The Day Mother Cried
Coming home from school that dark winter’s day so long ago, I was filled with anticipation. I had a new issue of my favorite sports magazine under my arm. Dad was at work, my sister was away, and Mother wouldn’t be home from her new job for an hour.
I was shocked into stillness by what I saw . Mother pulled into a tight ball with her face in her hands. She was crying. I had never seen her cry.
I approached cautiously and touched her shoulder. “Mother?” I said. “What’s happened?”
She took a long breath and managed a weak smile. “It’s nothing, really. I’m going to lose this new job. I can’t type fast enough.”
“But you’ve only been there three for days,” I said. “You’ll catch on.” I was repeating a line she had spoken to me a hundred times when I was having trouble learning or doing something important to me. She sobbed in silence .
I felt helpless and out of place. At the age of 16 I still assumed Mother could do anything. To provide enough income for my college two years later, Mother was crazy for ways to save money.
A few months ago, Mother arrived home with an old typewriter. It skipped between certain letters. “That’s all we can afford,” Mother said. “It’s good enough to learn on.” And from that day on, immediately after dinner, Mother would disappear into her sewing room to practice. The slow tap, tap, tap went on some nights until midnight. On Monday, she got a job as a typewriter at a radio station. I was not the least bit surprised but she was excited. But on Tuesday Mother looked drawn. I didn’t care honestly.
My shock and embarrassment at finding Mother in tears on Wednesday showed how little I understood the pressures on her. Sitting beside her on the couch, I began very slowly to understand.
“I guess we all have to fail sometimes,” Mother said quietly. I could sense her pain. I reached out and put my arms around her.
A week later Mother took a job selling dry goods at half the salary the radio station had offered. “It’s a job I can do,” she said simply.
注意：续写词数应为150左右。
But the evening practice routine on the old green typewriter continued.
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The old green typewriter sits in my office now, unrepaired.
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Triiiiiingggggggggggg, the bell rang. Suddenly my heart was raising and fear rose within me. I was nervous as I started to feel sick, really sick. I ran to the bathroom and washed my face with water. I felt my heart pound against my chest, hard and loud as I looked into the mirror and whispered “Come on, you can do this.”
Some were looking forward to this moment for ages; but not me. I felt frightened every time I imagine how uncomfortable it would be on a stage, and being the center of attention. If it was a speech, I could manage, but repeating a scene from a movie that has already been done by professional actors is simply hard because we get compared to them. But there was no choice.
As I made it to the assembly hall, I went over the script in my head. Suddenly I tensed as I couldn’t remember all the lines. Once I was there in the assembly hall, my brain literally stopped working because of all the noise and the tension in the air.
As soon as the teachers who were supposed to judge our performance entered, the crowd quieted down and the performances began. I was really nervous until the first performer was called, because I was really tired of being the first in everything as my name is the first in the register. But the more I waited, the more tired I got of waiting. There came a point where I, who once was feeling sick and scared of performing, wanted to go on stage and get my performance done. That’s when I found out that I was arranged to perform the next day. I was quite happy because maybe that would give me some more time to practice and improve the weaknesses that I saw in others.
The bubble burst when the teacher asked us to perform that day. My heart beat raced and as I walked on to the stage, I was shaking. When I got up along with my friend, I had a good look around. There were 50-60 people, which weren’t much. Then I felt really stupid for being scared of having an audience.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150词左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I introduced myself and stared to perform what I had been dying for long before.
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After I was done, I looked at the audience, thinking how much I loved doing this.
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写作要求：
1.写作词数应为100词左右；
2.行文流畅，语句通顺；
3.书写规范，字迹清楚，卷面整洁。
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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.
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A week later, I was planning my new bedroom when the doorbell rang.
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It was a hot day. The sun scorched (炙烤) down and everywhere you looked, you could see the heat waves blowing above the sand. John rolled over, realizing that half of his body was well and truly burnt. He had not meant to sleep in the sun but the heat and late nights studying for his examinations made him miserable. Stretching, he got to his feet, picked up his surfboard and looked around. The beach, which had earlier been crowded in the sun, was now comparatively empty. Seagulls flew down to clean up the food of people’s picnic lunches.
