Shelley was a city girl. Her dad would never take his car off a paved road, and her mom would never stay anywhere except in a luxury hotel. Then her class teacher, Ms. McKay, announced they were going on a hiking trip. When they finally got to their campsite, Ms. McKay called the students together. “When you have set up your tents, I want you to explore the woods near camp. Don’t wander too far away. I want you to look closely at what you see. Let yourselves discover the colors, the shapes, the shades, the tones, and the movements.”
Shelley looked up at the trees. Hey, the leaves weren’t all green. Each one was a different shade of green — light green, dark green, yellow-green, blue-green — and they were different sizes and shapes, and moved differently in the breeze (微风). The tree trunks weren’t brown. They were gray and brown, and black and green. Some had smooth bar k over which you could run your hand, while others were too rough or cracked. One tall tree had a hollow (中空) trunk just big enough for a teenage girl to hide in. So she slipped inside. There was something peaceful about her tree-trunk hideaway and she didn’t want to leave her beetle.
Later, Ms. McKay asked them to be aware of the smells around them. The wood s smelled... damp, fresh, clean, fragrant... and definitely green. She would crush some different leaves between her fingers as she walked, letting the pleasant smell toward her nose.
After supper, Ms. McKay asked everyone to quietly sit around the campfire, close their eyes if they wished, and listen to the sounds of the forest. The crackle (噼噼啪啪声) of the fire sounded friendly and warming. The breeze blew the leaves of the trees. Strange, thought Shelley, how she had not noticed it before. Now it seemed overwhelmingly present. Several sort of birds were calling. Despite all the sounds she still thought of it as silence... and it felt good to listen.
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。
“Let us also be aware of our sense of touch,” said Ms. McKay.
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Being a city girl, Shelley surprised herself when she got back home.
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Javon was the shortest kid in the class. Since the third grade, he had been smaller than every boy and all of the girls. He’d had to ask Ms. Haygood to get his gym locker changed so that he didn’t have to stretch so much to reach it. For most kids, being short would be a problem, but Javon just never let it bother him. Whether he would grow or not, there was nothing he could do. Javon held a similar attitude to most things.
The one exception was school work. Right before the first day of middle school, his dad had a serious talk with him about college. More precisely, his dad told him that college was expensive. College cost more money than a year’s rent on their apartment and the yearly income of either his dad or his mom. Given that, Javon didn’t understand why anyone would want to go to college. His dad explained some people who worked really hard and got good grades paid less or nothing at all for college. It was called a scholarship. Javon nodded, promising his dad that he would work hard and get a scholarship.
And Javon had worked hard. By middle of seventh grade, Javon was one of the top kids in the class. He was still the shortest, but now he also got called one of the smartest. So, he hadn’t been too concerned when Mr. T announced they were starting a new unit in math. The class started normally enough. But then Mr. T threw a letter into his math problem. He smiled at the class like using letters in math was perfectly normal.
For Javon, math used to be easy. But he could not wrap his mind around using these letters. He couldn’t remember the rules Mr. T had given and he didn’t even understood the ones he did remember. Whenever Mr. T tried to explain, Javon seemed to focus so hard on wanting to understand that he didn’t actually hear what Mr. T said. Before he knew it, he was hopelessly lost in math class. Soon the chapter test came.
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 test was cruelly challenging for Javon.
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Following his parents’ advice, Javon knocked on the door of Mr. T’s office.
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I flipped through an online bidding (拍卖) site one evening: fun containers for houseplants, old maps original artwork, Santas... “Oh my gosh, Cody! Look!”
My husband looked over my shoulder, “That’s a lot of Santas!” he was surprised,
I found a huge fortune and it was only March! But these Santas came in three plastic bins. “I don’t know where we could store them all,” I said. “You’d have to go with me to pick them up—those bins look heavy.” I tried to talk myself out of bidding, but it wasn’t working. “I really want them,” I admitted.
“You should do what makes you happy,” Cody said.
For years I’d bought at least one Santa figure every year for Christmas. Cody knew that Santa was a special character for me. When I was growing up, my father played the community Santa. He was a fireman, and the department sponsored Santa visits at school. My father would get down from the flashing fire truck with a big “Ho! Ho! Ho!” He’d sit each child on his lap. “What your Christmas wish?” he’d ask, as joyous a she could be. He handed out bags of peanuts, candy and oranges. Nobody knew the man behind the beard was my father. It was magical!
After the school party, mom would carefully wash dad’s costume. The red and white coat, hat, white beard and black belt went back into the box. Santa was gone when Christmas night fell.
My father died when I was 19. Since then, I’d bought Santa figures to feel the joy Santa represented. Maybe that why I kept searching for more of them. By the time our three daughters were born, we had enough Santas to decorate a whole tree.
I typed in my bid on the site as memories of those Santa visits at school rushed in. I then imagined how my daughters would react to those bins of Santas.
