I sat in the breakfast corner with my four-year-old son, Matthew, trying to ignore the ache in my stomach. I was still recovering from a surgery. I hoped for strength and happiness. But the future seemed so hopeless.
Matthew jumped up from his spot on the kitchen floor. “Bird!” he shouted, rushing to the sliding door. Sure enough, there was a white dove seated on a rubber tree. It sat there a few moments, and then flew away. I’d never seen one in our neighborhood before.
When I dragged myself to the kitchen the next morning, the dove was back. This time it was with a mate carrying twigs (嫩枝), “Look, Matthew,” I said, pointing to the tree. “They’re going to make a nest.” The doves flew in and out of the courtyard all week, building on the top of the rubber tree. Matthew could hardly contain his excitement. Every morning, he’d run into the kitchen and take his spot by the sliding glass door, talking to the birds while they worked. As much as I was grieving (感到悲伤), I couldn’t help but look forward to the doves’ visits too. We watched their progress as if it were a real-life soap opera unfolding before us. Gradually, my pain disappeared, replaced by joy.
Then it all went wrong. The courtyard was a safe enough spot for a nest, but the rubber tree’s broad, thin leaves were far from stable. One night, a strong wind blew through, throwing the doves’ nest to the ground. I heard the twigs break apart. Nothing good ever lasts. I wouldn’t blame the doves if they never came back. But they returned. And they paid no attention to the pi le of sticks that had once been their nest. They started again from scratch, though the wind destroyed all their hard work. The next day, and the next, they renewed their efforts, as if nothing had happened.
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: I knew I had to do something for the poor creatures.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:“The birds were back!” Matthew announced.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Jenny was the only child in her family. She had a quarrel (吵架) with her mother that afternoon and she ran out of the house angrily. She couldn’t help weeping sorrowfully when she thought of the scolding from her mother. Having wandered aimlessly in the street for hours, she felt a little hungry and wished for something to eat. She stood beside a stand (货摊) for a while, watching the middle-aged seller busy doing his business. However, with no money in hand, she gave a sigh and had to leave.
The seller behind the stand noticed the young girl and asked, “Hey, girl, you want to have the noodles?”
“Oh, yes, but I don’t have money on me.” she replied.
“That’s nothing. I’ll treat you today,” said the man, “Come in.”
The seller brought her a bowl of noodles, whose smell was so attractive. As she was eating, Jenny cried silently.
“What is it?” asked the man kindly.
“Nothing. Actually, I was just touched by your kindness!” said Jenny as she wiped her tears. “Even a stranger on the street will give me a bowl of noodles, while my mother drove me out of the house. She showed no care for me. She is so merciless compared to a stranger!”
Hearing the words, the seller smiled, “Girl, do you really think so? I only gave you a bowl of noodles and you thanked me a lot. But it is your mother who has raised you since you were a baby. Can you remember the times she cooked for you? Have you expressed your gratitude to her?”
Jenny sat there, speechless and numb with shock: she remembered her mother’s familiar face and weathered hands. “Why didn’t I think of that? A bowl of noodles from a stranger made me feel grateful. Why haven’t I thanked my mum for what she has done for me?”
On the way home. Jenny made up her mind to make an apology to her mother for her rudeness as soon as she arrived home.
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，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Nearing the doorway, Jenny took a deep breath.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________At that time, her mother came back and touched her hair gently, which called her mind back.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One day, when I was 7 years old, my father was standing in line to buy tickets for the circus for me.
And there was only one family in front of us. I was deeply impressed by them. There were eight children, all probably under the age of twelve. You could tell they didn’t have a lot of money.Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean. The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly talking about the clowns, elephants, and other acts they would see that night with their brothers or sisters in a low voice.
I could sense that they had never been to the circus before. It promised to be highlight of their young lives. The father and mother were at the head of the pack, standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband’s hand, looking up at him as if to say, “You are my hero.”
He was smiling and responding in pride, looking back at her as if to say, “You got that right.”
