I was 10 years old when I asked my mum for piano lessons. She was recently laid off due to the economic downturn. She said a polite “no”.
That didn’t stop me. I Googled the dimensions of a keyboard, drew the keys on to a piece of paper and stuck it on my desk. I would click notes on an online keyboard and “play” them back on my paper one keeping the sound they made on the computer in my head. After a while I could hear the notes in my head while pressing the keys on the paper. I spent six months playing scales and chord sequences without touching a real piano. When my mum saw what I did, she borrowed some money from family and friends, and bought me 10 lessons.
I still remember the first one. I was struck by how organic the sound of the piano was, as I had become familiar with the artificial electronic sound. The teacher tried to explain where middle C was but I could already play all the major and minor scales, as well as tonic and dominant functions.
I took the first grade piano test after eight lessons and got distinction. By the time I started secondary school, we couldn’t afford lessons again, so I returned to my paper keyboard. I passed grade three, then grade five, practicing only on my piece of paper.
When the head of music at my school knowing my experience, he said I could practice on the school’s grand piano. I would wake up at 5: 30 am to get there in time and play until lessons started. I’d forgo lunch and then practice after school until the caretaker kicked me out. At home, I’d have dinner, do one hour of revision, and then mental practice until 11 p. m.
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。
One evening, when I was about 12, I came home, and my mum said she had a surprise for me.
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My dad was very much against me playing, but when he heard that piece, something inside him changed.
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Many of us come across certain situations that make us laugh in the future. The similar thing happened to me on 12, July 2010. It was rainy season. My parents needed to go to the nearby city to attend a marriage ceremony. They decided to keep me at home because I too should understand housekeeping in the absence of parents. I agreed on their thought with full confidence. This incident made me completely alone at home. Therefore, I got complete freedom to enjoy the cartoon shows on TV and many other fun activities. I looked outside the window of my house. It was raining heavily. Suddenly the electricity supply went off.
I was a little scared but the words of my parents encouraged me to face the situation. Unexpectedly, I heard someone knocking at the door of my house. I went near to the door and stole a look through it. No one was there! Then I opened the door to make sure.
I have the habit of watching horror movies. This incident created the thoughts of ghosts and evils in my mind. I felt that a ghost might be willing to enter my house. I was completely shocked. I lit the candles in my room. Again, I heard the knocking sound. But this time, I didn’t dare to open the door. Instead, I preferred lying on the bed and wrapping myself with blankets.
The electricity supply started after almost one hour. I speedily turned the TV on and played devotional songs. I switched on the lights of all rooms. I am a curious person who loves science. My curiosity brought me to check out the incident. So I went near to the door and opened it.
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。
To my surprise, I found that a small dog was standing outside the house.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My parents saw the dog, confused.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Austin Riley is a race car driver. He has been drawing crowds to the race track for years. But his rise to fame isn’t just being fast on the speedway. He’s breaking barriers on the track for those with disabilities. Riley has autism (自闭症). Simple tasks like tying his shoes are extremely complicated for him, but when you put him in a race car — a complex, delicate piece of machinery — he’ll blow your mind.
I first met Riley and his father Jason at the local karting (卡丁车运动) track in 2014. I still remember how excited Riley was to have me and my cameraman there filming his every move. He was a karting car racer back then. He could barely talk to me, let alone look at me. However, even though Riley was quiet and shy, I knew he was going to be something big.
The karting track is where Riley’s racing care er began. His dad just wanted to give him something to focus his energy on. Riley has always loved cars. He has been enthusiastic about them since he started to learn to walk. So why not try karting? The minute Riley hit the gas, he was attracted. Little did Riley and his father realize this was going to change their lives forever.
In Riley’s mind, everything moves fast. Slowing things down makes things difficult and frustrating. But the minute Riley slid into that karting car, everything went well. He’d found his calling and it put him on the podium (领奖台), so many times that he would need a separate room just for his trophies (奖杯).
Riley’s journey on the track soon took him from fast karting cars to really fast cars. He became the first person with autism in Canada to get his race car licence. It opened up the track for Riley to drive in the big leagues. Riley was now racing across North America, making the podium almost every time. He was an impressive force on the track, but an even more impressive person off the track.
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。
When Riley started winning race after race, people wanted to know who this kid was.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Riley’s story brought a ray of hope to families having children with autism.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Summer vacation was finally coming, and Rose couldn’t wait to have a trip with her parents. She recalled the joyful experiences they shared last summer, which filled her with excitement for the upcoming holiday.
“Girls!” Rose heard her father calling. She raced to her big sister’s room, telling her that Dad was calling them, and they rushed downstairs log either. Dad put his arm around Mom and told them that they were going on a trip to the Virunga Mountains of Africa. There were three national parks that they would visit.
Rose and Gina looked at each other. “What?” they said with one voice. Mom told them it would be really exciting to go there on a trip. At 12 years old, Rose would prefer going to an amusement park or a beach. She thought it important to let her parents know she didn’t want to go there but to the beach for a week or two.
“Well,” said Dad, “I have to go for an assignment for the paper. We’re covering the mountain gorillas (大猩猩) because they’re critically endangered these years. So, I thought it’d also be a great place to take a vacation. I’m sure it’ll be very educational for you girls.”
