I had run away from home after finishing high school. My parents had insisted I go to college, but I was tired of school. I hated it. I was determined not to go. And, besides, my father was too strict. I had too many chores to do around the farm. I haled the work!
There had been a quarrel between my father and me. I threw some things into a bag and left angrily, as my father shouted after me, “If you leave, don’t come back!” My mother cried openly, and I had seen those tears during a hundred sleepless nights.
Then it was time to write a letter to my father.
Dear Dad,It’s been more than a year now. I’ve traveled east to west. I’ve had dozens of jobs. None of them amounted to very much. Always the same questions: “How much education have you got?” It seems they always want college men for the good jobs.
Dad, you and Mother were right about everything. I know now that the work on the farm didn’t hurt me, and I’m convinced I need college. I’m also convinced that both of you loved me.
Dad, I’ve learned a lesson. I want to come home. I know you said if I left, I couldn’t come back, but I’m praying you’ll change your mind. I want to come home and be a part of the family again.
Give my love to Mother and the girls.
Love,Your son
As I folded the letter and put it into an envelope, I felt a refreshing relief. It was as if a heavy load had been lifted from my shoulders. And I had to be on my way home.
I started down the desolate road—the long road home. Fortunately, a car picked me up, and it was good to have someone to talk with. The driver was a salesman and very pleasant.
“Where you going, boy?” he asked good-naturedly.
There was a long silence before I said, “Home.”
“Been away from home long?”
I smiled, a little self-conscious, and said, “One year, one month and two days.”
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。
Having heard my story, he expressed his support for my final decision and told me something surprising.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Finally, I arrived home when. it was completely dark.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“You’re fired!” Andrew Chilton wasn’t joking. At that moment, the high school junior wanted his personal care attendant, Christy Chachere, out of his life forever. He didn’t want her help any more. He thought he could write his own term papers. “You’re fired!” He said it again.
Christy Chachere, a retired PE teacher, didn’t take a step back. She believed she could do this job. “You know, I’ve taught middle schoolers,” she said. What about Andrew’s outcry? It was music to her ears. Progress was faster than expected.
When Andrew suffered from autism (自闭症) at age eight, people told his mom, Cindy, to get him on the list for an attendant to provide after-school care. Someone would drive him to places and see that he was safe. In New Orleans, Louisiana, the wait can be years, the need far outstrips (超过) the supply. Cindy had no choice but to turn to the program Volunteers of America for help.
Even so, it was eight years before they were matched with Christy. In the meantime. Andrew’s family did their best to help him get through life’s hardships. “I did worry about him,” said Cindy. There was a lot to worry about. Doctors and school teachers said that Andrew might not even graduate from high school. Other questions were around the corner as well. Would he ever have a job, or live independently?…Cindy would do anything for her son.
Christy saw the problem right away. “Andrew wouldn’t take a step without his mother’s permission (同意),”she recalled. “You have to let him fail,” she told the family. “It’s the only way he’s going to learn. He has to be able to do things on his own.”
No longer would Cindy help Andrew write papers. His younger brother wouldn’t help him with the computer, either. It was a little unacceptable to step back. Actually, everyone was on board but Andrew.
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。
Andrew was filled with anger, but things began to change.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“She understood me, and it turned out she was really nice.” Andrew said.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
My first year of senior high school felt awkward. The school was twice as big as my old school, and to make matters worse, my closest friends went to a different high school. I felt very lonely.
One cold and windy Sunday afternoon, I was sitting at home at our dining room table doing homework, with a fire going in our fireplace. As usual, my cat was lying on top of my papers, purring(发出呼噜声)loudly. She was never far from me. I had rescued her when she was a kitten and put my name on her collar in case she got lost again.
Suddenly, I smelled something strange, and then I noticed that smoke was pouring in. It filled the room so quickly that we all ran out into the front yard. By the time we made our way outside, the whole roof was in flames and the fire was spreading quickly.
When the fire was finally out, our house was almost completely burned down. I was in a bad mood and then it struck me...I hadn’t seen my cat. Where was my cat? Much to my horror, I realized that my cat was gone and my heart ached for her. Then all at once it hit me-the new school, the fire, my cat—I broke down in tears and cried and cried.
