“The package is from Uncle Aaron in Scotland,” Rylee told her father. Her uncle travelled a lot on business, so Rylee seldom got to see him. Her father’s only response was to raise an eyebrow (眉毛).
Rylee opened the box. She pulled out a large necklace (项链). One side of the necklace had a symbol of circles. It looked like writing on the other side, but Rylee did not understand what the words meant.
The box also had a letter from her uncle. He explained how he had found the necklace at a curious little shop. He described how the elderly storekeeper had told him that the necklace had special powers and warned him to be careful with it.
Her uncle ended the letter with “BE CAREFUL!!!” in big letters and a “laughing” emoji (表情符号). He did not seem to take the storekeeper’s warnings seriously. “Let me wear it to school today, Dad,” Rylee said. “Maybe it will bring me luck on my history test.” “Good grades come from studying, not from luck,” Dad said. “I did study, but everyone thinks this will be a hard test.” Rylee put her fingers around the necklace she still held, “I wish you’d let me wear it.” “Yes, you can wear it today.” That made Rylee stop to wonder, because her dad had never given in that fast before.
At school, Rylee heard a group of kids talking. Some said her necklace looked ugly, while others thought it silly to believe in good luck necklaces. She wished her classmates thought the necklace was as cool as she did. Without warning, all eyes turned to Rylee and her necklace. Students began to push to get a closer look. Everyone seemed to talk at once, telling her how cool it looked. All Rylee’s friends wanted to borrow her lucky necklace. That made Rylee stop to wonder why everyone changed their minds so fast.
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。
Sitting at her desk, Rylee watched the teacher pass out their tests.
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____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Another school year was beginning. I had thirteen excited first graders eager to learn and ready to fill my classroom with laughs, tears, and everything. I realized that I had a small class size and got excited about the special projects we could do. One project that I had been particularly interested in was finding a doctor in Doctors Without Borders as a pen pal for my students, which could definitely broaden my students’ horizons.
I began by sending out an e-mail to our school district employees asking for names and contact information of any doctor in Doctors Without Borders which they knew of. I sent an e-mail to each one asking if we could communicate with them, but only one reply came: Dr. Denisar, who was in Africa for humanitarian medical work. Since six-year-olds’attention spans were short and many of the students were just learning how to read and write, I thought it would be the best to correspond through e-mail. Dr. Denisar quickly became a reward system. If students practiced and could read a book fluently, I would record it and e-mail it. If they finished a writing assignment, I would scan it and e-mail it. If students were misbehaving, I caught myself saying, “What would Dr. Denisar think about that?”
We also used the information Dr. Denisar included in his e-mails as learning opportunities. As we communicated with him, we learned more about him, as well as his missions from disease outbreaks to malnutrition of the locals. We started to lighten things up by recording songs and jokes, and sending art projects and care packages. He appreciated the communication. After Dr. Denisar returned, we continued to communicate with him, as my students had got quite attached. He promised that he would make a trip to our small town in Illinois to meet my class when he could.
The school year was beginning to wrap up when he contacted me in April about coming up to visit in May. For the first time, we began talking on the phone about his visit.
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。
As the day of his visit approached, the kids began to get nervous.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A whole morning had passed before we knew it.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________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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A middle-aged man was feeling very down. Everything had been going wrong for him. He had had problems at work and his wife had left him for another man. So, after he had been feeling depressed for over a month, he decided to go to the doctor. He had to wait for what seemed like ages in the doctor’s surgery. The bleeding man next to him was looking at his watch nervously; a woman was coughing and sneezing badly; and a baby was screaming. Finally, after he had been waiting for about half an hour, he was called in for his consultation. The doctor was writing a note at her desk when he came in. “Sorry, I’m just finishing something. I’m afraid we’ve been very busy this morning.” She then turned to the man. “So, what’s the problem?” she asked.
“Well, I’ve been having a bit of a crisis, you know, lots of problems,” replied the man. “And I’ve been doing a lot of work.”
“Mmm, you’re looking very pale.” The doctor started to examine him. “Well, everything is working OK,” she announced afterwards. “You have slightly high blood pressure and you’re breathing quite heavily, but otherwise everything’s fine.” “So what can I do?” asked the man. “I’m going on a trip soon. I will be working in the United States for three months. This time next week, I’ll be arriving in New York.”
The doctor thought for a while. “I think what you need is a good laugh. That would do you a lot of good. A circus is performing in town. Why don’t you go to see it? I hear there’s an amazing clown who’ll really make you laugh. His name’s Grock.” “I am Grock,” replied the man sadly.
注意：
1.续写词数应为 60 个左右；
2.请按照如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
When the doctor heard that he was Grock, the famous clown, he was getting excited.
