This Friday brought a mix of emotions—both excitement and disappointment — all because of a flyer from school. When I got home, Mum saw the flyer in my hand and asked, “What’s this?”
“A flyer for a five-day art camp,” I explained. “But Emily can’t go.”
“Would you like to attend?”Mum asked. “You’ve always loved art.” Her words reminded me of what Emily had said earlier: “Tessa, you’re the real artist. My brother thought the roses I painted were rocket ships.” I sighed. Mum patted my back. She knew I had a hard time jumping into something with no familiar faces around. “Maybe next year.”
“Maybe,” I echoed. Then I told Mum I wanted to go outside to draw the Westons’ pine tree (松树). She nodded with an encouraging smile.
As I walked into the bright sunshine, I couldn’t help but think about the art camp. I wished I felt a little bit braver. Emily could make friends with a whole bus of kids in ten minutes, but my stomach felt like a little boat tossed in a heavy storm when I was surrounded by strangers... By the time I started drawing, I had made up my mind to forget about the art camp.
I began by drawing the pine tree’s strong and straight trunk, and then added the beautiful branches, making sure the upper ones lifted gently towards the sun. Lost in my work, I jumped when I heard Mr. Weston speak up, “You’ve done a great job showing the strength of that tree on paper.”
“Thanks,” I smiled, glancing up.
As I drew the needles to the branches, Mr. Weston told me something I never knew about pines: If you plant the root ball too deep, the tree dies. Their roots grow out, not down—to get enough water and grow tall.
“You have a good eye, Tessa.”With these words, Mr. Weston nodded goodbye.
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: His words made me pause and think.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: The next Monday, I signed up for the camp.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After a busy week, Emily and her parents decided to go on a mountain picnic. They longed to fully experience nature’s beauty and enjoy quality family time. Little did they know, this outing would be filled with unexpected twists and turns (波折).
Arriving at the mountain’s base, they discovered a house, in front of which Mike and his father had just finished loading a boat onto Mike’s truck. Emily approached them and asked for the best picnic spot in the area. Knowing the mountain well, Mike suggested a location about two hours’ walk away. “It’s worth the effort,” he assured them.
Parking their car next to Mike’s truck and carrying their picnic supplies, Emily and her parents set off on the winding road. Tall green trees on one side, a flowing stream on the other, the road eventually led them to a breathtaking clearing dotted with colorful wildflowers. They enjoyed their delicious sandwiches, fruits, and snacks, engaging in pleasant conversations.
Just as they finished their meal and settled down to relax, dark clouds unexpectedly rolled in. It looked like rain. Panicked, they hurriedly set up the tent they had brought. No sooner had they entered than raindrops began pouring on the roof. Heavy rain enveloped the surroundings, making it impossible to see anything. They had no choice but to patiently wait it out.
After what felt like a century, the rain ceased. Emily and her parents wasted no time packing up their belongings, ready to get downhill. However, their excitement turned to worry when they discovered that the small stream they had previously crossed had turned into a wide and impassable river. With no cellphone signal, they were trapped without a means of seeking help. To make matters worse, darkness was approaching.
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。
Suddenly, they heard the sound of a vehicle from across the river.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Emily and her parents boarded the boat.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In the town of Willowbrook, young Sarah was in a state of great excitement. Her school was putting on its annual play, and she had been offered a principal role. The school hall had been abuzz for weeks with rehearsals, prop (道具) preparations, and the students practicing their lines. Sarah had spent countless hours rehearsing, wanting to get every word and movement absolutely right.
However, underlying her anticipation was a growing sadness. Sarah’s dad, Mr Thompson, worked as an engineer in a big city, and his job often kept him away from home for a long time, which meant he frequently missed out on most of the special moments in Sarah’s life. This play seemed to be another addition to that growing list. He had a vital business meeting on the same day, and Sarah, although understanding, couldn’t help feeling disappointed. Her classmates talked excitedly about their families coming to watch, increasing her sense of loss.
