Most people think that procrastination (拖延症) is a negative habit. But people like me who routinely put off doing assignments, are likely to defend our “slower” approach to getting tasks done.
I'm the only procrastination in my family. My parents and sister were all born with the “do it right now” gift. They are always in a rush, as if closely rushed by an invisible deadline. Personally, I prefer a more relaxed pace. When my parents voiced their concern about my tendencies, saying “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today,” “No way!” I responded, confidently presenting my research as a defense. It said people procrastinated when they need to solve a problem or commit to a topic or project. In these cases, delaying a decision can be beneficial. This was because our minds continue to reflect on problems even when we were not actively thinking about them, which could lead to more creative solutions. My findings filled me with satisfaction and pride. My method of getting things done was just as good as my sister’s…or so I thought.
At school we’d been talking about architecture and design. As part of the final assessment my teacher Mr. Smith announced an exciting project that each student would have a month to complete. We were expected to choose our materials, construct a small building and make use of things we had learned in class. Not only would the winners receive extra credit, but the winning constructions would be proudly displayed in the cafeteria. “I have no clue how I could get it done,” my friend Nate sighed in despair. I didn’t say anything. Not because I shared his anxiety-but because I was not nervous at all. I loved hands-on projects! Picturing my brilliant work exhibited in the cafeteria, I was fully convinced that I would definitely produce something that could impress everyone. So relaxed was I that I didn’t give it a second thought for weeks.
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。
Before I knew it, I had only one day left for the project.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________That taught me a great lesson.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Tripod’s story started one spring morning as I was finishing a morning surgery at the veterinary clinic (兽医诊所) I owned. I was writing up medical records of the surgery patients when my receptionist (接待员) stuck her head into my office. She told me there was a big cat lying outside with a seriously injured front leg. What’s worse, nobody knew whom it belonged to.
Then I sent two of my pre-vet students to pick up the poor cat while I went back to my record-keeping. But it wasn’t long before I heard the students returning with this newest patient who seemed to be in pretty bad condition.
I carefully checked up the injuries which seemed to be caused by the pressing of a heavy object. With the extremely horrible smell, I knew from years of experience this cat didn’t have an owner. “Well, then,” I sighed, “I’m not sure whether we are able to bring this cat back to life, but let’s give him our best shot anyway. Afterwards, let’s see if we can find a home for him. ”
Just then, when one of the students began touching the cat’s head gently, somewhere deep in the cat’s throat, a weak purr (呼噜声) began. As the student continued to pet the cat, I noticed the cat’s breathing became less laboured (缓慢而困难的).
When I performed the complicated operation, I whispered, “You’re a fighter, aren’t you, boy? You deserve a chance to live.” However, after the surgery, he lost one leg, and still struggled with life and death. Over the next few weeks, Tripod, the cat, went through many ups and downs, but I was sure about his resilience (快速恢复的能力). News about Tripod spread. A number of customers stopped by regularly to check on the progress of his recovery, including Mrs Melson, a pet lover.
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 day finally came when I decided Tripod had really recovered.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Though unwilling to part with Tripod, we were happy to see Mrs Melson come for him.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As I thought about the answer to a question, my teacher Miss Jackie’s voice suddenly cut through my thoughts, announcing (宣布) the school play.
With excitement, she said, “Jenna, you’ve been chosen for the lead role in the school play,’ The Girl in the Garden’!”.
Me, in a school play? I couldn’t believe it. How could I deal with this? I shared the news with my best friend Mia, who was super happy, but I wasn’t. I didn’t let on to Mia how I truly felt. I believed she’d worry about me. Instead, I told her how excited I was to be part of the play. What a lie that turned out to be!
Returning home, I was full of the upcoming play. The more I read my lines, the more nervous I became. The next school day, I intended to tell my teacher my unreadiness (没预备). However, before I could, Miss Jackie spoke up.
“Jenna, there’s exciting news for you! We’ve invited special guests, including members from the local theater. This could be a big opportunity. You need to be perfect!” she said.
