I got through another long, annoying day teaching high school English via Zoom. Upon reaching my office, I pulled up my work email. There was a message from a woman who I didn’t know: Gigi Shepherd, who asked how she could join my class. “Was she a new teaching assistant?” I wondered. I’d never done any co-teaching. And I certainly wasn’t interested in doing it now with a stranger.
The email must be a mistake. Before I could figure it out, the principal called. She explained that Ms. Shepherd had got the passcode that would grant(同意) her admittance to my Zoom space.
“It’s good news!” the principal said. “Our district is trying to improve teachers’ skills by placing experienced part-time teachers with new full-time educators. It means more help for you.”
“Can’t you put her in another classroom?” I said. “I’m just fine alone.”
“The assignments have been made,” she said. “This will be fine.”
Deep down, I disliked changes. When things didn’t go as I wanted, I tended to get anxious. That evening, I emailed the stranger, as I’d come to think of her, with directions for joining us online.
The next morning, my screen was filled with the image of Gigi’s husband, as he helped her sign on. Gigi looked to be about my age. I put her on the spot, asking her to teach a lesson supporting the students’ emotional needs. To my surprise, the students became cheerful and lively as Gigi led them in a discussion on ways to stay connected. “Remember-even when we’re apart physically from friends and family, we needn’t feel alone, " she said in a breathy, sweet yet deliberate(从容的) voice, like a grade schoolteacher. And all the students responded. That was totally different from my teaching style.
Her kind words weren’t reserved only for students. “What a wonderful lesson,” she said before we signed off. “I really like the way you express yourself, Lori,” she told me.
注意：1.续写词数应为150个左右;
2.请按照图如下格式在答题卡的相应位置做答。
After school that day, Gigi and I got to know each other.
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Since then, I had learned a lot from Gigi.
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“You signed us up for what?” Lu’s eyes widened as Jamie grinned at her. “A charity bike ride. It’d be fun!” She stared at him open-mouthed. “Fun? But I haven’t ridden a bike for years, Jamie. And I hate exercise! How long is this ride?” Lu could feel her muscle shrinking at the mere thought of it.
“Only 20 kilometers.”
Lucinda swiped the brightly coloured leaflet advertising the bike ride from her husband’s hand. “Twenty kilometres? That’s a half marathon, Jamie!”
She tossed the leaflet back at him. “Well you can count me out. I’m not fit enough to run five minutes round the block, let alone hours on a bike.”
“But you will be in a couple of months. I thought we could train for it together.” Jamie patted his beer belly. “I’m not exactly in great shape at the moment. And you’ re always saying we don’t get to spend enough time together!” He gave her his best winning grin.
A smile fell across Lucinda’s lips. It was true, she was always saying that lately. Though spending her weekends cycling was not exactly what she’d had in mind.
A wave of sadness spun through her heart. The past few months had been... difficult. She had lost her job and was struggling to find a new one. Being at home, scrolling through job adverts and waiting for interview replies, had left her feeling stuck. Jamie had been working extra hours to support financially, but that only added to her guilt. Despite trying to stay positive, life had somehow skidded to a stop.
“I’m not sure,” Lu sighed.
“It’s not a race, but a joy ride, Lu.” Jamie reassured her, nudging her playfully. “Plus, I’ve already rented us a tandem bike(双人自行车)!”
“A tandem?” Lu’s eyes flashed with horror. “Are you mad?” She stared at him. “You’re not even joking, are you?” Doubts crept into her mind as she imagined the challenges of coordinating their movements on a shared bike.
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。
Actually, the first training session did not go well.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It seemed cycling had truly got their lives moving forward again.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A 12-year-old boy saw something in a shop window that set his heart racing. It was a jewel box. But the price—five dollars—was far beyond Reuben Earle’s means. However, he opened the door and went inside. Standing proud and straight, he told the shopkeeper what he wanted, adding, “But I don’t have the money right now. Can you please hold it for me for some time?”
“I’ll try,” the shopkeeper smiled.
“I will raise the five dollars and not tell anybody,” Reuben said to himself.
