My dad and I had been looking forward to the Stale cross-country race of my senior year of high school, which would be the climax (顶点) of my existence.
I was the fastest runner on my team, and I was supposed to make it into the top fifteen. We had been working towards this race for three years. It was everything to me, and it was everything to my dad. He was a runner and was wild with joy by my success in running. He made it to every race, even flying home early from business trips to see me run. I always listened for his voice, which rang above the crowd-telling me to relax my arms, calling out my time. He pushed me. He cheered for me. He believed in me. We spent countless hours on the sandy canals of Arizona. Breathing in the dust of the desert, the blossoms of the orange trees, and the terrible smell of the dairy farm, we made our way across the city. We pounded miles and miles into our running shoes, marking with every step the path to greatness. It was a journey that was just ours. A dream passed on from one generation to the next.
Then the big day came. It was hotter than normal - too hot. My throat felt like a field of cotton, cracked with the summer heat, as I waited for the gun to fire. I gazed out at the crowd; dozens of familiar faces from church and school flickered across my view. They had come for me. They were counting on me. I saw my dad set his watch, worry and excitement etched across his face. With the sound of a gunshot, the race began.
For the first two and half miles, I felt great. I had never before been so ready for something. The weeks leading up to the race were filled with hard practices and a strict diet. The scorching sun beat upon my back, blinding me with its brilliance. Nothing was going to stop me, though.
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。
However, without warning, my strength was running out.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I whispered, “I’m so sorry I disappointed you, Dad.”
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“Christine, come and help me in the garden. I want to plant all of the seeds today.” My father was calling to me. “I'm busy...” I said. I didn't understand why working in the dirt excited him so much.
By the end of April, his plants had come up in neat rows. Unfortunately, in early May, my father was seriously injured in an accident. He was in hospital for about two months and during that time he often asked me about his garden. Even after he came home, he had to stay in bed for a while.
My mother had several business trips so I said that I would take care of his garden. I assumed that the little plants would continue to grow as long as they had water, and luckily it rained fairly often so I didn't think much about the garden.
One Saturday morning in July, my father said to me, “Christine, I think that the vegetables should be about ready to be picked. Let's have a salad today!” I took a bowl and went out to the garden. I looked at the leaves and was upset to see that many of the leaves had been half eaten. There were hundreds of bugs (虫子) all over them! I tried to get them off, but there were just too many. I looked at the carrots next, but they didn't look healthy.
I got in panic for a moment, but then thought of a good idea. I quietly went to the nearest store to buy some vegetables. I went back home and cut them up to make a salad for my father. When I gave it to him, he said, “Oh, Christine, what a beautiful salad! You must be taking very good care of my garden.” My father looked happy, but I felt a little bit guilty.
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 went back to the kitchen when my mother came home.
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I carefully made a salad and took it to my father.
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In a very cold January, a puppy wandered around Mr. Lacey’s house, where he lived with his wife Mamie and their daughter Doris. Icicles (冰锥) hung three feet or more from the roofs of houses and snow swallowed up cars.
The puppy had been abandoned, and it made its way down the road toward the Laceys’ small house, with its ears down and trembling from shyness and cold. Doris, whose school had been called off because of the snow, was clearing the steps when she spotted the puppy on the road.
“Come on, little dog!” she called it over. The puppy shyly wagged its tail when Doris approached. As soon as Doris put the dog down in the kitchen, her mom, Mrs. Lacey, asked where the dog came from. Mr. Lacey, who was cleaning his fingernails with his pocketknife at the table, said, “I don’t know where it came from, but I know for sure where it’s going.” Doris hugged the puppy hard against her. She said nothing.
Because of the snowy weather, Mr. Lacey couldn’t take the puppy to the shelter right away. So, it stayed in the basement, and Doris fed it leftovers, even though her mom didn’t want to waste food. Doris thought the puppy was around six months old and would be quite noisy sometimes. Surprisingly, the puppy behaved well, didn’t cry or make trouble in the basement, and only followed Doris upstairs when she invited it. Doris often found it on the basement steps listening to the kitchen talk and smelling the food. She felt the puppy wanted company.
