We were sitting in her classroom, giggling, playing tricks on each other and talking about the latest information of the day. Mrs. Virginia DeView cleared her throat and asked us to be quiet.
“Now,” she said smiling, “we are going to discover our professions.” The class seemed to gasp(喘气) in chorus. Our professions? We stared at each other in disbelief. After all, we were only 13 and 14 years old.
Because Virginia DeView was demanding, most of us just overlooked her brilliance.
“Yes, you will all be searching for your future professions,” she said with a glow on her face as though this was the best thing she did in her classroom every year. “You will have to do a research paper on your upcoming career. Each of you will have to interview someone in your field, plus give an oral report.”
All of us went home confused. Who knows what they want to do at 13? I had narrowed it down, however. I liked art, singing and writing. But I was terrible in art, and when I sang, my sisters screamed: “Oh, please shut up.” The only thing left was writing.
Every day in her class, Virginia DeView monitored us. Where were we? Who had picked their careers? Finally, most of us had selected something: I picked print journalism（新闻工作）. This meant I had to interview a devoted newspaper reporter in person, and I was terrified. Sensing this, for the next 90 minutes, Mrs. Virginia DeView filled me with stories about print journalism…
A few days later, I gave my oral report totally from memory. Surprisingly, I got an A on the entire project.
Years later, I forgot all about Virginia DeView and the careers we selected. I was in college hunting for a new career. My father wanted me in business, which seemed to be sound advice at the time, except that I had no sense of any business skills. Then I remembered Virginia DeView and my desire at 13 to be a journalist.
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。
Paragraph 1: I called my father.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: Now I've had the most incredible and satisfying reporting career.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I was always afraid of water. This fear could not be explained, but I knew that the moment I stepped near any body of water, my legs would turn to jelly (果冻). I would imagine myself drowning in the water and thrashing around (乱扑腾) helplessly. That was why I had never gone into a swimming pool until swimming became a school requirement. My school wanted all pupils to pass a swimming test, and if they could not, then they would have to attend weekly swimming lessons in school, which made me tremble.
Thus, my parents signed me up for swimming lessons at the pool near my house. With great unwillingness, I attended those weekly lessons, and each one was great suffering for me. I was naturally clumsy, and my fear of water did not help at all. Every lesson, I would be spending my time thrashing about in the water, while my classmates would be swimming countless laps effortlessly and even turning over like dolphins in the water. How was I going to pass the test at this rate?
In my swimming class, there was an exceptionally athletic girl. Tall and muscular, her name was Kathy. She was the best swimmer in our class and always looked at me with disdain (鄙视), especially when I thrashed about hopelessly in the water.
Once, after a particularly long and hard swimming lesson, I spotted Kathy swimming gracefully in the pool. Gathering my courage, I asked gently, “Kathy, can you teach me to swim?” She stared at me coldly. It was as if I stood at the edge of an endless ocean of inadequacy, my fears appearing like dark storm clouds threatening to drown me. Yet, in that moment, a glimmer of hope flashed within me, a desperate longing for guidance and acceptance. Would Kathy’s icy exterior (外表) melt under the warmth of empathy, or would I remain forever thrashing in the sea of my own fears?
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, she nodded after a few moments of silence.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Congratulations!” Kathy said when she learnt I had passed the swimming test.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As I was packing up, I noticed my colleague had left his laptop bag in my office. Since he was already home, I decided to bring it to him. It was 4:30 p. m. The snow wasn’t supposed to start until later according to the previous warning, but just to be safe, I decided to use the country roads near his home instead of the highway, which could fast become a skating rink (滑冰场).
After I dropped off the laptop case and got right back on the road, the snow started. Within minutes I was in a whiteout. I rolled down my window, thinking I could follow the edge of the road and keep to a straight line. But really, I hadn’t a clue where I was or even which side of the road I was on. I had to stop because I was afraid of driving into a farmer’s field, or worse. I called 911, only to be told that nobody was coming to get me until morning at the earliest.
Those seconds after the call were the worst of my life. Getting out to walk in a whiteout and high winds when it was -10°C wasn’t an option. So I texted my colleague whose laptop bag I had just returned. I joked about my good deed ending in disaster. But he had an idea. “Pin your location on Google Maps and send it to me,” he said.
