As a young boy, I was always a troublemaker and up to no good. I liked playing tricks and enjoyed treating animals in an unfriendly way, like running after cats crazily, making them scared at the sight of me. Besides, I often used a handmade catapult (弹弓) to shoot at birds on the trees.
All this did afford me indescribable pleasure but also got me unkind stares and blames from people around. My parents disapproved of my behavior and were constantly criticizing me for the tricks I played. I was even given a good beating from my father from time to time. Nevertheless, I ignored their warnings and did not correct my ways until an incident occurred.
One summer noon when I was eight, I was alone at home and just finished lunch. Feeling very hot and bored, I decided to hang around the neighborhood, holding my trusty catapult.
Soon, I came to Mr Smith’s house. His pet dog, big and strong, was tied to a post outside his house, lying in the shade lazily. Looking around, I found that no one was in sight. I decided to make good use of my catapult to play tricks on the massive dog. Picking up a few small stones from the ground, I aimed at the dog and fired them one by one. Several stones hit the poor dog and it began to bark (吠) loudly in pain and jump up and down. But I felt so fun that I didn’t stop doing so. Eventually, the dog’s anger was fueled and it barked wildly at me while struggling to break away from the rope. Not realizing anything wrong with my crazy behavior, I was just laughing happily.
Suddenly, the rope that tied the dog loosened and the big dog got free from its bonds. In no time, with a few powerful steps the dog was on me. Its sharp teeth sank into my leg. I screamed with pain and fright and fell to the ground, shouting out for help.
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。
Luckily, my miserable shouts caught Mr Smith’s attention.
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His words left me ashamed and I decided to make a change.
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At the beginning of the new term, a teacher at Ringrose Kindergarten decided to do something different to choose “the Excellent Kid” of this term. One day the teacher brought a bag of boiled seeds, and then called the kids together, and said, “I am going to give each one of you a seed today, a very special seed. You are to plant the seed, water it and come back here at the end of this term with what you have grown from the seed you bring to me, and the one I choose will be “the Excellent Kid”.
Like the others, a boy named James received a seed. He went home and told his mother the story excitedly. She helped him get a pot and soil, and he planted the seed. Evert day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other kids began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.
James kept checking his seed, but nothing grew. Four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were all talking about their plants, but James didn’t have a plant and he felt like a failure.
Two months went by, there was still nothing in James’ pot. He just knew he had ruined his seed. Everyone else had tall plants, but he had nothing. James didn’t say anything. However, he just kept watering the fertilizing (给……施肥) the soil, expecting the seed to grow.
A term finally went by. All the kids brought their plants to the teacher for inspection. James told his mother he wasn’t going to take an empty pot. But she encouraged him to go, and to be honest about what happened. James felt restless because it would be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his mother was right.
Paragraph 1:
He took his empty pot to the classroom.
Paragraph 2:
All the other kids looked at the teacher in surprise.
“Going to Nationals!” We were all screaming and jumping. Kate, Jenny, Wendy and I embraced each other, bouncing. “Good job, Tara.” Said Kate as she put an arm around me. I am the youngest on the relay race team, but I'm fast. When I run, I leave the skin of my shyness behind, and I feel like a horseman on the Mongolian grassland, free, without boundaries.
Everybody ran to their parents in the bleachers ( 露天看台). My Mom didn’t make it. Again. I grabbed my phone and called her. It took a while for her to answer. “Yes, hi dear.” “Mom, we won states, and we are going to nationals.” I burst out in one breath. “Great! Let’s talk later; I’ll pick you up from school.” I wanted to say: “Is that it? Why aren’t you proud of me? All other parents are here, why aren’t you?” but all I did was“OK, see you soon.”Does she see me? Do I matter?
It was late after 9 PM. All the parents picked up their children, but my Mom wasn’t here yet. Coach Johnson waited with me. We just stood. A speeding car turned the corner; it was my Mom’s Toyota. Coach patted me on the back and left.
“I am so sorry I am late.Time just flew.” Said Mom. I wanted to cry in disappointment and tell her that I hate to be always last to be picked up and never have her come to my sporting contests, school plays, or anything else; ask her why she won’t make time for me. But when I looked at her and saw her tired eyes and clenched jaw (咬紧下巴), I just said: “That's OK, Mom, I understand.” Her jaw had stayed clenched since we came to this country as Mom would say: “with two pieces of luggage, a three-year-old (me), and $700.”
注意：
1. 续写的词数应为 150 左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Nationals finally came and my Mom came for the first time ever.
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I had let everybody down and I ran out to hide myself
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A MOTHER’S DAY SURPRISE
The twins were filled with excitement as they thought of the surprise they were planning for Mother’s Day. How pleased and proud Mother would be when they brought her breakfast in bed. They planned to make French toast and chicken porridge. They had watched their mother in the kitchen. There was nothing to it. Jenna and Jeff knew exactly what to do.
The big day came at last. The alarm rang at 6 a.m. The pair went down the stairs quietly to the kitchen. They decided to boil the porridge first. They put some rice into a pot of water and left it to boil while they made the French toast. Jeff broke two eggs into a plate and added in some milk. Jenna found the bread and put two slices into the egg mixture. Next, Jeff turned on the second stove burner to heat up the frying pan. Everything was going smoothly until Jeff started frying the bread. The pan was too hot and the bread turned black within seconds. Jenna threw the burnt piece into the sink and put in the other slice of bread. This time, she turned down the fire so it cooked nicely.
Then Jeff noticed steam shooting out of the pot and the lid starting to shake. The next minute, the porridge boiled over and put out the fire. Jenna panicked. Thankfully, Jeff stayed calm and turned off the gas quickly. But the stove was a mess now. Jenna told Jeff to clean it up so they could continue to cook the rest of the porridge. But Jeff’s hand touched the hot burner and he gave a cry of pain. Jenna made him put his hand in cold water. Then she caught the smell of burning. Oh dear! The piece of bread in the pan had turned black as well.
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 twins looked around them in disappointment, their father appeared.
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