Hearing the sound of hammering from a side street, Reuben had an idea. People built their own homes in Bay Roberts, using nails purchased in sacks (麻布袋) from a local factory. Sometimes the sacks were abandoned, and Reuben knew he could sell them back to the factory for five cents a piece.
That day he found two sacks and sold to the man in charge of packing nails.
The boy’s hand tightly held the five-cent pieces as he ran home. Near his house stood the ancient barn (谷仓). Reuben found a soda tin and dropped his coins inside. Then he climbed into the top of the barn and hid the tin.
All summer long, despite housework at home Reuben kept to his secret task. Often he was cold, tired and hungry, but the thought of the object in the shop window sustained him.
Mother’s Day had come! He uncovered the tin can, poured the coins out and began to count. He needed 20 cents more. He had to find four more sacks and sell them before the day ended.
Towards evening Reuben arrived at the factory. The sack buyer was about to lock up.
“Mister! Please don’t close up yet.”
The man turned and saw Reuben, dirty and sweat stained.
“Come back tomorrow, boy.”
“Please, Mister. I have to sell the sacks now — please.”
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:
The man heard a slight shake in Reuben’s voice and could tell he was close to tears.
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Paragraph 2:
Then he placed the parcel(包裹) in Reuben’s hands.
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Neil loves to travel and he was so fond of forests. Whenever he plans for a holiday, he would choose a place that is blessed by Mother Nature. To celebrate his son’s second birthday, he decided to stay and enjoy the celebration in woods, located at the lap of a mountain. He with his family and friends, reached the village located near the woods and had his stay in the cottage. The cottage was located at the entrance of the dense forest, where the guests can see wolves wandering in the nearby place.
Neil’s son saw a dog at the door and offered him a biscuit. The dog was happy and very soon the little son befriended the dog. On second day, the birthday of the boy was celebrated grandly in the woods within beautiful nature. The dog did not leave the boy even for a minute and they both became close friends.
The next day, Neil, his wife and others decided to go for hunting in the forest and arranged a babysitter to take care of the little boy for half a day.
After 3 hours, all of them returned to the cottage and they seemed very tired. The cottage was open and nobody was there. The dog saw Neil and others, it rushed to them and licked (舔) Neil’s shoes. Neil’s wife was shocked to see the blood strain in the dog’s mouth.
Paragraph 1:
Everyone was shocked to see the blood-spattered （溅、洒）mouth.
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Paragraph 2:
Hearing the noise from the dog, the babysitter rushed out of the room.
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“Once there was a ship travelling on the tough sea and on the ship there was a pair of couple. All of a sudden, the ship met with an accident and the couple had no choice but to run to the life boat without delay. After reaching there, they realized that there was space only for one person. At that very moment, the husband pushed his wife behind him and jumped onto the lifeboat himself, leaving his wife standing on the sinking ship, shouting something desperately to her husband eyes filled with tears.”
The teacher stopped her story-telling and asked her students, “Guys, guess what it was that she shouted.”
Most students answered. “I hate you!”
After listening to all this reply, the teacher glanced through the whole class again and noticed that there was a boy sitting silently throughout. Then she asked him the same question.
The boy answered, “I believe she would have shouted-Take care of our child.”
Listening to his remarks, the teacher was surprised and asked the boy doubtfully. “Have you heard of this story before?”
Shaking his head, the boy said softly and sadly, “No, I haven’t. But that’s what my mother said to my father before she died of a deadly disease.”
Moved and feeling sad, the teacher replied. “Your answer is absolutely right!”
Then she continued, “Let’s take up the story. The ship sank eventually and the husband went home and brought up their daughter alone. Many years later after the death of the man, their daughter was tidying up all his belongings when she found his diary. In his diary she found that when her parents were on the ship, her mother had already been diagnosed (诊断) with advanced illness and at the critical moment, the father rushed to the only chance of survival.”
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。
In his diary, the man mentioned he wished to sink to the ocean with his wife but for their daughter he had to live.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The story was finished and the class was silent.
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