I did, and soon he texted me back a screenshot of the satellite view of where I was. We figured out that I was on a road in between two farms. I posted this new information to my Facebook community group, pleading (恳求) for anyone who knew someone living here to help me get rescued.
Soon enough, people started responding on my post. I got a message from someone who was going to put me in touch with the family living there. At 8 p. m., my mobile phone rang. It was the son of the farmer who owned the land beside the road I was stranded (使滞留) on. He told me that his dad was coming to get me!
Then, about 45 minutes later, I saw a tall figure walking toward me in the dark, carrying a flashlight.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As his wife treated me to hot drinks, André went into the storm again and brought back another two families stranded on the road.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The snowstorm was supposed to hit the evening of Monday. I had to leave my home to go to First Nations University, to sign a financial aid check for a student. As the finance director, I wanted to get it to him quickly, despite the approaching snowstorm. Little did I know that this decision would lead me to an unexpected meeting with André Bouvier aged 75 and his wife.
I figured I had enough time to make the trip safely. When I arrived at the office, my colleague cosigned the check and left. As I packed up, I noticed he had left his laptop bag in my office. I called him and offered to bring it to him. even though it was already late afternoon. To avoid the potentially dangerous road conditions on the highway. I decided to take the country roads to his home. On the way, I stopped to buy a cellphone charger, filled up my SUV with gas, and picked up pizzas. It took me about 15 minutes to drop off the laptop case at my colleague’s house.
As I got back on the road, the snow started falling heavily. Within minutes, I was in a whiteout (乳白天空) . The snowstorm came down fast, the wind screaming. The windows were fogging up and getting covered with snow, so I opened the driver’s side window to better see the road’s edge. However, I became disoriented (迷失方向) and unsure of my location. Fearful of driving into a farmer’s field, a ditch, or worse, I decided to stop.
I kept the car running to stay warm and called 911. The dispatcher (调度员) advised me to wait until morning for assistance due to the dangerous conditions. Those seconds after the call were extremely painful. Getting out to walk in a whiteout with zero visibility (能见度) and high winds—when I didn’t even know where I was—wasn’t an option. Breathe, I told myself. Panicking won’t help.
It was now about 6 p.m. and dark, and I worried about the visibility of my black SUV in the whiteout. Feeling helpless, I shared my location on Google Maps and posted a screenshot of where I was on Facebook, seeking help from anyone familiar with the area. Soon enough, people started to respond.
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。
At 8 p.m., my cellphone rang.
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His wife, Maryann Bouvier, treated me to hot drinks and apple jam.
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“Number 7. Jobie Nymble, takes the lead.” Aquino cried the announcer. “Just one more hurdle (跨栏) and—”
Cheers erupted.
“Jobie Nymble from Riverside Middle School takes first place in the girls’100-meter hurdles!” The crowd went wild as Jobie’s teammates shouted. “Way to go, Sweet Jobie?” they yelled.
“County championships, here we come,” spoke excitedly Jobie, patting her worn neon-green track spikes (钉鞋). They were bursting at the seams (接缝), but she didn’t care. They were her lucky shoes and she loved them. “Next Saturday, we’re taking home the gold,” Jobie whispered to her spikes, excitedly retying them.
“Don’t forget, guys,” said Marisol, one of her teammates. “My birthday party is next Friday at Hidden Park.” “Beep. Party recorded in calendar,” joked Jobie in her best robot voice.
Next weekend couldn’t come soon enough, Jobie brimmed with excitement all week long. At track practice, she leaped over those hurdles faster than she’d ever leaped before.
The day of Marisol’s party, Jobie put on her favorite outfit: her swishy blue shorts, an old track T-shirt from her dad, and her lucky spikes. “Perfect.” She smiled at herself in the mirror.
The party was in full swing when Jobie arrived at Hidden Park. She stopped by the track first, planning to do a couple of sprints (短靴). Even at that end of the park, music and the smell of grilled food filled the air.
“Sweet Jobie!” Two of Jobie’s teammates rushed toward her, breathless and barefoot. “Come on,” they shouted. “You have to try the slide. Jobie’s eyes darted toward the party area.” “Slide? What sli—” Suddenly, she saw it. The BIGGEST inflatable (充气的) slide she had ever seen was on the far side of the park. Without thinking twice, Jobie chucked (抛出) her spikes and ran toward the slide. Its ladder stretched to the sky, but she reached the top in no time. She plopped down, hurried to the edge, and closed her eyes as she let go. “Woo-hoo!” Jobie couldn’t get enough. She conquered the slide again and again.