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At last, Grock felt relieved after he listened to the jokes that the doctor told him. He went back to
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I came to know this unique individual in a very simple way. One afternoon, in the little town where I then lived, I was walking my dog when he began to behave strangely, rolling wildly on the ground.
While I was wondering what was the matter with him, I became aware that someone was walking by my side—a man of about 30, poorly dressed, collarless and hatless. A beggar, I thought, and was about to put my hand in my pocket. But the stranger smiled peacefully at me as though we were old friends. “He’s got a tick (扁虱), poor guy,” he said, pointing to my dog. “Come along. We’ll have it out.” There was such warm friendliness in his eyes that I took no offense at his familiarity. I followed him to a park bench and sat down beside him.
Strange to say, my Kaspar, who was usually wary (警惕的) of strangers, responded at once, and put his head on the man’s knee. Searching the dog’s coat with long and sensitive fingers, the stranger finally said “Aha!” and released Kaspar. “Here it is,” he laughed, holding something in the air. As the dog ran hurriedly, the stranger rose with a nod and walked on. His departure was so sudden that it did not occur to me until later that I should have thanked him.
At home, still considering the man s strange behaviour, I reported the adventure to our old cook. “Oh, that was Anton,” she remarked. “He’s got an eye for everything.” I asked what he did for a living. “Nothing,” she said, as if astonished by my question.
“Well,” I said. “Everyone has to have something to live on.”
“Not Anton,” she said. “Everyone is glad to give him whatever he wants. He doesn’t care about money. He doesn’t need it, either.” Well, this was strange.
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 resolved to learn more about him.
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In later years I have often thought of Anton.
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Jacob sat on the grass outside Grandma’s house. He held a piece of paper. He folded the paper this way and made a point. Then he folded it that way and this way and made wings. Jacob threw his paper airplane high into the air. It twisted (盘旋), turned and fell to the ground.
Grandma looked up from her gardening as Jacob folded another piece of paper. He threw the new plane into the air. It went up, came down and bounced off the ground.
“You know,” said Grandma, “there’s a secret airport just through those trees. Want to see?”
“An airport!” Jacob jumped up. “Near your house?” Jacob took Grandma’s hand, and they followed a path through the trees. They stopped when they reached a wide river.
Tik-tik-tik, tik-tik-tik, noises filled the air.
“The airport sounds busy today,” said Grandma. She pointed through the trees. “Watch carefully.”
Jacob looked across the river. He only saw trees, no airplanes. He looked into the sky. He only saw clouds and sunshine.
Raaaawnk!
A large gray-blue bird with wide wings and long legs swooped (猛冲) down. It landed in a tree, on some sticks and branches. A nest!
Jacob looked at the other trees. There were nests all around! Another large bird swooped out from the trees, just as a new arrival flew in and landed.
“It is an airport,” said Jacob. “A bird airport!” “Those are great blue herons (鹭),” said Grandma. “See the baby chicks?” Jacob saw three little chicks stick their heads out of a nest. They stretched out their necks to receive food from their parent.
“They might be having fish for lunch,” said Grandma. After the meal, the heron spread its wings and flew into the air. It flew slightly downward at first, and then flew away with large and slow beats of its wings.
“Those are huge wings,” said Jacob.
“They help the heron travel a long way to find food,” said Grandma.
Jacob watched a heron fly in, with long legs stretched toward a nest and wings open wide, acting as brakes (刹车) for a gentle touchdown.
“They’re good for landing, too,” said Jacob thoughtfully.
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。
Back at home, Jacob asked Grandma for help to find paper plane designs on the computer.
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“Ready?” Jacob held up his plane.
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During my six years at the Boyd E. Smith Primary School, I was lucky to have so many great teachers who served as thoughtful role models. They were admirable characters who had far-reaching effects on me in more ways than I could have known. Among them who influenced me the most was my fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Green.
The truth is that Mrs. Green was unlike anyone I had ever known. She had so much energy and passion for the world and for her students that she spent thirty years of her life at Boyd E. Smith. Mrs. Green taught maths. She devoted herself to her work. I would never have imagined that I would have left her class with so much.
Mrs. Green is everything that I want to be. The first time I met her, I knew she was someone special. Being young fourth-graders, we were taught to show respect to teachers as we learned to say “Thank you, madam” and “Yes, madam” on a daily basis. We did not complain about it. We knew she did it to make us better young adults that would carry on through life with respect for our elders.
Mrs. Green was an amazing teacher for many reasons, as she was intelligent and passionate about what she taught. She did not scold (责骂) us, but she taught us to recognize the difference between right and wrong and to be responsible no matter what we did. Looking back upon those days when I was in her class, I realized that she was teaching us qualities that were important to our characters. The most valuable lesson I learned from her was to live with honesty. I had no idea what this word meant until the incident (事情) in a math exam.
