Monty was the son of a horse trainer. Like his father, the young boy would go from stable to stable, farm to farm and ranch (大牧场) to ranch, training horses. As a result, the boy’s high school career was continually interrupted. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about who he wanted to be and what he wanted to do when he grew up.
That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the tracks. Then he drew a detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a 200-acre dream ranch.
He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. Much to his surprise, on the front page was a large red F with a note that read, “See me after class.” The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked, “Why did I receive an F?”
The teacher said, “This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from a poor horse trainer family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock (良种畜) and later you’ll have to pay large stud fees. There’s no way you could ever do it.” Then the teacher added, “If you rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.”
注意：1．续写词数应为150左右;
2．请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
The boy went home and asked his father what he should do.
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Several years later, that same schoolteacher brought 30kids to camp out on Monty’s ranch for a week.
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注意：
(1)写作词数应为100个左右；
(2)请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
Suggestions on Memorizing Chinese Characters
—based on the principles of memory
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On a wet evening in September 2013, my flight landed in London. I was 19 years old and came to Britain to study mechanical engineering at university. It was also the first time that I had left home since I grew up in Dubai.
I felt lonely, homesick, and the rainy day that greeted me at the airport was really unpleasant. I’d never traveled alone, and the seven-hour flight from Dubai was the longest I had ever flown on. I pushed my luggage to the exit and saw a gray car with the name of the university I was going to attend. I guessed it was to pick me up, and sure enough.
After leaving the airport, the driver and I chatted. He said I was the last freshman he picked up that day. He told me about the city and its people, as well as what to see and experience. I love driving, so we talked about cars and what it was like to drive in Dubai. He also talked about his experience of driving in London.
“Never make the people here angry,” he warned, “never get into a conflict with people on the road. It's very dangerous!” He then talked about his own experience of having conflicts with people on the road. By the time he finished, I had already made up my mind that I would definitely keep a low profile on the road.
Not long after the car hit the road, the car behind us flashed its lights sharply, and the more they flashed, the more nervous the driver got. Then the car sounded its horn (喇叭) and flashed its lights again, and we had to pull over to a bright spot on the side of the road. My heart was beating wildly when the owner of the car behind me came up and walked towards me, but I tried to show a brave expression.
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。
He approached my window and I rolled down the window.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I took my wallet back and breathed a sigh of relief.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When I was eight or nine years old, I wrote my first poem. My mother read the little poem and began to cry. “David, did you really write this beautiful poem? I think it’s wonderful!” my mother poured out her praise. I felt pleased and proud. “What time will Father be home?” I asked. I could hardly wait to show him what I had accomplished. My mother said she hoped he would be home around seven. I spent the best part of that afternoon preparing for his arrival. First, I wrote the poem out in my finest flourish (花体字). Then I used coloured crayons to draw a beautiful border around it that would fit in with its brilliant content. Then I waited. As 7 o’clock drew near, I confidently placed it right beside my father’s plate on the dining-room table.
But my father did not return at seven. I always admired my father. He was head of Paramount Studios in Hollywood but he had begun his motion picture career as a writer. He would be able to appreciate this wonderful poem of mine even more than my mother.
That evening it was almost 8 o’clock when my father came back. He was an hour late for dinner. He seemed annoyed. He did not sit down but circled the long dining-room table with a drink in his hand, complaining about his employees (员工).
Suddenly, he paused and stared at the paper beside his plate. There was a stressful silence. “What is this?” He was reaching for my poem. I lowered my head and stared down into my plate. I was full of anxious daydreams. How wonderful it would be if this very first work of mine drove away the angry clouds that now darkened my important father’s face.
“Ben, a wonderful thing has happened,” my mother began. “David has written his first poem! And it’s beautiful,”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to decide for myself,” Father said.
I kept my face lowered to my plate as he read that poem. It couldn’t have taken very long to read that poem. It had only ten lines, but it seemed to take hours for him to read it. I could hear him dropping the poem back on the table.
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 think the poem is terrible,” he said.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A few years later, I took a second look at my first poem, and I had to agree with my father’s judgment.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Karl had a good hobby. He had loved basketball for as long as he could remember and he had never had a day without playing it. At primary school and junior high school, he joined basketball clubs, attended training programs and watched basketball games, from which he learned the moves of the star players, wishing to play in a professional team like them and shine on the court.