Those words got me thinking. What if this was my breakthrough? What if I could truly shine?
On the day of the play, I was really nervous. As I observed the auditorium (观众席) filling with people before the show, fear overtook me. I hurried outside and sat down on a bench by the school lake for comfort. Before long, a tall person’s shadow (影子) fell over me.
It was Miss Jackie,
Seating herself, she spoke softly, “Jenna, you don’t need to be perfect. I realize I put too much pressure on you. You don’t have to go through with the play if you’re not ready. But I believe you deserve (值得) a chance to shine.”
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As she rose to leave, I took her hand.
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The play began.
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I pulled my exhausted (精疲力竭的) body off the bed and headed out the door. Put one foot in front of the other. That is all you have to do, I told myself. I was determined (决定) to make myself walk every hour for five minutes, regardless of how terrible I felt — it would help me feel better.
My husband and I had been told by my doctor, Tiffany, that my coping strategies needed to change to effectively manage my fatigue (极度劳累). Walking was a key part of my hoped-for change. Cancer had taken so much from me, and it was time to start working my way back. With that goal in mind, I set out into my yard and began walking.
At our second meeting, Tiffany helped us set long-term goals. One of my goals was a day at a theme park, walking instead of using a wheelchair. After our meeting, I carried on with my step challenge. As the weeks progressed, I began meeting other program goals, but I still had the theme park to conquer. It frightened me to risk a whole day on my feet.
The day finally came, and we went to SeaWorld. As we walked into the park, the sun was shining. Over the speakers, Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song” played. “This is my fight song, take back my life song ...” she sang. Tears glistened (闪光) on my face, and my husband looked at me with concern. Our teenage daughter saw the worry in his eyes and looked at me. When we shared a knowing smile, my daughter said, “Don’t worry, Dad. That’s Mom’s song.”
In the early days of this cancer journey, she had left something at home after leaving for school and had found me balled up in bed, crying from the pain, with “Fight Song” on repeat. I told her it was my “fight song” and I would be fine finally. She gave me a hug before returning to her father’s waiting truck. Clearly, she hadn’t told him about that.
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。
I walked from show to show that day.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My body cooperated (配合) on some days and let me down on others, but I kept walking.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In the heart of a small village located near a thick bamboo forest in China, there lived a young girl named Lin. Lin lived with her grandmother in a small house that her grandfather had built with loving care before he passed away. Unluckily, Lin’s grandfather died before she was born. Lin never met her grandfather, but the stories her grandmother shared painted a picture of a man who was deeply loved and respected by the community.
Every day, Lin felt a great curiosity about the grandfather she had never seen but always felt close to. Her home, filled with his books and the very walls he built, stood as a living example of his hobbies and craftsmanship (手艺). The villagers often shared tales of her grandfather’s good deeds (行为), and they showed deep respect and support for Lin and her grandmother. This deep connection to a man she had never known filled Lin with a mix of sadness for never having me t him and pride for being his granddaughter. Driven by a desire to feel closer to her grandfather, Lin often explored the house and its surroundings, hoping to find something he had left behind — something that might deepen her understanding of the man who she had never met.
One autumn morning, while Lin was helping her grandmother clean the attic (阁楼), she found a beautifully carved wooden box hidden under a dust y floorboard. The box was locked, but to her surprise, she discovered a small note hidden in a crack of the box. It was written in lovely handwriting and said, “To my dear granddaughter, inside this box, you will find treasures of my heart, saved just for you.”
Lin’s fingers shook with expectation as she showed the note to her grandmother, who then handed her a small, old key. “Your grandfather wanted you to find this when you were old enough to understand the depth of his love,” her grandmother said, her eyes shining with tears.