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 caught in the act of cheating in the exam.
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Now I am also a primary school teacher like Mrs. Green.
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When I was in middle school, my social studies teacher asked me to enter a writing contest. I said no without thinking. I did not love writing. My family came from Brazil, so English was only my second language. Writing was so difficult and painful for me that my teacher had allowed me to present my paper on the sinking of the Titanic by acting out a play, where I played all the parts. No one laughed harder than he did.
So, why did he suddenly force me to do something at which I was sure to fail? His reply: “Because I love your stories. If you’re willing to apply yourself, I think you have a good shot at this.” Encouraged by his words, I agreed to give it a try.
I chose Paul Revere’s horse as my subject. Paul Revere was a silversmith (银匠) in Boston who rode a horse at night on April 18, 1775 to Lexington to warn people that British soldiers were coming. My story would come straight from the horse’s mouth. Not a brilliant idea, but funny; and unlikely to be anyone else’s choice.
What did the horse think, as he sped through the night? Did he get tired? Have doubts? Did he want to quit? I sympathized immediately. I got tired. I had doubts. I wanted to quit. But, like Revere’s horse, I kept going. I worked hard. I checked my spelling. I asked my older sister to correct my grammar. I checked out a half dozen books on Paul Revere from the library. I even read a few of them.
When I handed in the essay to my teacher, he read it, laughed out loud, and said, “Great. Now, write it again.” I wrote it again, and again and again. When I finally finished it, the thought of winning had given way to the enjoyment of writing. If I didn’t win, I wouldn’t care.
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。
A few weeks later, when I almost forgot the contest, there came the news.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I went to my teacher’s office after the award presentation.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When I was admitted to the University of Alabama, I decided to get a puppy. So I adopted an adorable Golden Retriever(金毛猎犬) puppy against my parents’ wishes.
Soon, I realized my parents were right. The dog was so naughty that it caused me a lot of trouble every day. In fact, she soon earned the nickname(绰号) Bella the Devil at school.
However, as time went by, she taught me how to be a better dog mom, and I taught her how to be a better dog. We became best friends and did everything together. Bella was there for me all the time: parties, restaurants, games, even dates! We loved spending time together. By the time I was a senior, Bella and I developed a stronger relationship. She was truly my best friend.
In the third year, I worked at the local college l bar not far from the house. One night, I was running late. Bella and I had been with friends down the street when I realized it was already 9:00 p.m. We had to rush home so I could make it to work by 9:30. I ran through the front door and jumped to the bathroom to have a shower. Bella followed me into the bathroom and lay in her usual place on the bathroom floor. Then I heard my front door open. It was so loud that I thought it was strange. It couldn’t be my roommate for she had flown to New York. I turned off the shower and yelled her name. No answer.
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。
Instantly(立刻), I knew something was seriously wrong.
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Then I went outside to find Bella with the policemen.
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Every Saturday afternoon, Jimmy and his dad would go to the park to play baseball. They always walked past a homeless man who always sat at the same street corner. Jimmy’s dad always gave the man some money. “Someday, I’ll pay you back, John!” the man said. “Sure, Wayne,” Jimmy’s dad replied.
One day, Jimmy held his dad’s hand, asking, “Dad, how does that man know your name?” John answered, “Oh, when I was in college, I knew Wayne. He was on the brink (边缘) of a big discovery that could bring him a patent. Anyway, things didn’t go well for him. So whenever I see him, I give him some money. And he tells me he’s using it for lab supplies. I don’t think it’s true, but I pretend I do. And when he tells me he’ll share the profits of his discovery, I tell him I believe it, too.”
Jimmy didn’t understand anything his dad was saying, but he felt the compassion(同情) in his voice. So he stopped his dad and gave him a big hug. Jimmy didn’t know it was his last hug. That night, while Jimmy’s dad was out for his evening run, his heart stopped beating.
The only person Jimmy was living with was his grandmother, Wendy. And they ended up living in an old small house. Life got very tough for them. Although Wendy was old, she found a cleaning job. But her health started to fail and Jimmy was very worried about her.
Jimmy became very quiet. To cheer him up, one Saturday, Wendy went to the park and threw the ball around with Jimmy. After that, they came out. And there at the corner, Jimmy saw his dad’s homeless friend, Wayne.
“Wait, Grandma!” Jimmy cried. “There’s something I have to do!” Jimmy walked up to Wayne and turned his pockets inside out. He said to Wayne, “Sorry, but I only have twenty cents.” “That’s okay. Every cent helps!” Wayne said. “How’s your dad? I haven’t seen him for a while.”
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’s dead!” Jimmy cried.
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On year later, Wayne drove to Jimmy’s house in a pretty car with a check for $5 million.
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