Shelly was a teenage girl full of energy and curiosity. She found herself in a familiar yet exciting situation as New Year’s Eve drew near. Her parents, busy doctors in the emergency department, were eager to spend the festive occasion with family at her grandparents’ house. Jason and Judy, Shelly’s loving grandparents, were excited to host the joyous celebration.

In the midst of the busy preparations, Shelly found herself alone in the attic(阁楼) , filled with old trunks and forgotten relics. As she searched through the dusty relics in the attic, her eyes caught a bronze item among the forgotten treasures. It was a Scout badge(童子军徽章) , her father’s from his youthful days as a Scout. This badge held a profound meaning, symbolizing her father’s adventurous spirit and dedication to service.

Eager to share her find, Shelly carefully put the badge into her pocket and rejoined the celebration. As the evening progressed, she proudly showed off the badge to her friends in the neighborhood, sharing tales of her father’s Scouting adventures. However, time flew by with laughter and joy. It was then that the badge slipped unnoticed from her grasp, disappearing into the dark night.

Panic stricken and heartbroken, Shelly quickly searched for the lost badge, checking every corner she had been. But the badge was nowhere to be found. Tears streamed down her face as she knew how disappointed her father would be if he knew she had lost his precious Scout badge. The loss of the badge was not just a physical loss, but a symbol of the connection she felt with her father and his past. Shelly’s world felt incomplete, and she prayed that somehow, she would find the badge and restore the broken bond. She decided to search the neighborhood again.

When Mark was five years old, his father died and his life fell apart. His mom Jane and he lived a hard life. They had to move from California to Arizona and live with Mark’s grandmother, Moria. That meant Mark lost all his friends and his carefree life.

It could have been the end of Mark’s childhood, but then he met 76-year-old Mr. Kelsey, Moira’s next-door neighbor. One day, he was kicking a soccer ball around the yard when one kick sent the ball over the fence into Kelsey’s yard. Mark came to Kelsey’s home, feeling a little nervous.

“Grandpa, can I get my ball back?” Mark said cautiously. “Of course,” Kelsey said gently with a smile. “Come over and have a talk with me, will you?” Then they had a pleasant chat.

Kelsey lived alone but had a loving and patient heart to children. Over time, the two of them gradually established a deep friendship, enjoying each other’s company.

Half a year later, something unexpected happened. Mark learned Kelsey had a serious eye disease but he couldn’t afford the $3,000 surgery (外科手术). Without timely treatment, he would go blind completely. However, Jane and Moria were also on a tight budget, unable to spare any money for Kelsey.

Mark made up his mind to wash cars at the parking lot of the shopping center on the weekends to raise money for poor Kelsey. He offered to wash each car for one dollar. Mark knew he had to wash a lot of cars to make up the money, but he was determined.

A few days later, one of his customers, named Jason, asked curiously, “What do you do this for, kid?” “My neighbor, Mr. Kelsey. He needs an eye surgery. I’m raising money for him. I badly need $3, 000,” Mark replied. “You’re a kind boy,” Jason said softly. “Where do you live?” Mark told Jason his address. Deeply moved by what Mark was doing, Jason decided to help him another way.

Jason shared Mark’s story online, appealing for donations.

A Brief Introduction of Dr Lin Qiaozhi

It was right after Thanksgiving that registered nurse Jennifer Smith got an early morning phone call from John Burley, one of her favorite patients. He was extremely worried about his beloved dog.

Smith came to work early the Monday after Thanksgiving. Burley, who struggles a bit with speech, was calling from his hospital room, “Boomer is in the pound (流浪狗收容所)! Boomer is in the pound! Boomer is my world.”

Smith, who has been a nurse for 12 years, has a 13-year-old dog herself she has had since a puppy, so she fully understood the panic. She told Burley that she could tell he was concerned and also scared about what would happen to Boomer.

Burley took a breath and asked Smith, “Will you take care of Boomer?” “Of course, John, I will find Boomer and take care of him for you,” Jennifer Smith became a nurse to help people: any way that she can help somebody.

Smith had met Burley at the Grand Rehabilitation (康复) and Nursing Center in Rome, New York, through its adult day health care program, which is for patients requiring supervision (监护), and which allows them to socialize with others while receiving medical care.

60-year-old Burley still had his own apartment where he lived alone with his dog Boomer. Burley had adopted the 12-year-old dog in Arkansas when he was a puppy and later moved to New York. Most of his family still lives in Arkansas, so when he was hospitalized for pneumonia (肺炎) and lung problems, he had no one to take care of Boomer. No one—except Smith.

