Our animal rescue volunteers set up a shelter in a town in reaction to floods there. While out looking for animals left behind, we met a man who had a dog, which he had no intention (意图，打算) of taking with him when he finally left. When we offered to shelter his dog, he said, “Alright!”
Soon, he went into his tiny house’s backyard, returned with the dog and put it into our truck. Amy, one volunteer, asked what the dog’s name was. “He doesn’t have one,” the man said and left, without saying goodbye.
We returned to the shelter. After reaching there, the nameless dog sat still in the truck. When we put him on the ground, he just lay there, remaining still.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. Amy replied that maybe the dog was timid (胆怯的) because of his owner’s long-term neglect (疏于照管). She determined to help the dog and named him Albert.
After that day, Amy often carried the sixty-pound dog around the shelter, since he still refused to stand up or walk. At night, Albert lay next to Amy’s bed. Luckily, six days later, Albert never stopped moving, always keeping up with Amy. Wherever she went, Albert would be no more than two steps behind her.
I began to notice, though, that Albert still didn’t have the energy of an eighteen-month-old dog. Later, a doctor found he had heartworm disease (心丝虫病), a deadly disease.
I called Albert’s owner. When I told him that Albert had heartworm disease and that it would cost at least $300 to treat him, I expected he’d say, “I don’t have the money, so you keep the dog.” But I was wrong. He wanted Albert back.
“If he isn’t immediately treated, he’ll die,” I said. “Yeah. I understand. That’s what happened to all my dogs. Although I don’t have enough money to treat him, I can’t let you pay the fee. I’ll be out shortly to pick up (接) my dog,” the man replied coldly and hung up.
In the distance, I saw Amy and Albert playing games.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150词左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
“How am I going to tell Amy we have to give Albert back?” I whispered.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________While he walked to Albert, I shouted, “Wait! Could I buy that dog from you?”
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lily’s Gift
Lily loved her mom more than anything in the world. Her mom worked hard every day to provide for Lily and her little brother, Jake, She was a nurse at the local hospital, and she often had to work long hours and night shifts. Ella knew her mom was tired and stressed, but she always had a smile and a hug for her children.
Lily wanted to do something special for her mom this Christmas. She wanted to show her how much she appreciated her and how much she loved her. She decided to buy her a gift, something that would make her happy and beautiful. She had seen a necklace at the mall, a silver chain with a heart-shaped pendant that had the word “Mom” engraved on it. Lily thought it was perfect for her mom.
But the necklace was expensive. It cost $50, and Lily didn’t have that much money. She only got $5 every week as her pocket money, and she had to save some of it for school supplies and snacks. She also had to help Jake with his homework and chores, so she didn’t have time to get a part-time job. Lily decided to save as much as she could from her pocket money. She also looked for ways to earn extra money. She sold some of her old toys and books at a garage sale. She offered to walk her neighbors’ dogs and water their plants. She even gave up her birthday money and asked for no presents.
It took her months to save enough money for the necklace. She had to resist the temptation to spend it on candy, movies, or clothes. She kept her goal in mind and reminded herself of how happy her mom would be.
Finally, on Christmas Eve, she had enough money. She ran to the mall and bought the necklace. She wrapped it in a shiny red paper and put a bow on it. She wrote a card that said, “To Mom, with love from Lily.”
注意：1．续写词数应为150词左右；
2．请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
She hid the gift under her bed and waited for Christmas morning.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“I saved up for it, mom. I wanted to give you something special. I love you so much,” Lily said.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My sixth-grade students were seated in a large circle on the floor of our classroom. Each student held a different tool in his or her hand, such as a hammer, a flashlight, and even an awl. The lesson had gone perfectly. The students discussed how words are like tools—they have the ability to build or to destroy, and they discovered how the right tool used at the right time for the right job can cause great results. The sixth graders freely shared personal stories of how they had experienced someone’s words used as a tool, , to wound or to heal. I watched and listened with a sense of satisfaction—they got it!
A few days later, one of my students, Laura, had an unexpected and uncharacteristic outburst of destructive behaviors in class. She refused to work with her group. I was aware from reading Laura’s file that she had struggled with disobedient (叛逆的) behavior in previous years, but we had developed a good relationship and she was always a respectful, thoughtful, and positive contributor to our class. Her behavior caught me off guard. I asked her to excuse herself and told her I would visit with her in our next door team center in just a minute, She refused to leave and sat silently glaring at me from the back of the room. I rather firmly told her she needed to excuse herself—this was NOT optional. She knew I meant it. She marched from the back of the room to our classroom door, shooting me an angry look, and slammed the door as she left for the team meeting room.
I continued our lesson and when the students were working together in their groups, I gently closed our classroom door behind me, then marched the five steps next door to cur meeting room where Laura was seated. In an unexpected and uncharacteristic gesture of frustration, I slammed the meeting room door behind me. As I stood over her, I began to express how disrespectful her behavior had been to our class. Her behavior angered me and I was sharp in my tone and my words. Without looking at me, she absorbed my anger.
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。
When I paused for her response, she slowly turned and proudly stated, “You’re using your tool against me!”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________For the rest of the day and the rest of the year; Laura never had another outburst.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When I was seven years old, my family moved from Mexico to America. In Mexico, I was a cheerful girl who loved making people laugh with my jokes and inventing fun games to play with my friends. However, when I arrived in America, I found it hard to fit in, and I became quieter.
We lived in a small house with a modest yard where we grew vegetables—my responsibility. While I took pride in watching them grow, there were times when I dreamed of having a beautiful garden like my schoolmate Luella’s, with its delicate tulips (郁金香). Although Luella lived in the same neighborhood as me, we barely knew each other.
