The cool morning air was filled with the hustle and bustle (喧嚣忙碌) typical of a weekday. “Jordan! Julia!” I called out. “Get dressed right away—we’re late!”
It was another one of those mornings where everything could go wrong. I hadn’t been a single mom for all that long, but with the approach of the new year, I was filled with a renewed sense of optimism. This year, I thought, things would be different. We would be more organized, more on time, and less chaotic (混乱的). Or so was the plan.
Jordan, my thoughtful twelve-year-old, was the first to emerge from his room, looking slightly untidy but ready for the day. “Sorry, Mom,” he said in a low voice, adjusting his glasses. “I couldn’t find my science project.”
Julia, who was only eight years old, was not far behind. “I’m not wearing this!” she protested, holding up a dress I had laid out for her. “It’s a bit worn!”
I took a deep breath, trying to be patient. “Okay, quickly find something else. We really have to go!”
Breakfast was some piece of bread and milk, but somehow, we managed. As we rushed out the door, I couldn’t help but feel a bit defeated. Wasn’t the new year supposed to bring about change? Yet here we were, the same chaotic conditions, running late as ever.
In the car, Jordan broke the silence. “Mom, you’re doing great,” he said, a serious look in his eyes. It was moments like these that reminded me of the maturity he possessed beyond his years. Julia cut in, saying, “Yeah, Mom. We love you, even when we’re late.” Her words, though a bit simple and sincere, warmed my heart.
As I dropped them off at school, their cheerful goodbyes and “I love yous” filled me with a sense of purpose. Maybe it wasn’t about being perfect or having everything under control. Maybe it was about these moments of love and comfort, of overcoming daily obstacles (障碍) together.
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。
Picking up the kids after school, I was greeted with their excited talking about their day.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“What’s the plan for tomorrow?” I asked them.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On a sunny day with no clouds, Sally sat on a chair in the garden, hemming (缝边) a handkerchief. All of a sudden, there came a little ant. It was in such a hurry. Finally it ran across the small stone table and stopped by her side. The sewing was not done, for Sally easily got a little bit distracted by this little ant. Suddenly, she dropped her thimble (顶针) over the little ant by accident while she was looking at it.“Can it mind? But it is only such a little tiny thing,”said Sally in doubt.
Then Sally ran away, for her mother called her to have lunch, and she forgot all about the ant under the thimble and the handkerchief outside. There the little ant was, running round and round in the dark place, with little horns on its head quivering, little perfect legs bending as beautifully as those of a racehorse, and it was very scared.
If Sally had remembered the ant, she would have heard this little ant say, “I can’t get out! I can’t get out! Is there anyone out there? Can someone help me out?” But unfortunately, till the bedtime, Sally failed to hear the little ant's silent calling and just went to sleep. In the midnight, there was thunder, lightning and heavy rain. The next day, when Sally woke up, she came to the garden, only to find the handkerchief was soaked (湿透的) as if somebody had been crying very much. When she was about to fetch it as soon as the sun shone, it suddenly came to her who was under the thimble. “Oh, how could I forget that little ant? I hope the little ant is doing fine,”said Sally, running with her worried face.
But when she lifted up the thimble, what came to her sight was the little tiny an t lay stiff and still. It seemed like this little poor thing was away from this world. “Oh, did it die of being under the thimble?”Sally said aloud with her trembling voice. “Why did you do that, Sally?”said her father, who was close by and looked unsatisfied.
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。
“Dad, I didn’t mean to,” said Sally.
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“Where is the ant in such a hurry to go, Sally?” said her father.
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Bonnie raised her granddaughter alone after the girl’s parents died. She hated her granddaughter’s art and wanted her to stop drawing. But everything changed when Mr. Henderson, a famous cartoonist, appeared at her doorstep.
One day, Bonnie called out to Amy as she took the chicken out. “Dinner is ready, honey! Come soon!” But Amy didn’t answer.
