Three years ago I was arranged to work for a few weeks as a dentist (牙医) in a new dental clinic at Victor Harbor, to the south of Adelaide and an hour further away than my usual workplace. My first day there was rush driving to a new and unfamiliar clinic and getting accustomed to the different rules and clinical environment.
In my worry and anxiety, and feeling a little unfamiliar in the new setting, I removed my three rings: my wedding ring, a ring that belonged to my mother and one that was an anniversary gift from my husband. I wrapped them in a tissue (纸巾) and placed them beside my computer.
During my lunch break, I noticed the wrinkled tissue and thought that it did not look very neat and dropped it into the rubbish bin. I went about my duties and my day went on well; I met new patients and felt that I had been productive and efficient. Driving home at the end of the day, just moments before I reached my house, I noticed that I was missing my rings. I felt the heat in my body rising, my cheeks burning red. I went inside and tried to calm down. I felt sick to my stomach and I had that sinking feeling in my heart. I spent an hour or so making calls, trying to follow the track of my rings. The first people I called were my manager and clinical leader and they gave me a few contact numbers for cleaners. I got in touch with a lady who managed the cleaning services for the clinic, and she informed me that the bins had already been collected.
Heartbroken, I knew nothing could be done now. I had lost my rings. Had it not been for my carelessness, all this would not have happened. With great sorrow and regret, I just sat there rooted in my chair.
After two hours or so, I received a most amazing phone call.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________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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When I was in Primary school, our class decided to make “May Day baskets” for our mothers anonymously (匿名). For days, we worked on creating paper baskets, following a magic design shared by our teacher Miss Cosmos.
We finished right on time. Miss Cosmos brought some bright flowers for us to fill our baskets with. We had to wait until the day was nearly over. When the bell rang, we picked our schoolbags, carefully held our offerings of love and ran back home!
I was so excited! I ran as fast as I could down the hill and across the street. After arrival, when deciding to hang the basket lovingly on our door, I was surprised that my flowers were gone! There was only an empty basket! I stood in front of the door and began to cry.
Soon, my mom came to the door to discover the source of the sadness. While she helped me off with my coat and school things, I tried to talk about my terrible situation. As she listened, she wiped (擦拭) my face and touched my hair with the other hand. I fell weakly into her arms.
Then Mom did what I would never forget. She took a knife from the kitchen and my poor little empty basket from the table. We went to our garden where there were some beautiful flowers. She cut one, placed it in my basket, handed me the knife, and then went to the house to prepare dinner. Slowly, as I cut the flowers and arranged them in my paper basket, my gift was ready to be offered. Suddenly, I realized the surprise, so important to my deed, was now totally gone. But at least, I had my May Day basket with flowers.
注意：
1.写作词数应为80左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I hung the basket on our door, knocked, and hid.
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I absolutely love my little brother and sister, Tex and Indi, but sometimes I feel frustrated when they don’t respect my stuff.
That day, I overheard Indi and her friend Kate discussing a necklace. Driven by curiosity, I took a closer look at it. And sure enough, it was my most cherished necklace that lay in Indi’s palm. “Excuse me,” I said. “Where did you find that necklace?” “Right there on the floor,” Indi said, pointing to a spot just outside my bedroom.
Eyes burning with anger, I shouted at her to put my necklace where it had been immediately. Indi shrugged but followed my request.
“Well, please, please, please just leave my stuff alone once and for all!” I said. I must have sounded pretty angry because Indi’s eyes were filled with tears. “Here you go,” she sniffed.
Then Indi and her friend went out to the backyard, and I decided to try to change my bad mood by taking out the arts-and-crafts box. I found craft sticks and seashells for a picture frame, put on some music and got to work.
As I carefully glued on the shells, I remembered how Indi and I had found them together at the beach. That was when I decided to make the frame for Indi. By the time I was finished, I felt starving, so I went to make myself a snack.
When I returned, what I saw annoyed me: Tex was busily building a work with the seashells and thus ruining my frame.
“No!” I screamed. “Why doesn’t anyone respect my things?” I cried.
I went to my room, shut my door, and made a sign that said Keep Out.
I guess my behavior was enough to worry everybody. Before long, I heard a knock on my door. “We’d like you to come out for a family meeting,” said my mom. Obviously, Tex and Indi had told my parents what had happened.
Moments later, we all sat in the living room to talk things over.
