When I was a child, my mother told my sister, who had a 10-inch very obvious scar (伤疤) on her arm, “Nancy, if you ignore the scar, other people will ignore it. It does not mean they will not notice it, but it means it will not matter to them if it doesn’t matter to you.”
It never occurred to me that something like this would happen to my son years later. Sending a child off to college can certainly be stressful for concerned parents. It was in 2018 that my son went off to college. He rarely contacted us. I couldn’t help asking about other aspects, which sometimes made him complain that I didn’t treat him as an adult.
To be honest, my son is excellent. Some of my friends always tell me that they admire my son’s characters and they hope their sons could have some of them.
Unexpectedly, it was 4 o’clock in the morning in 2020, when I received the phone call. “This is the emergency room calling and your son was just brought in with severe burns on his face, neck and arms. We have called for an aircraft and are going to fly him to the burn unit in Seattle.” Seattle was 350 miles from his college, so we knew immediately this was serious.
The doctor described the reason, which caused the burns. At 6 am, my son and his friends decided to barbecue hamburgers in the courtyard of their apartment. When they lit the charcoal, it burst into flames because they had sprayed too much gasoline. The flames caught my son’s shirt tail and shot from his waist to well over his head.
Fortunately, one of the boys who was quick-minded grasped my son and rolled him on the grass. While it saved his life, it was not in shape to save him from severe burns and terrible scars.
After he recovered from the treatments, the doctors told him they would not do plastic surgery for 6 months because it takes that long for the skin to stop shrinking and wrinkling.
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 doctors suggested he return to college with scars of severe burns temporarily.
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________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________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 was backpacking in Panama over Christmas in 2018, and planned to climb Volcán Barú. It is one of the only places on earth from where you can see the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans at the same time.
I set off before sunrise. It was a bit cold, so I had pulled on leggings under my trousers. I’ve always felt safe travelling as a solo (单独) woman. I love the freedom. When I got to the base at 7 am, the ranger (护林员) was unwilling to let me go alone, but relented (缓和) because an American couple were behind me.
The first part of the climb was beautiful. I walked for an hour and had reached a fair height. The views were impressive, so I stopped to take a photograph. Suddenly I heard violent barking behind me.
I turned and saw two dogs running aggressively towards me. I could see their teeth looked sharp, and they looked angry. There was nowhere for me to run. I tried to keep calm, but my heart was racing. They stopped a dozen feet from where I stood and kept barking. I knew they could move fast, so I didn’t want to try to outrun them.
I kept walking, saying, “Good dog, calm down,” as evenly as possible. But I was terrified. Then one dashed up and sunk his teeth into my leg below the knee. I was shocked. He held on for a few seconds. The pain took my breath away as I felt his fangs (犬牙) in my flesh. I considered bending down to get a rock to fight him off, but was nervous in case he went for my neck or the other one launched at me.
I tried to keep walking, and he finally let go. Then he was behind me, growling (嗥叫). I kept going, my body shaking, until after about 15 minutes I was out of their sight.
When I thought it was safe, I stopped.
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A pickup truck appeared, driven by the ranger.
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Every time Jim crossed the street on his way to work, he would see a little girl selling flowers on the street. She sat by a large green board with the names of the flowers and their prices on it. Unfortunately, no one paid attention to her, and she rarely sold anything. Jim wanted to help her, and one day he got his chance. His aunt would retire, and he thought a bouquet (花束) would be a great gift.
“Hello, could you please make me a bouquet of roses?” Jim said as he approached the girl.
The girl didn’t raise her head and just stared at the same spot on the ground. “I’m Cassy. Thank you for buying flowers from me,” she said. “Could you please select the flowers by yourself and give them to me? I will tie them together for you. I can’t see. ”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Jim said as he picked the flowers and handed them to her. Within several seconds, the girl made a lovely bouquet for Jim.
“Here,” she said, holding the bouquet. “That’ll be $5.”
“Thanks. They’re beautiful,” Jim said and walked away after placing the money in the hat beside Cassy.
The next day, Jim went to work and he decided to have a quick talk with Cassy on the way. However, he didn’t see Cassy where she used to be that morning. He thought she might be late and decided to meet her the next day, but she didn’t show up for the next few days in a row (连续地).
Jim was concerned about Cassy, wondering if something bad had happened to Cassy. Surprisingly, he finally met Cassy again on the street with her flowers.
Paragraph 1:Jim was so delighted to see Cassy that he ran to her at once.
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Jim then drove Cassy to her home, where he met her sick mother, Jade.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Ms. Johnson will never forget Chelsea, a wounded soul. Over the years Chelsea had always struggled, both academically and with self-confidence. Additionally, her mother had died after a heroic battle with a terminal illness when Chelsea was a fifth grader. As she began her sixth grade, Chelsea was still hurting. Ms. Johnson worried about her with good reason.
