It was a beautiful May morning. As usual, I started my day by sitting outside breathing the fresh air as I read my book and drank my coffee. Afterwards, there were two things I was determined to do. First, make sure my husband got our small Christmas trees down from the attic(阁楼) and, second, take several bags of clothes, blankets and comforters to the donation center. I had been faithful in doing that every year, but for whatever reason, I had delayed this year and the bags were now piling up and overflowing.
After reading for a while, I went into the bedroom to ask my husband to bring the trees down. He was asleep so I figured I’d surprise him and get them down by myself.
I went to the garage to access the attic storage and moved our tall metal ladder into place. I had to move the bags of clothing and blankets out of the way, determined once again to get those to the donation center.
I climbed the ladder, and two steps from the top I was able to reach up and push open the attic door. Then, with my feet on the very last step and part of my upper body in the attic, I saw my trees. I awkwardly raised my leg to climb onto the attic floor. Looking down, and then looking up again, I decided that this was actually too much for me. I should wait for my husband to get them.
As I stepped down, my foot missed the shaky ladder’s step. With one foot swinging and the other on the top step, I grabbed(抓住) the attic floorboard and called my husband. Unfortunately, he couldn’t hear me. As I went to take another step down, the ladder suddenly came out from under me, loudly crashing onto the concrete(混凝土的) garage floor, leaving me hanging from the attic with sweaty hands. In that second, which seemed like a century, I prayed and then called my husband.
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 my body swinging in midair and my hands slowly sliding closer to the edge, I fell.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Arriving at the emergency center, I anxiously waited to see the doctor.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A co-worker invited my husband and me to his son’s wedding reception. We’d worked in the same office with the gentleman for several years. Although neither of us had met his son, we felt like we knew him from listening to his dad talk about him so often.
We arrived at the dinner center and walked into a gorgeously decorated ballroom. I glanced around for fellow co-workers, hoping they’d saved us a seat, but didn’t recognize a soul. Scanning the room again, I zeroed in on the gift table and a small white box for wedding cards. I walked over and put my envelope into the box before joining my husband at the open bar to enjoy a big meal.
The wedding party danced in, and the happy couple greeted guests as they made their way to the head table filled with beautiful flowers. The bride groom shook hands with us and thanked us for sharing their special day. My husband remarked, “You sure look like your dad.” I nodded in agreement and added, “Same personality, too.” The bride groom smiled knowingly. “That’s what they all say.”
We found two seats at an empty table and then joined the long buffet (自助餐) line that stretched past an open doorway. I looked up just as a woman from our office and her husband walked by. Stepping out of line, I stretched my neck and watched them enter the ballroom down the hall. In a slight panic, I told my husband that we were at the wrong reception and we had to go. He asked, “What about the card?”
We shyly made our way to the gift table. My eyes looked left and right, waiting for nobody coming close. Hands shaking, I tried to lift the metal clasp (搭扣) on the small box. It wouldn’t move. I leaned in closer and knocked over a tall, thin box covered with bright silver paper, causing it to turn over forward. From out of nowhere, a man appeared by my side and caught the present before it hit 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。
He asked in a cold voice, “What can I do for you?”
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After what seemed like forever, I found the envelope.
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1. 课程的时间和地点；
2. 课程的内容；
3. 需要做的相关准备。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80 左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
The Course of the Appreciation of Chinese Classic Literature
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注意：
1. 题目自拟，内容需要适当的例子支持。
2. 词数80词左右。
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My teacher held up a piece of broken glass and asked, “Who broke this window?” Thirty boys tried to think about not only what they had done, but also what our teacher might have found out. She seldom became angry, but she was this time.
“Oh,” I thought. I was the one who broke the window. It was caused by a naughty throw of a baseball. If I admitted guilt, I would be in a lot of trouble. How would I be able to pay for a big window like that? I didn’t even get an allowance (零花钱). “My father is going to have a temper,” I thought. I didn’t want to raise my hand, but some force much stronger than I was pulled it skyward. I told the truth, “I did it.” Then I was silent. It was hard enough saying what I had.