When it was finally time to go home, she reluctantly made her way back to the track where she’d left her shoes.
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: As she eyed the track from a distance, panic set in.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: Jobie slowly walked down to the starting line wearing her brand-new spikes.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________You never know the difference you might make unless you take the time to encourage someone.
I gave up the idea of being a writer the summer before I started college. I’d been writing since I was five years old. My little friends wanted toys at that time, but I just wanted paper. Childhood passed and a box of short stories gave way to my middle school days. I wrote for a magazine and by the time I was in my eighth grade, half of the annual publications were written by me. Sometimes I’d dream about being a novelist, writing books that everyone might read. My dad was always sure that it would happen. When he read my poems or stories, his eyes welled up. “That’s beautiful, honey,” he always told me. “One day, the entire world will know what a gift you have.” Those words encouraged me through high school to keep believing that writing was my calling.
But somewhere along the months of my senior year I became disappointed. The crazy injustice in this world—bad guys, getting back out on the street and doing harm again and again, changed my mind. “I’m going to be a lawyer in the future,” I told my parents. My dad’s face fell, but he kept his smile. “Whatever you do, you’ll be brilliant at it,” he said to me.
One of my first classes at college was Journalism 100. One day, the professor, Bob Scheibel, assigned us a story about an apartment fire. He gave us the facts and we had a few days to write a news story.
I was sure that I had got the facts right when I wrote the story. I didn’t expect much feedback. But a few days later, Bob Scheibel asked me to talk to him after class. Questions raced through my mind. What had I done wrong? Had I got the facts mixed up? Did I miss anything critical in the details? Five minutes after the class, I found myself in front of the professor. His eyes met mine with great seriousness.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
The professor asked whether I had read an article about this event on the newspapers.
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Since then, I began to devote myself to writing and later in the school and city writing competitions.
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One day my grandfather gave me a gift — a piggy bank. It had an opening through which one could put money in, but the opening was not big enough to reach in and get the money out. The only way to get at the money was to break the piggy bank open. My grandfather explained that was the whole idea: the piggy bank would help save my money so that, at the end of the year, I might have enough for that bike I dreamt about. He asked if I would put some of the money he gave me into the piggy bank. I agreed immediately and promised that I wouldn’t break it open until I could afford my dream bike.
Whenever he gave me a little bit of money, he would say, “This is for spending. But you can save some and put it in the piggy bank if you want to save it up.” When he gave me larger amounts, it was clearly for saving in the piggy bank. For some time, this worked fine. I loved shaking the piggy bank and hearing the sound of the coins. As it became heavier, I grew more excited, dreaming about buying my new bike, and all the adventures I could have on it.
Whenever I wanted to take some money from the piggy bank to buy delicious ice-creams or beautiful pens, I would imagine riding my bike on the street, and thinking of that, my thoughts about ice-creams or pens went away. So for almost six months, I only put money into the piggy bank without taking any out. I thought I wouldn’t break my piggy bank for anything. But one day something unexpected happened. I saw a piece of news on the television that a serious earthquake (地震) had happened in a nearby province. As many houses were destroyed, a lot of children became homeless. Seeing their shabby clothes and crying faces, I was sleepless that night.
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；
Paragraph 1: I knew I should do something.__________________________________________________________________________________
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Paragraph 2: My grandfather was surprised by my behavior._____________________________________________________________________
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8 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。
Catherine was the coolest kid in her class. Whenever she went, she was in the spotlight, with a bunch of kids following her and doing everything she did.
Her deskmate, Landy, however, was not in the cool kids’ group. Being the tallest kid in her class, she was teased by her classmates, who were always chanting “Landy, Landy, long as spaghetti (意大利面 )”. Every time Landy heard those silly chants, she could feel her face burst into flames. God knew how she wished the ground to crack and swallow her!
Catherine didn’t really like it when the kids chanted “Landy, Landy, long as spaghetti”. But she never told them to stop either, and nor did she ever talk to her. She liked being popular.
