Have you ever been so depressed that you can’t sleep? You also can’t eat. You can’t read. You have no friends to call up and nothing is good on TV. So you sigh, press your face down harder into your pillow, and shed a few tears.
This was my life two years ago. I had just turned 14 but already found life a struggle. As I lay in my bed one Saturday, Mom peeked (瞄) into my room to make her regular “Is Emily still alive” check. I knew that if I spent more time like this, she would begin dusting me. After suggesting a few things for me to do that I immediately rejected, Mom made her move, “Emily! Get dressed! I’m taking the dog out for a walk, and you’re coming with me!” “Why?” I protested. “Because it’ll make you feel better.”
The thought of moving was unbearable. I felt as if all of my body parts were weighed down by tons of bricks I couldn’t remember the last time I had gone outside. Somehow I found the strength to slip on a pair of jeans and a black sweatshirt. Mom was waiting at the door, leash (狗绳) in hand and dog at her side.
Then, we stepped outside. It was a warm March day and it had been a long time since the warmth of the sun had touched my cheeks. Mom led the dog and me down some dirt paths, through a big field and reached Halsey Pond. But the signs of spring had yet to appear and the scene was rather colorless throughout the entire journey.
“I’m tired! It’s boring, Mom! When can we go home?” “Not yet,” she’d say. Mom stopped to say hi to every jogger, dog walker, runner, and bicyclist who passed us. Sometimes she would get into a conversation. They would talk about weather, dogs, and all small talk topics. She seemed happy, and was literally glowing (容光焕发). After walking for what seemed an age, Mom finally said it was time to go back.
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。
Paragraph 1: When I got home, a new feeling seemed to be awakened.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: A new Saturday found me asking Mom if I could take the dog out.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, it was the city’s Lower Ninth Ward that was hit the hardest. “I remember coming back home, that was the first time I cried,” Lower Ninth Ward resident Mark told his mother, Gloria. “And we lost everything,” Gloria says.
Recovery was especially slow to come to that part of town. Mark, a father and a son himself, says that for three years he had to live out of a trailer (拖车) set up by an emergency management agency. The residents in the area went six years after the storm without a grocery store (杂货店).
“We had no stores, no barbershops, no laundry rooms,” Mark says. “You have to catch three buses to get to a store. And I always was taught if there’s a problem, somebody’s got to make a move.”
Mark decided to open up that grocery store himself. Using money he’d saved up while working at fast-food restaurants, Mark bought an old building on an empty block and got to work—all in the middle of a fair bit of doubts.
“I remember when I first bought the building, everybody thought that I was crazy,” Mark says. Even his mother had her doubts and told him to stop. “I mean, it was full of trash on the floor that you had to crawl (爬) over and—how can my son make anything out of this?” Gloria remembers thinking.
Clearing the mess wasn’t an easy thing for Mark by himself at all, but he still kept his hands and eyes on the work. “Those eight-hour days turning into 15hours a day really requires more energy and physical strength,” Mark says, “but what motivated (激励) me the most to hold on was to see the people that would walk by with the groceries and get off the bus with all of those bags in the future. That made me work harder.”
Mark’s grocery store finally opened and were full of crowds of residents. The very first customer, Jessica, even cried because she said she had never thought the Lower Ninth Ward could come back.
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。
“How did you possibly do that by yourself, Mark?” Jessica asked.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mark’s grocery store became more than just a place for the residents to buy their daily necessities.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In the heart of a small village located near a thick bamboo forest in China, there lived a young girl named Lin. Lin lived with her grandmother in a small house that her grandfather had built with loving care before he passed away. Unluckily, Lin’s grandfather died before she was born. Lin never met her grandfather, but the stories her grandmother shared painted a picture of a man who was deeply loved and respected by the community.
Every day, Lin felt a great curiosity about the grandfather she had never seen but always felt close to. Her home, filled with his books and the very walls he built, stood as a living example of his hobbies and craftsmanship (手艺). The villagers often shared tales of her grandfather’s good deeds (行为), and they showed deep respect and support for Lin and her grandmother. This deep connection to a man she had never known filled Lin with a mix of sadness for never having me t him and pride for being his granddaughter. Driven by a desire to feel closer to her grandfather, Lin often explored the house and its surroundings, hoping to find something he had left behind — something that might deepen her understanding of the man who she had never met.