Bonnie finished setting the table and served them dinner, but she still didn’t hear a response from Amy. “Amy? Honey, your dinner is getting cold! Are you coming?” she asked her 10-year-old granddaughter again.
When Amy didn’t respond, Bonnie climbed the stairs to the girl’s room and pushed the door open. Amy sat at her desk, with her headphones on. At first, Bonnie thought Amy was studying, but then she noticed the drawing sheet on the table in front of Amy. Bonnie frowned (皱眉) in anger.
“Amy!” Bonnie screamed, and the girl turned around and removed her headphones.
“Granny? I… I was just…” Amy said.
Bonnie stormed up to Amy’s desk, and the little girl tried to cover the drawing, but it was too late.
“Did you finish your math homework, little girl? Mrs. Warren called me today. And she told me you’ve been ignoring her assignments!” Bonnie said angrily.
“I’ll finish the homework,” Amy said. “I was planning on doing it once I finished the sketch (素描) I was working on, Granny.”
“I’m tired of that hobby of yours, Amy! You’re no longer doing those drawings!” Bonnie went on. “Those things you draw are not going to help you in the future! You finish your dinner, and then you’ll be doing your homework. You’re not leaving the house to play with your friends until you finish your homework. Am I clear?” Bonnie said and stormed out of Amy’s room.
Minutes later, Amy walked into the kitchen and quietly sat at the table. They began eating dinner in silence. Bonnie was already in a terrible mood, so she didn’t ask about Amy’s day like she usually did. Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
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。
Amy answered the door and was surprised to see Mr. Henderson.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Bonnie hesitated for a long time and decided to ask Mrs. Warren for advice.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was 40 years ago. One day, Emma came back to their apartment from work and realized that her husband, David, was extremely ill. He was throwing up and slurring (发音不清) his words. Immediately, Emma grabbed her purse and took him by taxi to the nearest hospital, on the Lower East Side of New York City. The minutes slowly passed as they waited to see a doctor.
They sat there for a couple of hours, and it was pretty clear that nobody was going to pay attention to David. So they rushed to a second hospital, where they were also ignored. Emma knew something was very wrong with David, so they went to a third hospital. As she told the receptionist what was happening, Emma sensed the person wasn’t going to treat their case with urgency.
Emma was on the edge of a breakdown. After three failed attempts to get help, she had reached her limit. She started to shout in the lobby (大厅). That’s when her unsung hero appeared.
That person was a young man with dark hair and a white physician’s coat. He came to Emma and said, “How can I help you? What’s going on here?” Emma explained what was happening to David, and that she was afraid it was serious.
The young man said, “You know, I just got done with my neurological residency (神经系统的实习期) up at Lenox Hill Hospital. I’ll take him in the back and look.” Within two or three minutes, the young man came out and said, “You are absolutely right. Something is very seriously wrong with your husband.”
The man told Emma to take her husband to Lenox Hill Hospital, and that he had called the doctor with whom he had done his residency.
“He’ll be waiting for you,” said the young man.
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。
But Emma began to cry, realizing she had no way of getting there, because she didn’t have any more cash for a taxi.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Soon Emma and her husband arrived at the hospital.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Spreading Joy
This past Christmas season began for me as usual on the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday. My mom, sister, and I had gotten up early to go shopping. As we were driving out of a store parking lot, we caught sight of a dreadfully thin woman sitting on a walker. She was clearly homeless, with bird feathers stuck into her gray hair, and a dirty yellow raincoat.
That homeless woman got us thinking about what Christmas would be like for some one who has no place to call home. With no family to turn to and certainly no presents to open on Christmas morning, these people have nothing to look forward to but the cold and lonely place where they choose to camp. Even though we live in sunny California, the temperature can still fall below freezing on winter nights. Where would this woman sleep when the sun went down?
Sadly, homeless people are a common sight in our town. On our way home, we passed countless people pushing shopping carts overflowing with their belongings and people standing in the center dividers of roads holding cardboard signs with “Just Hungry” written on them.
