I was sitting next to Missy in my ninth-grade world history class when Mrs. Bartlett announced a new project. In groups, we were to create a newspaper around the culture we were studying.
On a piece of paper, we wrote the names of three friends we wanted in our group. After collecting all the requests, Mrs. Bartlett informed us that she would take into consideration the names we chose and would let us know the results the next day. I had no doubt I would get the group of my choice. There were only a handful of sociably decent people in the class, and Missy was one of them. I knew we had chosen each other.
The next day, I anxiously awaited the class. After the bell rang, Missy and I stopped talking as Mrs. Bartlett called for our attention. She started to call out names. When she reached group three, Missy’s name was called. So I’m in group three, I thought. The second, third and fourth members of the group were called. My name was not included. There had to be some mistake!
Then I heard it. The last group: “Mauro, Juliette, Rachel, Karina.” I could feel the tears well in my eyes. How could I face being in that group the boy who barely spoke English, the one girl who was always covered by skirts that went down to her ankles, and the other girl who wore weird clothes. Oh, how badly I wanted to be with my friends.
After class, I fought back tears as I walked up to Mrs. Bartlett’s office. She looked at me and knew what I was there for. I was determined to convince her I should be in the “good” group. “Why. . . ?” I started.
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。
Mrs.Bartlett sat me down and began to talk.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I bravely walked to the last group.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As I was looking for a new flat, I was temporarily staying at a lovely small hotel. Unfortunately, during that time, I was due to participate in an online conference for an entire week. I was stuck inside from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm, the entire duration of the cleaning hours. I figured that I could go those five days without my room being cleaned and it wouldn’t be a problem. I would just put a “Do Not Disturb” sign on my door.
On the second day as I was heading to get breakfast at the hotel, I bumped (撞见) into the cleaning lady named Anna. I asked her if I could give her my rubbish, and I mentioned that I would be working the entire day so she needn’t worry about cleaning my room. She smiled and said it was okay.
The next day, when I returned from my breakfast, my room had already been cleaned. The same happened on the following day. On Friday, I finished my breakfast quicker than usual and the cleaning lady was just heading out. She smiled and said that she was happy that even though I ate quicker than usual, she was still able to finish in time.
I finally realized that all this time, she had been keeping an eye on when I headed for breakfast so she could clean my room. Given that looking for a flat in a new city and working in one of the smallest hotel rooms in London were already very stressful, I was incredibly moved. I thanked Anna and told her that, fortunately, it was the very last day of the conference, but I was very thankful.
The following week, I finally got the keys for my new flat. Excited and grateful for all the help I had received while moving in, I bought a box of chocolates and made my way to the receptionist.
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 said to the receptionist, “Could you please give those to Anna?”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After a while, Anna arrived, looking slightly puzzled.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It is a hot sunny Saturday morning on the farm. Maya, Duksie and Doobie are helping Mama K in her vegetable garden. The children work all morning.
Mama K always gives the children a treat for helping her. Sometimes it’s cake or chocolate; sometimes it’s apples, pears or oranges. Mama K has only one rule. “Share it fair!” The children know they must share the treats equally, so they all get the same amount.
Today Mama K has baked a round strawberry cake with pink icing (糖霜) and berries from her garden. The children wait on the grass for their treat. “Here you go!” smiles Mama K. “But remember the rule. Share it fair!”
Maya has the first turn to share the cake. She uses the knife to draw lines in the icing. The others watch her. She does not cut the cake yet. The others must first agree if her way is fair. “I think I will make two cuts down like this. Now we have three slices, all the same!” Maya shows them. There is one line on the left and the other on the right.
“No way!” says Duksie. “The one in the middle is much too big!” Doobie also shakes his head. Maya laughs and tells Duksie to try.
“Pass me the knife.I’ll do it,” says Duksie First she rubs out Maya’s pattern in the icing, and then she makes one cut across and one down. “Look, I have made my three slices!” “That’s not fair!” shout Maya and Doobie together,.