It was bright and sunny on the day of the play. The school’s hall was noisy with students. Students in costumes rushed about, teachers gave last-minute instructions, and the air was thick with anticipation. Sarah peeped out from behind the curtains and saw the hall filling up with eager parents, siblings, and friends. Every seat was taken, except one — her dad’s.
The play started on time with Sarah and her classmates’ performance being the first. The actors delivered their lines with passion and the audience responded with laughter and applause at all the right moments. Sarah played her part with a mix of excitement and longing, wishing her dad could see her shine.
Halfway through, the host called for a surprise guest to enter. He described him as a “mysterious stranger” whose brief appearance would provide a turning point in the plot. As the lights dimmed slightly and suspenseful music played, a tall figure stepped onto the stage.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
Sarah’s heart jumped faster.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When the final scene concluded and the curtains drew to a close, applause thundered through the hall.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The Empty Pot
A long time ago in China there was a boy named Ping who loved flowers. Anything he planted burst into bloom. Up came flowers, bushes, and even big fruit trees, as if by magic!
Everyone in the kingdom loved flowers too. They planted them everywhere, and the air smelled like perfume.
The Emperor loved birds and animals, but flowers most of all, and he tended his own garden every day. But the Emperor was very old. He needed to choose a successor to the throne (王位的继承人). Because the Emperor loved flowers so much, he decided to let the flowers choose.
The next day a statement was issued: All the children in the land were to come to the palace. There they would be given special flower seeds by the Emperor. “Whoever can show me their best in a year’s time,” he said, “will succeed me to the throne.”
This news created great excitement throughout the land! Children from all over the country swarmed to the palace to get their flower seeds. All the parents wanted their children to be chosen Emperor, and all the children hoped they would be chosen too!
When Ping received his seed from the Emperor, he was the happiest child of all. He was sure he could grow the most beautiful flower. Ping filled a flowerpot with rich soil. He planted the seed in it very carefully. He watered it every day. He couldn’t wait to see it sprout, grow, and blossom into a beautiful flower!
Day after day passed, but nothing grew in his pot. Ping was very worried. He put new soil into a bigger pot. Then he transferred the seed into the rich black soil. Another two months he waited. Still nothing happened. By and by the whole year passed.
Spring came, and all the children put on their best clothes to greet the Emperor. They rushed to the palace with their beautiful flowers, eagerly hoping to be chosen.
Ping was ashamed of his empty pot. He thought the other children would laugh at him because for once he couldn’t get a flower to grow.
His clever friend ran by, holding a great big plant. “Ping!” he said. “You’re not really going to the Emperor with an empty pot, are you? Couldn’t you grow a great big flower like mine?” “I’ve grown lots of flowers better than yours,” Ping said. “It’s just this seed that won’t grow.”
Ping’s father overheard this and said, “You did your best, and your best is good enough to present to the Emperor.”
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。
Holding the empty pot in his hands, Ping went straight away to the palace.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When the Emperor heard these words, a smile slowly spread over his face.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I will share the kind act that I met with all of you. We had dozens of restaurant options within a short distance, so we often took advantage of this luxury. On one occasion, I ran out to get some food. I saw the clouds in the distance and decided I could make it there and come back in time, but I was wrong. I was about to leave the restaurant when the rain just poured. The street was flooded within minutes.
But I had my little girl and husband waiting for me back at home, and they were hungry, so I knew I had to make a run for it. The owner of the restaurant tried to encourage me to wait inside, but I insisted that I should go. At this point, he grabbed his umbrella and said, “Okay, let’s go.” Of course I tried to convince him that it wasn’t necessary for him to walk me home, but I knew I wouldn’t prevent him from doing so. So off we went. We quickly realized that the umbrella wouldn’t help much in keeping us dry. He walked me all the way to my apartment building, where he said goodbye and ran back to the restaurant.
Again I encountered this act of kindness when I was making my way to the bus. As I waited at the crosswalk (人行道), it began to rain lightly. Nothing was too bad, but a young guy nearby felt like it was heavy enough to make him step next to me and hold his umbrella above both of us. After a while, the lights turned green. I thanked him and walked across the street.