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。
With a deep breath, Lin unlocked the box.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________From that day on, the diary became Lin’s most cherished (珍爱的) item.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Beautiful Birthmarks: The Power of Acceptance
Whenever you hear the word “birthmark (胎记)”, you probably think of one of those black or brown spots you have somewhere on your body. However, for me, it’s completely different — I have them both on my lips and inside my mouth, which make them quite visible and, to me, ugly. When
I was young, these birthmarks kept making me feel extremely awkward and self-conscious (难为情的). As these birthmarks always drew a lot of attention, people often asked me, “What are those black marks on your lips?” When I told people that they were birthmarks, they usually said, “How strange！”
In pictures, I used to hide my birthmarks by pursing (噘起) my lips, so I would not have to deal with people’s questions. As I was growing up, the situation didn’t get any better. In the school, my classmates would always tease me, making me feel hurt and helpless. In society, I often encountered individuals who would inquire about my birthmarks even before they knew my name.
Such experiences left me feeling disheartened. I felt like people judged me by my appearance without considering my personality.
My birthmarks are caused by a genetic condition from my mom’s side of the family. My mom’s mom has birthmarks on her lips, and my mom’s uncle and my uncle have some on their bodies. I used to try to cover them up with makeup, but it never looked good. I even consulted a doctor, wanting to have surgery to remove them. But when imagining the process, I would get nervous and eventually give up.
Whenever I cried to my mom about them, she would always comfort me and say, “Learn to accept them and see them as beautiful birthmarks.” However, it wasn’t easy for me to accept my own birthmarks. Every time I showed my birthmarks, people would look at me with strange eyes. I began to regret why I had given up on the surgery and chosen to accept my birthmarks.
注意：1. 续写词数应为 150 词左右。2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1:
One day, I met my cousin, who also had a large birthmark on his arm._
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
From then on, when I met people, I began to change myself.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One sunny Sunday morning, Lily woke up to an unusual silence in the house. Normally, the smell of pancakes would float through the air as her mom busied herself in the kitchen, but today there was nothing. Concerned, Lily decided to check on her mom.
She knocked softly on her bedroom door. “Mom, are you okay?” she called out. A raspy voice responded, “I’m not feeling too well, sweetheart. I’ve caught a bad cold. I don’t want you getting sick too. You can fix yourself some toast for breakfast, and I’ll stay in bed.”
Lily felt sympathy for her mom. She must be feeling really under the weather if she couldn’t even make breakfast. Determined to help, Lily decided to take charge of the morning routine. After enjoying her simple breakfast of toast, Lily noticed the sink (洗涤池) was filled with dishes. Without hesitation, she rolled up her sleeves and began washing them, just as her mom usually did. She washed each plate and glass thoroughly until they were shiny, determined to make the kitchen look as tidy as possible.
But Lily wanted to do more to help her mom feel better. Suddenly, inspiration struck. Lily remembered her mom mentioning that she had planned to plant flowers in the garden today. Maybe if she finished the job for her, it would bring a smile to her face. With newfound purpose, Lily put on her gardening gloves and headed outside. As she worked, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction as she carefully planted each flower, imagining her mom’s delight when she saw them producing flowers.
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。
Entering the garden, she noticed that the leaves of some of the plants were turning yellow.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Later that afternoon, feeling a bit better, Lily’s mom stepped into the garden.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Many years ago, a farmer owned a large farm along the Atlantic seacoast. He always advertised for hired hands (雇工). Most people were unwilling to work on farms along the Atlantic. They were frightened by the awful storms that swept across the ocean, destroying the buildings and crops in its path. As the farmer interviewed people for the job, he just received “No”.
Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, came close to the farmer. “Are you a good farmhand?” the farmer asked him.
“Well, I can sleep when the wind blows,” answered the man. Although he couldn’t understand his answer, the farmer hired him.
At first the little man started the hard work with confidence. Soon after, he found that the farm was much bigger than he had imagined. He had no idea how such a big farm could produce with so few farmhands, let alone fight against natural disasters. But he quickly accepted the reality that he had to make every effort to deal with these problems. From then on the little man worked around the farm every day and kept busy from dawn to dusk. And to the farmer’s surprise, he felt glad about the man’s work.
Then one night the wind howled loudly. Jumping out of bed, the farmer took a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hands bed, he shook the little man and shouted, “Get up! A storm is coming. Tie things down before they blow away!”