The ice-cream van had gone, and so were the lifeguards who were doing first aid on the beach. John looked up to where the sun was and estimated it was about five o’clock. Time to head home. It was “Mum’s Kitchen Rule” that had him moving homewards. If he did not get home in time for dinner, he would go hungry. Wandering along the water’s edge, he happened to glance out to sea. What made him look up at that particular moment, he never knew, but it was the right time for the swimmer he spotted. His hand was up, signaling distress (险情) and he was calling out something.
Quickly John glanced around the beach — no one else was close enough to help the man, and crucially, no one had noticed. Cupping his hands to his mouth, he shouted “Help” to get the attention of other people on the beach. Someone waved back to him and John pointed to the swimmer. “Get help,” he shouted. Then without hesitation, he jumped into the sea with his surfboard. John was a strong swimmer and had a good skill for distance swimming. His coach had tried hard to persuade him to go into competitions but he was not interested.
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。
Now he was swimming for more than enjoyment or medals.
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____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Abby Jaramillo never lost her enthusiasm. She believed that with age came courage, vision (远见卓识) and a true appreciation of life — all life. That’s why, at the age of eighty-six, Abby became the only caretaker of a flock of chickens abandoned alongside one of Southern California’s busiest freeways. The chickens were never rescued. Instead, they simply lived in the roadside bushes, becoming known to locals as the Hollywood Freeway Chickens.
Like many seniors, Abby lived alone and survived on a small amount of money. But to her, life was precious and not to be cruelly given up or ignored-not even the lives of abandoned chickens. Abby simply saw creatures in need and without hesitation, stepped into action. For nine years, while others sped past unaware and unconcerned, Abby made two visits a day to provide food and water for the abandoned chickens, using what little money she had available. As the years passed, she worried about the day when she would no longer be able to care for her adopted chickens and her cat Tiffy. Who would look after these poor helpless creatures if she could no longer make her journey?
At ninety-five, just when the cruelties of time began to damage Abby’s body, a heroine (女英雄) appeared. Alice Kahn, a young actress and a founding member of the organization Actors and Others for Animals, was Abby’s neighbor. Alice had observed Abby and noticed that the older woman also fed many of the homeless cats in the neighborhood. Alice approached Abby to see if her neighbor could identify the owner of a stray (走失的) dog that Alice had recently rescued. A quick and lasting friendship resulted.
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。
Learning of Abby’s concern for the fate of her flock, Alice volunteered to help
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Abby is gone now, but her concern for her fellow creatures lives on.
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I was born into a “running family”. I lost count of how many marathons(马拉松) my dad has participated in, and I'm pretty sure my mom travels by foot more than she does by vehicle. My brother. Mike, has followed in their footsteps by running when he can, and competes in at least 4 races throughout the year. Unlike him, I didn't naturally fall into the running life: I put up a fight.
“Running is the best thing for you, I don't know how people can dislike it,” my dad questioned during many dinner conversations in grade school.
“You would be a fool not to join the track team, Colleen,” my mom suggested in her serious voice.
“Of course I will,” I replied while rolling my eyes. “What could be funner than running?”
Then I began to spend the long winter months waking up each morning with the sun and birds. Each day began like the previous one: sneakers, headphones, and stretching. The fresh air filled my lungs as Iran out the front door, greeted by the empty streets and sidewalks. The world became my very own training ground. As my knees pounded against the track, I found peace in the growing sun.
Soon I found myself agreeing with my parents and laughing at the idea of once disagreeing with them. Actually, running in the morning has become my favorite part of day.
The time had come that my dad finally asked the big question. The question I had been nervous about for a while. “So, the marathon is in November. What are you thinking?”
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 not sure if I was ready for this.
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The day of the marathon finally arrived.
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I drove to Yosemite Valley, California, for the first time in years. This was the first time I’d traveled to the valley by myself. I connected with my friends and found out about Facelift, a project started by a rock climber, Ken Yager. The goal was to spend a week volunteering to clean up trash in Yosemite Valley.
Thankfully, Yosemite Valley only has one or two roads, so it was impossible for me to stay lost for long. I pulled into Yellow Pine, the campground set aside for volunteers at the event.