Each fall, Ms. Johnson takes the students for a five-day adventure at Wolf Ridge, an environmental learning center in the woods of Northern Minnesota overlooking Lake Superior. The week is filled with learning, team building, and overcoming seemingly impossible challenges. They go in October, and the turning leaves of trees come to symbolize the changes happening to the students over the week. The steps and growth students make at Wolf Ridge become a metaphor Ms. Johnson uses throughout the year as her students face challenges in the classroom.
The most difficult activity is the High Adventure Ropes Course, which stretches from tower to tower high amongest the treetops forty feet above the ground. Ms. Johnson knew this experience would be particularly difficult for Chelsea.
When it was time for her to fasten the harness (安全带), Chelsea was already trembling. The harness offers physical protection, but not much mental comfort when nothing but a slippery board or an unsteady wire is between your feet and the ground far below. Chelsea stepped hesitantly onto the Swinging Wood Bridge, and only after the instructor’s encouragement, slowly made her way across its shaky boards up to the first tower. With the support of a chaperone (监护人) stationed there, she began her way across the Burma Bridge, made of merely three wires and straps. Her trembling body added to its shaking. From down below, her ground partners shouted up supportively, “Come on, Chelsea, you’re doing great!”
Chelsea finally reached the second tower and eventually stepped out onto the next challenge and slowly inched her way across.
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。
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Now she faced what for many is the most difficult activity: the Single Wire.
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The final challenge is a zip line (滑索), which requires leaping off the last tower and sliding to the ground.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When I was 15, I followed Roy to the deep mountain in search of astragalus root(黄芪), which is a rare and valuable plant.
We searched the plant for a whole day, but without luck. We found nothing. As it got dark, I asked Roy to go back, but he refused and said, “I would rather sleep on the mountain tonight and continue to search tomorrow! ”
I desired to go home but I lacked the courage to go back alone, so I chose to stay and help Roy put up a simple tent under a tree. It was freezing cold on the mountain and there were scores of mosquitoes, which made it impossible for us to have a good sleep. What’s worse, we heard a wolf howling nearby! I was so scared.
“I heard that wolves bully(欺负)the weak and fear the strong, ” Roy told me. “Let’s strike the shovel(铲子)and shout to scare it away! ” He found a stone and started to strike the shovel. And then he shouted as he struck the shovel. Inspired, I followed him to shout loudly. Half an hour later, I felt cold all over the body. And the cold air on the mountain made that worse. My stomach began to ache. I lay in the tent, shivering, sweating and then falling unconscious. Roy was shocked with panic. He called my name screamingly, but I just made no response. He tried to put me on his back to carry me home but without success. At last, he went out and found some tree branches and blocked up the entrance to our tent with them. Then, he ran to the direction of our village as fast as he could.
Not knowing how much time went by, I heard some sounds approaching near. I thought it was Roy but I didn’t hear him saying anything. In a shock, I sat up with a rush. At that moment, my eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Through a hole of our tent, I saw two animals like dogs removing the tree branches with their mouths and claws. They were wolves!
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.
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Their sudden appearance shocked me and a cold sweat broke out all over my body.
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Strangely, I saw the two wolves turn around and run away in a flash.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The Mid-autumn Festival
The Mid-autumn Festival, which is one of the most important traditional festivals in China, falls on August 15th of the Lunar calendar every year. Not only is it popular in China but it is also celebrated in many other Asian countries.
On that day people usually go back home to have family reunion, enjoying a large meal with their family. They will also eat moon cakes, which are round cakes with meat, eggs, nuts and other things inside. It’s a family reunion festival when people express best wishes to the beloved ones at this particular time.
注意：1. 可以适当发挥，以使行文连贯；
2. 词数100左右；
3. 要点提示：
① on May 5th of the Lunar calendar
② popular in China
③ celebrate in many other Asian countries
④ eat Zongzi (meat, rice, beans)
⑤ have dragon boat races
⑥ in memory of Quyuan
The Dragon Boat Festival
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Anybody passing by the school’s football ground wouldn’t miss noticing Jake Harvey and his friends talking about soccer. The boys always thought they would merely select those who had the physique(体格)and skills to represent their team.
One day, the team’s “head”, as they called him, Jake, was busy playing soccer with his friends when the newcomer, Sam, in their class walked over. The little boy called out saying he was ready to play, but Jake’s team paused and turned in disbelief, staring at the boy’s artificial leg. “How on earth will you play for us with that artificial leg?” Jake said. Sam got depressed when Jake’s words echoed in his ears. He almost cried but he didn’t want his tears to weaken him in front of the boys.
Meanwhile, Mr. Jones, the school’s physical trainer, saw the whole thing from his office window. After the practice session, he walked over to Jake and took him aside for a word in private. “I saw what happened, and if I’m not wrong, you sent away that newcomer, right?” Mr. Jones asked Jake. “Do you have any idea who he is?” Jake was shocked after Mr. Jones revealed Sam’s background.
As it turned out, Sam was captain of the soccer team in his previous school. He was also an excellent goalkeeper who had won several gold medals for his team. “Maybe, Mr. Jones... But I don’t see any hope of having him on our team. Just look at his leg,” Jake said to the teacher.
Seeing that Jake felt dissatisfied with Sam’s condition, Mr. Jones unfolded another story about how Sam lost his leg.