The little man rolled over in bed and said surely, No sir I told you…. I can sleep when the wind blows. And no matter what the farmer said, he didn’t get up. The farmer was very angry with him, so he determined to fire the man on spot.
Instead, he ran outside to prepare for the storm hurriedly.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was at this moment that the farmer understood.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In an art class my friend Mareya and I took, we had to look at art made by lots of different artists and then try creating our own. We made pencil drawings and paintings using only small dots of paint.
For our very last task, our teacher asked us to paint a portrait of a friend or family member. Mareya and I looked at each other and nodded. We both had the same idea.
“You’ll each get one of these art sets,” said Ms. Williams. “Every set contains a small canvas (画布), some tempera paints (蛋彩画颜料), and two foam brushes (泡沫刷). You can paint in any style you choose.”Mareya and I put our sets into our art bags. Then we headed over to her house.
And then our friend Jasmine stopped us. “I was so excited to tell you my amazing news. My family just got the cutest dog named Ginger, and if you want to come over, you can meet her!” Jasmine's house is only a couple of blocks from Mareya’s, so after checking in with Mareya’s mom, of course we had to go. Ginger was the cutest dog imaginable. “Whenever she’s not running around, she’s sound asleep in dreamland,” said Jasmine. She led the way to the kitchen. “Do you have time for a snack?” “Sure!” we said.
After we ate some cookies at the kitchen table, Mareya and I stood up to leave. But when we went to pick up our art bags by the front door, we found a big surprise! Mareya pointed at our torn-open art sets. “Something tells me Ginger might not have been sleeping this whole time.” “Oh no!” I said. “Our foam brushes are now foam shreds (碎片)!” “Bad Ginger!” Jasmine shouted. “It’s OK,” said Mareya. “She’s way too little to know any better.”
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。
On the walk to Mareya’s house, I said, “I hope Ms. Williams will understand why we couldn’t do our portrait task.”
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________We ended up having a great time making our portraits with our fingers.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________We Survived Getting Swallowed by a Whale
Respect and revere (敬畏) nature. I’m Julie, 56 years old, living in San Luis Obispo, California, about four miles from the beach. Every few years, the humpback whales come into the bay for several days while migrating.
In November 2020, the whales were around, so I took out my yellow double kayak (皮划艇) to watch the wildlife. I paddled out the pier (长堤) and saw seals, dolphins, and about 20 whales feeding on silverfish. They sprayed through their blowholes. Each one is huge, about 15 metres long. Sometimes they turned side fins as if waving at me. It was incredible.
At the time, my friend Liz was with me. We had met 28 years earlier. I asked Liz if she wanted to see the whales. I really wanted to share the magnificent experience with her.
“No way,” she said. She’s terrified of whales and sharks. I promised that the craft was stable and safe enough. Moreover, humpback whales couldn’t swallow down kayaks for their throats were tight even though they had enormous mouths and white-wall-like internal mouth structures, not to mention that we got paddles and life jackets. After some persuasion, Liz finally agreed.
We set off at about 8:30 the next morning. There were already about 15 other kayakers in the bay. One hour later, I spotted two whales right past the pier, swimming toward us. We were in awe, feeling amazed to be so close to a creature that size.
When whales swam down after breaching (跃身激浪), they disappeared in ripples. I figured if we paddled there, we’d be safe since they’d just left. We followed them at a distance—or what I thought was a distance. I later learned that it’s recommended to keep 90 metres away, or about the length of a football field. We were probably 18 metres away.
All of a sudden, a swarm (群) of fish started jumping out of the water into our kayak. Their movement sounded like crackling glass. Now I knew we were too close. I was terrified. Then our kayak was lifted out of the water—about two metres—and tipped back into the ocean. I figured the whale was going to drag us down somehow, and I had no idea how deep.
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 didn’t realize that Liz and I sitting in the kayak were in the whale’s mouth.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Thankfully, the whale spitted us out, people paddling to help, shooting videos.
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