My teacher went to one of our bookshelves and took down a book on bird field guide. She then began walking towards my desk. I had never seen my teacher to strike a student, but I feared she was going to start with me.
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 was so afraid that I closed my eyes tightly.
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I was very moved.
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Ever since I can remember, I’ve always been shy. The thought of talking to new people or being the center of attention made my heart race and palms sweat. As I entered middle school, this shyness turned into social anxiety, making it even harder for me to interact with my peers.
One day, during a class presentation, I stumbled (结巴) over my words and everyone laughed. I felt extremely ashamed. That only made my social anxiety worse, and I started avoiding speaking in front of others.
My parents noticed my struggle and suggested I talk to our family therapist (治疗专家), Dr. Smith. At first, I hesitated, but I knew I needed help. During our first period, Dr. Smith explained that social anxiety was a common issue and there were ways to overcome it. She recommended some effective treatments. Over the next few months, I attended weekly treatment with Dr. Smith. Slowly but surely, I began to feel more confident in myself. As part of the treatment, Dr. Smith encouraged me to take part in school events and clubs that interested me. It was terrifying to put myself out there, but I knew it was necessary for my growth.
注意：
1.续写词数应为120左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
A few days later, a school speech contest was to be held.
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After the contest, I went to visit Dr. Smith happily.
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I was only four when my parents passed away and after that, I had to be sent to Gran Lola’s house. Grandmothers should know how to bake cookies and cook some delicious dishes. Grandmothers should have gentle and soft hearts. But Gran Lola was none of those things. Gran Lola cooked the most usual meals but fed me with love. Although she pretended to be this rough (粗野的), strict and fashion granny, she had a loving heart that knew how to love everyone around her. What a fool I was not to realize that at that time!
I was afraid of Gran Lola until I was ten years old. I spent six years with her. That’s how long it took me to be used to her cooking, laughs and bad jokes. But by then, I couldn’t imagine my life without her. She protected me from all the bad like a mother protects her child. She saw the wrong things that were happening to me and she stood up for me. All in all, she would do anything for me that was good for me.
Gran Lola lived a simple life but had been always taking care of Mr Tammy, a lonely old neighbor, for free until he died. Later, Gran Lola became ill and was forced to stay in bed. I was 15 then and I could look after her.
“You are a loving boy, Morris!” Gran Lola said one day. “You see, honey, all of your love and care will come back to you one day. Kindness is priceless, and it can also bring unexpected rewards (回报).”
When Gran Lola died, I discovered that she had divided what she had equally among her grandchildren. But she had left me one more thing: her old piggy bank, which was placed on my bedroom shelf. One day, thirty-two years later, I was cleaning the shelf when I accidentally dropped it. As it broke into pieces, I was shocked. Along with the broken pieces on the floor lay stones, sparkling and shiny like diamonds (钻石)!
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。
Seeing these, I recalled (回忆) that Gran Lola had been living a rather simple life.
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I was cleaning up the confusing stones when I found Gran Lola’s note.
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“Mum! Dad! My CAIE result’s out,”exclaimed Hala, sitting in front of her laptop on her study table. Her mother ran from the kitchen and moved closer to Hala, and her father sprang from the sofa.
Smiling ear to ear, Hala finally broke the dreadful silence,“I got A*in biology, physics,additional mathematics and chemistry. The rest are As.” Her father kissed Hala’s forehead and had stars in his eyes when he said,“Once again, my daughter has made me immensely proud.”“A*in biology? Then set to be a doctor and walk in our footsteps, huh?” said her mother who was an excellent cardiologist.
On hearing it, Hala didn’t seem as cheery as she had been when she had announced her results.
