“And that’s ‘The Ray of Hope’ for you!” Asta said as she ended her book review. She took a deep bow and was given thundering applause. I, too, gave applause. I was happy for my friend. Well, I was pretending to be happy for her. Deep down inside, I was rather feeling envious of Asta. She was always the one who makes speeches, debates and tells stories to others. Me? No! I had stage fright and was always the shy, quiet one who was never courageous to speak in front of others. I had never managed to do a presentation without stammering(结巴). Every time I saw someone making a speech, I would imagine myself in his or her place, receiving the applause and praise.
I was walking to the canteen with Asta. She, as usual, was looking at the script. She had been chosen to be the presenter for the National Day Celebration. I sighed to myself. Why could I not be like her, always loud and brave? If only there was a way to prove myself...
Just then, I caught a glimpse of a poster on the noticeboard.
“Minute to say it?” I read the poster out loud.
It was a competition where one has to prepare a speech about a particular topic and summarize it on the stage within one minute. This could be my big chance to overcome my stage fright! And the best part was, if I won the competition, I would receive a mini-trophy (小奖杯).
Without thinking twice, I grabbed a form and filled in it. I took a seat in the canteen with Asta and told her what I had done, after which she said that she had also signed up for the competition. Suddenly, regret hit me like a 20-pound hammer. I was competing against Asta who was the best speaker in the school! I was bound to lose! Why was I so ill-fated? I just wanted a chance to prove myself that I could overcome my stage fright.
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 big day finally arrived.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Next, it was Asta’s turn.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lilly paused, her plans — going climbing momentarily forgotten, as she watched the older woman’s wheels stuck in the railroad tracks. The woman, with a mixture of frustration and determination across her face, pushed against the stubborn wheels, trying to free herself.
Without hesitation, Lilly approached her. “Do you need some help?” she asked, her voice gentle yet clear.
The woman looked up, surprised and slightly embarrassed. “Oh, dear, I thought I could manage, but these tracks are more of a challenge than I expected,” she admitted.
Lilly smiled. “Let me help you,” she offered, placing her bag on the ground before grasping the handles of the wheelchair. With a joint effort, they managed to get the wheelchair back on solid ground.
“Thank you, young lady. I’m Martha,” the woman introduced herself.
“I’m Lilly. It’s nice to meet you. Martha. Are you heading somewhere nearby?” Lilly asked, curious about the woman’s journey.
“Yes, just across the street to the park. My granddaughter is playing in the school band there. It’s their first public performance, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Martha explained, her voice filled with pride.
Lilly glanced at her watch, realizing her own plans could wait. “Would you like me to walk with you to the park? It’s no trouble.” she offered.
Martha’s face lit up with a grateful smile. “I would appreciate that very much. Lilly.”
As they made their way to the park, Lilly learned that Martha had been a music teacher for most of her life, instilling(灌输) a love of music in countless children, including her own granddaughter. Lilly found herself absorbed in Martha’s stories of past concerts, and the joy that music brought to her life.
Upon reaching the park, they found a spot where Martha could have a clear view of the stage. The air was filled with the excitement of parents, friends, and locals, who gathered to support the young musicians.
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。
“Would you like to stay and listen to the performance?” Martha asked Lily.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As the concert drew to a close, Martha opened her eyes and turned to Lilly.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When I was seventy-one, my granddaughter Crystal’s husband Peter lost his job. Despite his efforts, he struggled to find a new job. He seemed to lose confidence in himself.
When I visited Australia, I aimed to support them through this challenging time, but Crystal wanted me to have some fun. She suggested snorkeling (用通气管潜泳)along the coral reef, convincing me that I would love the experience.
I had swum only in pools where my feet could touch the bottom. Previously in Hawaii, I had tried snorkeling and panicked in the deep water, but this time, I wanted to try again. My dream of exploring the coral reef and the desire to boost Peter’s spirits motivated me.
Crystal patiently taught me snorkeling in a pool. With great efforts, I finally mastered the skills, which excited me and amazed Peter. “We can overcome our challenges,” I smiled. Seeming to know I was encouraging him, Peter smiled back and said, “I guess so, Grandma.”
The big day came when I had to snorkel in the sea. Crystal and Peter both decided to come for security reasons. “You’ll be fine,” Crystal told me. “I’ll stay right by you. Even if you’re in trouble, I can help you out of it.”
On a sunny afternoon, we set off from the shore. When Peter stopped the boat, Crystal and I put on our equipment.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
My heart raced as I stared at the deep sea water.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Soon, I noticed the coral reef and many beautiful fish.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I was not sure why my dad and my uncle always disagreed with each other in the beginning. They spent many Sundays sitting at opposite ends of the table, arguing about everything. I didn’t think they got along well.