One weekend, Catherine went over to her grandfather for Thanksgiving. Her grandfather lives on a farm at the opposite end of town, where he keeps chickens. While helping to feed the chickens, Catherine noticed a peculiar one. Curling in the corner, it looked smaller than the others and was almost half-bare!
“What’s the matter with it?” She asked her grandfather, with a puzzled frown on her face. Her grandfather told her how chickens could act. “They have a pecking (啄) order,” he explained, wrinkles of concern spreading around his forehead. “If one chicken is different, the others will push it away and keep pecking it. Sometimes they peck it so much that it dies.”
“Oh, what a poor little thing!” Catherine let out a sigh as she scooped the frightened chicken up in her arms, whose heart was beating fast in the bony little body. Suddenly, she thought of Landy, the girl being “pecked” by her classmates. “I’m going to take it home and take good care of it,” she said with a determined look.
Back in school, Catherine told the cool kids about the chicken. “It’s looking healthy,” she said proudly. “It’s fatter and its feathers are growing. Even the cat likes it. She carries it around the garden, and...” Everyone was entertained by Catherine’s story of her lovely chicken, laughter lingering around the classroom.
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. Then Catherine spotted Landy sitting by herself in a corner.
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Paragraph 2. But Catherine walked directly toward Landy, regardless of what they said.
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It was summer, and my dad wanted to treat me to a vacation like never before. He decided to take me on a trip to the Wild West. We took a plane to Albuquerque, a big city in the state of New Mexico. We reached Albuquerque in the late afternoon. Upon Paul, my dad’s friend, picked us up from the airport and drove us up to his farm in Pecos.
His wife Tina cooked us a delicious dinner and we got to know his sons Ryan and Kyle. My dad and I spent the night in the guestroom of the farm house listening to the frogs and water rolling down the river nearby. Very early in the morning, Uncle Paul woke us up to have breakfast. “The day starts at dawn on my farm,” he said. After breakfast, I went to help Aunt Tina feed the chickens, while my dad went with Uncle Paul to take the sheep out to graze (吃草). I was impressed to see my dad and Uncle Paul riding horses. They looked really cool.
In the afternoon, I asked Uncle Paul if I could take a horse ride, and he said yes, as long as my dad went with me. I wasn’t going to take a horse ride by myself anyway. So, my dad and I put on our new cowboy hats, got on our horses, and headed slowly towards the mountains. “Don’t be late for supper,” Uncle Paul cried, “and keep to the track (足迹；踪迹) so that you don’t get lost!” “OK!” my dad cried back. After a while Uncle Paul and his farm house were out of sight. It was so peaceful and quiet and the colors of the brown rocks, the deep green pine (松树) trees, and the late afternoon sun mixed to create a magic scene. It looked like a beautiful woven (编织的) blanket spread out upon the ground just for us.
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
Suddenly a little rabbit jumped out in front of my horse.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2
We had no idea where we were and it was getting dark.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Ali and his younger sister, Zahra, lived with their parents in a poor neighborhood. Their mother was very sick and their father was struggling to find a job, and they had only a little money with which to buy food. As they had not paid the rent for several months, the landlord was breathing down their necks.
One day, Ali took Zahra's shoes to a shoe repairman to be fixed, but he lost them on the way home. It wasn’t until he got home that he realized he had lost the shoes. He was afraid that his parents would be angry and disappointed, so he begged his sister to keep it a secret. Zahra agreed and the two decided to share Ali’s running shoes. Zahra's school hours were in the morning, so she would wear them first. After school, she would rush back and give them to Ali. He could then run to his school, which began in the afternoon. Although he ran as fast as he could, Ali often arrived late and was warned by the school.
Ali heard about a long distance race that was held for the boys in the city.When he learned that the third prize was a new pair of shoes, he decided to take part. He ran home excitedly and promised his sister that he would win her the new shoes.
The day of race arrived. Ali had a strong start, but halfway through the race he began to get tired and his legs began to ache. Getting more and more exhausted he thought only of Zahra and his promise to her. Dreaming of the new shoes he would win for his sister gave him strength, and he stayed right behind the two fastest runners, determined to finish third. Suddenly, as the finish line drew near, another runner collided(碰撞) with Ali from behind and he crashed to the ground.
Ali looked up and saw the other boys rushing ahead.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Filled with delight, Ali walked home quickly.
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