I felt shy and insecure as a new comer. When I found the Group camp area, I saw eight event coordinators (协调者) I’d been talking with recently but had never met. These were outdoor people. I found a campsite, parked, got out, and walked over and introduced myself. They were nice.
The week turned into a wonderful learning experience. Meeting new people was a bonus. A few became forever friends. But the nights were really hard! I was alone in my tent in the thick, black forest. There were absolutely no lights. I rarely slept. A ranger (护林员) warned us about recent bear activity in our campground. A mother bear and her cub had been spotted wandering around during the day. The ranger explained that bears with cubs are especially dangerous. Great information, I thought. What should I do with it? I knew, my fear doubled.
Each night, I wrapped the band of my headlamp around my wrist so I could instantly turn on its bright light. I placed a couple of metal pots by my sleeping bag to make noise if I heard anything. I lay awake most of the night staring at the tent door to see if it moved.
The week flew by. I enjoyed every part of it, except for the sleepless nights. My daughter Leah joined me on the last day. We would drive together back home.
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。
Leah asked how I did camping alone for the first time.
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After I finished, Leah gave me a funny look.
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In a quiet suburb, there lived a high school student named Liam. He was the son of two chemistry. Naturally, everyone thought Liam would follow in his parents’ footsteps and chemistry. Naturally, everyone thought Liam would follow in his parents’ footsteps and pursue (致力于) a career in science and become a scientist. However, Liam’s heart was to put into something entirely different—he was passionate about literature and writing.
Each morning, Liam would wake up to hear his parents discuss the latest scientific discoveries and development over breakfast. One particular morning, Liam was upset, as the task of selecting his high school courses weighed heavily on him. He knew his parents would expect him to fill his schedule with science and math classes and engage in work related to science. At breakfast, Liam’s mother noticed his sadness and asked, “Is everything alright, Liam?” Liam hesitated (犹豫) but then replied, “I’m just thinking about my course selection for next semester.” His father cut in, “You should consider more science courses. They will prepare you for a great career in science, just like us.”
Throughout the day, the thought of disappointing his parents troubled Liam. He loved and respected them but felt hesitated between their expectations and his own ambition. That afternoon, Liam met his best friend, Sam, at their favorite cafe. “Liam, you seem worried. What’s on your mind?” Sam asked. Liam admitted, “I’m struggling with course selection. My parents want me to focus on science, but I really want to take more literature and writing classes.” Sam listened carefully and comforted him, “Liam, it’s important to follow your passion. Maybe you should talk to your parents about what you really want. They might be more understanding than you think.”
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。
Encouraged by Sam’s words, Liam decided to have an honest conversation with his parents that night.
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Liam’s parents listened intently, their expressions softening as they began to understand the depth of his passion.
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When I was in high school, there was nothing I loved more than going bowling—and no place I’d rather be than Al’s Kingpin Lanes. That place was great: Friday 5-dollar foot-long hot dogs with all the toppings, old arcade (拱廊)cabinets in the back that had classics like Galaga, and always playing 1940s jazz and 1950s rockabilly music. I got so obsessed with bowling that I even managed to convince my high school to start a varsity (校队)and junior varsity bowling sports club.
During my high school years, from freshman to junior year, starting and leading my school’s bowling club really helped me to come out of my shell. As time went on, our varsity team began winning local and even state tournaments. Soon enough, our school was getting bowling trophies(奖杯)to go alongside the trophies for more traditional sports like swimming and track and field. These victories not only boosted my popularity but also allowed me to form meaningful connections along the way! Life was great back then.
Still, the bowling memory that really stuck out to me was when I met Leroy. Although Leroy happened to go to the same high school as I did, we didn’t really cross paths that much. I was already a junior by then, and as I found out later, he was still a young freshman. The strange thing about it, though, was how he would always hang out in the back, nervously watching everyone else play. Despite his regular presence, he seemed too nervous and shy to play or even talk with others.
Then, one evening while I was out with my friends at Kingpin Lanes, something remarkable happened. I witnessed Leroy actually picking up a bowling ball for the first time. His shoes were untied, he struggled to lift even the lightest ball up, and with each throw, the ball ended up in the gutter lane(边沟), resulting in straight zeroes across the board.
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。
That’s when I finally made my way over to say hi to Leroy.
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