Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I took a fare at 2：30 a.m. When I arrived, the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. I walked to the door and knocked.” Just a minute,” answered a weak, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. “Would you carry my bag out to the car？” she said. I took the suitcase to the car, and then returned to assist the woman. She held my arm and we walked slowly toward my car.
She kept thanking me for my kindness. “It’s nothing,” I told her.” I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.”
“Oh, you’re such a good man,” she said. When we got in the car, she gave me an address, and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”
I looked in the rear－view mirror(后视镜). Her eyes were shining. “I don’t have any family left,” she continued.” The doctor says I don’t live very long.” I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. “What route would you like me to take?” I asked.
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived. Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
As the first ray of the sun appeared, she suddenly said,” I’m tired. Let’s go now.”We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a small hospice (临终关怀医院), with a driveway that passed under an entrance hall. Two nurses came out to the car as soon as we pulled up.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________正方 | 反方 |
| 安慰、陪伴孤寡老人 | 造成环境污染 |
| 人与动物和谐相处，增添生活乐趣 | 吵闹声，甚至伤人 |
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I love to watch my father paint and I love to hear him talk while he paints. The words always come out soft. As a mason (泥瓦匠) , he doesn’t have a studio, and I’ve always felt a little sorry for him, having to paint in our backyard, which is not exactly picturesque. Dad doesn’t seem to see the backyard when he’s painting, though. It’s not just the canvas he sees either. It’s something much bigger. He gets this look in his eye like he’s gone beyond the yard, the neighborhood, the world.
“A painting is more than the sum of its parts,” he would tell me, and then go on to explain how the cow by itself is just a cow, and the meadow by itself is just grass and flowers, and the sun is just a beam of light, but put them all together and you’ve got magic.
I understood what he was saying, but I never felt what he was saying until one day when I was up in the sycamore tree (梧桐树) . I’d never seen a view like that! I got the feeling that I was flying above the earth. The view from the sycamore was more than rooftops and clouds and wind and colors combined. It was magic. It wasn’t long before I found the spot that became my spot. I could sit there for hours, just looking out at the world. Sunsets were amazing. Some days they’d be purple and pink, some days they’d be a blazing orange, setting fire to clouds across the horizon.
Then came the day. When I was sitting in the branches of my tree, I found two trucks parked right beneath me. Four men came out of the trucks, and started unloading tools, gloves, ropes and saws (锯子) .
Pretty soon they spotted me. One of the men called, “Hey! You’d better come down from there. We gotta take this thing down.”
I managed to choke out, “The tree?”
“Yeah, now come on down.”
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: My heart was crazy with panic.
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Paragraph 2: When I was locked up in my room mourning for the loss of the tree, my father came in with a painting.
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I stared at myself in the mirror: blue tights, yellow vest, a fish tail trailing behind me, and large eyes sitting at op my head. I raised my eyebrows and sighed.
“Mom, I don’t think this costume is right,” I said. “Maybe the makeup will add something,” Mom replied hopefully.
Somehow Mom had convinced me to play the Fish Footman in Alice in Wonderland. I can’t say it’s been the time of my life.
“What if I forget my lines?” I hesitated.
“Oh Riley, is that what you’re afraid of? I know you’ve been rehearsing for two months, you were the first off-book in your scene, and I couldn’t be prouder of you.” Mom said, kneeling down and hugging me.
The next day we pulled into the parking lot, and I stepped out of the car, wearing the questionable costume. I shrank inside myself, but Mom pulled me toward the makeup room. When the makeup was done, I looked at myself in the mirror. My jaw dropped.
“Mom! I can’t go onstage like this!” I cried.
“Why not?”
“I’d be a laughing stock (笑柄)! ”
“Riley, look around you! You’re not the only one in an odd costume.”
“What if we just sneak out? No one will miss me.” I whispered.
Mom’s lips disappeared into a thin line, and I knew I had gone too far. “Riley, I’m going to watch you go out on that stage tonight. And that’s the end of it.” Then mom disappeared into the audience. I sat there, alone and bored, as the play began and the curtain rose on.
The two boys dressed as Two of Clubs (梅花2) near me chatted casually about this and that. Suddenly, they asked, “You’re awfully quiet. Is this your first show?” I tried to respond, but my voice caught in my throat and refused to escape. I coughed and nearly yelled, “YES!”
The Ace of Diamonds (方块A) sitting nearby laughed. “The audience will certainly hear you if you talk that loud. But you might have to clear your throat first, she chuckled. I gave them a weak smile.
“Don’t worry about us,” the Ace said. “We’re only teasing.”
“Yeah,” the Two said. “When you’ve done as many shows as we have, projecting will be second nature to you.”
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:
When my name was called, I stepped onto the stage uneasily.
