I sat in the breakfast corner with my four-year-old son, Matthew, trying to ignore the ache in my stomach. I was still recovering from a surgery. I hoped for strength and happiness. But the future seemed so hopeless.
Matthew jumped up from his spot on the kitchen floor. “Bird!” he shouted, rushing to the sliding door. Sure enough, there was a white dove seated on a rubber tree. It sat there a few moments, and then flew away. I’d never seen one in our neighborhood before.
When I dragged myself to the kitchen the next morning, the dove was back. This time it was with a mate carrying twigs (嫩枝), “Look, Matthew,” I said, pointing to the tree. “They’re going to make a nest.” The doves flew in and out of the courtyard all week, building on the top of the rubber tree. Matthew could hardly contain his excitement. Every morning, he’d run into the kitchen and take his spot by the sliding glass door, talking to the birds while they worked. As much as I was grieving (感到悲伤), I couldn’t help but look forward to the doves’ visits too. We watched their progress as if it were a real-life soap opera unfolding before us. Gradually, my pain disappeared, replaced by joy.
Then it all went wrong. The courtyard was a safe enough spot for a nest, but the rubber tree’s broad, thin leaves were far from stable. One night, a strong wind blew through, throwing the doves’ nest to the ground. I heard the twigs break apart. Nothing good ever lasts. I wouldn’t blame the doves if they never came back. But they returned. And they paid no attention to the pi le of sticks that had once been their nest. They started again from scratch, though the wind destroyed all their hard work. The next day, and the next, they renewed their efforts, as if nothing had happened.
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: I knew I had to do something for the poor creatures.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:“The birds were back!” Matthew announced.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Thomas and John have a lot in common. They are both talented high school seniors. They both love basketball. They are both captains of their respective high school basketball teams. But on one Saturday night in February, they were forever linked in the minds of all who were present for a mutual act of courage, sportsmanship(体育精神)and respect.
The remarkable moment came during a game between Thomas's small town Illinois team and John's big city team in Wisconsin—a game that almost wasn't played. Just days before the game, John's mother lost her five-year battle with cancer. Her death was sudden and painful for all who knew her.
John's coach wanted to cancel the game, but John insisted that the game should be played. So with heavy hearts, his teammates prepared to honor their captain's wishes and play without him.
What they weren't prepared for was John's appearance in the gym mid-way through the first half. As soon as the coach saw John, he called a time out, and players and fans surrounded the young man to offer love and support.
The coach asked him if he wanted to sit on the bench with the team. “No,” John said. “I want to play.” Of course his team was excited to have him. But because John wasn't on the pre-game roster(候选名单), putting him in the game at that point would result in a technical foul(犯规)and two free throws for the opposing team.
However, John's coach agreed with that. He could see that this was the teenager's way of coping with his loss. He thought the points didn't matter. The opposing team understood the situation and told the referees to let John play and forget the technical foul. The referees argued that a rule is a rule, and the free throws would have to be taken before the game could proceed. For possibly the first time in basketball history, referees had to force a team to accept and take the technical free throws.
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 team captain, Thomas volunteered to take the free throws.
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John and his teammates stood and applauded the gesture of sportsmanship.
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Oh, this was terrible. “Thank you for volunteering to coach soccer…” the letter began. Coach? Soccer? Me? That was crazy. My knowledge of the sport began and ended with you-can’t-use-your-hands.
I have just graduated from high school. There was a summer holiday long enough to do something unusual, Father advised me to pick up a part-time job in our community, like teaching kids to swim or helping them with their subjects. “You’ll learn a lot,” he said. So, when Community Sports asked for volunteers, I signed up for data entry, which, I thought was helping to put data into a computer. Keyboards, I knew. Coaching? Impossible!
Realizing there must be something wrong, I quickly called the head coach about the misunderstanding. It did not go well. He had been away from home and would not be coaching at all. Panicked, I called the other assistant coach. He said, “It isn’t difficult to teach a bunch of first graders about soccer. Be confident.”
“Are you kidding me?” I hang up the phone, smiling bitterly.
I phoned a Community Sports officer about our dilemma. “I am sorry,” he said. “Not enough people are willing to volunteer. If you cannot coach, we will call your team and let them know they will not be playing this season.” Seriously, that was his solution? I hang up the phone, saying I would call back to let him know my choice.
That afternoon, when Father came back, I told everything to him, complaining how careless and ridiculous the community workers were. They should have suggested my “pretending” to be a coach.
Father stared at me, “Hey, listen! I remember you like watching soccer games.”
“Watching is one thing but coaching is another,” I protested.
“Why not learn the game with the kids? To those first graders, it’s just a game. Just make it fun. Besides, you’ll gain more than them.” I couldn’t imagine the kids’ disappointed faces when they were told their team wouldn’t play because they couldn’t find them a coach.