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。
My computer flashed with a message.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Santas? In March?” my daughters appeared confused.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One night, I stayed up late partying with my friends Jacob, James and Benjamin, even though we were conscious internally that we had an important test the next day. On the way back, when James was driving absent-mindedly, Benjamin was very anxious about the exam; I felt uneasy and worried about being scolded by Mr. Smith when Jacob came up with a plan to get out of having to take our test. “Can we escape punishment? Can it really work?” Benjamin questioned with doubt. However, we didn’t get a better solution and couldn’t bear being a failure. So we followed suit as we had no alternative.
We four rolled around in dirt and then went to Mr. Smith office with anxiety. We told him that we had gotten a flat tire the night before, and unfortunately we spent the entire night pushing our car back to campus. As a consequence, we were exhausted and couldn’t attend the exam. We asked for Mr. Smith’s forgiveness and ensured to make up for it.
With the blank expression, Mr. Smith listened quietly and patted our shoulders. Benjamin gazed at me in discomfort while I secretly looked at the other two. Three seconds appeared to be a lifelong time. To our delight, he offered a retest three days later. We were okay with that because we had been given a chance to catch up.
I relieved and worked day and night to prepare for the exam with a sense of guilt welling up in my chest. So did my three friends in the hope of getting away with punishment.
On the day of the test, we went to Mr. Smith’s office. Unexpectedly, he put all four of us in separate rooms to take the test. I unfolded my paper and stared at the questions which I was requested to accomplish. Completely puzzled, I froze. There were only two questions:
(1)Your Name ______(1 Points)
(2)Which tire was flat? ______(99 Points)
Front Right Front Left Back Right Back Left
Palm wetting, hands trembling and almost out of breath, I was overwhelmed with a mix of fear, terror and guilt.
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。
I was completely lost at these questions, struggling with how to face Mr. Smith.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When receiving the report card, we four flushed with shame.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Drew and Tia sat at a picnic table in the park on a beautiful fall afternoon. The air around them was filled with the sounds of children playing, dogs barking, and people laughing or calling to one another. But Drew and Tia ignored the sounds around them and focused on the task they had set out to complete. They planned to start a school garden at Jefferson Middle School.
Initially, it had been Drew’s idea. He had first seen a school garden when he went to visit his cousin PJ. in Washington. He was amazed at the variety of fruits and vegetables the students at P. J. ‘s school grew. “It’s a lot of work,” PJ. had warned. “But it’s also my favorite part of the week. I love putting on my boots, getting outside, and seeing all the new things that have happened.” When Drew returned from his trip to Washington, he told Tia all about what he had seen.
Now, at the table, they were determined to come up with a plan to bring a school garden to Jefferson. Drew opened his notebook and prepared to record any ideas they had for convincing Ms. Milano, the school principal, that the garden was a good idea.
“We’re going to need an adult to guide the whole operation,” said Drew thoughtfully. “I know that Mr. Issac gardens at home. Just last week he brought in a whole basket of tomatoes and zucchini from his garden. He might be willing to help.” Drew wrote down Mr. Issac’s name in his notebook.
“We might need donations to get this project up and running,” added Tia. “We could tell Ms. Milano that we would be willing to organize a yard sale to raise funds.”
“That’s a great idea,” said Drew. “I think we need to be able to present her with a realistic plan. That way, Ms. Milano wouldn’t feel as though she agreed to something unknown.”
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。
Closing the notebook, they took action.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Actually, I was doubtful when you first came to me.” said Ms. Milano.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________She was six years old when I met her on the beach near where I live. I drive to this beach whenever the world begins to close in on me. She was building a sandcastle and looked up, her eyes as blue as the sea. “Hello,” she said. I answered with a nod, not really in the mood to bother with a small child. I was depressed: my life seemed completely out of balance.
“What’s your name?” She wouldn't give up. “Ruth,” I answered. “Mine’s Wendy....I’m six.” She giggled, “Nice to meet you, Miss Ruth. Do you want to play? Maybe we can build something together. You’ll be happy!” She looked at me eagerly, waiting for my answer.
I just couldn’t refuse this lovely creature. I asked her: “Why don’t you go to school?” “I don’t go to school. Mommy says we’re on vacation.” She chattered little girl talk as we built the sandcastle. When I left for home, Wendy said it had been a happy day. Feeling surprisingly better, I smiled at her and agreed. She pointed toward a row of summer cottages and told me she lives there.
Three weeks later, I rushed to my beach in a state of near panic. I was in no mood to even greet Wendy when Wendy caught up with me, “I’d rather be alone today.” She seems unusually pale and out of breath. “Why?” she asked. I turned to her and shouted, “Because my mother died!” “Oh,” she said quietly, “then this is a bad day.” “Yes, go away!” “Did it hurt when she died?” “Of course!” I shouted. She didn’t say anything more, tears rolling down her face.
A month or so after that, when I went to the beach, she wasn’t there. Feeling guilty, ashamed and admitting to myself I missed her, I went up to the cottage and knocked at the door.
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 drawn-looking(憔悴的) young woman with red and swollen eyes opened the door.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“She left something for you,” her mum’s voice trembled and handed me an envelop.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________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。
How to Be a Civilized Tourist
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Sometimes a stranger can greatly improve our day. A pleasant meeting with a stranger can comfort us when we were in trouble.