“Why don’t you try, Doobie?” says Duksie. “I bet you can’t do it!”
“I wish the cake was a square, and then it would be easy!” says Doobie thoughtfully. And then! A picture comes into Doobie’s head. He sees the silver badge (标识) at the front of his father’s big red Benz truck. “I’ve got it! I’ve got it! I know how to do it,” shouts Doobie.
“How did you work it out?” Maya asks. Doobie smiles to himself. For now it’s his secret. Later, he will tell his dad.
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。
First Doobie uses a knife to smooth Duksie’s lines in the icing.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________With Mama K’s encouragement, Maya takes charge, expertly cutting along Doobie’s lines to make three equal slices.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The snowstorm was supposed to hit the evening of Monday, Jan. 31. I was working from home but I had to leave that afternoon and go to my office to sign an emergency financial aid check for a student. The route to the office took about 30 minutes along the highway. When I got there, my colleague came to my office to co-sign the check, and left. As I was packing up, I noticed he had left his laptop bag in my office.
“I can bring it to you,” I assured him. It was just past 4:30 p. m. The snow wasn’t supposed to start until later. On the way to his place, I picked up a new cellphone charger, and filled up my SUV with gas.
It took me about 15 minutes to get to my colleague’s house, where I dropped off the laptop case and got back on the road. Then the snow started, and it was coming down fast. Within minutes, the windows were fogging up and getting covered with snow, so I rolled down my driver’s side window, thinking I could better follow the edge of the road and keep to a straight line. But really, I didn’t have a clue where I was or even which side of the road I was on.
I called 911, but the dispatcher (调度员) told me that nobody was coming to get me until morning at the earliest. The storm would continue for longer than predicted and I worried I’d freeze to death.
Breathe, I told myself. Panicking won’t help.
I stopped the car, pinning my location on Google Maps, figuring out that I was on a road called Bouvier Lane, in between two farms. I posted this new information to my Facebook community group, pleading for anyone who knew who lived on the farms to help me get rescued.
At 8 p. m., my cellphone rang. It was the son of the farmer, André Bouvier, who owned the land beside the road I was stuck in. He told me that his dad had just helped two other cars get to his house, a father and his two kids, and a couple with their daughter. He comforted me that his dad was coming to get me.
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。
Then, about 45 minutes later, I saw a tall figure, pacing toward me in the dark, carrying a flashlight.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________We reached the house at last, I driving slowly behind Andre Bouvier.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In a house far from the city lived John and his mother. John’s only hobby was wandering in the nearby picturesque forest. In its center was a shiny clear lake with schools of fish dancing in it. Fascinated by the beauty and liveliness of nature, he desired to become a great artist and present all the breathtaking scenes to the world.
John studied in the local primary school. Life was not easy for John and his mom after his father died. Knowing what hard work his mother did to make ends meet, John, really didn’t want his mother to worry. His mother knew the significance of education in life but she was against his dream of becoming an artist. “The profession of artist can’t aid a person in meeting his daily expenses,” she would say. But as each day passed, John’s dream: became more passionate.
Due to the living circumstances, even buying some new colors would be a luxury. John only used the worn drawing file and limited colors for his daily practice. He never gave up drawing. He spent a significant amount of time staying in — the forest, secretly perfecting his craft. With continuous hard work and a distinct gift for art, he drew beautifully.
One day John read about a competition being held in the town, whose deadline was only two days away. He got the perfect opportunity to fulfill his desire but he was in a dilemma as for the competition he needed special paints and some brushes. He didn’t have the courage to ask his mother for money as he knew her prejudice against art.
That evening his mom returned from work and handed him a few paper notes, saying, “This is for your lunch at school next four days.” He worked up the courage hoping to ask his mother if she could give him some more money so that he could participate in the competition, but finally, considering the family’s financial difficulties, he swallowed the words.