The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly responded, “Please let me buy eight children’s tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus.”
The ticket lady gave the price. The man’s wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, and his lips began to shake. The father leaned a little closer and asked, “How much did you say?”
The ticket lady again quoted the price. The man didn’t have enough money.
How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight children that he didn’t have enough money to take them to the circus?
Actually, we were not wealthy in any sense. So, I understand how the kids would feel. I felt sorry for 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。
Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand in his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Every October, my neighbor Ollie and I would enter the Halloween costume contest (服装比赛) in our neighborhood park．And each year the theme was different, such as “Superheroes” or “Far m Animals”．But this year’s theme was not so specific．It was just “Be Creative”．
Walking home along the road lined with tall trees, the two of us had a heated discussion about what “Be Creative” meant．We looked back on the themes we had really enjoyed．For “Superheroes”, we made costumes of Super-Force Flying Eagle．And for “Farm Animals”, we were dressed as a cow and a horse．Ollie even put a pair of wings for the horse, saying that he’d love to see a “flying horse” eating grass with a cow on the farm．
“Now that’s the creative spirit we need for this challenge!” I said．“Maybe, since we don’t know exactly what we want to be yet, we should start by choosing some cool costume-making materials.”
Just at that moment, a falling golden leaf happened to have landed on Ollie’s shoulder．“I’ve got it!” Ollie said joyfully, picking up some fallen leaves from the ground．“We can make costumes out of leaves and pretend to be trees．I can ensure, no one will be a tree as great as me.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” I said．“I like your creative idea and I have just got a perfect way to be another tree.”
We filled up two bags with different kinds of leaves: Ollie’s grandma, Abuela, an experienced tailor (裁缝), helped us with tons of excellent costume-making supplies and we started to work．When we were done, we each tried on the self-designed costumes and they were really wonderful．On the morning of the contest, we got up early and spent hours making preparations．We arrived at the park early and waited for our turn nervously and eagerly．
注意：1．续写词数应为80个左右；
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
The big time came for us to go onto the stage．
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When my mom announced that my dad had fixed the old car in his garage, I felt excited—I had wheels! I called my friend Steph and made plans to have dinner at her house the next day.
The following morning, I woke up early and put on a black skirt and jacket. “Aren’t you dressed too lightly?” Mom asked. “There’s a snowstorm coming.” “I’ll be inside,” I replied as I headed out.
As I began the forty-minute drive, I was in high spirits. However, halfway there it started to snow like mad. Cars slowed. The sound of a siren announced the approach of an ambulance and I pulled aside to let it pass. As I inched back into my lane, the traffic light ahead turned red. I stopped.
When the light turned green, I pressed on the gas, but the old car died. I tried to start it. One click, then nothing. Before I could do anything else, two young men raced over from the nearby sidewalk. I rolled down my window a little.
“Give us a second,” one of them said, “We’ll help you out of here.” Soon, they began pushing the car. With their guidance, I steered into a parking spot in front of a grocery store. “You’ll be fine now,” they said, and before I could even thank them, they walked into the grocery store.
The snow was falling faster now. I called Steph on my cellphone to cancel our plan. Next, I called my parents to come and get me. Now all I had to do was wait, but I was very hungry and cold. I sighed, regretting not taking my mom’s advice.
Just as I sat waiting in the car, I noticed a man walking towards me. It was one of the men who had just helped me. I rolled down the window at once.
注意：1. 续写词数应为80左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
After a brief greeting, he told me this was his parents’ store.
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Holidays are not necessarily for fun or rest. Doing something meaningful can also gain special pleasure. When the final bell rang, the students were reminded that there was no school on Monday—the Labor Day. “Enjoy your extra day off” said the teacher to her class.
An extra day off unsuited Kayla just fine. She loved breaks. She wanted to go out to play with her friends. When the school bus dropped Kayla off, she ran into the house happily.
“How was school, Kayla?” asked her mom.
“It was great, Mom. I am excited about no school on Monday.”