The next day, my mom had a great idea. While we were out Christmas shopping, we purchased some blue tins (罐) of sugar cookies and a few boxes of candy canes. When we got home, I helped my mom carefully ti e each tin with a red ribbon and tape a candy cane on top. Next, we wrote “Call 211 for Help” on notes and taped them to the bottoms of the tins. “Not only will we be spreading Christmas cheer, but now the homeless people will have a number to call and get the help they need,” my mom explained as we worked.
We put all the tins in the car and, whenever we went for a drive, we searched the streets for individuals down on their luck. Usually, the streets are crowded with people carrying sleeping bags, but somehow when you are looking for something, it always seems to disappear.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Eventually, we found a young man sleeping in the Lowe’s parking lot.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The day before Christmas, we drove around the streets again with our final tin.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My husband had taken the car to see about a job and I stayed at the rest area with our six children. I kept them busy playing games and reading books. I prayed as hard as I could that my husband would get the job and this madness would all come to an end. When he came back and hard closed the car door, I knew the news was not good.
That night, one of the churches in Portland had a free dinner, so we hurried and had the children wash up in the bathrooms. We all loaded up in our run-down car. No one would get thrilled about a hot meal, but being homeless, we all knew what a treat this would be.
In the morning, we were all just as tired as when we went to bed. It’s not easy at all to sleep eight people in one car. It’s hard to stay warm with only the few blankets we had to share among us. We got in the car and left to make a garbage dump run.
As my husband looked for work every day, my children and I would walk around the city picking up cans and bottles to return for the deposit (押金). When nothing else worked, my husband and I would stand with a sign that read, “will work for food.” It was an embarrassment and we felt so ashamed. I never looked up at anyone, pretending that I was elsewhere and this was not happening. But we had to survive, and for the sake of our kids we would do whatever it took to get them food to eat.
Thanksgiving Day was drawing near and it was turning colder and colder. My husband had not found work and we were at a loss as how to gather up enough money for a house rent. It looked so hopeless.
On the evening before Thanksgiving, we went to the only church having Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless. Unluckily, our car broke down. My husband worked on it, but in vain.
注意：1. 续写词数为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
A truck driver just came over to help.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________People stopped by with food and blankets as well as some clothes.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One day a friend invited me to join gymnastics class that she had belonged to for many years. My mom got the needed information and within a few days I was ready to start!
When I got there, I was extremely nervous. The group wasn’t very welcoming so I was regretting signing up. It seemed they were comfortable with the team they had, and they didn’t want anyone to be added to it. But after working together for a few days, we all soon became friends. A month passed and I learned to do many things. I was excited and ready to learn back handsprings(手翻). Back handsprings are one of the main things you need to know for gymnastics because they are done so often. In my opinion, they are the hardest to do, but I was ready to try.
My friend was the queen of back handsprings, so she helped me understand each and every step. Our coach pulled out a handspring machine to help the kids who were learning how to do them for the first time. This machine is a block that has cushion(垫子) all around it. You basically sit in the mouth of the machine and push off with your feet and go backwards until you land on your hands, then feet.
Even with the handspring machine, I couldn’t get my feet right, so I had to try again and again. Impatient, some of the girls seemed to get angry. I was feeling like the new kid in the group again. The new kid that didn’t know what she was doing but everyone else knew it!
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。
Luckily, my friend, the queen of back handsprings, kept encouraging me.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One day, I finally got it right.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Beyond the Horizon
Oshima was sitting at the sea side but the beautiful site did not make her feel good. Her face was dull and gloomy. She was staring at the setting sun without an expression on her face.
But she was not an unhappy child like this always. Six months before, Oshima was a happy child who loved playing at the beach with her brother and sister. Her brother Mittsu used to make sandcastle and Oshima and her sister Osheen collected the sea shells. Her father always shouted, “Come home, it's late”, but they would not listen. The seaside was like their second home. At house also, they were a happy family who always laughed and played and had no problems to bother for.