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 next morning, I called back.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Then came the day when I would meet those kids for the first time.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One day Officer Jackson and Steve were discussing a serious case when they were informed of a disturbance (骚乱) in the nearby subway. So, they walked out of the station and got into their car.
The two officers had expected they’d have to deal with an annoying beggar troubling the passers-by for money. But when they arrived at the crime scene, they were shocked at the beggar’s appearance. The man had tears in his eyes and was sitting on the subway stairs, looking untidy and tired.
“Excuse me, sir,” Officer Jackson said. “You can’t stay here, nor can you bother the people to give you money. You have to leave this place.”
“Look, officers,” the man sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble, okay? I lost my cane (拐杖), and I can’t walk without it. I wanted a few cents so I could get myself something to eat.”
The two officers exchanged looks, knowing the man wasn’t a disturbance but someone who really needed their help. So they promised to get him food, buy him a cane, and drop him home.
After doing that, the officers drove to the beggar’s home, only to discover he had no home at all. He was just wandering in the streets and living off the leftovers he managed to find.
The poor man said his name was Eugene. When he was working at a skyscraper construction site, he was injured and became disabled, losing his ability to walk. Unfortunately, his disability forbade him from doing physical labor, and he wasn’t well-educated to find a desk job, so he remained jobless. Because he couldn’t provide for his family, his wife and children left him. “I don’t have any hopes of changing my destiny (命运), officers,” the man said.
But Officer Jackson wanted Eugene to change his life. “You’re still young,” he said.
“You can’t lose hope so soon. He brought him something warm to eat, helped him take a shower, and gave him his warm boots. After his work, Officer Jackson drove Eugene to a shelter for the homeless and left.
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。
Since that day, Eugene had never expected to meet the two officers again.
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A few months later, Eugene was a changed man.
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Chain of Love
One cold winter day a man saw an old lady standing on the side of the road, obviously in need of help. So he pulled up in front of her beautiful Mercedes-Benz and got out of his beat-up old car.
Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. Was he going to hurt her? He didn’t look safe; he looked poor and hungry. He could see that she was frightened, so he said, “I’m here to help you, madam. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.”
It was a flat tire, bad enough for an old lady. Bryan crawled under the car and began to work. She rolled down the window, saying she couldn’t thank him enough for coming to her aid and asking how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her.
Bryan just smiled as he finished changing the tire. A young man without much money for his baby due next month, he never thought twice about being paid for helping someone in need. He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed.
He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed home.
A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe, and went in to grab a bite to eat. It was a dingy (昏暗的) looking restaurant. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn’t erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain (压力) and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger.
注意：
l.续写词数应为80左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Then she remembered Bryan.
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Last summer, my friends and I went on a camping trip in the mountains. We were all excited about the adventure ahead, but little did we know what was in store for us.
We arrived at the campsite in the late afternoon. The sun was setting, and the sky was painted with hues of orange and pink. We set up our tents and started a fire to cook our dinner. As we sat around the fire, we planned our activities for the next day. We decided to go on a hike to see the nearby waterfall.
The next morning, we woke up early and set out on our hike. The trail was steep and narrow, but the scenery was breathtaking. We passed through the forests and crossed the streams. As we got higher, the air became colder and thinner. We had to stop frequently to catch our breath.
After a few hours of hiking, we finally reached the waterfall. It was amazing. The water fell down from a great height, and the mist created a rainbow. We sat down to catch our breath and take in the beauty of the waterfall.
But our adventure was far from over. As we were about to leave, we noticed dark clouds gathering overhead. It started raining heavily, and we realized that we had not brought any rain gear. We were completely soaked(湿透)and trembling in the cold. We decided to take shelter in a nearby cave until the rain stopped.
The cave was dark and damp, but it gave us a brief relief from the rain. We sat there for what seemed like hours, waiting for the rain to stop. But it only got worse. The thunder was so loud that it echoed through the cave, and the lightning was so bright that it lit up the cave like daylight.
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。
We were scared and worried.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________That night, as we sat around the fire, we reflected on our adventure.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1．活动时间、地点及参加人员；
2．活动过程；
3．活动反响。
注意：
1．写作词数应为80左右；
2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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1. 音乐的种类、形式和意义；
2. 结合生活实例谈谈音乐对自己的影响。
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1. 对你很重要的人是谁;
2. 对你很重要的原因;
3. 你想如何回报他(她)
注意： 1. 词数100个左右
2. 文章的标题已经给出，不计入总词数
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| 活动 | 理由 |
| 休息 | 学习紧张，缺少锻炼和休息 |
| 看望乡下的祖父母，帮助他们做点家务，并给他们谈了身边的新鲜事 | 家人团聚，感恩长辈 |
| 和朋友进行短途旅游 | 欣赏大自然，呼吸新鲜的空气 |
1. 写作词数应为词数80左右；
2. 可以适当增加其它细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Tom,
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Yours,
Li Hua