The next day, I went to school. But I was totally embarrassed by everything. My clothes and shoes were borrowed from my aunt. I had no books or homework, and my backpack was gone. I had my life in that backpack! I didn’t want to grow up if it was going to be this way. I just wanted to curl up and quit school.
It always seems that bad news spreads quickly. Everyone in high school, including the teachers, was aware of my sad situation. What a way to start off at a new school! This was not the kind of attention I was looking for.
The next day at school, people were acting even stranger than usual. They kept asking me to hurry up to the gym. I thought it was strange, but when I went into the gym, I knew why.
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。
There was a big table with all kinds of stuff on it.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A week later, I was planning my new bedroom when the doorbell rang.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
要求：
语言准确，行文连贯，层次清晰，书写规范，词数60~80。
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
For as long as I can remember, my parents raised me with dogs, cats, birds and fish in the house, and I felt the most comfort with these pets in my surroundings. As an only child, I grew up talking to these animals since I never had a partner to play with at home.
I created characters for each of the pets and I included them in my imaginary adventures, tying capes onto the dogs, who were changed into superheroes, and giving headwear to the cats, who became girls. Even after I began attending pre-school, I’d eagerly await my return from school so that I could relay all the exciting details to my pets who would listen and pretend to be slightly interested in my wandering. In fact, I probably communicated with my pets more than I did with my friends, since these animals offered a sense of safety which no individual could provide. It never felt strange for me to talk with members of different species and I always felt satisfied after I spoke with them.
Imagine the shock I faced when I realized that certain cruel persons badly treated their pets. Over the spring break of third grade when I visited Aunt Judy and my cousins in Philadelphia, I met her one-eyed cat, Gordon. A cold, skinny creature, I firstly avoided directing my attention towards the cat. Aunt Judy must have noticed my strange behavior, so she took me aside and explained that the Gordon’s owner had deserted him. The cat was extremely unhealthy and injured when Aunt Judy discovered him.
After she had found medical treatments for the cat, my aunt decided to keep him because Aunt Judy said, “The unwanted animals are the ones most in need of someone to love them wholeheartedly.” After my aunt’s advice, I spent additional time to know Gordon and as days passed, he grew less afraid of me and I became more willing to love him.
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。
Para 1: It broke my heart to see his sad eyes.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Para 2: No creature loves such a lonely end to their life.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On a bright Saturday, my peaceful lunchtime was suddenly interrupted when my dad surprised me with an unplanned idea. I couldn’t hide my annoyance as what was supposed to be a relaxing Saturday turned into a day focused on football — a sport I wasn’t very excited about.
Many of my friends loved sports, while I preferred to find comfort in the pages of a good book rather than run around on a football court. My lack of interest resulted in average performance on the team, and I often felt like I was a problem for both my coach and teammates.
Things changed last week when our coach announced a coming match against the champions scheduled for a month later. The realization that this important game would have a big audience only made me more anxious. The fear of possibly letting down the team weighed on me.
Determined to make a positive impact, I decided to practice hard every day. My motivation came from wanting to help the team and to overcome the self-doubt affecting my performance.
As the match day approached, my teammates seemed unsure about including me in the lineup (阵容). I wouldn’t have minded sitting out, but the situations were different. With one player short, they reluctantly (不情愿地) included me, and The Thunder Strikers, our team, stepped onto the field to enjoy cheers from the crowd.
The pressure was intense. The game started, and within the ten minutes, I received a warning. Before long, the referee showed me a second yellow card, forcing me to leave the field. When I got back into the game, the score was tied, and the next goal would decide the winner.
As the ball came toward me, I felt a bit scared. My teammates seemed tired, and the other team really wanted to win. With great courage, I kicked the ball. The opponents (对手), maybe not expecting much from me because of my earlier struggles, were surprised when the ball went past the goalkeeper.
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 Thunder Strikers won!
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After this win, football became different for me.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Widower Adam, single dad of 3, couldn’t imagine his kind help several days ago was rewarded (奖励) by a truck from the lady he helped.
It was seven in the morning. Adam was jogging in a local park. Adam had a strict schedule that started with this run. In 30 minutes, he would run back home, a place filled with chaos (混乱) in the morning, especially with getting Amanda, his naughty 13-year-old, and Jared, his energetic 8-year-old, ready for school. They missed their mom, Cynthia. Her death was a gap (缺口) that Adam couldn’t fill, no matter how hard he tried. She had been gone 6 years, yet the pain was all too fresh. Luckily his daughter at 22 could help cooking.
