her creations. Her table, neatly laid out with colorful homemade cookies and cakes, attracted passers-by with the desserts’ smell.
On a particularly bright and sunny afternoon, as Sarah was carefully arranging her chocolate cookies and cakes, her attention was drawn to an elderly woman sitting alone on a bench. The woman, with her silver hair and sad eyes, seemed lost in thought. As the hours went by, Sarah noticed that the woman remained where she was, seemingly forgotten by the world. A sense of concern washed over Sarah. So she decided to act. She poured a cup of warm tea carefully and cut a generous slice of her rich chocolate cake, a crowd favorite, and approached the woman.
“I thought you might like some snacks,” Sarah said with a warm, inviting smile. The woman’s face lit up as she accepted the treat. “Thank you, dear. I haven’t had such a delicious treat since my retirement,” she responded, her voice soft yet filled with gratitude. As she enjoyed the cake, tears rolled down her face.
A little shocked, Sarah asked what had happened. The woman introduced herself as Mrs. Wilson, who had been a baker before she retired. Since losing her husband to cancer a week ago, she had been living alone. Her visits to the park were her escape from the loneliness that filled her quiet home. Sarah listened attentively, her heart touched by the woman’s story.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
Sarah decided to help Mrs. Wilson out.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Over time, their unlikely friendship became noticed in the park.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________At 6 pm in the mall on Christmas Eve, I was tired from my part-time job as an elf (精灵) helping Santa with kids’ photos to earn money during the December of my sixteenth year.
Everyone was very busy. I looked over at Shelly, our manager, and she gave me an encouraging smile. Instead of angrily shouting at her workers, she always positively encouraged us and stood behind us. Under her leadership, we had achieved the highest number of mall photo sales in California.
I knew it was a difficult holiday season for her —she was experiencing a family crisis. I hoped she knew how great she was and what a difference she had made to her workers and all little children coming to have their pictures taken.
Our Santa booth(摊位)was open until seven. At six, things started slowing down and I finally took a break. Although I didn’t have much money, I really wanted to buy a little gift for Shelly so that she’d know we appreciated her support.
I got to a store just as they locked the door. “We’re closed!” cried the tired clerk. I looked around, noticing all the stores had already closed. I was really upset. I had been working all day and had missed buying her a present by one minute.
On my way back to the Santa booth, I saw Nordstrom was still open. Fearful that they would also close at any moment, I hurried inside and toward the Gift Gallery. I found other shoppers were all well-dressed and wealthy; I was a poor teenager in an elf costume. How could I find anything under fifteen dollars in such an elegant store?
A saleswoman came over, asking if she could help me. Then, everyone in the department turned around and stared. Quietly, I said, “No, that’s okay. Just help somebody else.” She looked right at me, smiling, “But I want to help you. By the way, I’m Stephanie.”
注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.按照如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答；
3.用衡水体规范书写。
Paragraph1:
I had to tell her who I was buying a gift for, and then admitted I only had $15.
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Paragraph 2:
By now the store was closed, but she stayed to help me wrap the hat.
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