“You just started back to school two weeks ago. Already in need of a break, huh?” asked Kayla’s mom with a laugh.
Kayla slept in the next morning. Saturday was her favorite day of the week. I trained most of the day, so Kayla enjoyed playing videogames inside. On Sunday, her friends came over and they played basketball for several hours.
Then it was Labor Day, you know, the extra day off that Kayla was so looking forward to. But Kayla was awakened early that morning by her dad. He told Kayla that in honor of Labor Day, the family would be cleaning both inside and outside the house. Kayla couldn’t believe it. This was a holiday. A day when she was supposed to be enjoying freshly squeezed lemonade while playing in her tree house. As Kayla wiped here yes, she began to wonder if this was just a bad dream.
“Kayla, your breakfast is ready. We have a lot of work to do today. Let’s get a move on,” said Kayla’s mom. As she sat down at the kitchen table, Kayla asked her parents，
“Are you serious about working today? Isn’t Labor Day a holiday?”
“Yes, Kayla. It is,” replied her dad. “But your mom and I thought working hard today would make you appreciate why Labor Day was observed in the first place.”
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。
At first Kayla felt disappointed at her parents’ plan for the holiday.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________But things began to change as she was doing the chores.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“You’re fired!” Andrew Chilton wasn’t joking. At that moment, the high school junior wanted his personal care attendant, Christy Chachere, out of his life forever. He didn’t want her help any more. He thought he could write his own term papers. “You’re fired!” He said it again.
Christy Chachere, a retired PE teacher, didn’t take a step back. She believed she could do this job. “You know, I’ve taught middle schoolers,” she said. What about Andrew’s outcry? It was music to her ears. Progress was faster than expected.
When Andrew suffered from autism (自闭症) at age eight, people told his mom, Cindy, to get him on the list for an attendant to provide after-school care. Someone would drive him to places and see that he was safe. In New Orleans, Louisiana, the wait can be years, the need far outstrips (超过) the supply. Cindy had no choice but to turn to the program Volunteers of America for help.
Even so, it was eight years before they were matched with Christy. In the meantime. Andrew’s family did their best to help him get through life’s hardships. “I did worry about him,” said Cindy. There was a lot to worry about. Doctors and school teachers said that Andrew might not even graduate from high school. Other questions were around the corner as well. Would he ever have a job, or live independently?…Cindy would do anything for her son.
Christy saw the problem right away. “Andrew wouldn’t take a step without his mother’s permission (同意),”she recalled. “You have to let him fail,” she told the family. “It’s the only way he’s going to learn. He has to be able to do things on his own.”
No longer would Cindy help Andrew write papers. His younger brother wouldn’t help him with the computer, either. It was a little unacceptable to step back. Actually, everyone was on board but Andrew.
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。
Andrew was filled with anger, but things began to change.
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“She understood me, and it turned out she was really nice.” Andrew said.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A Little Boy
A little boy selling magazines for school walked up to a house that people rarely visited. The house was very old and shabby and the owner hardly ever came out. When he did come out, he would not say hello to his neighbors or passers-by but simply just glared at them.
The boy knocked on the door and waited, sweating from fear of the old man. The boy’s parents told him to stay away from the house, and a lot of other neighborhood children were told the same thing from their parents.
Dusk found the boy lingering on and hesitating what to do. As he was ready to walk away, the door slowly opened. “What do you want?” the old man said impatiently. The little boy was very afraid but he had a quota (定额) to meet for school with selling the magazines. So he got up the courage and said, “Uh, Sir, I am selling these magazines and, uh, I was wondering if you would like to buy one from me.”
The old man just stared at the boy without a word. The boy could see inside the old man’s house and saw that he had dog figurines (小雕像) on the fireplace mantle. “Do you collect dogs?” The little boy asked. “Yes, I have many collections in my house. They are my family here and they are all I have.” The boy then felt sorry for the man, as it seemed that he was a very lonely soul.