Getting around the city when you are six months pregnant (怀孕的) and have a two-year-old kid can be challenging sometimes. One spring afternoon, I realized I needed something from the store to finish preparing for dinner. The weather seemed a bit questionable but the store was around the corner so I decided to risk it.
注意：1. 续写词数应为 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:
It wasn’t raining when we left so we didn’t carry my umbrella.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph2:
As we crossed the street the woman offered me her umbrella.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On a sunny Friday morning, Mr. Stone, the Grade 4 head teacher, walked into the classroom with a new student following him. She was a lively girl from Mexico, and her red mushroom hair cut immediately drew everyone’s eyes. With a welcoming smile, Mr. Stone gestured for her to sit beside Mike, a student known for teasing others.
During break time, Mike couldn’t help but laugh when he caught sight of his new deskmate. Sara’s distinctive hairstyle seemed like an open invitation for him to make fun of her. Leaning in towards Sara, he playfully suggested, “Hey, Sara. Ever thought about changing your name to Dora? You look just like Dora the Explorer!” His words caused laughter and cheers from the others in the classroom.
Sara’s eyes filled with tears, her cheeks turning red with embarrassment. Feeling hurt and upset, she stood up suddenly, rushing to the teacher’s office to seek support from Mr. Stone. After hearing her story, Mr. Stone offered her gentle comfort, saying, “Sara, your hairstyle is truly pretty. Remember, everyone has their own sense of beauty.”
Mr. Stone then directed his attention to Mike, expressing his disappointment and urging Mike to apologize to Sara. “Mike,” he continued, “your actions were unkind. We must treat everyone with empathy(同情). Laughing at Sara’s hair has deeply hurt her.”
This conflict was temporarily settled, but Mr. Stone found himself lost in thought. Reflecting on his own childhood, Mr. Stone recalled how he had been teased for being overweight. The pain caused by hurtful words was like wrinkles on a crumpled(压皱的)ball of paper. Even if you smoothed them out, the wrinkles stayed.
He wanted to teach an important lesson to Mike, the troublemaker. Then, a unique strategy came to mind. He contacted Mike’s mother, explaining the situation and discussing a plan with her to develop empathy in her son. They agreed that over the weekend, Mike’s mother would arrange for Mike to have his hair cut extremely short.
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。
On Monday morning, Mike unwillingly approached the classroom.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________At that moment, Mr. Stone walked into the classroom with a ball of paper.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Brrrring! The bell rang as I tapped out a quick beat on my desk. I’ve figured it out, finally! I couldn’t wait to play it for my neighbor Mia.
Mia and I had been working for weeks on a song for Saturday’s band competition but we had been stuck on the ending.
I waved when I saw a familiar face jogging toward me down the hall.
“Hey, Will!” Liam grinned. “Ready for some training after school? I’ve been working on my jumper.” He turned around and shot an imaginary ball into the air.
Uh-oh. I’d forgotten all about basketball. I didn’t want to fail Liam, but I was dying to try out the new ending. Maybe if I had a reason to skip…
“Hey, Liam. I don’t feel so great.” I gave a small cough for effect. “Another time?”
“Sure, no problem. Feel better soon, OK?” Then Liam left immediately.
Lying was easier than I imagined. I could finish the song and Liam’s feelings weren’t hurt.
After playing the ending, I looked at Mia hopefully, “What do you think?”
“Perfect!” She exclaimed in delight.
”That sounded great, guys.“ Liam stood on my basement steps with his eyebrows raised.
Oh, no. Busted. ”Thanks, “ I said, trying to think quickly. ”It was strange. I came home and suddenly felt fine. I would have met you at the court, but it was too late. And then Mia stopped by, and—“
”But, in fact, you called me,“ Mia said, shaking her head.
”I had intended to call to ask a homework question, and then…” My voice trailed off(逐渐减弱). I coughed, but it sounded fake. “I can’t remember how it went exactly, but I’m feeling better now.”
"Well, that’s good, I guess.” Liam forced a smile.