Even after a week, Doris didn’t name the dog, knowing her parents wouldn’t let her keep it. Her father made so little money that any pets were out of the question. Desperate to keep the dog, Doris tried to convince her parents by praising the dog’s good behavior and expressing her love for it, but her parents didn’t give a definite answer.
Despite her efforts, Doris secretly wished the bad weather would never go away, fearing the puppy’s unavoidable trip to the shelter. However, nine days after the dog had arrived, the sun was shining.
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。
Doris knew it was time to say goodbye to the dog and felt rather worried.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Doris put her hand to her mouth and couldn’t believe what she had heard.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Surprise!” was the first thing I heard when I opened the door. My family and friends were all smiling at me. There were colorful balloons all over the house, a big poster saying "HAPPY BIRTHDAY'', and of course a cake with 12 candles. It was a wonderful feeling. I knew that I had finally turned twelve and I might possibly get the thing I wanted most.
I saw my mom and dad coming towards me with a small box which seemed to be a birthday present. When I opened the box, I couldn't believe my eyes. I had really gotten a mobile phone! Throwing myself into their arms, I let out a cry of joy, “Thank you! I love you guys!”
“You're welcome. We knew this was going to make you happy but we didn't only get you this because you turned twelve, but also because you are doing well in school. We expect you to keep getting good grades."
“Of course I will." I said confidently.
As soon as I got to school the next morning, I was showing off my phone and asking everyone for their number. It was cool how I got so many contacts on the first day.
It felt like I didn't even exist in that class anymore. I wouldn't pay much attention to the teachers because I was too busy on my phone. However, I didn't get caught using it.
I am pretty sure that the teacher did notice that I stopped paying attention to her because a week later we took a test and I failed. What was worse, my mom had to sign the test.
It was hard to show my mom the test. She was used to seeing A's and B's on my tests. Finally, I showed it to her, and she couldn't believe it. She was angry but most of all, she was disappointed.
注意：1.续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2,续写部分分为两段，每段的开头已给出。
Paragraph 1:
Realizing the reason for my failure, my parents started to dislike the fact that I had a phone.
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Then I started to wonder if I was wrong.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I couldn’t forget the way I was frozen in front of the class today. My teacher, Mr. Liu had divided the class into groups to do speeches. Today was my turn. However, my hands shook so badly that I couldn’t read my notes. My voice became softer even to silence. Mr. Liu kindly ended my part of speech even though I clearly didn’t finish. He also asked me to stay after class for a moment.
“Betty, I know you are shy, but you worked so hard on this project. I’d hate to see you give up on yourself.” Mr. Liu said, “If I give you another chance until tomorrow, do you think you can find courage?” I nodded, grateful for the chance. I went as quickly as I could to my next class, keeping my head down and hoping the school day would end soon.
When I reached home that afternoon, I could see an inviting light coming from the kitchen windows. Mum was baking(烘焙). She studied my face as I came into the kitchen. “What’s wrong, Betty?”
Tears shone in my eyes. I told her the whole story. Mum was silent for a moment with her hands busy with the cake. “Why is it that you can talk to me about anything and everything but you can’t talk to your class?” Mum asked. She set the time right and then said, “Let me show you something.”
I followed her to the bedroom. There she showed me a book filled with pictures. In it there was a blue ribbon(丝带) that said “First Place” and a picture of herself when she was very young, standing with her parents.
“I won it for public speaking. I started the school year as the shyest girl on the speech team, but I ended the year as the blue ribbon winner. It wasn’t easy at first—not sure of myself at all. I worked hard, and mostly I faced my tears. You just need to find your courage.”
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。
Hearing Mum’s words, I stared at the valuable blue ribbon, lost in thought.
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The next day I walked to the front of the classroom to give my speech.
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8-year-old Evan was standing by the sidewalk when he noticed Mrs. Carter opening her shop again.
Several days ago, when Evan was passing by her store, he saw a closed sign on the store’s door. When the shop remained closed for not just two days, Evan was worried he’d never be able to get his “dream job”.
85-year-old Mrs. Carter was a woman selling flowers for a living and Evan had befriended her when he helped her cross the street one day.
