There was a student named Lily who studied at high school. She had excellent grades and was considered as one of the top students in her school. However, Lily had a rather irritable (易怒的) personality. Because her parents gave her high pressure that she must keep her top place in her school. her mind was only focused on her grades, leaving little room for anything else.
One day, after receiving a lower grade than she expected on an important test. Lily was falling apart. Sad and overwhelmed, she even started considering her failure was due to her parents. She quarreled with her parents and kept them out of her room.
Lily’s parents turned to the school teacher Mr. Thompson for help. They poured out all the bad present situations to him. Mr. Thompson was a professional teacher with a deep understanding of the importance of a balanced lifestyle. He recognized that it was Lily’s too much worry about grades that was having a bad effect on her and the parent-child relationships.
Mr. Thompson advised Lily’s parents to calm down first. And after school, he approached Lily and gently suggested they go for a run together. At first, Lily refused, saying that it would take her too much time. Besides, she couldn’t understand how running could be beneficial to her academic success.
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。
“Believe me, Lily,” Mr. Thompson said, and finally Lily agreed to give it a try.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Seeing Lily’s change. Mr. Thompson recommended her to give a speech to her classmates.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I remember wondering if we should even be friends when I found out that my new friend Karina did not share my opinions about some stuff. It was hard to imagine disagreeing with her about anything, because when we first met, we got along so great.
It was as if we’d known each other forever. Whenever we got to pick a partner at camp, we picked each other. Whenever we had a break, we hung out together. And the more time we spent together, the more we realized how amazingly alike we were. We both had two lovely cats. We both liked baking extra-creative cookies.
But then something happened. The tent camp was next to a piece of beautiful land that had a bunch of giant old trees on it. Whenever it was nice out, we’d get to eat our lunch at picnic tables that were right by some of those trees. “Whoa!” said Karina one day. “Look at the millions of holes all the way up and down this trunk.”
“That’s amazing,” I said. “A special kind of woodpecker (啄木鸟)makes those holes to store acorns (橡子).”
“Pretty cool! ”said our counselor, Miguel. “Now, let’s all be sure to keep this magical forest as clean and perfect. Don’t forget to put your trash and recyclables in the bins.”
And that’s when things got complicated. “Hey,” said our friend LeVar. “Have you guys heard that shopping-mall rumor (传闻)? They want to cut down a bunch of those trees to make room for a shopping center.”
“That’s terrible!” I said. “We have to stop that.”
“I disagree,” said Karina. “My parents said the shopping center would make new jobs for people.”
“But think of all the birds and squirrels that would lose their homes!” I said. “I want people to have jobs, but not if it means cutting down trees.”
“Don’t you think people’s jobs are more important than trees?” Karina asked.
“Can’t we figure out how to make jobs without destroying nature?” I answered.
“You know,” Karina said, super seriously, “maybe we’re not quite as alike as we thought.”
I sighed sadly.
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。
Maybe two people with opposite points of view just aren’t meant to be friends, I was thinking. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We ended up having much more fun at the tent camp. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Summer vacation was finally coming, and Rose couldn’t wait to have a trip with her parents. She recalled the joyful experiences they shared last summer, which filled her with excitement for the upcoming holiday.
“Girls!” Rose heard her father calling. She raced to her big sister’s room, telling her that Dad was calling them, and they rushed downstairs log either. Dad put his arm around Mom and told them that they were going on a trip to the Virunga Mountains of Africa. There were three national parks that they would visit.
Rose and Gina looked at each other. “What?” they said with one voice. Mom told them it would be really exciting to go there on a trip. At 12 years old, Rose would prefer going to an amusement park or a beach. She thought it important to let her parents know she didn’t want to go there but to the beach for a week or two.
“Well,” said Dad, “I have to go for an assignment for the paper. We’re covering the mountain gorillas (大猩猩) because they’re critically endangered these years. So, I thought it’d also be a great place to take a vacation. I’m sure it’ll be very educational for you girls.”
Gina let out a sigh, unable to contain her disappointment. She wanted to say something but Mom interrupted and announced that the trip was set on the next Monday.
“Sit down, both of you.” Dad had on his severe look. “Girls, it’s important for you to know about the world around you. This is a wonderful chance for you to experience and learn an amazing place. Do you know anything about the mountain gorillas?”
The sisters shook their heads.
“Well, get your laptop computer, Gina. I want you to look them up right now,” said Dad, “Rose, there is a book on the bookshelf about the cute mountain gorillas. Find it and read 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。
The girls dragged their feet upstairs.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The next Monday came and the family set out excitedly.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Learning motivation only accompanied by interest can last long. My grandfather used to be the director of a local museum. So since I was young, I had the opportunity to visit various museums with him. After entering high school, I became interested in history, and I constantly collected information related to museums.