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。
Looking at the notes on the desk the next day, John was lost in thought.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________At the award ceremony John was about to speak when he saw his mother.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________For me, growth begins immediately after I am able to accept my mistakes and admit team efforts.
When I was elected president of student union, campus officials congratulated me saying I was quite adequate for the job. Before long, we had built a community of people who liked climbing the mountain near our campus. We started out with a small group of hikers, and then the number of participants increased.
One day on campus, I met a woman in a wheelchair called Grace. I asked her if she had ever been to the top of the mountain. She said she hadn’t and she would never. I told her to stay positive and not to give up admiring the beauty of the summit. Grace agreed to have a go. We all took turns grabbing a corner of her chair as we carried her 1. 7 miles to the top. This was probably one of the most magical and deeply meaningful things I did in college.
With the support of my community and hikers, no one was surprised that I had won the election. The first thing I did as president was hang a sign outside the Associated Students office that read, “Under New Management!” I was proud of my coming accomplishment.
Absolute power changed me absolutely. My ego, my arrogance and my pride were out of control. I began speaking down to people, demanding they listen to me because I thought I knew what was best. Seldom did I join the hikers to climb the mountain, arguing it was a waste of time. My friends and supporters tried to communicate to me that I had changed, that I was abusing my position, but I wasn’t listening.
A public conflict with the female vice president about where to build a coffeehouse opened the floodgates for others who were upset with me. They claimed that I had made wrong decisions and that I was unqualified for the job. “Resign! Resign!” the posters of their requests would soon be everywhere on campus. My whole world collapsed. I couldn’t figure out why a wonderfully enriching experience as president suddenly turned into one of my worst nightmares.
注意:1. 续写词数应为150 左右
2. 段落开头已给出。
Paragraph 1:
Several days later, I caught sight of a familiar figure in the wheelchair, peering at my poster.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
I went to the campus lawn, began to admit my mistakes in public and promised that I had learned my lesson.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Every October, my neighborhood has a Halloween costume contest. And every October, my neighbor Ollie and I race to the announcement board in the park to find out the theme. One year, the theme was “Dress up as your favorite book character.” Another year, it was “Be something scary.” But this year, the theme was kind of, well, themeless.
“Be creative?” I said, reading the announcement board. “That’s not really a theme, is it?”
Ollie hopped off his skateboard s to get a closer look. “You’re right,” he agreed. “I think my favorite theme ever was ‘Superheroes’. I loved my Super-Force Flying Eagles costume so much, I kept that thing hanging in my close t for years!”
“My favorite theme was ‘Farm Animals’.” I giggled. “Remember how you insisted on being a Stegosaurus (剑龙)?”
“When I was five, dinosaurs were my world.” Ollie laughed. “I would have loved to see a Stegosaurus out grazing with the cows.”
“Now that’s the creative spirit we need for this challenge!” I said. “Maybe, since we don’t know exactly what we want to be yet, we should start by choosing some cool costume-making materials. ”
“I’ve got it!” Ollie said, scooping up a bunch of fallen leaves.
“Really?” I said. “You’re going to make an entire costume out of leaves?”
“Why not?” he said, scooping up some more.
“They’re totally free, and I can guarantee, no one will be a tree as great as me.”
“Don’t you mean, a tree as great as we?” I grinned.
“Um, first, that grammar doesn’t sound right,” said Ollie. “And second, no way! Think of your own creative ideas.”
“Aw, come on,” I said. “You should be flattered that I like your idea so much. Plus, I just thought of the perfect way to make branches.”
Finally, Ollie said OK.
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: We ended up filling two jumbo bags with different kinds of leaves.
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Paragraph 2: Then the big moment came.
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A Fortunate Escape
“Truth or Dare, Ben?” Max questioned. Max, Ben and I were walking home together while I took small bites of the beef burger I had grabbed from a shop nearby. “Truth or Dare” was a game we usually played to amuse ourselves on the lengthy, boring journey home. Ben wanted a dare. “Well, Ben, I dare you to carry my bag all the way home!” Max commanded as we laughed at poor Ben’s trouble.