Now seeing her again, Evan ran up to her and greeted her. “Can I help you today, Evan? Do you want flowers?” Mrs. Carter asked. Evan smiled, “I’m looking for a job! Can you please hire me?”
“A job?” the elderly lady laughed, thinking Evan was too little for that. But Evan proudly replied he knew many things, like making sandwiches and helping his mom get grocery bags from the car. Mrs. Carter laughed and asked Evan how much money she would have to pay him if she hired him.
Evan shook his head. “All I want is a big bouquet (花束) for my mom. Her name is Stacey and her birthday is one week away. Mom says we should work hard for what we want. I want to work hard for that bouquet. Can you hire me?” Evan asked. Mrs. Carter was impressed and nodded.
Then for a whole week, Evan would come to Mrs. Carter’s store in the evenings and help her, and having Evan around relieved Mrs. Carter’s boredom while she was working. Some customers thought Evan was lovely and entertaining, so they bought more flowers. Mrs. Carter’s business became better.
A week later, on Evan’s last day on the job, Mrs. Carter was emotional. They had grown close for working together, and Evan had become like a grandchild to her. While making a huge bouquet for Evan’s mother, Mrs. Carter secretly placed one envelope into the bouquet. The envelope contained $200. When handing him the bouquet, she said, “Will you come to see me someday, Evan? I’d be delighted to have you here.”
“I will!” Evan smiled and waved goodbye to Mrs. Carter.
注意：续写词数应为150左右。
Paragraph1:
Carrying the flowers, Evan rushed home to surprise his mom.
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Paragraph2:
Then, Evan and his mom hurried to return the money to Mrs. Carter.
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Once there was a little girl named Emily. Although her singing was very pleasant to hear, lacking of courage, she never dared to sing in front of strangers.
One summer, the neighborhood where she lived would hold a singing competition. Her best friend, Lucy, came to invite her to participate in the competition, but Emily said, “I’m afraid to take part in it.” Her mother said, “It’s okay; just do it bravely.” Emily followed her mama’s advice and decided to give herself a try. The day came. Emily and Lucy went to the competition site. But she was too timid (胆小的)to walk onto the stage. She had been waiting until others finished singing. She shakily (颤抖地)forced herself to stand on the stage. She started to sing,but her voice was so low. What’s worse, she was so nervous that she forgot the lyrics (歌词)after singing a few words. Being laughed at by others, embarrassed and shy, she ran away from the stage.
Some naughty boys ran after her and said, “Emily, coward (胆小鬼)!Emily, coward!” Emily didn’t argue with them. What she wanted was to go back home as quickly as she could. Finally, she rushed into the house, hugged her mom and cried sadly.
“Well, my poor girl, don’t cry. Tell me what happened to you,” asked her mom. Emily looked up at her mother and told her what she had experienced.
Listening to her, her mom cupped her face and said, “It doesn’t matter, girl. As long as you practice singing more in front of strangers, you will become braver little by little. So, my girl, don’t be beaten by a failure.You can go out to practice singing every day. No matter who is listening to you, go on singing and never stop. I believe there will be a harvest for you.”
注意：续写词数应为150左右。Emily listened to her mother carefully and followed her mom’s suggestion.
Going on singing,she walked into the park,where many people were singing and dancing.
Dad and Madison were walking through the party store, gathering decorations for Madison’s upcoming birthday party.
“But I don’t want to invite Lucy Gilbert! I don’t like her!”
“Madison, you are being unreasonable. If every girl in your class is invited to a party but you, you’ll feel left out. It would be a big mistake not toinvite Lucy to the party. ”“She never even talks to me! ”
Dad sighed and moved down the aisle ( 走廊). “Lucy is a new girl in class. She just moved here a little over a month ago. Think about how that must feel. She doesn’t know one single person in the school. She left all of her old friends behind and now she has to try to make new friends. Your party will be a great chance for her to get to know everyone. ”
“No, it won’t. She will probably sit in the corner and not talk to anyone. Every day at lunch she sits all by herself. She wants to eat alone!" Madison shrugged and rolled her eyes (翻白眼).
