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。
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One day, I met my cousin, who also had a large birthmark on his arm._
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From then on, when I met people, I began to change myself.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Holidays are not necessarily for fun or rest. Doing something meaningful can also gain special pleasure. When the final bell rang, the students were reminded that there was no school on Monday—the Labor Day. “Enjoy your extra day off” said the teacher to her class.
An extra day off unsuited Kayla just fine. She loved breaks. She wanted to go out to play with her friends. When the school bus dropped Kayla off, she ran into the house happily.
“How was school, Kayla?” asked her mom.
“It was great, Mom. I am excited about no school on Monday.”
“You just started back to school two weeks ago. Already in need of a break, huh?” asked Kayla’s mom with a laugh.
Kayla slept in the next morning. Saturday was her favorite day of the week. I trained most of the day, so Kayla enjoyed playing videogames inside. On Sunday, her friends came over and they played basketball for several hours.
Then it was Labor Day, you know, the extra day off that Kayla was so looking forward to. But Kayla was awakened early that morning by her dad. He told Kayla that in honor of Labor Day, the family would be cleaning both inside and outside the house. Kayla couldn’t believe it. This was a holiday. A day when she was supposed to be enjoying freshly squeezed lemonade while playing in her tree house. As Kayla wiped here yes, she began to wonder if this was just a bad dream.
“Kayla, your breakfast is ready. We have a lot of work to do today. Let’s get a move on,” said Kayla’s mom. As she sat down at the kitchen table, Kayla asked her parents,
“Are you serious about working today? Isn’t Labor Day a holiday?”
“Yes, Kayla. It is,” replied her dad. “But your mom and I thought working hard today would make you appreciate why Labor Day was observed in the first place.”
注意:1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右;2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
At first Kayla felt disappointed at her parents’ plan for the holiday.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________But things began to change as she was doing the chores.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Courtney Johnson arrived at her son Peter’s school just in time and immediately recognized him among the mass of students spilling through the front gate. Peter rushed to the car, climbed inside and put on the seat belt.
“How was your day at school today, Peter?” she asked as they left for home.
“Um, it was okay, Mom,” Peter said. “I’m starving! Can we please stop by McDonald’s on our way home?”
“Hungry?” Courtney stopped for a moment. “Didn’t you have lunch at school today? Or is it an excuse for chicken nuggets (鸡块)? Not again, Peter!”
“No, Mom! I’m actually starving. I would have eaten at the dinning hall, but I had to give my food to my classmate Aiden because he was hungry.”
Courtney frowned. “But everyone gets their separate meal at school, Peter.”
“Aiden doesn’t eat with us, Mom,” Peter revealed. “His mom can’t pay for his lunch. They are struggling financially. I found him in the playground one day and he told me not to tell anyone because he thought they would laugh at him. Today we had gym class, and everyone was really hungry. I knew Aiden wouldn’t have anything to eat, so I offered my portion (一份) to him.”
Courtney was happy that her son was kind enough to help a needy classmate. She wondered what went wrong with Aiden’s family, so that Aiden had to skip (不吃) lunch at school. When they got home that day, she received a text message from Peter’s teacher, saying there would be a parents’ meeting the next day. Then she thought of a plan. She called Peter’s teacher Mrs Dickens and shared her idea.
注意:1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式作答。
The next morning, when they all gathered, Mrs Dickens briefed them about Aiden’s situation at Courtney’s request.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As Courtney was about to get into her car outside the school gate, Aiden’s mom met her and thanked her for her help.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A Father’s Day Surprise
“Mano, do you know when Father’s Day is celebrated?” Ali asked his sister.
“Yes, it is going to be celebrated on June 19 this year. Yesterday my friend and I were talking about it.” Mano replied.
“Do you have any idea how we should celebrate this day and make it memorable for Dad?” Ali asked.
“Hmm... I was thinking about it too and have some ideas.” Mano answered excitedly. “What are you kids talking about?” their mum asked, entering their room.
“Mum, we were wondering about how to celebrate Father’s Day.” Mano said.
“Oh, I am surprised you kids remembered! Well, I am thinking of cooking some favorite dishes for your father. You both should think of ways to decorate the house beautifully.”Mum said.
“That would be great!”said Mano and Ali together. Both of them got up smiling, thinking of hundreds of ways to celebrate Father’s Day. Mum went to the kitchen, and Mano and Ali started doing their homework. But soon Ali noticed Mano deep in thought so he asked what the matter was. “Ali, I was thinking that our parents do everything for us and in return they want nothing. Isn’t it bad that we never think about them and are always concerned about our needs?” Mano replied. “Sometimes we are so busy with our lives that we don’t pay proper attention to our parents. We should listen to whatever they say properly and answer them. We must also study hard to get good grades.” Ali nodded.
The next day, all three of them, Mano, Ali and their mum, got busy preparing their surprise celebration for Father’s Day. Mano drew a family picture with her crayons, Ali bought balloons and candles and began writing a poem which he planned to sing that day. In short, a lot of things were being planned and prepared.