One day all of a sudden something terrible happened. A violent tsunami came and took the entire country in its grip. It was a huge natural disaster. Most of the houses were washed away. The cities and towns were flooded with water. Oshima’s town was near the sea and so the tsunami flooded her town as well. Her house was washed and they lost all their belongings.
Her grandmother Midori cried and cried and was totally shocked. She has not seen such destruction in her whole life. They were homeless. Oshima wept and wept and complained that why a violent tsunami hit her city. She was very angry.
The government shifted them to a refugee (难民) camp where many families shared the living space. Helicopters dropped food packets and they had to stand in long queues even for drinking water. Their life had turned upside down. Oshima could see the sadness visible in her parents' eyes. Now she did not like the sea at all and always felt that the sea had broken her trust and was very disappointed with the waves. For her the sea was very cruel who had taken her beautiful house away.
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。
One day Oshima saw two little children playing in the camp without any trace of sadness on their face.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A new ray of hope filled her spirits, making her cheer up.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A boy called Mike Duncan came into my school one morning in oversized hand-me-down clothes and worn-out shoes. He was a black-letter sight, standing at the front of our second-grade class. He shifted (转换) from foot to foot as our teacher, Mrs. Lydia wrote his name in the roll book. We weren’t sure what to make of the newcomer in worn-out clothes.
“Attention! This is Mike Duncan,” Mrs. Lydia said with as much enthusiasm (热情) as possible. Looking around and smiling, Mike hoped somebody would smile back. Although nobody did, he kept on laughing from ear to ear anyway.
Unfortunately, Mike had found a firm footing at the bottom of our school’s social ladder (阶梯) by the end of his first week. In fact he was pleasant to be around and was by far the most energetic boy I knew. After lunch each day, we joined forces to conquer (征服) the playground, moving from monkey bars to swing set to sandbox. As we lined up behind Mrs. Lydia for the march back to class, I made up my mind that Mike would remain friendless no longer.
I said one night as Mother pushed me into bed, “Mum, tomorrow is his birthday; and he’s not going to get anything. Mike’s mother worked all day in the orchards (果园) . His special day would go unnoticed.” “Don’t worry,” Mum said as she kissed me good night.
I wished Mike a happy birthday in the next morning; and his smile showed me that he was glad I had remembered. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a terrible day after all. By mid-afternoon I had almost decided that birthdays weren’t that big a deal. Then, as Mrs. Lydia was writing on the blackboard, I heard a familiar sound coming from the hallway.
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。
A voice I knew was singing the birthday song.
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Mike generously shared his cake with the class.
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I work in a foreign capital company. Although the company is a little far from my home, I have my own car. So I drive myself to and from work every day. Tom is my good workmate. Sometimes we work overtime in the company and get off work together. He often goes home by bus.
One day, it was cold outside. It seemed that the snowstorm would be approaching. As usual, Tom and I worked overtime in the company. After finishing the work, we were ready to go home together. Tom went to wait for the bus, and I went to drive. But it snowed harder and harder, and the bus stopped. So I was going to give Tom a ride.
I was heading home after giving Tom a ride, and I took a shortcut to get home early as the snowstorm was approaching.
Then the snowstorm started and was coming down fast. Within minutes I was in a white out. The windows were frozen and getting covered with snow, so I slowed down and rolled down my driver’s side window, thinking I could better follow the road edge and keep to straight line. But really, I had no idea where I was. I was confused and didn’t know what to do.
At that time, I stopped and kept the car running to stay warm. I took a deep breath and was deep in thought. Later I called 911 and asked them for help. However, the operator told me that the weather was too bad to do me a favor and asked me to wait things out for the night.
The call made me feel afraid. Tom knew what happened to me. Suddenly, an idea occurred to him. “Maybe you could ask for help online and there must be some people living nearby your location and they can show you the right direction,” he told me on the phone.
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 posted my location online and explained what I was searching for.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Then I saw a person wearing a long black coat in the dark.
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