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It was an early Saturday morning, about 5:30 am. My mom called to me, “Austin, get up! Time to go and serve the homeless!” I dragged myself out of bed.
I started serving the homeless when I was eight years old. I didn’t know these people would make such a big difference in my life.
Two Saturdays a month I go to the church and help get things ready for breakfast. When the gate is opened, people come rushing in to get coffee, juice or milk. They take their seats while breakfast is prepared, and then we begin to serve. We each grab two plates and carry them down the line as the plates are filled. Each person receives two pancakes, a scoop of eggs, hashbrowns, and two sausages. I walk to the tables where the people are sitting and set the plates before them. I always make sure that I smile. After I’ve served them, I ask if they need anything else and bring them whatever they ask for. Some say thank you, some don’t, but I don’t care. I’m there to serve them.
When I first started serving, I was a little scared. Some of the people were wearing clothes with patches on them and shoes with holes in them. They were not that clean and their teeth were yellow or missing. At first I stayed close to my mom most of the time, but after I got to know these strangers I realized that they were nice, friendly people. And the inside of them was often nicer than the outside. I started talking to my new friends and realized that there was no reason to be scared. After serving for a few months, I started to look forward to seeing the same people each week.
Take Cowboy. He always puts me in a good mood. When I see him, he always says, “Austin! How are you?” I’ve often heard him say that I am a really hard worker. This makes me feel really good inside because I know I’m making a difference in someone’s life.
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。
Then there’s Curtis. He’s a really big guy.
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All of these people make my day much better.
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Milo is a rescue dog, adopted by twenty-year-old Mary Swift. But the dog is also a rescuer.
One morning in November 2021, Swift was ready to go jogging as usual, with Milo following her happily. To her surprise, as soon as she opened the front door, Milo took off running towards the gate quickly. It was very unusual. He always ran after his master.
Outside the gate, Milo was looking around the neighborhood, looking a little alert. Suddenly, he ran straightly to the house across the street, barking loudly and sniffing around. He seemed unsatisfied with this house. He quickly ran to the one next door. He stopped there and turned to Swift, barking more loudly, with his tail swinging crazily. Swift followed him, shouting sharply “Stop, Milo!” Some passing neighbors were looking disapprovingly (不满地) at them.
Swift was kind of embarrassed. Not everyone wanted a strange dog on their property and liked hearing a dog’s barks in the quiet morning. She tried to get Milo to go back, but Milo seemed not to follow the master’s order. He started to scratch on the front door. Swift wondered, “Why is he trying to break into the house?” She looked at the house, which belonged to Sherry Starr, who was 85 years old and seldom walked out of her house. It was the time for her to trim her bushes in the garden. Somehow, she wasn’t there that day.
Although Swift was a little doubtful, she still tried to drag Milo away. But at this time she could hear a sound coming through an open upstairs window.
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。
It was a voice yelling “Help”.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“I just couldn’t stop thinking about her.” That’s what a nine-year-old cat lover Sutter Rowse said after he saw a story about a stray cat (流浪猫) in his community of Williams Lake, British Columbia, which was in need of surgery (外科手术). He decided to do something about it and raise funds to help the cat. Now, that cat is much better and has a brand new owner, all thanks to Sutter’s hard work and clever thinking.
Online, Sutter came across a story posted by his local animal shelter. The BC SPCA explained that the cat — which was named Hazel by shelter staff — had been found at the transfer station in Anahim Lake, about fourhours west of Sutter’s home. A transfer station is a place where garbage and other waste are sorted. Shelter staff said Hazel was looking for food there.
They later discovered that the back part of it was injured. The head of her femur (股骨) was broken and died — meaning the death of cells in some part of the body — had set in, so Hazel would need surgery to get better. SPCA staff put out a call to the community to raise funds for it, and that’s when Sutter got to work. Sutter thought up a good idea: making use of the power of cinnamon buns (肉桂面包). He knew if there was anything that could get community members to empty their pockets, it would be this sweet treat: cinnamon buns.
He and his mum, Leslie Rowse, got to workbaking, and his mum posted about Sutter’s efforts on a social media page for his local community. Around 15 dozen (or 180) cinnamon buns later, Sutter had raised $850. His mum dropped off the money at the shelter, and Hazel was able to start her surgeries.