As Ben pulled the heavy bag up his shoulder and adjusted the bag straps, he noticed that Max’s bag was partially open. When he hurriedly put it on his back, an object flew out of the bag, and over the fence of our neighbour’s house.
“Oh, no,” Max cried, “I think that was my English assignment.” Stretching his hand out and trying to crawl(爬)under the fence to save the paper, Ben found that it was just out of reach.
“Well, I guess I’ll just have to climb over the fence to get it,” Ben said. He was barely able to climb up, using the small gaps in the wooden fence as handholds as the fence was nearly as tall as him(which was not very tall), and low enough for something to be thrown over it. Sliding down the fence, Ben grabbed the valued piece of paper, complaining about injured dignity. Just then, a loud and frightening bark cut his words short.
“Woof, Woof!” Our neighbour, Mr Mason, owned a German shepherd(kind of dog), well-known for its fierceness, which guarded the house. It was something we had overlooked, too focused on bringing back Max’s assignment. Ben’s legs trembled like jelly and his face turned a deathly white as the German shepherd advanced slowly on him like a wolf moving towards its target.
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。
Max and I stared at it in fear.
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Just then I caught sight of my half-eaten burger on the path.
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Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus (马戏团) . Finally, there was only one family between us and the ticket counter (柜台).
This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of twelve. You could tell they didn’t have a lot of money.
Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean. The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly talking about the clowns. elephants, and other acts they would see that night with their brothers or sisters in a low voice.
One could sense they had never been to the circus before. It promised to be highlight of their young lives. The father and mother were at the head of the pack, standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband’s hand, looking up at him as if to say, “You are my knight (骑士) in shining armor (盔甲).”
He was smiling and responding in pride, looking back at her as if to say, “You got that right” . The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly responded, “Please let me buy eight child tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus.”
The ticket lady gave the price. The man’s wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, and his lips began to shake. The father leaned (倾斜) a little closer and asked. “How much do you say?”
The ticket lady again quoted (报价) the price. The man didn’t have enough money.
How was he supposed to turn around and tell his eight children that he didn’t have enough money to take them to the circus?
Actually we were not wealthy in any sense. So I understand how the kids would feel. I felt sorry for them.
注意：续写词数应为80左右。Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand in his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________That day my father and I went back to our car and drove home without any tickets.
A teenage boy named Joel lived in a small faraway town.Joel was an ambitious rapper who spent countless hours in his bedroom writing lyrics (歌词) and perfecting his flow. But he never performed on stage. His dream was to make it big in the music industry and share his passion for rap with the world. He hoped that one day his dream would become a reality. Little did he know, this dream was about to come true in the most unexpected way.
One sunny afternoon, Joel was walking through his neighborhood when he heard booming music coming from a nearby park. Interested, he followed the sound and discovered a crowd of people gathered around a stage. To his surprise, the famous rapper Latto was in town and performing her show for the community. Joel had always been Latto’s faithful fan. He’d like to become a rapper like her. Pushing his way through the crowd, Latto came to front of the stage.
Joel’s heart raced with excitement as he watched Latto appeal to the audience with her charming lyrics and undeniable talent. He waved his arms and cheered loudly together with all the people present.All of a sudden, a fearless idea suddenly occurred to him.Inspired by her performance, Joel decided to seize the opportunity and show his skills before his idol (偶像). Joel went up to the event organizer and explained his passion for rap, hoping to be given a chance to perform.
Impressed by Joel’s enthusiasm and determination, the event organizer agreed to let him perform a short set after Latto finished her performance. Joel was overjoyed and spent the remaining time practising,making sure he was ready to deliver an unforgettable performance. He prayed (祈祷) at the bottom of his heart that he would succeed like Latto. Latto ended her show and the crowd broke up.
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。
Joel stepped onto the stage, his heart beating wildly
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Witnessing Joel’s incredible performance, Latto approached him.
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