Gina let out a sigh, unable to contain her disappointment. She wanted to say something but Mom interrupted and announced that the trip was set on the next Monday.
“Sit down, both of you.” Dad had on his severe look. “Girls, it’s important for you to know about the world around you. This is a wonderful chance for you to experience and learn an amazing place. Do you know anything about the mountain gorillas?”
The sisters shook their heads.
“Well, get your laptop computer, Gina. I want you to look them up right now,” said Dad, “Rose, there is a book on the bookshelf about the cute mountain gorillas. Find it and read it.”
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。
The girls dragged their feet upstairs.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The next Monday came and the family set out excitedly.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was 40 years ago. One day, Emma came back to their apartment from work and realized that her husband, David, was extremely ill. He was throwing up and slurring (发音不清) his words. Immediately, Emma grabbed her purse and took him by taxi to the nearest hospital, on the Lower East Side of New York City. The minutes slowly passed as they waited to see a doctor.
They sat there for a couple of hours, and it was pretty clear that nobody was going to pay attention to David. So they rushed to a second hospital, where they were also ignored. Emma knew something was very wrong with David, so they went to a third hospital. As she told the receptionist what was happening, Emma sensed the person wasn’t going to treat their case with urgency.
Emma was on the edge of a breakdown. After three failed attempts to get help, she had reached her limit. She started to shout in the lobby (大厅). That’s when her unsung hero appeared.
That person was a young man with dark hair and a white physician’s coat. He came to Emma and said, “How can I help you? What’s going on here?” Emma explained what was happening to David, and that she was afraid it was serious.
The young man said, “You know, I just got done with my neurological residency (神经系统的实习期) up at Lenox Hill Hospital. I’ll take him in the back and look.” Within two or three minutes, the young man came out and said, “You are absolutely right. Something is very seriously wrong with your husband.”
The man told Emma to take her husband to Lenox Hill Hospital, and that he had called the doctor with whom he had done his residency.
“He’ll be waiting for you,” said the young man.
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。
But Emma began to cry, realizing she had no way of getting there, because she didn’t have any more cash for a taxi.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Soon Emma and her husband arrived at the hospital.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The six-year-old Lucy was the only child of her parents and they spoilt her totally. One day Lucy’s mother, Nitya Mehta, suddenly noticed that her daughter was not ready to share anything with her friends and that most children did not like to play with her daughter. Would Lucy be able to make good friends and learn to share things with them? She would soon know, for Lucy was now admitted to Class I in a proper school.
Everyone in her class admitted that Lucy was very intelligent. But she had no friends until Rita joined her class. New to the city and too shy to make any friends, she did not mind being taken under Lucy’s wing. At least she had someone to play with.
One day, the teacher scolded Rita for doing her sums without thinking. The little girl cried because the whole class had laughed at her. The teacher had patiently explained how to do the sums, but Rita was just not able to understand. Lucy told her mother about Rita crying in class. “Why don’t you try to explain to her simply,” asked her mother, “She likes you very much and if you teach her, she will understand.”
“Mummy, I don’t have time to waste. What can I do if she is so silly?” said Lucy. Then she decided to tell Lucy a story of an ant and a dove. One day an ant fell into a stream. A dove picked a leaf and let it fall into the stream close to the ant. The ant climbed onto it. A little later, a birdcatcher came to throw a net over the unsuspecting dove. The ant knew what he was planning and stung him in the foot. The birdcatcher yelled out in pain and the noise made the dove fly away.
“Did you understand the story, Lucy?” asked her mother, “It means that if you do a good turn, you will only get good in return.” To this Lucy said, “What a silly story, mummy. It is for little children, and I have grown big.” Having no other choices, Lucy’s mother decided to act tough.
“If not, you can’t watch cartoons for a week,” said Lucy’s mother.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In return, Rita hoped to present the true Lucy to her classmates.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Bonnie raised her granddaughter alone after the girl’s parents died. She hated her granddaughter’s art and wanted her to stop drawing. But everything changed when Mr. Henderson, a famous cartoonist, appeared at her doorstep.
One day, Bonnie called out to Amy as she took the chicken out. “Dinner is ready, honey! Come soon!” But Amy didn’t answer.
Bonnie finished setting the table and served them dinner, but she still didn’t hear a response from Amy. “Amy? Honey, your dinner is getting cold! Are you coming?” she asked her 10-year-old granddaughter again.
When Amy didn’t respond, Bonnie climbed the stairs to the girl’s room and pushed the door open. Amy sat at her desk, with her headphones on. At first, Bonnie thought Amy was studying, but then she noticed the drawing sheet on the table in front of Amy. Bonnie frowned (皱眉) in anger.
“Amy!” Bonnie screamed, and the girl turned around and removed her headphones.
“Granny? I… I was just…” Amy said.
Bonnie stormed up to Amy’s desk, and the little girl tried to cover the drawing, but it was too late.
“Did you finish your math homework, little girl? Mrs. Warren called me today. And she told me you’ve been ignoring her assignments!” Bonnie said angrily.