Following Hazel’s surgeries and several days of recovery, Sutter’s mum was ready to share some good news. Sutter’s mum told Sutter that Hazel had a new owner. She asked him to guess who that owner was. “I guessed us! And I was right,” said Sutter.
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 decided to pick up Hazel on weekend.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Since adopting Hazel, Sutter has made a lot to improve her condition.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Der Lun followed his mother to the market as usual. He was very excited because the market was such a place full of energy and life. There was always something interesting to see.
That day, Der Lun caught sight of a middle-aged man with untidy hair and old clothes. He was a beggar. He held out a wooden bowl and passers-by dropped in coins. Der Lun’s mother put a small coin into the bowl as she passed him by. His eyes followed the mother and son as they set off for home. As Der Lun and his mother turned into the narrow path that led to their house, he suddenly realized that the beggar was following them. Der Lun told his mother about it. Alarmed, she quickened her steps and as soon as they got inside their house, she locked it. Der Lun peered out the window and saw the beggar sitting on the ground near the gate. Why did the beggar follow them? Der Lun wished he knew.
After a couple of hours, Der Lun’s mother became concerned for the poor beggar. He had not moved from his spot. She gathered up her courage and went to ask the beggar to leave. But the beggar merely looked at her with a gentle smile. Worried that he would fall ill with no food and water, she sent Der Lun to give him a bowl of rice and vegetables and some tea. The beggar ate and drank. Then he lay down under a tree to sleep. Der Lun’s mother was at a loss as to what else to do. She was just a poor single mother with a young son. Since the beggar refused to leave, she and Der Lun built a little shelter for him. He seemed content with whatever they gave him.
A week passed and one day, Der Lun found the beggar gone. Der Lun and his mother searched for him but he was nowhere to be found. Not long after that, a car stopped outside Der Lun’s house and two well-dressed men got out.
The men introduced themselves as lawyers representing Mr. Cheong.
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It was such a nice day and it’s Sunday. I left for the park with my skateboard. There were so many kids in the central square. The parents chatted merrily in small groups, occasionally taking a glance at their kids. I skated for about half an hour and took a break on the nearby bench. Early summer morning was always the best time, the bird chirping in the trees and cool winds blowing in my face. How could I miss it? Dad said he was going to mow the lawn in the yard on the weekend and asked whether I could help. I made an excuse and just ran away.
I took a look around the park before I stood up and spotted an old man on the far side of the park. He kept bending forward and threw something into a plastic bag with him I watched for a while and realized what he was doing. He was picking up the litter. At first, I thought he might be a cleaner working in the park but I had never seen him before. “Who is he? It’s Sunday and he is not here for fun?” I talked to myself. I went on skating and forgot about him.
Time went fast and the sun was already high up in the sky. It was getting hot and I was tired. I was ready to go when I saw the old man again. The park was hall empty. He was still there, collecting the rubbish left on the benches with much elfort. Time and time again, he stopped to straighten his body but he showed no sign of leaving soon. Clearly, it was hard work for people of his a age.
“Not to leave? What if he has no water left in such hot weather?” I wondered.
With some hesitation, I walked toward him.
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As Christmas was coming, girls were seen huddling (聚集) in the classroom and cheerfully whispering about what gifts to give to their friends. Giving and sharing is always the topic at this time of year. Everyone's face glowed with hope, expecting surprises. At lunchtime, Lisa and her friend Jasmine were talking about where they were going to spend the holiday. Jasmine blurted out, "Lisa, I've got a great idea. When I comeback from New York, I am going to bring you the best chocolate in the world." Lisa was greatly moved but embarrassed, "Um, I will just stay at home because my family cannot afford to go anywhere. But I promise I will give you the best gift I have ever had."
Lisa went back home for Christmas and told her mother about the talk with her best friend at school. "But I can't give you extra money because the Christmas food has already cost us a lot. You can buy a gift with the coins in your piggy bank," Mom suggested. Lisa thought it was a great idea and went to a gift shop and bought a pair of gloves with roses and golden silk with all the money she had. She had never worn such beautiful gloves. All she had was a pair of old ones knitted by her mother. She admired the glistening new gloves with smiley eyes, believing Jasmine would be very happy when she handed them to her.
When the holiday was over, Lisa happily went back to school and waited at the table for Jasmine to join her for lunch.
A few minutes later, Jasmine walked towards her with nothing in her hands.
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