When I was eighteen, I got a call in my college dorm that my dad was having a health problem. My mom picked me up at midnight, so I could be there the next day when my dad was scheduled to transfer(转移) to a better hospital. I didn’t sleep that night, not a while. I was nervous and almost crazy when we arrived at the hospital early the next morning before the transfer.
That morning, as my mom and I walked down the hallway of the hospital, we could see straight into my dad’s room. A tall man wearing a stylish suit stood beside my father’s bed with his back to us. In surprise, my mom said to me, “How nice it is for a doctor to come by to see your dad so early in the morning.” The man was quiet and still, looking down, but he was holding both of my dad’s hands in his own. It seemed not to be a typical doctor’s behavior.
“It’s not a doctor,” I whispered softly to my mom. When the man turned around, we found that it was my uncle. However, little did I know I would continue to reflect on that quiet moment for decades. And it would be the beginning of something truly wonderful.
The hours that followed were some of the most hardest time of my youth. My dad had a serious stomach problem and had to be in hospital for quite a long time. My uncle stayed with us the entire time. For one thing, my uncle tried every way to get my dad to eat something. For another thing, he brought me healthy snacks and made sure I actually ate them even though I had no appetite. When my mother and I were scared that my dad’s illness would get worse, my uncle was always by our side.
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。
Throughout those difficult days in the hospital, I watched my uncle in a new light.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________From then on, the relationship between my dad and my uncle became closer.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The very first speech I had given changed my life more than I could ever have imagined. I was a third-grader when I chose Susan B. Anthony to be the topic. When I got the assignment, I went to the library and began researching the Women’s Fight for the Right to Vote. I never really thought about a time when women had no voting rights and that their opinions didn’t count. I learned that Susan B. Anthony led the fight to give women a say in our society. She overcame a
lot of obstacles in order to do thatAbout a week after giving my school speech, my mom read a newspaper article about a statue honoring Susan B. Anthony. The problem was that few people ever got to see the statue. It was dedicated (落成) in 1921, but within twenty-four hours it was taken down to the basement and stored where it had remained for nearly eighty years.
When I read that article, I was getting angry! This statue belonged in a place of honor. I felt
that it should be in the Rotunda, along with the statues of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther KingJr, and Gcorge Washington.The article asked for donations because it would take $74,000 to move the thirteen-ton statue
out of the basement. I decided to write a letter with a self-addressed envelope asking my relatives and friends to send a Susan B. Anthony coin or a S1 bill to me to contribute to the Women’s Voting Statue Campaign. Every day I ran to the mailbox after school. But a month later, my piggybank was still far from full.So every night, after my homework, I wrote more letters at the kitchen table. Pretty soon the whole family got involved in the project. My seven-year-old brother, David, prepared stamps and envelopes. My mother and grandmother found addresses for people I wanted to contact and my dad drove me around and gave me tons of encouragement when I spoke to big groups.
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 passed around a piggy bank for donations at the end of each speech.
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I was interviewed on TV
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内容提示：1. What can you see in the picture?
2. Who do you think is right?
要求：(1)短文须包括所有提示的内容，可适当发挥。
(2)短文中不要出现真实的地名、校名和人名。
(3)词数80个左右。(开头已给出，不计入总词数)
As is vividly shown in the picture, it illustrates that two students ...
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Alessandro Vitale was born in Verona, Italy. As his parents were busy working, they were unable to care for his sister and him at the same time. Therefore, Alessandro grew up with his grandparents.
Alessandro’s grandmother was good at cooking. His grandfather used to take him out for fishing or to his garden in the town. Alessandro’s grandparents greatly influenced him, and he learned many things from them. At a young age, he was introduced to gardening, especially grow-ng fruit and vegetables by his grandfather, and he learned great recipes from his grandmother.
Even though Alessandro got into gardening at a young age, he had to focus on school later. In 2015, he moved to London to work there and left gardening aside. Alessandro did several different jobs after getting there, but he liked none of them really.
One day after working in London for a few months, Alessandro and his roommate went to a supermarket and bought some vegetables. After returning home, they started cooking together. When cutting a red chilli (辣椒). Alessandro saw its seeds. An idea occurred to him that he could grow food himself. He had little connection with nature then and thought the food grown by him-self was much healthier. Moreover, he wanted to take up gardening in memory of his grandfather. But he had never expected his future gardening journey would greatly influence his life and career.
Alessandro planted these seeds in pots on his small balcony. In just a few weeks, Alessandro scaled up his garden and grew more plants. His whole space was filled with plants. He fell in love with gardening and did anything he could to make his garden thrive (旺盛), such as reading various farming books to learn new technologies and skills. Besides gardening, he was also into zero-waste cooking. Thanks to his grandmother’s recipes, he could cook his garden produce in creative ways.