One day, Sam’s school bus met with a car accident on the way back from a trip. The school bus was set on fire;though Sam got out and reached safety, he realized one of his classmates was still on the school bus. He risked his own life to save her without hesitation. With all his strength, he carried her out of the bus. As a result, the girl was saved but Sam’s leg was severely injured and had to be amputated(截肢).
Paragraph 1:Jake was deeply moved by Sam’s bravery and became teary-eyed.
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The next day, Jake went to the classroom, saying he had an important announcement to make.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Life is full of surprises and twists. We do not know what will happen in the next second. But still, we continue to live our lives. One of the tools that help us is faith. Faith is like an inner voice that keeps reminding us about the positive outlook on life. And it helps us to keep going in spite of the situation in our life.
It was a hot day, and the sand was glittering(闪烁) like gold in a desert. Andrew, touring the place, lost his way in the desert. He could not find his way back, and the water in his bottle had run out. He needed to find water urgently. Otherwise, he would die due to dehydration(脱水). As he struggled to walk in the desert, he saw a small hut(小屋)in the distance.
At first, he thought it was just an illusion(幻觉). But he continued walking towards it, and as he got closer, he realized it was a real hut. He opened the door and found nobody there. It seemed like no one had been there for a very long time. He was surprised to see a hand water pump(抽水机), and it had all connections intact(完整的) and a pipe going into the ground. Then he started pumping, but there was no sign of water. And he continued his effort and gave up due to exhaustion.
He started searching the hut for any other source of water. Then he found a bottle of water hidden in the corner. He was happy, and when he was about to drink the water, he found a piece of paper attached to the bottle. This was written on the paper, “Please use this water to start the pump. It works. After you have done that, do not forget to fill up the bottle again. ”
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。
After reading the message on the paper，the man was confused.
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There was a moment of relief on his face.
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It was just another busy day until I met the boy on the bus. He was not a passenger like me. He was, what we call a street child, an 8-10-year-old kid with a worn T-shirt. These poorly dressed kids were seen almost everywhere in Dhaka city. But what was special about that boy was his face. There was “something” in him that caught my attention. That was an angelic(天使般的)baby face with little care.
He got straight into the bus as it stopped at a traffic light. The bus helper shouted at him in the first place. But instead of talking back, the boy kept silent and started handing out a piece of paper to all the passengers. What was written in the paper was, in short, that his father died a couple of years ago. His mother worked at houses. He badly needed money to help his family, so he wished someone warm-hearted to buy chocolates from him.
This was nothing new to people who took a bus every day and I was no different. I had my earphones on, listening to some relaxing music to kill time. When he came to me to get the paper back, I casually gave him some money. Thankfully it brought some smiles on his face. He was about to give me ten chocolates in return for the money I gave to him when I stopped him.
“I don’t like chocolates, brother. So there is no need of chocolates. You can have the money,” I said.
All of a sudden, the smile on his face disappeared.
“I’m not a beggar. Please take the chocolate, or take your money back.”
His straight answer greatly surprised me. I even felt he was slightly angry. I had given money to many kids before, without taking their chocolates. But this time something seemed different. I realized his angelic baby face was not the only thing special about him.
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 boy put ten chocolates on my seat and got off the bus.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Having got the boy’s name, I decided to help him.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Ugh, chicken rolls again? I hate chicken rolls!” Matt yelled. “I’m not eating this.” Matt’s mom and dad looked at each other. Matt’s outbursts had been happening at least once a week all summer long.
“You know what, Matt? We re going to let you take over dinnertime from now on. You can pick the meals and cook them, as long as they’re healthy,” Mom said.
“Good, we’re going to eat good food every night!” Matt answered.
The next day, Dad sat down with Matt to make the meal plan so he could go grocery shopping. Matt had already been thinking about his favorite dinners. “We’re going to have beef tonight, and spaghetti tomorrow, and macaroni (通心粉) and cheese the next day,” Matt started.
“Woah, hold on now,” Dad said. “What else are we going to have with the beef? We need to have at least one vegetable with each meal, and usually we have another side to go with it.”
“Oh, yeah. Um, we can have corn with the beef,” Matt said.
“Sophia does not like corn,” said Dad.
“Well, it’s my choice, so I’m going to make corn,” Matt replied.
“OK, but she might complain at dinner tonight. Are you ready for that?” Dad asked.
“Yeah, whatever,” Matt answered.
Matt and his dad spent the next hour figuring out the whole week’s meals and side dishes. It was a lot more work than Matt expected, and almost every time he picked something out, his dad would tell him that someone in the family wouldn’t like it. It was very frustrating. “This is impossible!” Matt said.
“Yes, it is hard. Your mother and I try very hard to make everyone happy, but everyone has different tastes, and sometimes, we just can’t please everyone.”
“Fine, we’ll have to just go with this plan this week. Next week I’ll try to make everyone happy,” replied Matt.
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 finishing grocery shopping, it was time for Matt to make his first meal.
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Two hours had passed by before the dishes were ready on the table.
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