Once, I experienced a severe turbulence (气流颠簸) on the flight to Boston. Because of that, I was extremely scared. Anxiety and fear filled my heart. All the people on the flight seemed nervous, except my seatmate, who looked friendly and calm. Then, I turned to the woman next to me and said, “Hey, would you mind chatting with me for a few minutes? I’m really nervous.”
“Sure. My name is Sue,” the woman replied, smiling warmly. “What brings you to Boston?” I started to explain that I was on a business trip. Then the plane shook violently, and suddenly I said, “I might need to hold your hand too.” Sue took my hand in both of hers, patted it, and held on tight.
When Sue Pernick took my hand on that scary flight to Boston, I almost wept (哭泣) with comfort. She was so calm and made me less frightened—“Yep, this is a little trouble, but we’ll be on the ground safely soon,” she told me—that I asked her what she did for a living. “I’m a retired P.E. teacher and I coached women’s volleyball,” she said. Immediately, I could see what an awesome coach she must have been.
Sue and I talked-about our families, our vacations, our love of the ocean—until the plane finally landed. Then the businessman sitting on the other side of her, who’d been silent the entire flight, remarked that he’d enjoyed our conversation. “It cleared my fear out,” he said. “I was scared too. I wanted to hold Sue’s hand!” When we said goodbye, I gave Sue a big hug and my e-mail address.
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 an e-mail.
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I decided to be a person like Sue.
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It was a sunny day this April, and I was flying with my boy off to Carnavon in my light aircraft to see a solar eclipse (日食). Looking out of the window, I was deeply absorbed in the picturesque scenery below. My son Jacob, 15, who was enthusiastic about flying, was in high spirits.
After 25 years in the mining industry, I’d quit my job to pursue a career in flying. Getting my commercial pilot license in September 2022, I believed this was my calling.
Jacob was a passionate flyer, who always enjoyed the flights with me. “What does this button do?” “How does it work?” “What is the function?” There were so many questions he’d ask curiously. I wonder if he’ll be a pilot some day.
Watching the eclipse through our solar goggles (护目镜), we both were in amazement. After a bite of lunch, I did all my checks and refuelled the plane before flying us back.
Flying back into the air, I headed towards Jandakot Airport, which was right near our house.
More than half way, I spotted some smoke in the air. Realizing we were flying over Lancelin where there’d been some nearby bushfires, I didn’t think there was anything to panic about. Travelling south, we took in the lovely coastline. “This is beautiful!” Jacob exclaimed.
At around 5 p.m., just about five minutes to our destination, the engine suddenly decreased rapidly. Glancing over at my boy, I thought, “this is bad.” As I tried to bring the engine back to life, it worked only for a millisecond (毫秒), and then died again. “Okay mate, we’ve had an engine failure, I said calmly to Jacob. The plane was dropping and we went from 1800 feet to 1500 in just 20 seconds.
Looking forward, I could see Jandakot Airport about 15 kilometres ahead. “We aren’t going to make it,” I told myself. We only had another 60 seconds before making the decision. Looking down at Leighton Beach north of Fremantle below, I saw crowds of people on the beach.
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。
But thankfully there were not many in the water behind the waves.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On the beach, I hugged my boy, thrilled.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was time for the annual Potato-Salad Contest in Russet Park. After trying for the third time, Alexis shook her head sadly. There was no way she would win the Golden Potato again because Grandpa wasn’t here this year.
Memories of how Grandpa taught her to make potato rose in her mind. She sighed and missed Grandpa so much.
Alexis cut the potatoes and mixed the boiled potatoes, some sauces and a little salt and peppers in a bowl. But it didn’t taste right. Alexis tried a bite of the salad mixture, wondering what was missing. Seeing her frown, Mom suggested, “What about something spicy? Your Grandpa loved spicy things.”
“You’re right! Maybe he put a jalapeno pepper in it,” Alexis said, cutting up a bright green jalapeno and adding it to the bowl.
It was closer, but it still didn’t taste right. Alexis was drooping her head, disappointed. “Should we look in a cookbook?”
“Grandpa was never one to follow a recipe,” Dad entered the kitchen and said.
It was true. People loved Grandpa’s potato salad because it was one of a kind. Alexis remembered posing with Grandpa for a photo while they were making the salad.
Photo! That gave her an idea. Alexis hurried to the bookcase and found an old photo album. She immediately flipped it open, expecting to find clues in the photos there. Lots of photos showed Grandpa and Grandma cooking together. Dad laughed, “He and Grandma loved to tease each other but he always called her Honey.”
“Do you think he put honey in the potato salad?” Mum asked.
“It is worth a try,” said Alexis. She stirred some honey into the bowl.
But it still wasn’t quite right. Alexis’ heart sank, on the verge of giving up. Dad kept flipping the album. At the end of the album was the picture of Grandpa and Alexis making the salad together.
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。
It looked like Grandpa was crying in the photo.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________With hesitation, the family tasted the potato salad with onions in it.
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