注意：续写词数应为150个左右。Gradually, Alessandro turned his garden into a much bigger one.
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Inspired by the popularity of his videos online, Alessandro began to write books on gardening.
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It was a perfect day for the beach. My brother and I were meeting our friends on the northeast side of the island, a beach we seldom visited due to the strong currents.
Dad dropped us off an hour before everyone was to arrive. I watched my brother take off into the blue ocean. He was a body surfing enthusiast. I decided not to wait for our friends either because the water began to rise, forming a perfect wave.
I held my breath and dove through the wave. I was under the surf, with my eyes wide open, the water like silk flowing over my body. It was cold, like liquid ice waking up my senses. I pulled my body to the surface, allowing fresh air to fill my lungs, and then went back under. I pretended to be a fish, a dolphin, anything that lived under the sea.
After a while, I thought it might be a good idea to head back in and see if our friends had arrived. I looked toward the beach and realized I had gone farther out than I should have. I was the only one this far out.
I was not too worried though. I was a pretty good swimmer. But, as I tried to swim in, I realized I was making no progress. After what felt like a long while, my body began to feel heavy, and my arms grew tired. However hard I tried to swim, I was not moving any closer to the beach. Worn out, terrified and desperate, I cried for help loudly.
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 began to think I might drown out there.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A moment later, I regained my consciousness.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Where is it? We’re going to be late!” Janice searched the house crazily for her wallet. “Josh! Did you hide my wallet? We have to be at Grandpa’s for his birthday party!” Josh, Janice’s four-year-old younger brother, smiled innocently at her, but his cunning (狡黠的) eyes gave himself away. She tried her best not to shout. Grinning (咧嘴笑) like a cat, Josh reached under the sofa, pulled out her wallet and held it over his head. Janice grabbed it.
Ten minutes later, they hurried to the train station. Red-faced and sweating, Janice let go of Josh’s wrist and removed the sweat from her forehead. The train arrived. Her smile froze when she realized that the train was packed with passengers. Grabbing Josh’s hand, Janice boarded the train. She commanded, “The train’s really crowded, Josh. Behave yourself, stick close to me, and no monkey business!” Josh nodded, holding tightly to a rail. Janice smiled.
When it was time to get off the train, Janice quickly pushed her way through the crowd to get onto the platform. “We made it!” Janice said, turning around. Josh was nowhere to be seen. The crowd was flooding out, but Josh was not among them. “The train doors are closing,” then came the electronic voice. Soon, the crowd on the platform died down. The last thing Janice saw was Josh’s little anxious face at the train window: Just as Janice was about to call out Josh’s name, the train disappeared from view. “Josh!” Janice screamed.
Janice’s mind was transported back to when she was lost at the zoo. She could still vividly remember the towering figures surrounding her and none of them were’ familiar. “I don’t want Josh to go through that same bitter experience,” Janice let out a sigh.
Janice took out her mobile phone, ready to call her mother. However, midway, she decided against it. Her mother, who was far away in France on business, could do nothing but get restless. Janice paced up and down the platform anxiously.
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。
Just then, Janice received a call from an unknown number.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Having waved goodbye to the lady, they headed for their destination.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________There’s a lot that goes into moving to a new city. You’re house hunting in areas you aren’t familiar with, dragging all of your belongings around, trying to figure out which grocery store keeps your favourite noodles in stock, and wondering when you’ll ever find a new dentist. This was exactly what I went through when I settled in Chicago.
Every day, I was fully occupied, exhausted. I found my new city so big and unfriendly.
After graduating from college in May, I moved from the town of Oxford, Mississippi, to Chicago to start my full-time job. Typically, when I went through lots of change in my life, I had consistent faces around me: my family or my friends. This time, however, it was just me. And for someone who’s an introvert (内向的人), this was anything but easy.
Besides, the job itself was also something beyond my expectation. What I learnt in college was totally different from what I needed to do in the company. I worked longer hours to sort things out and couldn’t sleep well at night. It was a lot of change at once. It was too much. I was helpless.
What’s worse, my poor health added to the helplessness. Due to days of pressure, I had a physical problem. It seemed that I had to go to hospital for a thorough examination. It seemed a small challenge compared to the one I was about to face, but things started to go wrong right from the beginning.
Not having a car or knowing the city, I was depending on a couple of buses to get around. Although I’d left myself plenty of time, soon it was obvious that I was going to be late, as I had mistakenly got on a bus that was taking me in the opposite direction.
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。
Paragraph 1:
I had no choice but to get off the bus.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
Suddenly, a car stopped in front of me and it was the same woman.
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