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Suddenly I was determined to make a lasting impression.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I should have been content and happy. I was newly married and had a well-paid job at a stock brokerage firm (证券经纪公司). I was surrounded by good friends and lived in one of the most beautiful cities in the country. But I didn’t feel fulfilled. Every day, after coming home from work, I was depressed. The work itself was fine. My co-workers were wonderful. I just didn’t feel like I was doing what I was supposed to be doing.
After a few weeks and many discussions with my husband, he asked, “If you could do anything in the world you wanted to do, what would it be?” Without hesitation, I spoke out, “I’d be a hairstylist!”
I was a receptionist at a hair salon when I was a teenager. I loved that job! The majority of my tasks were unskilled. I folded towels, s wept hair, and wrapped the cape (披肩) around the customer. But, most of the time, I listened and talked to people all day long! Some clients talked because they lived alone and had no one else to talk to. We talked about everything. I learned about their families. Their work. Their home life. I loved it. Every bit of it.
But at the job I had, there was none of that. I worked with numbers. And computers. And papers. Lots and lots of papers.
And so it went. Every day, I went to work. Every day, I came home feeling unfulfilled. And each night, I thought more and more about switching careers. At the end of each daydream, I talked myself out of the idea. It was too much work to start a new career. I would be crazy to give up my well-paid job with health insurance. I would have to go to school again. It would take too long to build a clientele (客户群). Its disadvantages outweighed its advantages!
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 had nearly forgotten about my wish when I had a dream one night.
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On my way to work, the happy “I” in my dream kept shouting, “I am to be a hairstylist.”
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I never thought I had any natural talent when it came to music. Throughout my childhood, the fascinating world of music seemed like an impossible dream for me. I just showed no interest in singing songs or playing an instrument. However, my parents had a different plan for me. They insisted that I learn to play the piano when I was just six years old. Wanting to be a good daughter, I agreed to their wishes, even though deep down, I had no real interest in it. Never did I know that this decision would lead to an unexpected journey of self-discovery.
My piano teacher, Mrs. Johnson, was a kind and observant woman. She had a way of reading her students’ minds and understanding their true feelings. It didn’t take long for her to realize that my heart wasn’t fully absorbed in playing the piano. However, she continued to teach me patiently, hoping to stir a spark (火花) within me.
After about six months of lessons, Mrs. Johnson approached me with an unexpected request. She asked me to perform at the year-end concert she had organized for her students. I was surprised and terrified at the same time. The thought of playing in front of an audience was challenging, considering my lack of passion for the instrument. Nevertheless, I couldn’t refuse my teacher’s request, so I could only agree.
Given my limited experience, I decided to choose a fairly simple composition for the concert. In order to perform well, I practiced the same composition for an hour a day for the next two months, perfecting the notes (音符) and the rhythm. I wanted to ensure that, in spite of my doubts, I would at least be able to give a decent (体面的) performance.
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 day of the concert arrived, and I woke up with a mixture of excitement and nervousness.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________To my surprise, the music flowed smoothly from my fingertips.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Manu, wake up!” shouted Manu’s mother, Akhila. Manu pulled the blanket over himself and pretended to ignore his mother’s repeated attempts to wake him up.
“Manu! Please wake up! It’s already 6 o’clock and your school bus will be here by 7 o’clock.” Manu continued sleeping. Finally, Akhila walked up to the bedroom. “Manu, wake up! It’s time you at least learned to wake up on time and do your morning chores without so much effort from my side.” said his mother.
Finally, Manu got out of bed and started getting ready for school lazily. The school bus was already honking(按喇叭) in front of his house while Manu was brushing his teeth. Akhila requested the driver to wait for a few minutes. She quickly helped Manu get ready and helped him get to the school bus.
“Thank God. Manu did not miss his bus today!” She sighed. Akhila is really concerned about her son. Manu will not do anything on time, whether it is walking up in the morning or any of his daily tasks. It is getting very difficult for Akhila to get her son to be disciplined.
Akhila thought to herself, “I need to work out a plan to help him to be self-disciplined.” Repeated advice and warnings had not changed him.
Manu was back from school at 4 o’clock. Akhila asked him to finish his homework first. Manu, as usual, ignored his mother and continued playing with his pet dog. Finally, with a lot of effort, the mother helped him complete his homework. Manu had his maths test the next day.
The next day, everything was usually expected and there was no effort from Akhila to wake up her son. The time was seven and Akhila had still made no effort to wake up Manu. The school bus honked and Akhila, unlike her usual self, asked the bus driver to leave.
注意：续写词数应为150左右。Paragraph 1:
Manu finally woke up at around 9 o’clock.