When I was 17, I read a magazine article about a museum called the McNay, once the home of a watercolourist named Marian McNay. She had requested the community to turn it into a museum upon her death.
Do not miss your chance to see Texas’ first modern art museum—the McNay Art Museum. There are more than 20,000 different and significant works. With beautiful Spanish gardens and the amazing architecture of the building, the art within the walls isn’t the only wonder to see.
On a sunny Saturday, Sally and I drove over to the museum. She asked, “Do you have the address?” “No, but I’ll recognize it, there was a picture in the magazine.”
“Oh, stop. There it is!”
The museum was free. We entered, excited. A group of people sitting in the hall stopped talking and stared at us.
“May I help you?” a man asked. “No,” I said. “We’re fine.” Tour guides got on my nerves. What if they talked a long time about a painting you weren’t that interested in? Sally had gone upstairs. The people in the hall seemed very nosy (爱管闲事的), keeping their eyes on me with curiosity. What was their problem? I saw some nice sculptures in one room. Suddenly I sensed a man standing behind me. “Where do you think you are?” he asked. I turned sharply. “The McNay Art Museum!” He smiled, shaking his head. “Sorry, the McNay is on New Braunfels Street.” “What’s this place?” I asked, still confused. “Well, it’s our home.” My heart jolted (震颤). I raced to the staircase.
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 called out, “Sally! Come down immediately!”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Thirty years later, a woman approached me in a public place.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Twinkling glass pieces fall in an unevenly timed rain while reflecting dead worlds as they always do. The girl at the center of it all focuses on a piece reflecting something new, however, and of this world still existing.
Tears fall from her eyes, but the reason is yet grasped by her. Her mind still recovering, she agonizes over the loss of everything she had before, falling all around her. But, also, she agonizes over the loss of her zeal. The memory reflected shows a better and ignorant time, as she walked into a trap she’d created for herself. Even if she knew where it would lead-these shiftless travels inviting senselessness-would she have done it all again, just to be happy?The red in the glass is that of the red in her clothes, and she grasps the shard tightly to add the red of her hand to it, blurring past and present, running warm over the shimmering surface. She feels, again, but she feels so much more than before. She feels, overwhelmingly, regret.
These were times that, almost with pride, she had moved meaninglessly. She had gathered the Arcaea to enjoy them, and not thought even a bit as to why. She had brought on herself a torturous and tedious hedonistic existence, a manufactured and blinding prison. She had done it all for nothing, and nearly lost herself. And to a question of “Why?” there was never an answer. Just to be happy? That hadn’t been it either. Collapsed on her knees, choking through cries with the memory over her breast, she knows the weight of her errors. She had surrounded herself in love and life so much that it came to disgust her, and that truth grieves her. In grief the girl cries, thinking as much as she can, about everything that has happened, and what anything meant.
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:
She no longer openly weeps, sitting among shimmering glass with dried tears on her cheeks and dried blood in her hands. Fear, worry, and regret have ended, so she now has to look out ahead.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
If she wants to press on, she must have a reason.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was a Saturday morning as I prepared to take my eight-year-old son, David, to the aquarium. His eyes were widened with excitement, and he chattered non-stop about the sea creatures we would see, the sharks, the dolphins... We boarded the bus, and after a few stops, we made ourselves comfortably seated. David gazed out the window, watching the world go by with wonder.
The bus continued its route, and with each stop, it became increasingly crowded. Passengers of varying ages and backgrounds filled the seats. David and I were engaged in a light-hearted conversation about marine life, our anticipation and joy building with each passing minute.
As we approached a mid-route bus stop, an elderly lady boarded, her movements labored and her legs visibly unsteady. The bus was full, and for a moment, there was an obvious hesitation among the passengers, each perhaps weighing the social morals against their own comfort. The elderly lady seized her walking aid, swaying slightly with each lurch of the vehicle.
Noticing the elderly lady’s struggle, David made a decision. Without a moment’s hesitation, he rose from his seat. His small hand gestured towards the elderly lady. “You can sit here, ma'am,” he said, his voice clear and sincere. The elderly lady’s face transformed with a mixture of surprise and gratitude. “Oh, thank you, boy,” she said, her voice filling up with emotion. David then took her hand gently, helping her navigate through the crowd to the seat he had left for her. With the help of David, the lady eased herself into the seat, her relief evident. I felt pride welling up within me as I watched what David had done. Looking at David, who was standing now, I saw not just the playful child he was known to be, but the empathetic and considerate young man he was growing into.