Soon, Hala’s elder sister came from her medical college and was excited by this news. She rushed straight to Hala’s room and congratulated her. “Bajjo, do you expect me to be a doctor as well?”There was a short silence after which Bajjo replied,“Well, don’t you want to be? When you were little, all you could think about was being a doctor, like father.”
“I want to become a pilot, Bajjo!I want to see the world from above. I want to go out in the world and see how it’s like,” Hala replied with persistence. Hala went over to the window and watched the clouds as though imagining herself flying through the clouds already.“Girls can be pilots. Someday, you’ll see me flying outside in the aeroplane, dancing with the clouds.” Hala pointed to the sky.
“Okay,” Bajjo sighed clearly from the exhaustion of the university, but also from the thought of the upcoming drama in the house.
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。
Though hesitant, Hala finally decided to voice what she had been thinking.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________At her insistence, Hala entered a flying academy to prove that gender is no obstacle.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Every June, we renew an annual tradition at our house. Our children are given bowls and asked to collect pieces of nature that remind them of the summer. They leave those bowls on the front doorstep and we go for a walk. When we return, we find fairies (精灵) have turned the bowls’ contents into ice cream.
I’m not certain how this tradition developing. I think I was making up stories about fairies years ago, and it all just sort of happened. But ever since, it has been one of our favorite routines, fascinating in its simplicity. “When are the fairies coming?” six-year-old Anna had been asking all last June with expectation. Meanwhile, Joshua, nine, was getting wise to fairies and Father Christmas and such silly things. He said he would understand if, during our walk, Mum or Dad should forget something and return home.
The evening arrived. The children collected leaves, grass, pebbles, twigs and dead insects. We put their bowls on the front doorstep and went off on our walk. But after a while, I moaned (抱怨) that I had forgotten my keys and needed to go back. Joshua smiled a knowing grin (咧嘴笑) “Oh, wait,” I added, “I’ve found them! I don’t have to go back.” As we continued on our way, Joshua was beginning to get a bit confused.
Near our house, I warned that the fairies might not have arrived yet—we might need to walk for a bit longer. Joshua seemed relieved. Yes, he said, they probably hadn’t come. Yet when we reached the front door, the bowls were in the same place we had left them-filled with ice cream. Anna accepted all this with complete innocence, happy and excited and eager to eat. But Joshua was astonished, speechless, humbled. He looked up at me, at his dad, then gazed around the neighborhood in amazement. “The fairies must have come,” he said as we all sat down to feast, “Maybe … is there really … was this magic?”
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。
Joshua was quiet the entire evening, thinking over these events in his heart and mind.
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So I told my little boy the truth.
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About a month ago, my husband and I found kindness in an unlikely place: standing in line at a Subway sandwich shop to pick up a quick dinner.
It was extremely busy on this particular night, and I noticed a dad behind us with his little girl, who looked to be around four. The man seemed as tired as my husband, but the little girl was cheerful and excited as she waited for her sandwich and cookie.
I watched as the man behind us got closer to the front of the line. He started to look worried. Right before we checked out, I heard the man say to the woman who had made his sandwiches that he was sorry to just leave his out because he didn’t have enough money to pay for them all. He looked very embarrassed. His little girl continued jumping around excitedly.
I quietly asked the cashier to add the man’s whole order to ours. I paid the $ 87.73, and we got out of there before the man behind us knew what had happened.
Like many others since COVID-19 hit, our family of five was living on one income. I was holding our debit card (借记卡) and knew that we only had $ 90.16 in our account. That was all we would have until payday three days later. But still, it felt great to be able to help that family, even though we would be out of money for a few days.
What happened next was amazing. My husband went back to that Subway the next week to pick up five sandwiches that I thought would cost $ 44.58. There was $ 47 in our account.
But it turned out that the dinner cost more than we had on the card. My husband told them to put his sandwich back because he couldn’t afford it. Then he paid for the four sandwiches and headed to our car.
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。
As he opened the door, one of the female workers ran to him.
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The two men nodded at one another and went on their way.
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