“Well, I do have a magazine here for collectors. It is perfect for you. I also have one about dogs since you like dogs so much.” The old man was ready to close the door on the boy and said, “No, boy. I don’t need any magazines of any kind, now goodbye.”
The little boy was sad that he was not going to make his quota with the sale. He was also sad for the old man being so alone in the house that he owned. The boy went home and then had an idea. He had a little dog figurine that he got some years ago from an aunt. The figurine did not mean nearly as much to him since he had a real live dog and a large family.
注意:1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
The little boy headed back down to the old man’s house.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________From that day on something changed inside the old man.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My little brother is a five-year-old boy named Tex. When it comes to being funny and lovable, he is the best. But when it comes to keeping secrets, he is the worst!
It just so happened that my parents’ wedding anniversary was near Valentine’s Day (情人节), and they planned to celebrate by going away for a couple of days. But at the last minute, my dad came home from work with bad news.
“I’m afraid our trip will have to wait. The shop assistant has the flu, so there will be no one to manage the grocery store if we go.”
“It’s OK,” my mom said, biting her lip. “We’ll have lots more anniversaries to celebrate.”
That was when I came up with the idea to surprise my parents with an extra-special cake. Luckily, the grandmother of my good friend Ollie, a very generous person who lives right next door, was an amazing baker with a kitchen full of most of the stuff you need to make a yummy valentine-anniversary cake.
I called Ollie if she and her grandmother could help me make a valentine-anniversary cake. I wanted to surprise Mom and Dad after dinner tonight. As usual, Ollie was happy to help me. Then, I asked my mother if I could go to Ollie’s and promised I would be back soon. Once I had my mom’s permission, I looked for perfect ingredients (原料) and a perfect heart-shaped pan just to make my cake more interesting and tasty. As I packed all the things I needed, I noticed Tex was glued to TV, which I thought was a perfect opportunity to leave secretly.
As I went out for Ollie’s, Tex stopped me, asking where I was going. I whispered to him I was going to make a cake for Mom and Dad’s anniversary. He wanted to join in. “You can stay here and make cards. But remember, we won’t say a single thing about the cake until after dinner.” I said seriously. He nodded without hesitation. Ollie’s grandmother was extremely helpful, who helped me make a beautiful valentine-anniversary cake, and I brought it home secretly.
注意：
1.续写词数应为100左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I was about to hide the cake in the kitchen when Tex yelled, “Mom”.
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Harrison’s home was in a small village. He was a 17-year-old high school student who walked to and from school by himsclf every day. He hadn’t had many friends since growing up, so he always felt lonely.
On his way to his school, he needed to pass through a large woods where birds sang and flowers bloomed. Animals kept each other company and played in the woods, which contrasted (形成对比) sharply with Harrison’s loneliness. Whenever he saw these sights, he longed to make new friends with whom he could play.
One day, on his way from his school, Harrison spotted a red object in a tree. When he got closer, it turned out to be a balloon with a string (细绳) tied to it. The balloon’s stringwas wrapped around a branch, making it impossible to fly away. Just as Harrison was getting bored, he reached up to untie the balloon. He thought it was just a balloon, but then herealized there seemed to be something inside the balloon.
Out of curiosity, Harrison slowly untied the balloon and saw a piece of paper in it. It was a letter, but it was a little hard to read. He picked up the letter and put it in the sunlightfalling from the woods and read it aloud:
If you have found this letter, it means my balloon finally reaches the destination. I used the balloon to see how far my letter would travel. I want this balloon to fly to a teenager like me and I hope to be friends with you. I launched it from Wisconsin Academy on May 1. Please write back to me and tell me where and when you found it. Besides, I’m happy to know something about you.
Sincerely,
Joe Smiths
After reading the letter, Harrison felt unusually excited. He couldn’t believe that hecould receive a letter in the woods. He wanted to write back to Joe right away, so he started running home.
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。
As soon as Harrison got home, he ran into his room.
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A few weeks later, Harrison received a letter from Joe.
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