Smith formed a friendship with Burley in the adult daycare program and he would often talk about Boomer, showing off pictures of his furry companion. “I couldn’t separate the two of them. I just couldn’t. It made my heart sad for him and Boomer,” thought Smith.

Burley didn’t know which shelter Boomer was in.

With the permission (允许) of the nursing center, Smith was able to bring Boomer to work with her.

One afternoon in August, five years after Mom passed away, I was unpacking my groceries(食品杂货) in my kitchen. When I lifted my left hand out of a grocery bag, I suddenly couldn’t breathe. Looking at the ring on my finger, I found the star sapphire (蓝宝石)was gone. Mom had given me the ring on my twenty-first birthday. I had worn it every day for twenty-nine years. It was a reminder of Mom and a symbol of our love.

“No! No! No!” I yelled, hurrying to check the bag and the floor, and then my car, but the star sapphire was nowhere to be found. Feeling helpless, I called my best friend, Marie. “The star sapphire in my ring fell out. I don’t know what to do,” I said, extremely worried.

Marie replied, “Please don’t be anxious. Try to stay calm and positive. You can go back to the places you just visited and take a look.” But how could I keep hope in seemingly impossible situations? Anyway, I started my car and drove to the grocery store again. I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was little chance that I could find my stone.

Back at the grocery store, I pulled into the same parking spot and looked everywhere for my star sapphire. My hands and knees felt the hot ground as I searched crazily around and under my SUV car. Then I rushed inside the store, searching for a familiar face for more help. I spotted Amanda, a staff member whom I had met on previous shopping trips, and urgently tapped her on the shoulder. “I was just here twenty minutes ago and lost the stone of this ring. It’s very special to me. It’s from my late mom. Could you please help me look for it?” I cried, unaware that many other people around also heard my words.

Amanda’s eyes softened and she nodded understandingly. She immediately took a large mop(拖把) and started carefully sweeping it back and forth down the first aisle (过道) of the huge store.

In tears, I called after her, “It’s light blue and small.”

Suddenly, a customer near the counter excitedly called out loudly, “Oh, Madam, I’ve found it!”.

It was Father’s Day and I wanted to make it special for my father. I planned to surprise him with a homemade breakfast in bed and a day full of activities that he loved.

I woke up early that day and started preparing his favorite breakfast, paratha with butter and honey, and a glass of milk. I put a note on the side of the plate where I had written, “I love you, Dad!” and arranged everything perfectly.

With the plate in my hands, I walked toward Dad’s bedroom. I opened the door and tiptoed(踮着脚走)toward his bed. But to my surprise, Dad was not in bed. I looked around the room, but couldn’t find him there. I searched for him in the house. But there was no sign of him.

I checked his car and it was in the garage(车库). I was very worried and did not know what to do. Just then I saw my mum coming out from the other room. I asked her about Dad and she told me that he had to leave early for work that day. He had an important meeting and a car was sent from his office to pick him up.

I was sad to hear that. Then I slowly walked towards my room, and there I noticed a note on my side table. It was from my dad. He had written the same thing Mum had just told me, but he had also promised to buy oranges on his way back as I had asked him to do so the night before. He had also expressed how sad he was to be spending this day without me, but promised to make up for it as soon as possible.

Paragraph 1: I was disappointed but I knew that work was important to my dad.

Paragraph2: The next morning, I woke up early and quickly freshened up.

Stepping into the enormous house in Chullora, I was astonished. Hundreds of volunteers were wrapping presents or filling baskets. It was like Santa’s workshop.

It was December 2018, and I had discovered the Sydney Basket Brigade, a charitable organization that relieves poverty by providing food and other basic necessities of life to individuals or families who are poor, of low income or in need. The charity was packing baskets and gift boxes with basic daily items as well as Christmas treats. Help us change lives one basket at a time, their website read.

It was important to me that my two boys, Kallum, 10, and Brayden, 9, learnt to be kind to others, so I immediately registered (报名) myself, my husband Tony, and the boys for the packing day.

We arrived dressed in Christmas colours, but it was clear my sons hadn’t yet caught the spirit. Brayden made a complaint and asked, “How long do we have to stay here for?”

“All day, dear,” I answered.

My sons’ lives were comfortable, but I wanted to show the importance of making sacrifices (牺牲).

“Why do we have to do this?” Brayden asked.

“Because the world’s a big place,” I said. “It’s not all about us.”

The atmosphere in the house was very lively, but my boys were doing a very half-hearted job with the wrapping. I told them that this might be the only present someone gets. I showed them how to fold the corners and make the present look neat. The boys, both lovers of origami (折纸), finally started to have fun. I praised their work when they showed off their perfected wrapping.

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。

That evening, we delivered the first basket to an old woman.

On our way home, my sons became unusually quiet.