Beth was in hospital with viral pneumonia (肺炎). She felt down and she missed her parents terribly, who were far away in Europe on business. She lay in her bed crying when one nurse came in and recognized her sadness and loneliness. The nurse looked at the pale little girl worriedly, knowing that one of the greatest setbacks to recovery is often depression. Like the rest of the medical staff, she was overworked and couldn’t sit and keep Beth company all the time. Then she had a brilliant idea! Maybe she could kill two birds with one stone! Just at the end of the corridor (走廊), she had a patient who was just as lonely as Beth...
The nurse walked into Georgiana Halston’s room and smiled, “Didn’t you tell me you have a granddaughter, Mrs Halston?” Georgiana, who was lying on the bed and looking listlessly (没精打采地) out of the window, sighed. “Yes. I have a 7-year-old granddaughter, but she is in Canada. And she hardly calls me, because I don’t know what she like and she think it boring to chat with me.”
“Well,” the nurse said. “I have a 7-year-old down the corridor who is very lonely and needs a friend. I wonder if you could cheer her up a bit and be that friend?”
“But my leg hurts,” Georgiana said. “I can’t walk. You know that.”
“I know that your doctor want you out of bed and to walk around,” the nurse retorted. “If you don’t move, you’ll end up bedridden!”
Georgiana had been diagnosed with a form of bone disease and got a big operation. She was still in bed, but she should be up to exercise her leg. However, the truth is that she was afraid her leg would suffer terrible pain. After the nurse left, Georgiana lay on her bed for a long time, feeling sad for herself. Georgiana looked at the walker next to her bed and sighed. The matter of the lonely little girl haunted her.
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。
Then Georgiana picked her walker and headed for the girl’s room.
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A while later, the nurse appeared in Beth’s room.
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When Cassandra Ridder picked up her son Brody from school, the boy wasn’t his usual happy-go-lucky self.
Cassandra said that the sixth graders didn’t want to talk about his day and only wanted to listen to music. To lighten his mood, she asked him about his yearbook (毕业纪念册). Earlier that day, the mom had received an email, informing parents that students would be bringing their class yearbooks home. She was curious if Brody got lots of signatures.
But when she brought it up, her son got really sad. He said, “No, Mom, no one really signed my yearbook. I asked people and they either told me no or that they would do it later, and that they were too busy for me.”
When Brody handed over his yearbook, Cassandra’s heart sank. The page was almost empty, except for a couple of messages from his teachers and two students’ names. To fill in the space, Brody had written a note to himself that read “Hope you make some more friends”, and had signed his own name.
“I tried to make him feel better,” said Cassandra. “I told him that it might have just been a busy day, and to give people the benefit of the doubt. I told him that things will get better and to stay positive, and that no matter what, I would always be his friend.”
Upon discovering what happened with Brody’s yearbook, Cassandra decided to do something. That night, she wrote a post on the Internet for parents. She wanted to let the other parents know this was happening at the school and remind them they should talk to their kids about being kind to one another.
“My poor son feel sad. Despite Brody’s asking all kinds of kids to sign it, two teachers and a total of two students wrote in his yearbook, her post read.” So Brody took it upon himself to write to himself. My heart is broken.
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。
Cassandra didn’t expect too much from the post.
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The headmaster Mr Rudd also knew of Brody’s story.
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Walking into and volunteering at an orphanage (孤儿院) for the first time, I was filled with a mix of excitement and nervousness.
As a half-Filipino, I felt a sense of pride and joy to be back in the country where my family was from, but I wasn’t sure what to expect from my time there. Would I be able to connect with the kids? Would I be able to make a meaningful impact? These were the thoughts running through my mind as I walked through the gate.
When I arrived, I was greeted by a group of shy and curious children. They looked out from behind doors and around corners, eyeing me carefully as I made my way through the halls. I was struck by their shyness, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous myself.
I was a stranger in their home, and I knew that it would take time to earn their trust and build a connection with them.