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 the bus rolled on, it was filled with renewed warmth among the passengers.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________That evening, as we returned home, I couldn’t help but reflect on the true treasure of the day.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The snowstorm was supposed to hit the evening of Monday. I was driving from the city center back home. All of a sudden, the snow started and within minutes I was in a whiteout, totally losing sight. Soon I had to stop because I didn’t know where I was. I kept the car running to keep warm and called 911. But no rescue would come until the next morning. I searched around in a whiteout but nobody or no car was nearby. I felt a deep sense of loss.
Taking a deep breath, I told myself that being afraid won’t help.
My kids! It was the first time that they had spent a night without me at home. I called and told them what was happening, forcing myself to sound calm. I didn’t tell them I was frightened. But I, a problem-solver all my life, couldn’t figure out what to do.
Suddenly, a colleague texted me and I joked about my driving home ending in disaster. But he had an idea. “Share your location (位置) on Google Maps and send it to me,” he said.
I did, and a few minutes later he texted me back a screenshot (屏幕截图) of the satellite view of where I was. We figured out that I was on a road called Bouvier Lane, in between two farms. I posted this new information to my Facebook community group, hoping to find anyone who lived on the farms to help me get rescued.
After that, all I could do was sit in the car and try to stay warm. I’d done all I could, and no matter what happened, I had to be at peace with that. But even if someone did figure out where I was, would help be able to come through the heavy snow and high winds?
Soon enough, though, people started commenting on my post. They knew a family who lived there! I got a message from someone who was going to put me in touch with them.
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。
At 8 pm, my cellphone rang.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When Andrew and I reached the house, his wife treated me to hot drinks.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On a flight from Atlanta to Seattle, Alaska Airlines flight worker Amber May came across an unexpected and unusual request that saw her go above and beyond her normal duties.
With ten years of flying experience, Amber has me t with many special situations, but non e of them were more unique than the task waiting for her on that flight.
Six of Zoo Atlanta’s valuable Chilean flamingo (火烈鸟) eggs were on their way to Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo on the plane, where a zoo official placed them in a moveable warm box.
However, unfortunately, during the flight to Seattle, the zoo official found that the warm box stopped working without knowing what the reason was. As a result, the temperature inside the container was dropping fast. If the temperature continued to drop, this would put the eggs at risk. If the problem was not solved, these valuable eggs would never turn into young birds.
The zoo official was so worried that he first tried to repair the warm box by himself, but he was not a repairman after all. No matter how hard he tried, the warm box just wouldn’t work. He had also wanted to contact his colleagues at the zoo to ask for a solution, but he was on the plane and he couldn’t make a call. He realized that he was indeed in trouble.
And all of a sudden, he had a brainstorm. He thought of the workers on the plane, and immediately pressed the call button. He asked Amber May if she could find a way to help keep the eggs warm.
In response to this request, Amber May broadcast (广播) to find someone who can provide help. And after that, Amber May worked positively with the zoo official to think of other solutions. By filling rubber gloves with warm water, Amber created a place to keep the eggs comfortable and protected them from the coldness on the plane.
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 unexpected call of duty also caused interest and kindness from other passengers.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Months later, the zoo called Amber May, inviting her to visit the young birds.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________This…was turning out to be a strange meeting. Though the one in black doesn’t know it, the one white is beginning to share the darker girl’s lack of enthusiasm. Like a fire in a sudden chill wind, her hope flickers and wanes. Now she grows uncomfortable, anxious, and wary. A slight but unshakable atmosphere drifts between them, one that feels unmistakably off. To her, it seems as though their very meeting is something the world finds to be simply…“wrong”. The ever-present glass, now scattered unevenly throughout and above the broken grounds, reflects that strange feeling.
Ordinarily, these shards would flock to them without their bidding：“happiness”to the girl in white, “tragedies” to the girl in black. Right now, every piece of glass in the air stands still. Perhaps half a hundred mirrors are quietly
suspended around the girls, half-catching images of the empty place that surrounds them. When the girl in white tries to call out to them, they will not even waver. It unsettles her：happiness placed beside horror, equally glinting and equally motionless. The only piece that will follow her is the one she can hold—the one that set her free.
She stares hard at the shadow girl.“If we’re in this together, ”she begins, leaning forward, “then what do you think about staying together?We…We could help each other, and maybe…”
She stops. The other girl is staring into the empty, canvas-like sky with a blank and uninformative expression. She doesn’t seem to be listening, but in truth she has followed every word.
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:
“Maybe…”the dark girl echoes.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
And the remnant of the girl she used to be, the Tairitsu who had first woken up in this world, rebelled against the prospect of “the end”—against the idea of giving up.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________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.
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