“Madison, I’m done discussing this. You will invite every girl in your class, including Lucy Gilbert!"
On Saturday morning, the family blew up balloons and decorated the house cheerfully. Madison was dressed beautifully for the day, wearing her new blue dress. It was not typical of her to dress herself like this. She usually wore sports clothes because she loved to be outside riding her horse Star with a lead rope (缰绳).
Madison greeted her friends at the doorstep, picturing (想象)various presents her friends would bring her. In the meanwhile, she was wondering whether Lucy would ruin the party if she came. Anyhow, all the girls she invited came finally, including Lucy. The girls had a fantastic time by singing and dancing while Lucy sat in the corner silently alone. Later, all the girls gathered around the table as Madison opened her presents. Opening them one by one, Madison thanked her friends, with a bright smile on her face.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；2. 请按如下格式作答。
Paragraph 1：
Lucy’s present was the very last to be opened.
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Deeply moved by what she said, Madison held the lead rope tightly in her hands.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was in the early morning of one summer holiday that I was flying to Bali, Indonesia to see volcanoes. And my best friend was waiting for my arrival there. When I got off the plane and stepped out of the airport, I was thinking how unbelievable it was to stand in front of the spectacular volcano mountain. The imaginary sights distracted me, for a moment, from my current problem.
Only when I stood by the bus station to Bali, did I realize that I had no enough cash on me. The only ATM nearby didn’t seem to have any power, and I nervously looked down at my credit card, my only lifeline. I hoped there might be a way to convince the bus driver to let me on and pay him once I reached the destination and got the cash from my friend.
When the bus door opened, I stood behind a young lady and her little girl. I started to worry, wondering what I’d do if the credit card didn’t make the cut. They boarded the bus, paid in cash and sat down in the first row. When I approached the driver and held out my credit card, he looked at me seriously and shook his head.
“I don’t have any money,” I said. I showed him my wallet to confirm that I was telling the truth. He stared back blankly and then said no. I still wanted to convince him again. I pulled up my flight information on my phone and showed it to him. I pointed to the nearby ATM and signaled that it didn’t work. This time, he looked at me and apologized to me. “I’m really sorry. Can you make way for the other passengers?”
I stood aside. “What should I do?” I hesitated. It was the first time that I had visited the city. I was unfamiliar with everything around me. I searched the locations of other ATMs in the area. They were too far away. It would take me at least two hours to get there on foot. I really didn’t want my friend to wait for me too long, but unfortunately, I had to.
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 about to get off the bus when the young lady stood up.
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Once we arrived at Bali, I followed the young lady and her little girl off the bus.
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Almost all of my holidays were spent with my grandpa. My grandpa was a retired army officer and the years in the army had made him a very tough person, which helped him a lot in fighting with cancer for a long time. Silver and golden stars on his shoulders and medals on his chest in grandma’s old photo albums reflected the marks of his distinguished service and numerous adventures. Grandpa had fine qualities and was a real personality. He was strict with his family, me included, as well as himself.
In our ancestral house there was a big pond as was common in bygone Bengali homes with lots of trees and bushes. Both my grandparents were fond of our so-called garden. One morning our new neighbor saw my grandpa planting two trees on both sides of our main gate, which still stand tall today. Across the street our new neighbor also got the same kind of tree and planted the trees exactly on both sides of his gate too.
My grandpa didn’t often give enough amount of water to his plants and didn’t always give his full attention to them, while our neighbor gave a lot of water to his plants and looked after them too well. My grandpa’s plants were simple but looked good. But our neighbor’s plants were much fuller and greener.
Normally, during April and May, we have short but violent thunderstorms called “Kalboishakhi”. One late evening during a Kalboishakhi we had showers with strong winds, which continued right throughout that night. Next morning along with my grandparents I came out to inspect the damage to our garden. I saw our neighbor was there in his garden too, but looked upset as his plants were uprooted. But, our plants were not damaged and were standing firm on the ground.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
Seeing this, our neighbor was surprised and curious.
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Grandpa’s explanations not only convinced the neighbor, but made me realize something.
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