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。
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Finally, when Father’s day came, both Ali and Mano came home from school and started decorating the house.
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Ali and Mano cried out together, “Happy Father’s Day!”
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. 你的经历;
2. 你的感受。
注意:
1. 写作词数应为80左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
An Unforgettable Sports Meet
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Delia Henderson had always had a dream. She dreamed of taking part in the “Dance World Cup”. It was a famous dance talent show which attracted the best dancers around the world. She was promised by her father that someday she would be taken for an audition (试演) .
The night of her 14th birthday, her city was hit by an earthquake, which, unfortunately, hurt one of her legs terribly. She survived, but the doctor told her that she had to learn to walk with a wooden leg for the rest of her life.
Two years later, Delia saw a notice one day, saying that auditions of the “Dance World Cup” would be held in her city. Painful memories flashed through her mind. It hurt her that she couldn’t live her dream because of her injured leg. However, her mother said, “You learned to walk with your injured leg, so why not learn to dance with it?”
Delia knew it was true but walking was hard, and dancing would be harder. On top of that, she didn’t want to be seen as a joke on the stage. So she told her mother and herself that it was time to say goodbye to her dream.
Her father, however, never forgot his promise to Delia. He signed her up for the show and since he wasn’t sure whether his daughter could get an audition, he did not say a single word to her about the whole thing. Until one day, he got the reply. It was a “Yes”. Excitedly, he took the news to Delia, but she was determined not to go.
Aware of Delia’s worry, her father slowly walked up to her.
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Delia was shaking with nervousness as she made her way to the stage.
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1.合理利用废物,节能减排;
2.植树造林,改善环境;
3.禁止过度捕捞,保护海洋;
4.……
注意: 1. 词数80左右; 2. 开头和结尾已给出,不计入总词数;3.可根据内容需要适当增加细节。
Nowadays, pollution is getting worse and worse.
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Yours,
Li Ping
1. 疫情防控形势严峻; 2. 防护建议(至少两点)。
注意: 1. 词数100左右; 2. 可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
参考词汇: 端午: The Dragon Boat Festival
Dear fellow students,
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Students’ Union
A Thrilling Camping Trip
Grady and his family went camping every summer. As it was becoming hotter, here came the camping time.
The family had been planning it for a long time and had decided on their destination — the Great National Forest. With food and equipment loaded into the car, the family set off. It was cool inside the car.
Jared, Grady’s younger brother, played with a toy dinosaur and made a lot of noise.
Grady’s mother talked excitedly with his father. Grady put on his headphones and listened to some music. He didn’t want to play with his brother or talk to anyone. After what seemed like hours, the car reached its destination. Grady unloaded his backpack and closed the car door.
“This is going to be a long week,” he said unhappily to no one in particular. He looked around the campground. Hundreds of tall and green fir trees (枞树), some as tall as church towers, covered the mountainside like a green carpet. It would be going dark soon. Grady had hoped the July weather wouldn’t be too hot but now he was feeling sticky.
Grady hated camping, but it was something his family did every summer. His father liked cooking in the open air, telling stories about how to survive things like bear attacks and bee stings. His mother and Jared liked to hike and take pictures of animals. Jared had a collection of insect pictures that he had stuck to the walls in his half of their room. Grady didn’t like them and thought they proved that Jared was a strange kid.
They set up camp — two tents, one for his parents and one for himself and Jared. While everyone else started preparing dinner, Grady, looking for somewhere to cool down, set off for the nearby stream, which was deep enough to swim in.
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 Grady got close to the stream, an adorable bear cub( 幼 崽 )caught his eye.
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Turning around, he saw a large angry mother bear moving swiftly towards him.
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On a cold windy day, a poor boy tried to pay his way through school by selling goods door to door. Wandering on the street, he was not a successful seller. What’s worse, he found that he only had one dime left. His empty stomach reminded him constantly that for days he hadn’t eaten anything. He had no choice but to beg for a meal at the next house. Hesitantly he knocked at a door, thinking about what to say when it was opened. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. “What can I do for you?” asked the young woman. The boy paused for a while, “Would you please give me some...a drink of water?” the boy dared not to look directly into her eyes. She looked at the bony boy and thought he might need something to give him energy so she brought him a glass of milk. His head rising and small hands taking the cup, he drank it up slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?” “You don’t owe me anything,” she replied with a warm smile on her face. “My mother has taught me never to accept pay for a kindness.”Deeply moved, he said sincerely, “Then I shall thank you from the bottom of my heart.” As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but it also increased his faith in the whole human race. As a matter of fact, he was about to give up and quit before that point.
Years later the young woman became critically ill. However, the local doctors were unable to give an effective medical treatment. Finally they sent her to a hospital in the big city, where specialists can be called in to cure her rare disease. Among those famous specialists, Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately, he rose and went down through the hospital hall into her room.
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。
Dressed in his doctor’s gown, he went in to see her.
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