Everything went according to plan, until it didn’t. The night before my first marathon, I ate the classic runner’ s dinner. That morning, I woke up before my alarm, tiptoed downstairs to toast three waffles and slathered them in peanut butter. I had slept eight hours, my unreliable left knee wasn’t bothering me, my stomach was full. I was ready.
Then my girlfriend, Louisa, knocked on the door asking: “Have you checked your email?” The Twin Cities Marathon in Minneapolis and St. Paul had been canceled. Race officials sent an email at 5: 16 a. m. announcing the race had been called off due to “black flag conditions”-- record-breaking heat.
While I understood why the race organizers didn’t want to put runners at risk, I also knew that I had trained in the baking and humid Washington, D. C. all summer. If I started early and finished around noon, I’d miss the worst heat of the day. Louisa offered to bike alongside me, with water, snacks and salt pills in tow.
I quickly called my friends to figure out what to do. About 40minutes later, we were heading for starting line in downtown Minneapolis, drinking a gallon of water, ready to run our own marathon. There is a psychological difference between running 42. 2 kilometers and running an organized marathon. The distance becomes a shared challenge when you’re running with thousands of others. That gives a runner confidence they can finish the race as well.
“When you’re in that marathon setting, having people on the sidelines, having people running alongside you, maybe running in a new location, there are so many other external things to help keep you focused, “my friend Samson said. The sights and sounds “give you a little of a break from the internal reflection that can happen when you start to struggle.” Indeed, it is a mental race.
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。
On our way to the starting line, we were wondering if anybody else would show up despite the cancellation.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The last 8 kilometers of the Twin Cities Marathon route are largely uphill.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My mother believed in using things up. Last year, our cornfield had a bad harvest because birds feasted on the crops. It was probably then that Mom’s frugality(节俭)became even more extraordinary. She began keeping everything that seemed useless in the attic(阁楼)—worn-out clothes, old sheets, broken umbrellas, and some other old items. Mom’s favorite saying was “waste not, want not”(俭以防匮). My brother Josh and I weren’t sure what that meant until the “Affair of the Scarecrow(稻草人)”, which, as it later became known, left a lasting impression on us.
The story began with a pretty hat that Mom received as a gift to protect her from the sun. However, Josh and I could see that Mom’s frugal nature and fashion sense were in battle. Mom really didn’t want to get rid of the hat—it was new and had a lot of use left in it—but neither could she stand wearing it. She tried to take off the fancy decorations, but they were stuck on tight. She’d have to find some other solution.
Josh and I watched as Mom headed upstairs to the attic with the hat. “Waste not, want not,” she called back down. We heard boxes being moved around. Moments later, Mom leaned out, holding a flour bag full of straw, and with a mysterious smile, she placed the hat on it.
“What is that for?” I asked, confused. “A scarecrow! ” Mom exclaimed. “But not a good one yet.It needs a strong body to stand firm in the field,” she said with a frown. “And it doesn’t look scary enough,” Josh remarked. I had to admit that Josh, though younger than I was, could sometimes be more imaginative. Josh and I turned to each other, searching for a good idea. Soon enough, Josh’s eyes lit up with inspiration.
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: “Come with me!” Josh called out.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: In the following days, the scarecrow stood proudly.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . 阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
I went to sleep with my mouth open and I woke up with a sore throat. The medicine I took was of no use and my mom was forcing me to go to the doctor because she was worried that it would make me ill. When I went to brush my teeth, there was no toothpaste left and as I was trying to squeeze anything left in the tube, the toothpaste splattered（酒） all over my face and the uniform I had been looking forward to wearing all week long. I washed my hair last night thinking I’d have time to straighten it in the morning or even give it a nice brush, but because of the toothpaste incident I didn’t have enough time to do anything to it at all. Now my hair was frizzy and I was in sweatpants.
On my way to school, there was an accident holding up traffic on the one-way only street to my high school. That day was my first day of high school, and also my birthday. You might be wondering: Wait... It’s really your birthday? Then how come you didn’t mention your parents wishing you a happy birthday that morning? All are very good questions. I didn’t mention it because it never happened. My own parents forgot my birthday.
Maybe this day would get better. At least that’s what I told myself to prevent the pulling of my own hair out. On my way to the classroom, I tripped up on the stairs and hurt my knee. I saw some students pull their phones out to capture the awkward moment. Luckily for me, I thought they were too late. Shortly after the first bell rang, the morning announcements played and on came the birthday section. What a feeling of relief!! wouldn’t be forgotten after. But I was wrong.
Not even the school, who quite literally has my birthday on file, remembered my birthday.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150词左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡相应位置作答。
This day continued to get worse.
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When I finally went home, I found my parents’ car was in the driveway.