One autumn morning, while Lin was helping her grandmother clean the attic (阁楼), she found a beautifully carved wooden box hidden under a dust y floorboard. The box was locked, but to her surprise, she discovered a small note hidden in a crack of the box. It was written in lovely handwriting and said, “To my dear granddaughter, inside this box, you will find treasures of my heart, saved just for you.”
Lin’s fingers shook with expectation as she showed the note to her grandmother, who then handed her a small, old key. “Your grandfather wanted you to find this when you were old enough to understand the depth of his love,” her grandmother said, her eyes shining with tears.
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。
With a deep breath, Lin unlocked the box.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________From that day on, the diary became Lin’s most cherished (珍爱的) item.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Richie and her husband, Pooh, decided on visiting Cape Cod, a beautiful sea town, which is about three hours drive from the city of Boston. Their daughter who then lived in Salem close to Boston insisted that she would pick them up. But they were confident of their sense of direction and not wanting to trouble her, so they refused her offer. They decided to take their journey in their own car and started early in the morning.
After a three-hour drive, they arrived in Cape Cod and started their new discovery with a road map of the town and its suburbs. Since there were many places to see, it took them the whole day to finish their sightseeing.
Now, they were visiting a suburb with shops selling handmade items. Richie was most interested in shopping, while Pooh warned her to finish before it started getting dark. They were so absorbed in their shopping that they forgot about the time until the shops began to close.
They took the same route back. Pooh had a very good memory and a keen sense of direction and so Richie just blindly followed him, without knowing where they were heading to. Soon they found themselves just going round in a maze, realizing they got lost on the way.
They had to stop the car, referred to their map, and started again. After some time, they realized it was no use trying and finding their way back. Their mobile phones had been dead for hours, and it was impossible to contact their daughter. Having no other option, they decided to ask someone for help, but being a Sunday, the roads were empty, with no people walking around or cars passing by. They were getting worried and terrified with each passing minute. The darkness and panic filled Richie’s head with horrible thoughts “Would they be robbed or attacked?” After hours of waiting silently in the darkness, they decided to try again.
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。
Paragraph 1:
Pooh turned the key and tried to start the car, but it wouldn’t move.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
On the edge of despair, they heard the whistle of a car.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Ethan was a young man living in a small town. He was a bright soul with dreams, but he was also trapped by the chains of fear and doubt.
Ethan worked at a small bookshop, yet deep within, he had a strong desire to become a painter. Every evening, as the setting sun painted the sky in orange and pink, Ethan would sit by his window, a blank canvas (油画布) before him. Yet, no stroke (笔画) graced the canvas. The fear of failure and the whispers of doubt prevented him from painting. “What if I’m not good enough?” he often thought.
One cold autumn evening, an unexpected visitor came knocking at Ethan’s door-Mrs. Wilkins, an elderly well-known woman of wisdom. “Ethan,” she began gently, “I’ve noticed the light in your room night after night, and yet, I’ve seen no color grace the world from your hands. Why is that?”
Ethan sighed, the weight of his unspoken dreams heavy on his shoulders. He whispered, “I’m afraid that I’ll never be good enough and that my work will never touch the hearts of others.”
Mrs. Wilkins smiled, a kind, understanding smile. “Ethan,” she said, drawing closer, “let me tell you a story of a young bird, much like yourself, afraid to leave its nest. The little bird was always scared at the thought of flight. Day after day, it watched other birds fly into the sky, while it remained where it was, full of fear. The bird feared the unknown, feared failure, and most of all, feared that its wings were not strong enough to carry it. But then, one day, a storm approached, and the little bird had no choice but to jump into the storm. It was not an easy journey; the winds were very strong, and the rain blinded its eyes. Yet, with each flap (拍打) of its wings, the bird realized that it was able to fly.”