Now as a senior high school student, however, his dream of becoming a professional player was dimming（变暗）because he was only of average height. He had to give up the hope of joining the school team. The guys on the school team were all tall boys who took part in matches and won honors for the school. They were like heroes. Karl watched them play and cheered them up but he knew he would never be one of them.
Karl felt it a pity not to be tall enough, but this didn’t stop him from pouring his passion into basketball. He just played for the love of the sport. He played in the school gym with other boys or by himself every day, even during holidays and weekends, when it was open for two hours in the morning. He enjoyed every minute on the court and made every effort to play better.
It was one Saturday morning. Karl was playing in the gym by himself, as all the other boys were busy with other weekend affairs. Then he noticed a tall boy approaching. It was Bill. Everybody knew him as captain of the school basketball team. “Hi, Bill,” Karl greeted him. “My name is Karl.” “Hi, Karl,” Bill replied as he got closer. “Nice to see you here. Do you need an opponent to play against?” Karl was shocked, frozen right there, unable to believe his ears but somehow, he answered, “Why not?”
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。
Karl treasured the chance to play against Bill.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After the game, Bill appreciated Karl for his skills in playing basketball.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________GOAL!!! Luis jumped up and down, celebrating. Nicholas looked at him with a broad smile. At that moment, the bell rang. It was time to head back to the classroom for their next class.
Just then, Devon walked up, his face red with anger. He yelled(吼叫) at Luis. It seemed unbelievable that Luis didn’t pass to him when he was way closer to the goal than Nicholas. Luis rolled his eyes and ignored him. That’s what he did with Devon most of the time—just ignored him.
After school, Nicholas and Luis took the same bus home. Nicholas complained about the way that Devon talked after soccer. He’s always yelling at people. All that yelling made soccer less fun. So Nicholas wanted to move to the other part of the soccer field and tell Devon that he couldn’t play with them anymore.
“What? But isn’t that... isn’t that leaving him out?” Luis asked.
Nicholas put his head down and started playing with his hands. “Well, I already talked to all the other guys,” Nicholas said. He looked up. His eyes were set in determination. But telling Devon that he couldn’t play with them anymore? That seemed extreme for Luis.
By the time he got home, Luis still didn’t have an answer. His older brother, Omar, welcomed him with a wide smile. Omar was the most cheerful person he had ever met. After carefully thinking of what Luis had mentioned, Omar suggested Luis talk to Devon—How can you expect someone to know he’s crossing a line with how he talks to you if you don’t tell him?
“Shouldn’t it be obvious that it isn’t fun if you yell at people?” Luis asked.
“Maybe it’s obvious to you. But not to him. Just like it’s obvious to me that you should start setting the table for dinner. But apparently not to you,” Omar replied.
Luis thought about what Omar said. It was the only thing he could think of that didn’t involve shutting Devon out or letting him keep. yelling at people.
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。
So, the next day before school started, Luis decided to talk to Devon.
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“Just give him another chance, okay?” said Luis to Nicholas.
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During lunchtime a terrible traffic accident happened on the Clark Memorial Bridge. A semi truck, a pickup truck and two passenger vehicles crashed, causing the semi truck to break through the bridge barrier(护栏) and partially hang over the Ohio River 100 feet below. The frightened driver was dangled(悬挂) midair in the cab while waiting for rescue. The Louisville Fire, EMS and Metro Police departments quickly arrived on the scene by 12: 06 p. m.
With no time to waste, the fire department immediately arranged rescue equipment—an aerial ladder (空中梯子), pulley system (滑轮系统) and a safety rope in an effort to reach the woman trapped in the truck. The EMS team communicated with the driver to help keep her calm as firefighters prepared for the rescue attempt.
Firefighter Bryce Carden, an expert in rescue, led the attempt. After everything was considered, Bryce knew he must reach the trapped driver, cut her seat belt and secure her in a harness(安全吊绳). The success of the rescue depended on trust, according to Bryce. The truck driver had to trust him and he, in turn, had to trust the rest of the team. While he remained aware that any extra weight on the truck could cause it to fall into the Ohio River, he stayed calm and focused. He told the driver the rescue process and worked to gain her trust.