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I blame it all on my dad’s good intentions. You see, my writing career started when I was in elementary school, where there were various writing contests throughout the years. I’m assuming it was in the hopes of trying to get our young, little minds excited about the possibilities that writing could offer us in our lives. Then I’d come home, show my parents and my dad would say, “You did such a great job, honey! Wow, you must be a great writer!” I was probably a better writer in 5th grade than my average students at the time. I even went to the special advanced classes for the “gifted” kids for a few years.
And as I grew older, I remembered those experiences and what my dad was always telling me, and it just sort of stuck with me, and became part of my subconscious (潜意识) —that I was a great writer. I always did well in all my classes because I had this confidence. I didn’t like all subjects particularly, but I got good grades. I was pretty self-assured in my abilities as a student. Then, fast forward to my freshman year of high school. By this time, I had started to even out (相等) with the rest of my peers, in terms of intellect. And then, it happened, the day that I was shattered.
It was all because of my English teacher Ms. Moon. The year started out like any other. Jexpected to do well; I worked hard and knew that my dedication would pay off, like it always had in the past. But something started happening. I started getting Cs on my papers! I don’t think I’d ever even seen that letter, except in the spelling of my first name. And, not only was I not getting good grades in her class, but her comments were off the charts shocking. My papers were full of red marks, and I was being asked to re-do many assignments to even get a passing grade.
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。
One day, Ms. Moon handed my paper to me and whispered, “It’s still not good enough.”
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Very soon it was time for my final exam result.
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A funny thing happened to Arthur when he was on the way to work one day. As he walked along Park Avenue near the First National Bank, he heard the sound of someone trying to start a car. He tried again and again but couldn’t get the car moving. Arthur turned and looked inside at the face of a young man who looked worried.
Arthur stopped and said, “It looks like you’ve got a problem.”
“I’m afraid so. I’m in a big hurry but I can’t start my car.”
“Is there something I can do to help?” Arthur asked. The young man looked at the two suitcases in the back seat and then said, “Thanks. If you’re sure it wouldn’t be too much trouble, you could help me get these suitcases into a taxi.”
“No trouble at all. I’d be glad to help.”
The young man got out and took one of the suitcases from the back seat. After placing it on the ground, he turned to get the other one. Just as Arthur picked up the first suitcase and started walking, he heard the long loud noise of an alarm.
It was from the bank. There had been a robbery (抢劫)!
Park Avenue had been quiet a moment before. Now the air was filled with the sound of the alarm and the shouts of people running from all directions. Cars stopped and the passengers joined the crowd in front of the bank. People asked each other, “What happened?” But everyone had a different answer.
Arthur still carrying the suitcase, turned to look at the bank and walked right into a young woman in front of him.
She looked at the suitcase and then at him. Arthur was surprised. “Why is she looking at me like that?” he thought. “The suitcase! She thinks I’m the bank thief!”
Arthur looked around at the crowd of people. He became frightened, and without another thought, he started to run.
注意：续写的词数应为150左右。Paragraph 1:
As he was running, Arthur heard the young man shouting behind, “Stop! Stop!” _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:The taxi stopped in front of the police station. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I always wondered how people would react if I tried to approach a stranger for help in a busy place like a street corner or in a bustling mall. I personally have hurried past a stranger who tried to catch my attention in a busy place.
Yesterday I had a taste of being stuck in such a desperate situation where your only hope of help would have to come from a total stranger.
I was in a busy shopping mall buying a large piece of luggage. After the purchase in one of the large and expensive shops, I picked up my phone from my pocket to call my driver waiting in the parking lot and my phone was dead.
I then requested the shop assistant selling me the luggage, which was not cheap at all, if she could ring the number of my driver for me. She replied, still all smiles, “I’m sorry Sir, but it is the shop policy that we cannot use mobile phones while working in the shop.”
As I was wondering what kind of policy that was, I saw a nice-looking teenage boy coming toward me. Remember my wife’s interesting theory that beautiful people are more likely to give you a hand when you’re in trouble, I thought I might have a chance. But before I could say a word, he walked past me. It turned out he simply didn’t see me.
I waited in the mall but it seemed nobody bothered to look at me. Disappointed and tired, I got out of the shop on to the busy street in front. I stood there with people rushing by, looking at their faces to see if they will show kindness to me. I began wondering how many times I had reacted to strangers like the shop girl and the teenager.
注意：1. 续写的短文词数应为100左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
That was when I saw a young mother with her two kids.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Finally a man wearing a cheap T-shirt and dirty jeans seemed to notice me.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As Mom and I stood in line waiting to cash out at the store, I studied the customer in front of us who was reading the magazines to our left. She was young, maybe early twenties, but she already had a tired look with a slight stoop (驼背).