However, as days went by and I spent more time with the kids, I began to see their walls come down. They started to open up to me, sharing stories and jokes, and even asking me to join in their games.
Soon enough, they welcomed me into their home with open arms, quite naturally. From that point on, I had a kid attached to me at all times. They were always eager to hold hands, give hugs, and jump on my back whenever I wasn’t looking. It was hard to believe that these same children had once been so guarded and distant.
These were kids who had experienced more hardship and trauma (创伤) in their young lives than most people could even imagine. And yet, they still found reasons to smile and laugh every day. They were incredibly stubborn and strong-willed, which could be challenging at times, but it also gave them a strong sense of perseverance.
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 time went by, I came to find something shining upon them.
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The day when I had to leave finally came.
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Living in the shadow of my two elder sisters at college who already had their lives planned out since they were little, I was always undecided about everything. As a teenager, I was fickle (反复无常的). I would like one thing for a week and then hate it the next. But I was constantly searching for the beginning of the rainbow. Changing my dream from a vet to an astronaut, I thought there were various options available to me. However, my parents would shake their heads and repeatedly asked me such questions as, “Why can’t you be more like your sisters? What are you going to do with your life? Aren’t you interested in anything at all?” After a couple of shrugs (耸肩), my parents usually stopped talking. I was not sure if they gave up or anticipated my dull reactions. I often responded, “I couldn’t answer all of your questions now.”
Actually, my parents just had high expectations that never seemed to be fulfilled. Plus, like other parents, they just wanted to give the best to me and expected me to achieve success. The arguments with my parents seemed childish. One day, my mother made her thoughts clear, “Your grades aren’t high enough. No schools are going to want you, dear. We didn’t pay so much money for nothing.” Hesitating for a while, I said, “No matter what you say, I believe I will enter a good college.” Still, I let my emotions control myself.
Certainly, I had never planned not to go to college. After another debate with my mom, I decided to make a change. No longer would I sit back and let my parents mistake me for a bad boy. It was time to take action.
I knew it was a crucial year at high school. Releasing my feelings, I began to collect all the knowledge I had learned and review it with all my heart. I didn’t argue with my parents any more, but instead turned to my sisters for help and tried my best to study. Finally, I took the national college entrance examination with ease and confidence.
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。
A few days later, I received a call from my school, saying my college acceptance letter had arrived.
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My parents excitedly said behind me, “Well, open the envelop!”
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David was a windsurfer, who was serious and hardworking. He dreamed of becoming a city champion of the annual Teenager Windsurfing Race. To achieve it, he barely missed a single game or practice whatever the weather. After months of intense training, the big day finally arrived!
The beach was crowded with the excited audience, including reporters and photographers. The speaker system was announcing the names of the windsurfers, calling them to get ready for the race. And there was David, in a line with other windsurfers, all of them moving nervously up and down on the waves behind an imaginary starting line. They were all fighting for the best position to start and were tense as a result, ignoring the vast sea they were on.
The moment the starter’s signal sounded, David was off, so natural and quick. He pulled hard at his sail to race just ahead of the group. As he picked up speed, gliding (滑行) over the waves, he felt the familiar joy and freedom that windsurfing always gave him. What he loved was simply being out at sea. He could hardly stop himself from shouting out in excitement, rushing to the finishing line for the first.
“Go! David!” The wind carried over a familiar voice. He looked around and spotted his elder sister Jessica on her speedboat upwind of him cheering for him. She waved at David and he nodded his head in acknowledgement, even though he knew she was too far away to see him. Just as he turned away, however, out of the comer of his eye, he saw smoke behind the speedboat, on the shore. Knowing that the smoke could tell him the direction the wind was blowing, he decided to study it for a moment out of habit. Just as he was getting a better sense of how to use the wind to his advantage, he saw it.
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。
Not just the smoke but a big fire!
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The other windsurfers were far ahead of him at that time.
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“Bye, Mom! Don’t forget to make my pie!” shouted 12-year-old Jake after kissing his mother, Susan, goodbye.