As he ran the last round, Adam took a deep breath. This park and these morning runs were his connection to Cynthia. She loved running, and he could almost see her jogging alongside him, her laughter ringing in his ears. It was peaceful. He checked his watch, quickening his pace. It was almost time to head back and dive into the last-minute school project panics.
Suddenly, in the middle of his thoughts, Adam saw something unusual. An old woman, probably around 60 or 65, was struggling up the park stairs. Just as she neared the top, she lost her footing. Adam watched in shock as she fell down, rolling awkwardly. Giving up his strict schedule, he rushed over.
“Ma’am, are you okay?” Adam asked, out of breath, as he carefully helped her sit up. She was a bit shaken, brushing dirt off her clothes, trying to calm down. “I’m fine, just a little fall,” she said in pain.
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。
Adam knew she wasn’t as fine as she said.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Several days later, a truck left by the old woman’s husband arrived at his house.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jim stared at the ground and sighed in disappointment. Players from the opposing team raced past Jim, celebrating their shocking victory. They’d scored the game-winning goal just seconds before the end of the game.
“Just one word to describe a loss like that,” Jim mumbled to his teammate Devin.
“Terrible!” Devin sighed. “It was a tough one.” He trotted (小步快跑) toward the middle of the field to shake hands with the winning team. Jim walked slowly behind Devin. He unhappily slapped hands with the winners, then stopped to shut his eyes as the autumn air cooled his sweaty face.
“Terrible,” he repeated to himself as he sat on the bench and pulled his jacket on. “Let’s get some hot chocolate and watch the next game,” Devin said. There were eight teams in the YMCA league, so games would go on all morning. “Sorry. I’m heading home,” Jim said, “I’ve had enough soccer for today.”
As he reached the gate, Jim glanced back to see the next two teams take the field. They were jumping and shouting, excited to play. “That was us a little while ago, before we were discouraged.” Jim thought.
So why we lost the game at last? Jim asked himself. How did such a well-played game end up with such a terrible result? It was still clear in his head: Jim had the ball deep on the Jets’ side of the field, looking for Devin or another teammate to pass to. His team had outplayed the Jets for most of the game, but failed within the last seconds.
Jim let out a deep breath. The morning was growing warmer. Perfect for soccer. Jim looked back toward the field. He couldn’t see it, but he could hear the excited voices as the game continued.
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。
With a car’s horn beeping, Jim’s friends Tara and Bryan jumped out of the car.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
There came the turn for Tara and Bryan’s team to play the game.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It was a Friday. Once the school bus dropped me off at my home, I ran quickly into the house. “Dad, I’m here. I’m ready!” I called out. He would drive me to the supermarket and then I would continue taking my driving courses. On the way to the supermarket, I told my dad I needed to get two pairs of shoes. “One pair is enough,” Dad replied.
Unhappy, I felt our car slow down, as he pulled up. “Dad, why are we stopping?” I asked. Dad said, “The lady back there looks like she’s in trouble.” I turned around, seeing a little, old truck pulled to the side of the highway. Dad told me there was a lady inside and that she was having trouble with the truck and needed some help. “Dad, why do we have to stop and help her? Let somebody else do it,” I said, wanting to reach the supermarket quickly.
“Look, girl. Don’t be selfish (自私的),” he said seriously. “By helping this lady, there’s a great possibility that if you ever get stuck or need help, someone just might stop and help you. Sit here. I’ll be right back!”
Then, he walked through the rain back towards the woman’s truck. Minutes later he was back, saying she had run out of gas. Then, he drove to a gas station and bought gas for the lady without asking her to pay. I felt unhappy because helping her took us much time.
Days later, I had my learner’s permit (许可证) and then my driver’s license (驾照). I drove everywhere during the summer, and I was excited when school started because I drove myself to school: no more bus for me. Autumn turned quickly into winter, and I still loved the freedom my second-hand car gave me.
But my first winter of driving in the snow was a challenge. Not knowing it would have an unexpected snowstorm that day and that I would have a big problem, I started my car on that clear winter morning.
注意：
1．续写词数应为150左右；
2．请按如下格式作答。
I just gladly left home and drove to school.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“I’ll push while you give it a little gas,” the stranger instructed, looking at my car stuck in the snow.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