The items in her cart included the cheapest cuts of meat and meal like pasta, rice, and potatoes. Day-old bread, bargain soap, and inexpensive shampoo completed her purchases, well, almost. In the corner sat a toy car and a pretty dress that was 50 percent off. She continued to look at the magazines as we waited, and more people lined up behind us. She turned around and asked Mom for help.
“I’m sorry to bother you,” she began shyly. “But can you tell me how much this is? I forgot my glasses at home.”
“Of course,” Mom said.
When Mom finally found the small print and told her, she sighed quietly and put it back.
“They’ve become so expensive, haven’t they?” Mom said in a low voice.
“Next!” The cashier called and she moved forward.
When the store employee finally added up everything and told her the cost, the woman’s face paled. It was obvious that she didn’t have enough money, and she scanned her items to see what she could do without.
One by one, she removed things, but she still came up short. She continued to take much-needed goods out while the cashier patiently deducted (扣除) things with a pleasant smile.
The child’s items remained in the cart, however. In fact, the palm of her other hand lay protectively across them, as if she didn’t want to give in.
The woman finally paid, and moved down to bag them.
When our turn came, Mom pointed to the pile of items the woman had taken out, added all our meat and fresh milk, and whispered “Separate bags, same bill please” to the cashier. She nodded, even though it was a “pack your own” kind of store.
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 cashier went on with her work and Mom moved next to the woman.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When she turned back and was about to leave, she found the extra bag in her cart.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When my daughters reached the third and fourth grades, I sometimes allowed them to walk to and from school alone if the weather permitted. One warm spring day, a small friend followed them home after school. This friend had short legs and long floppy ears, with a furry coat and tiny spots across her nose. She was the cutest puppy I had ever seen and my girls begged me to keep her.
She was not more than twelve weeks old. She had no identifying marks of any sort. I didn’t know what to do. I thought about running an ad in the lost and found but I really didn’t want to. It would break the kids’ hearts if someone should show up. Besides, her owners should have watched her more closely, I thought.
By the end of the week she was part of our family. She was very clever and good with the girls. The Following week something told me to check the lost and found section in the local paper. One particular ad caught my attention and my heart sank at what I read. Someone was searching for a lost puppy near our grade school. They sounded desperate. My hand shook. I could not ask myself to pick up the phone.
Instead, I pretend I hadn’t seen the ad. I quickly put the paper aside and tried to ignore it. I never say anything about it to the kids or my husband.
By now we had named the puppy. She looked like a Molly, so we called her Molly. She followed the girls everywhere they went. When they went outside, she was one step behind them. When they did housework she was there to help.
There was only one problem with this perfect dog: my conscience (良心) was bothering me. I knew in my heart I had to call that number and see if our Molly was the puppy they were desperately looking for.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1:
With mixed feelings, I finally picked up the phone.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
Opening the door, I saw a woman with a little girl sitting in a small wheelchair.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Many years ago, when I was a young man in my twenties, I worked as a salesman for a St. Louis piano company. Every time we would advertise in Southeast Missouri, we would receive a reply on a postcard which said, “Please bring me a new piano for my little granddaughter. I can pay $10 a month with my egg money.” The old lady scrawled on and on and on that postcard until she filled it up.
Of course, we could not sell a new piano for $10 a month. No finance company would carry a contract with payments that small, so we ignored her postcards.
One day, however, I happened to be in that area calling on other replies, and out of curiosity I decided to look the old lady up: The old lady lived in a small and dirty house in the middle of a cotton field. There were chickens in the house. Obviously, the old lady could not have qualified to purchase anything on credit. Her little granddaughter was about 10, barefoot. I explained to the old lady that we could not sell a new piano for $10 a month. However, she still sent us the same postcard every six weeks.
A couple of years later, I owned my own piano company, and when I advertised in that area, the postcards started coming to me. For months, I ignored them.
But then, one day, despite knowing that I was about to make a terrible business decision, I delivered the piano to the old lady and told her I would carry the contract myself at $10 a month with no interest, and that would mean 52 payments. I took the new piano in the house and placed it where I thought the roof would be least likely to rain on it. It old her and the little girl to try to keep the chickens off of it, and I left — sure I had just thrown away a new piano.
But the payments came in, all 52 of them as agreed — sometimes with coins taped to a 3×5inch card in the envelope. It was incredible!
So, I put the incident out of my mind for 20 years.
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: Then one day, as I was sitting at the bar having an after-dinner drink, I heard the most beautiful piano music behind me.
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Paragraph 2: She told me her name was Elise and since her grandmother couldn’t afford to pay for lessons, she had learned to play by listening to the radio.
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1.你的选择；
2.选择的原因；
3.个人经历。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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