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 开头已给出。
Ethan felt a sense of warmth and hope wash over him as Mrs. Wilkins spoke.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________That night, for the first time in many years, Ethan picked up his brush.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My family had only recently moved into a new neighborhood. All of my neighbors have been very friendly and helpful since we moved in.
However, Mrs Davis, an elderly lady living in the last house on the other side of the road, escaped associating with us, or anyone else. When I asked around the neighborhood why, they warned me not to go after her because they thought she was insane (精神失常的) and preferred staying alone after losing her husband and only daughter in an aircraft crash. After that, she stayed isolated (孤立的) from all the neighbors, refusing all the care and help.
I often saw her on the streets during the evening, but she was always by herself. She appeared weak and I always wanted to help her, but after hearing what my neighbors had said about her, I wasn’t sure whether I should.
One day, when I was on my way to the supermarket, our paths crossed. I was walking past her and overheard her singing a tune. It immediately drew my attention because my parents used to sing the same song with me. I began to sing along with her, and she smiled at me for the first time. But when I smiled back, she quickly hurried her pace and went home.
She seemed very different to me that day. I refused to trust my neighbors’ claims that she had cut herself off from the rest of society because she was insane, so the next day, I knocked on her door. Mrs Davis was home, and instead of letting me in, she just looked at me silently through the window. I noticed her staring at me and was about to walk to the window when she quickly closed the curtains.
The next day, I revisited her house. “Hello, I brought you something,” I called out to her. “It’s the record of the music you were singing yesterday.”
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 door opened and Mrs Davis’ eyes widened in surprise at the sight of me standing there.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Several days later in the morning, the doorbell rang at my house.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In a small town, there lived a young elementary school student named Timmy, whose lateness had become his worst trait (特点) in his school.
Every school morning, he struggled to get out of bed, often finding himself rushing through breakfast and forgetting important things like his homework or lunchbox. Meanwhile, his classmates would glance at the empty seat beside them, exchanging knowing looks as the clock ticked pa st the start of the class. When Timmy finally arrived, he would often find himself the center of attention, and his cheeks red with embarrassment as he apologised. Deep down, Timmy felt a growing sense of discomfort and shame about his habitual lateness. His teachers and classmates were concerned about the effect of his constant lateness on his studies.
One day, Timmy’s class teacher, Mrs. Johnson, decided to solve the issue. She approached Timmy with a gentle smile, “Timmy, can we talk about something important?”
Timmy looked up and replied, a bit nervous, “Sure, Mrs. Johnson.”
She crouched (蹲下) down to his level, speaking softly but seriously and sincerely, “I’ve noticed you’ve been late for class quite often. Do you know being on time is very important?”
Timmy lowered his head and said, “Yes, but...”
Mrs. Johnson continued, “Being on time helps you not miss out on your lessons. It’s also about respect for your classmates and me. When you’re late, it can disrupt (打乱) the whole class. We all miss you when you’re not here on time.”
Timmy nodded and said, a look of understanding on his face, “I didn’t realize it was affecting everyone. I’ll try to be better, Mrs. Johnson. But I have difficulty waking up and getting out of bed. Every morning when my alarm clock sounded, I hit the snooze (小睡) button, just 10 more minutes. Then 10 minutes later, another 10 minutes. That’s why I am always late for school.”
“Don’t worry. We’re all here to help you,” Mrs. Johnson said, offering a comforting smile.
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。
After the talk, Mrs. Johnson, along with Timmy’s classmates, came up with a plan to help him.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Soon Timmy’s change was obvious.
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8 . Scarlett did not eat regularly when she was three years old. At the time, her parents thought she was just a picky eater, but after a blood test and some other tests, they learned she had a rare heart condition.
“I was shocked. I always thought it was her stomach, but the result was beyond our imagination,” her mom, Shanna Tabron, says. “It was really tough to understand and let it sink in. The heart is the engine to your body, and it was heart-broken to hear it.”
In the following 5 years, Scarlett was in and out of the hospital while she waited for a new heart, before receiving a transplant in 2019. Since then, Scarlett said she’s been “feeling better”. And she is a cute and active girl and has found great joy through dancing, which she finds both fun and challenging. This year, when the doctor told Scarlett’s parents that they should not worry about Scarlett’s heart any more, the family even held a dance party for the lucky and brave girl.