“I’ll finish the homework,” Amy said. “I was planning on doing it once I finished the sketch (素描) I was working on, Granny.”
“I’m tired of that hobby of yours, Amy! You’re no longer doing those drawings!” Bonnie went on. “Those things you draw are not going to help you in the future! You finish your dinner, and then you’ll be doing your homework. You’re not leaving the house to play with your friends until you finish your homework. Am I clear?” Bonnie said and stormed out of Amy’s room.
Minutes later, Amy walked into the kitchen and quietly sat at the table. They began eating dinner in silence. Bonnie was already in a terrible mood, so she didn’t ask about Amy’s day like she usually did. Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
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。
Amy answered the door and was surprised to see Mr. Henderson.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Bonnie hesitated for a long time and decided to ask Mrs. Warren for advice.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Nola Ochs was born in Kansas in 1911. There were many farms and everybody had a job to do. Nola Ochs was raised under the endless sky, and the long arc (弧线) of the sun marked her chore-filled (满是工作的) days. Her life was common. She grew and married, had children and grandchildren, taught in country schools, and lived the quiet Midwest life. But she was different in one way: After her husband died in 1972, Nola began taking classes and finally earned her associate degree (准学士学位) at the age of 77.
“I still want to go to school. It is fun to go to classes. And if I have homework to do in the evening, that takes up my time in a pleasant way,” she recalled. After some years went by, Nola decided to keep going and get her master’s degree in Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas, where her granddaughter studied. She emailed the university for admission (入学), mentioning that she was 80, and had prepared for studying further.
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。
A week later, she got an mail back for her admission.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On the day of her graduation, Nola was chosen to be a spokesperson.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Arnold and Iris were sitting outside the office of the children’s home, excited and nervous. Then the office door opened, and Mrs. Ronald appeared. “Mr. and Mrs. Arnold, please come in.”
Arnold and Iris entered the office. Arnold handed Mrs. Ronald a folder of documents. She carefully reviewed them. Finally, she looked up at the couple.
“Here’s the thing,” she began to say and Iris felt her heart quicken. Mrs. Ronald’s tone sounded unpromising.
“I’ve read your application to adopt Patrick,” Mrs. Ronald continued. “You are indeed a great couple, with no legal issues, but your income is, frankly, not the best for guardianship. Mr. Arnold is a repairman. Besides, Ms. Arnold, as a nurse, doesn’t have enough time. Last week, we found the boy suffered from depression(抑郁) because of the loss of his parents in an accident and may need regular visits to professionals, which adds to the expenses. In my opinion, you are not suitable as guardians.”
“We can provide Patrick with a loving home,” Iris said, trying to hold back tears. “We have interacted with Patrick for several times. We’re the only family that Patrick is willing to interact with! We love him and will do everything to make him happy.”
“But we’re doing what’s best for Patrick. I’m so sorry we can’t allow you to take Patrick home,” Mrs. Ronald said.
“Who will take care of Patrick then?” “We are looking for his only relative, his aunt. Although she is really busy, maybe she can look after him.”
Iris asked, “Can I see Patrick?”
“Of course,” Mrs. Ronald replied.
Patrick was sitting at the desk in a room, drawing something.
“Hey, Patrick, it’s me, Iris. What are you drawing?” she said softly. Patrick handed her the paper.
“Is this your father and mother?” Patrick nodded. Iris felt really sorry for the poor boy, thinking he needed a warm family.
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。
Leaving the children’s home, the couple decided to continue to take good care of Patrick while working hard to earn money.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One day, they heard Patrick’s aunt could no longer look after him due to work change.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In July 1971, I was taking a summer class in literature on the campus of SUNY Oneonta in upstate New York. Professor James walked into the classroom and announced that he had invited a special guest to class, but his guest had been delayed.
“Who’s coming?” someone asked.
“Alex Haley, who is the author of one of the books you have read for this class,” he said. “I need a volunteer to meet him in the lobby of the administration building and accompany him here.”
To my amazement, my right hand shot up as though it had a mind of its own. What was I doing? I wondered. I never volunteered for anything.
“Thank you, David,” Professor James said. “You’d better leave now. He’ll be arriving any minute.”
As I walked across campus, my anxiety grew as the massive administration building appeared ahead. I feared that I was about to embarrass myself in front of this famous gentleman by asking stupid questions. I reached the front steps and climbed them slowly.
As I pulled open the heavy glass door, I realized why I instinctively raised my hand to volunteer for this job. This man was what I wanted to be: a writer. He was living my dream. I could learn from him. I paced back and forth across the polished lobby floor until a black man with a briefcase entered the building. He stopped and scanned the lobby. His gaze fell on me.
I approached him and confirmed he was Mr. Haley. We shook hands and then began our walk across campus. I was struck by how approachable this man was. My fear was replaced by curiosity and purpose.
“Do you mind if I ask you a question?” I said. “No. Not at all,” he said.
“I’d like to become a writer, but I don’t know if I have the talent,” I said. “How did you discover that you had a gift for writing?”
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。
Mr. Haley laughed and said, “I didn’t. And I don’t.”
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After communicating with Alex Haley, I no longer cared whether I had the “gift”.
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