He was anxiously waiting for the bus. Moments later, the bus pulled over, and Jake hopped in, assuming it was just going to be an ordinary ride to school. “Luckily, Mom gave me $6. Otherwise I’d have to walk all the way to school,” he thought.
The bus came to a stop, picking up Christel, a 56-year-old woman from the next stop. She was smelly and looked dirty. Some passengers frowned at her, but she was least bothered about them. Moments later, she trembled through the crowd toward an empty seat next to Jake.
“Ticket, please?!” the conductor said loudly, staring at her. Christel’s face slowly started to go red. “One second, I’m looking for my purse,” she replied. “I...uh...I don’t have money. I forgot to bring my purse,” Christel stammered (结结巴巴地说), embarrassed.
“Lady, this is not a charity ride that picks up beggars for free. I’m stopping the bus right now. Get out!” yelled the conductor as the crowd of passengers turned toward Christel all at once.
Jake witnessed everything and was disappointed at how the conductor treated the poor woman. Then he remembered he still had some change. “Here is your $3...Give her a ticket,” he said to the conductor, throwing the money into his hand.
“Thank you, sweetheart. I am forever grateful to you! What is your name, dear?” said Christel.
“I’m Jake. That’s okay. I just did what I should do,” replied Jake, taking Christel’s words of gratitude casually.
They talked about Jake’s school life. “I want to become a baseball player, but my school does not have such facilities. I don’t want to trouble my mom. She’s already working hard in the restaurant. My father passed away in an accident two years ago,” revealed Jake.
“Alright, Grandma! We’ve arrived at my school. I’ll leave now. Bye-bye!”
Christel was touched by Jake’s warm heart. She stared a second time at his school, watching him disappear inside the gate.
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 day Christel paid a surprising visit to the school in her expensive car.
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Jake didn’t realize a bigger surprise was waiting for him outside the principal’s office.
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In my local elementary school, I saw a child who looked bowed by burdens which were too heavy for his small shoulders. Tears ran down his cheeks. He was in a blue shirt, which is my favourite color. He sat alone at a desk in the back of his fourth-grade classroom, with his face to the wall of backpacks, coats, scarves, lunch boxes and little boots.
“Tony, you hadn’t done a bit of work all week,” his teacher said, looking in his direction. Her expression was that combination of helplessness and frustration I have seen too often on teachers who have too many students and too little help with the difficult ones.
I was a substitute for the special-education teacher, who provides individual and small-group instruction for kids who have difficulty in a regular classroom. I am untrained in psychology and inexperienced in special-education children. The only ice breaker I learned was: I’ll tell you one thing about me, then you tell me one thing about you. Except that, I didn’t know other ways to connect those special-education children.
Tony was not among the three students I’d be taking to the small special-education room for a math lesson. But I always thought of him as I taught the other three how to add numbers. Why was he sitting alone? Why was he weeping silently? Children usually cry or sob; they do not suffer in silence.
I looked up and saw the brightly coloured motivational poster on the wall. I put it up the day before. Seeing the words “You are worthy. You are loved.” on it, I wanted to help Tony.
That afternoon, I returned to Tony’s classroom and was met by his teacher, Max, who told me he loved reading. My other students for the reading lesson included Tony.
He was still sitting in the back of the classroom, still weeping silently. He didn’t argue when I asked him to come for his lesson: He simply didn’t move. His teacher comforted him. Max promised him the lesson would be fun. I promised to bring him back if he felt uncomfortable. Slowly, he got up. He followed Max and me into the reading room, tears dropping on the floor.
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 they sat down, I began with my usual ice breaker with a smile.
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After praising his worksheet (活页练习题), I saw Tony’s tears had stopped and a smile appeared.
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Mary Lee seemed to have everything. She was very beautiful with a wonderful figure and an attractive face. She was very rich. Her clothes were better than anyone else’s and she had more of them. Her books were always new and expensive as were her pens, school bags and bicycle. She was very clever too and without appearing to do very much work. She was always the first in all the examinations and always answered all the questions, while the rest of the class were still thinking.