Before I could think of something to say, Liam tossed(扔)a case of a movie intended to comfort me onto the couch, Captain Crush, Part 2, the sequel to our favorite movie in which an evil villain’s little lie turned into a big mess, and left with eyes filled with disappointment, followed by Mia.
注意:1. 续写词数应为75左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。(注: 第一段的续写已给出, 请根据第二段首句续写成完整的短文)
Para.1: After Liam and Mia left, I grabbed the movie and popped it in. I needed a distraction from how awful I felt. When watching the movie, I couldn’t help but thinking what if I lost two friends because of my lie. In my mind, two voices battled. The angel urged me to be frank and apologize to him while the devil argued that it was a white lie/a good excuse to spare his feelings. The two voices tortured me so much that I couldn’t bury myself in the movie. What’s worse, the hesitation left me tossing and turning restlessly for a whole night.
Para. 2: The next morning, I met Liam at the bus stop.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One very cold day, not long ago, in Edinburgh, I was standing at the door of a hotel. A little boy with a thin blue face, his feet bare and red with the cold, and with nothing to cover him but a bundle of rags, came to them and said, “Please, sir, buy some matches.” “No, I don’t want any.” answered one of the gentlemen. “But they are only a penny a box.” pleaded the poor little fellow. “Yes, but, you see, I don’t want a box.” I said again. “Then I will give you two boxes for a penny.” the boy said.
At last, I decided to buy a box to get rid of him. Then, finding I had no change, I said to him, “I will buy a box tomorrow.” “Oh, please buy them tonight.” the boy pleaded again, “ I will run and get you the change, for I am very hungry.” So I gave him the shilling, and he started away. I waited for him, but no boy came. I thought I had lost my shilling. still, there was something in the boy’s face I trusted, and I did not like to think bad of him.
Late in the evening I was told that a little boy wanted to see me. I found, when he was brought in, it was a smaller brother of the boy who took my shilling. He stood for a moment, diving into his rags as if he were seeking something, and then said, “Are you the gentleman who bought the matches from Sandy.” “Yes.” “Well, then, here are four pence out of your shilling. Sandy cannot come. He’s very sick. A cart ran over him and knocked him down. He lost his cap and matches and seven pence of your money. Both his legs were broken, and the doctor says he’ll die. My brother and I lived almost alone, for our father and mother were dead”
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 fed the little fellow, and then went with him to see Sandy.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Then I took him by the hand, and said, “I would always take care of your little brother.”
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I jumped into my mother’s car, shut the door and poured out my recent trouble. “Jenny is playing her mind games again. Training is less tiring than dealing with her and her feelings,” I complained.
Jenny and I were co-captains of our cross-country team. We’d been training for the coming tournament (锦标赛) for weeks: stretching, running, and making the seven of us into a team. Jenny, with exceptional running talent, always had a way to get ahead of her competitors on the course. She also helped all of us run faster and cheered us on. It seemed that she was anticipating the final show.
However, this week, her attitude shifted. She kept making excuses not to run with the team, from aching legs to headaches. I had to beg her, telling her repeatedly that the team couldn’t do without her. It went on all day and I was worn out. What’s her deal?
Mom pulled into our driveway, and turned toward me, “Well, I know a little about Jenny. She and her little brother have been together in foster care (寄养家庭). So close were they that every time they moved, Jenny would say that as long as they were together, they had a family.” My heart sank as Mom continued, “Jenny’s stepfather (继父) came for her brother this week, with gifts, hugs and big plans for their future. But Jenny wasn’t even part of his big plans.” My chest felt tight. “Poor Jenny, not to have a family.” I was close to tears. My mother patted my knee. “That’s it, honey. You got it.” And I did.
I decided that I should do something. I proposed that we organize a team gathering before the tournament. Each member was to write a heartfelt message for every teammate and prepare a special gift for the one they felt most connected to. I made sure that Jenny would come. It took some persuading, though.
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。
As the team gathering began, there was tension in the air.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The day of the tournament arrived.
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