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Manu quickly got ready for school without any effort from his mother.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Police chief Matthew Bruce’s son, Adam, came late into his lives, so he always spoiled him and never said no to him for anything. As Adam grew older, he began to take his parents’ love and concern for granted, as if it were permission for him to do whatever he pleased. There were certainly times when he was criticized for bad grades or sneaking out of the house, but that was limited to only minor blame. Adam thought that if he pretended to be an “ideal” son, he would have to face absolutely no blame from his parents. So he began to act like a good son in front of them while engaging in all sorts of wrongdoing behind their backs, such as breaking the law. However, Adam always got away with it.
One day, Adam was driving back from a party with his friend Freddie when he began over-speeding. Freddie warned him to slow down, but Adam didn’t listen. Adam’s driving worried Freddie. He asked Adam to slow down again, and when Adam didn’t, he grabbed the steering wheel himself, causing the car to slide off the road and ran into a tree on the side. Then they heard the alarm of a police car behind them. The car came to a stop in front of them, and a police officer approached them.
“I’ve been following your car for a while now, and I’m afraid I’ll have to take you to the station for speeding. May I have your driver’s license first?” the police officer said.
Freddie was scared. “Here’s my driver’s license, sir,” he said, offering it to the officer. Adam tried to explain that he was the police chief’s son, but the police officer turned a deaf ear to him. They drove him to the station, and when Adam stepped inside, he was surprised to see his father there. He had been called to the station for an urgent case.
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。
Adam felt no worries and thought he was out of trouble.
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He told Adam he would need to earn money himself to pay for the fine.
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A woman remarried a man from Mexico. She already had a 16-year-old daughter named Bethany, while her husband had a 14-year-old daughter named Maria. Maria and Bethany had been in each other’s lives since they were children. Their relationship as stepsisters was good until recently.
The entire family was busy planning Maria’s Quinceanera (成人礼). The woman’s husband and his ex-wife joined forces to get her a beautiful dress to celebrate the occasion. In total, the dress cost $3,000.
Bethany made it clear that she was jealous (嫉妒的) of the party. Her mom had to make her understand that in Mexican culture, a Quinceanera was a great deal, just like how she had a sweet sixteen party. However, Bethany kept comparing her party to that of Maria’s. It was a massive issue for her, and it reflected in the way she behaved around everyone at home.
Knowing how it made Bethany feel, the mom tried to spend more time with her daughter to assure her that she wasn’t being disregarded. They even got her a lovely dress for the Quinceanera, but much cheaper than Maria’s dress.
Two weeks before the big day, Maria and Bethany got into an argument regarding the TV. Bethany retaliated (报复) against her stepsister by tearing off the back part of her Quinceanera dress. After finding out what Bethany did, everyone was angry. The mom couldn’t believe what her daughter did and quickly gave her husband and his ex-wife money to get a new dress.
The mom told Bethany that she needed to get a job to pay back the total price of the dress. It was her punishment for such an unreasonable act against her stepsister. However, Bethany claimed her mom was unfair by choosing Maria over her. This made the mom question whether she was in the wrong for giving her daughter no choice but to find a job. She wrote about the story online, hoping to get opinions from others on whether what she did was wrong.
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。
To her surprise, she got everybody’s support.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Finally, the mom was determined to teach her 16-year-old a lesson.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When I was a child, I was particular about food. It was Aunt Nelda that changed my habit of being a picky eater.
As far as I could remember, on a Friday night, when Dad and I arrived at Aunt Nelda’s house at dinner time, she prepared a big meal for us. Though the dishes smelled delicious, I didn’t feel like eating some of them. I took several bites of the sandwich and then laid it aside. Dad wanted to kick me under the table to remind me to finish all the food, but drawers (抽屉) between us protected me.
Looking at those drawers, I had a good idea. When Dad got up to refill his soup bowl, I pulled the bottom drawer open. It was full of cloth napkins (布餐巾). I put my sandwich under them and shut the drawer quickly. A plan for my rest food at Aunt Nelda’s emerged.
The next morning, I did the same to the food which I hated to eat. When Aunt Nelda saw my empty bowl, she gave me some sweets and said, “Good job, Jodi. You like my cooking just as much as your father.”
On Sunday, the food under the napkins continued growing, but somehow more slowly. Aunt Nelda was actually a pretty good cook. At noon, her children were coming for lunch. I offered to help set the table.
“Jodi, get the cloth napkins out of the bottom drawer,” she said. My heart began to beat fast. It was not because of the bottom drawer or the cloth napkins, but because of the left food.
“No, let’s use these!” I said, grabbing a handful of paper napkins. Aunt Nelda reached for the drawer. “My children prefer cloth napkins!” she said. I held my breath, waiting for the horrible scene. However, I couldn’t believe that she handed me some neat napkins.
“I’ve already cleaned them up,” she said. “It was so strange that there was much food under the napkins. I hadn’t seen mice for years! Guess what? They were back again. A long time ago, they made a nest and carried the food all over the house.”
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。
Aunt Nelda’s words made me feel relieved but ashamed.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Hearing what I said, Aunt Nelda opened her mouth wide.
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