“Take a deep breath and here is what I need you to do.” Bryce said to the driver when he carefully approached the driver across an aerial ladder. News crews captured the dramatic scene using a drone(无人机), and people around the world watched heroes at work.
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。
Bryce managed to reach the trapped driver.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________To everyone’s relief, the driver eventually succeeded in removing her foot from the car.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Now I am a famous writer and public speaker who always believes in the great power of language. I still remember how the very first speech that I gave changed my life more than I could have ever imagined.
When I was in sixth grade, my teacher, Mrs Lin, encouraged me to sign up for the school speech contest. I was pretty bad at the rehearsal (排练). I felt quite nervous and afraid of failure. Therefore, after class, I ran to the office to find Mrs Lin. Hearing what I said, Mrs Lin sounded puzzled. “You’ve put your heart and soul into practicing it all these past few weeks.” “Yes,” I wanted to say. All I had dreamed of was to represent my school on that stage and be the best public speaker ever. Instead, I whispered, “I messed up big time at rehearsal today. I…I’ve been messing up regularly... a lot. I want to quit.” My words came fast on each other’s heels. “Can you tell the judges I’ve been seriously ill, please?” I sounded hopeless.
Mrs Lin was quiet for several moments. “Making up lies is not how we solve problems, Lucy,” she finally said. “You are not the person to shy away from a challenge.” I nodded uncertainly. Then she took out a book about Phoenix. She hoped that Phoenix could give me courage. During reading, Phoenix’s story of bravery and her fight for education fascinated me. Her determination and courage in the face of challenges deeply moved me. Inspired by her story, I decided that my speech would be about Phoenix and the importance of education for everyone.
As the day of the contest approached, I was still struggling with my fears. I knew I had to overcome them, not just for myself but also for the message I wanted to convey through Phoenix’s story. I decided to take a different approach to my preparation. I started by researching more about Phoenix, her life, her struggles, and her devotion to education. During this process, I also sought feedback from Mrs Lin. She listened attentively to my drafts and offered constructive comments. Her guidance was invaluable, helping me to shape a speech that was not only informative but also emotionally rich.
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。
The day of the contest arrived and I stood in front of my schoolmates, my heart racing.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Thanks to Mrs Lin, my dream was coming true.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________(1)典礼的时间和地点；
(2)典礼的大致过程(父母期望、表达感恩等)；
(3)你的感想。
注意：
(1)词数80左右；
(2)首句已为你写好，不得出现真实姓名和学校名称。
Our school’s sports file d saw a coming-of-age ceremony last Sunday.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Some kids play sports, some love attending parties and others are computer masters. Me? I have the spelling bee (拼词比赛).
The bee is my World Cup. I trained every day as soon as I returned home after school, the dictionary pages dancing softly in the light wind. I built up my muscle (once I spelled it m-u-s-u-1-e… so embarrassing!) carrying around my friend Oxford dictionary. I laughed in the face of difficult words in the spelling test. For example, “Serendipitous”. Please. That was so fourth grade.
As soon as I opened my eyes on Friday morning, I felt the hairs on my arm stood up. I looked at my alarm clock—it was only 6:27. I usually woke up at 7:01, which meant I had an extra thirty-four minutes to study before going to school to attend today’s spelling bee contest. My stomach felt like it was filled with a flock of flamingos (火烈鸟) dancing a fandango (f-a-n-d-a-n-g-o-h, I spelled wrongly a month ago). To calm down, I reminded myself that I was one of the best spellers in my class. Even though I was not ambitious enough to want to go to the National Spelling Bee—I just wanted to win the bee at our school. I could beat my arch-enemy (死敌), Nathan.
Nathan thought he was a better speller than me, but he didn’t even study words. He just read tons of huge science and math books. I could say safely that Nathan and I had nothing in common except being good spellers, but since he was a good speller without even trying, it didn’t count. I bet if you gave Nathan a literature word like “denouement” (it took me FOREVER to remember that one), he’d be out on the first round.
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 went downstairs, only to find Dad was already up, reading a newspaper.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Finally came the contest.
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