With all this, or really because of all this, no one liked Mary Lee. She was too good, too clever and she was also very proud. No one was quite good enough to talk to her or to be seen with her or to be her friend. And so, with all her proud ways and riches and brains, she was lonely but she did not care because she was always the best in everything. She was like a princess in the class. She always thought that the other students kept their distance from her because she was too excellent. “Lions and tigers are always lonely, and only the weak get together,” she told herself.
As the end of term drew near, the pupils including Mary Lee began to think about the most important prize of all. This was the prize, offered by the principal, for the best essay to be written on one of two subjects: Happiness and Friendship. All the teachers and pupils paid close attention to the prize, for it was really a great honor. “I needn’t worry about that,” thought Mary Lee, as the others began to read and to think about the essay. “I shall easily win. After all, my compositions are always better than the other students’.”
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。
“Pride goes before a fall,” they say and it certainly did in the case of poor Mary Lee.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mary Lee suddenly realized that how silly she had been.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was a Saturday afternoon.I was having lunch when Dad told me to get ready. I became unhappy.I don’t like Saturdays! Even though it’ s a holiday for most children,it is not for me because I need to go to football club.
Many kids love sports, but I am not one of them.I prefer to stay at home and read. I don’t like running. so in a team am a bad player. The coach is tired of me and my teammates sometimes think I’ m useless.
I have no idea how to play football.Usually ,after practice my teammates would ask me to stay out of the game and I would just nod.
Last Thursday,the coach told us that we would be competing with some other team in a month and many people would come to see the game. Our opponents(对手)were the last winner and I froze(呆住)at the thought of the embarrassment()I would face if the team lost because of me.
So I decided to practice hard for the match and I went to practice every single day.
After one month, when the game day came my teammates were reluctant(不愿意的)to take me in the team,and I also wished to stay away from the ground as well. But as luck would have it they were short of one player and had no choice but to take me in the team.
Our team was named the Big Blues.There was a great cheer on our arrival in the field.I got very nervous.The game started and within two minutes, I got a blue card. By the time I was allowed back the score was two goals for each team and the next goal would decide the winning team.
注意:1续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
When the ball came towards me, I froze.
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All my teammates ran towards me to lift me in the air.
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Going back to school in September is always cool. Seeing old friends and making new friends are really exciting.
Rebecca was an old friend of Sheila, her classmate. Sheila liked playing football, and Rebecca had the same hobby.
There was a new girl in the classroom. Her name was Mary Brown. Unlike the others in the class, Mary was very quiet. She always sat by herself during lunch. At playtime, she didn't ask anyone to play with her, and no one asked her to play with them either. Rebecca was thinking about going over to talk to her, but that was when they would be able to join a football team in the youth league. Rebecca was so busy that Mary was soon forgotten.
The teacher gave out some homework. It was a composition. Rebecca decided to write a piece about Fiona, which is a cat, a Christmas gift from her dad. As a result, everyone liked Rebecca's composition.
At lunchtime of the third day, Rebecca was about to talk to Mary when Sheila stopped her with an angry look towards the table where the new girl was sitting by herself. Rebecca walked away feeling so embarrassed.
She told her parents what had happened at school. Rebecca said, "I want to talk to a new friend, but I don't want to lose my old ones." Her father thought for a moment and asked, "Rebecca, what do you think courage means?" Rebecca replied, "Isn't that when our soldiers go to war to fight for us?" Her dad said, "Well, yes. That is one kind of courage. But to do something that you are afraid to do is a different kind of courage."
Rebecca's mum reached over, holding her daughter's hand, and said, "If Sheila is really your friend, she will understand and still be your friend. Just do what you want to do."
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 lunchtime of the next day, Rebecca knew exactly what she was going to do.
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Rebecca asked Mary if she would like to play football with Sheila.
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