Out of all the dancers in the world, Scarlett’s biggest inspiration is the amazing Rockettes. “They are the best,” Scarlett says. “Even when I was sick and went through so many tests, I could felt the power and energy they gave me.” She always wished to see the Rockettes in person.
Through a partnership between Make-A-Wish Southern Florida and Make-A-Wish Metro NYC, Scarlett and her family recently got to fly to New York City for an unforgettable weekend.
And when she found out that her dream of going to New York City to meet them was coming true, she was excited. “I’m really excited to go dancing with the Rockettes and watch their performance,” she said, after changing into a special dancing suit to show off her high kicks.
注意：续写词数应为150左右。In tears, Scarlett’s mother observed the little girl during the show.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Then, Scarlett got to attend a private meet with the Rockettes dancers in person.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________David and George were best friends at school. They sat together in the same school classroom, shared sandwiches during lunch breaks, and had countless adventures together,
As George’s birthday approached, David noticed something that concerned him. It was George’s shoes, the soles (鞋底) of which were nearly worn through. They were no longer as comfortable as they should be, and David could tell that George needed a new pair of shoes and he decided to do something special for his friend on his birthday.
David’s thoughtful plan started with a conversation with his mum. He explained how much he cared for his friend George and how he wanted to gift him a pair of shoes for his birthday.
His mum, a kind and wise woman, agreed that it was a wonderful idea. She also wanted to teach David an important lesson about earning and giving. So, they discussed a plan together. “David,” his mum said, “I think it’s a lovely idea to buy shoes for George. But how about this? I can give you some money for doing extra housework around the house. You can earn the money you need to buy the shoes. What do you think? “David’s eyes lit up, and he smiled widely. “That’s a great idea, Mum! I want to do it. ”
David became a whirlwind (旋风) of activity around the house. He swept the floor, watered the plants, washed the clothes, and even helped his mum with the dishes. His determination to earn enough money for George’s gift shone through his every action.
As days turned into weeks, David saved penny by penny. His mum was impressed by his hard work. She knew that her son’s surprise for George would not only make his friend happy but would also teach David the joy of giving.
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。
Finally, George’s birthday came and David invited George to his home celebration.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________George was so moved by the gift he received.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was a warm Sunday. 16-year-old Stella settled down with a book, enjoying her quiet moment when her friend Bog came over with his 6-year-old sister. “Stella, please! I need you to help to watch Hazel! I have a lecture to attend this afternoon,” Bog begged.
Stella frowned, not thrilled with the idea of babysitting a little girl. However, Bog didn’t offer her any other choice. He dropped Hazel off with Stella and quickly ran away before she could react.
With a heavy sigh, Stella unwillingly turned her attention to Hazel. “Fine, just stay there and don’t cause any trouble,” she grumbled (嘟囔). To her surprise, little Hazel smiled and obediently sat by the table, drawing quietly without making a single noise.
For the next hour, Stella was quietly engaged in reading without being disturbed by Hazel. Gradually, her annoyance disappeared and she got accustomed to the company of Hazel. After a while, Hazel cautiously approached Stella, holding a picture. “Look, it’s you and me,” she said in a low voice. It was a simple drawing of two girls, hand in hand, smiling.
Stella’s heart softened as she looked at the drawing. She felt guilty about treating Hazel impatiently. Setting her book aside, Stella smiled warmly and said, “I love it. Thank you!” Then Stella began to join Hazel to create it together.
Just as they were lost in a world of colors, a sudden phone ringing broke the warm atmosphere. It was a phone call from her friend, reminding her about the long-awaited plan to go skating on the ice rink (溜冰场). Stella’s heart sank because she had forgotten all about it. She was torn between the desire to go skating and her duty to look after Hazel. She was also worried that taking her to skate would prevent her from enjoying gliding (滑) freely on the ice.
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。
As Stella hesitated, Hazel looked up at her with hopeful eyes.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Hazel admiringly watched Stella and her friends gliding on the ice.
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