It was after a tornado that Luella and I finally became close friends.
The tornado struck on a Sunday afternoon.The gentle breeze transformed into a strong wind, and thick gray clouds filled the sky. Gradually, the tornado took shape, starting as a thin rope and growing into a large black funnel (漏斗). My entire family gathered in the bathroom, seeking shelter from the storm. Terrified, I sat close to my mom, knees in my chest. After the storm had passed, our worries and fears were replaced by relief that we were unharmed and that our house had remained undamaged.
As I stepped outside, I witnessed the extent of the damage the tornado had caused to our neighborhood. Across the street, a tall tree had fallen, crushing Luella’s garden in front of her yellow house. We hurried over to check on it. Fortunately, her family seemed to be away at the time, and no one was injured. However, her once-beautiful garden was in ruins, with the fallen tree destroying the tulips and debris (碎片) spread everywhere. I could only imagine how heartbroken they must feel seeing this.
Then my mom’s usual words rang in my ear, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” and my family started to think about how we could help.
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。
Just at that moment, Luella’s family returned in their car.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Even after the debris was cleared, I could still sense Luella’s sorrow for her lost garden.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Another school year was beginning. I had thirteen excited first graders eager to learn and ready to fill my classroom with laughs, tears, and everything. I realized that I had a small class size and got excited about the special projects we could do. One project that I had been particularly interested in was finding a doctor in Doctors Without Borders as a pen pal for my students, which could definitely broaden my students’ horizons.
I began by sending out an e-mail to our school district employees asking for names and contact information of any doctor in Doctors Without Borders which they knew of. I sent an e-mail to each one asking if we could communicate with them, but only one reply came: Dr. Denisar, who was in Africa for humanitarian medical work. Since six-year-olds’attention spans were short and many of the students were just learning how to read and write, I thought it would be the best to correspond through e-mail. Dr. Denisar quickly became a reward system. If students practiced and could read a book fluently, I would record it and e-mail it. If they finished a writing assignment, I would scan it and e-mail it. If students were misbehaving, I caught myself saying, “What would Dr. Denisar think about that?”
We also used the information Dr. Denisar included in his e-mails as learning opportunities. As we communicated with him, we learned more about him, as well as his missions from disease outbreaks to malnutrition of the locals. We started to lighten things up by recording songs and jokes, and sending art projects and care packages. He appreciated the communication. After Dr. Denisar returned, we continued to communicate with him, as my students had got quite attached. He promised that he would make a trip to our small town in Illinois to meet my class when he could.
The school year was beginning to wrap up when he contacted me in April about coming up to visit in May. For the first time, we began talking on the phone about his visit.
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。
As the day of his visit approached, the kids began to get nervous.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A whole morning had passed before we knew it.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Brad Howard, a Texas father, had enough of his son’s disruptive (扰乱性的) behavior in physics class. Despite multiple warnings and complaints from the teacher about his son’s excessive (过多的) talking, the situation didn’t improve.
So, Brad decided to take matters into his own hands and gave his son, Bradley, a final warning. Brad made a bold promise to his son, saying, “Hey, if we get another call, I’m going to show up in school and sit beside you in class. ”
The 17-year-old Bradley probably thought his dad was just bluffing (唬人) and continued his chatty (爱闲聊的) ways. But when Brad received another email from the teacher, he knew he had to follow through with his threat.
On the morning of the important day, Brad’s wife woke him up and said, “Brad, it’s time for you to go to school. ” It struck him what he had said. He just couldn’t but a bit regret, “Oh, no, what have I done? ”
Despite his unwillingness, Brad was determined to keep his word and headed to his son’s high school.
The sight of Brad sitting next to Bradley in class was a source of amusement for Bradley’s friends, who found the situation ridiculous. Bradley, on the other hand, was less than thrilled.
He couldn’t believe that his dad had actually gone through with his threat, The embarrassment of having his own father sitting beside him in class was enough to make him regret his behavior. As the class started, Bradley could feel all eyes on him and his dad. He could sense the judgment and the whispers from his classmates.
“Hey, Bradley, it looks like your dad is really serious about this, ” one of his friends whispered across the hallway, trying to hold back a laugh.
“Yeah, this is so embarrassing, ” Bradley whispered, his cheeks turning a deep shade of red.
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。
But as the class progressed, something unexpected happened.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After school, Bradley hesitantly approached his dad with newfound appreciation.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Javon was the shortest kid in the class. It had been that way since the third grade. He’d had to ask to get his gym locker changed so that he didn’t have to struggle so much to reach it. For most kids, being short would be a problem, but Javon didn’t let being short bother him at all.
That was Javon’s attitude about most things except school work. And Javon had worked hard. By the middle of seventh grade, Javon was one of the top kids in the class. So, he hadn’t been too concerned when Mr. T announced they were starting a new unit in math. For Javon, math used to be easy. He figured that since he had ten fingers, he could do most of it. But when Mr. T threw letters into math problems, he couldn’t wrap his mind around using these letters. Mr. T had given them all sorts of rules for what to do when there were letters in math problems. But Javon couldn’t remember what they all were and he didn’t think he even understood the rules he did remember. Soon he was hopelessly lost in math class. Even worse, it was time for the class to take the chapter test.
The test was quite demanding. Javon was confused by the very first question. He was nervous and kept losing track of what he was doing. When the class period ended, he hadn’t finished all of the problems.
The day came when the class finally got their papers back. Seeing “D” written in red ink on the corner of the paper, he felt desperate. In the seat next to him, Tyler sighed slightly, catching Javon’s attention. He couldn’t help but see the big, red “C” on Tyler’s paper. He felt so upset.
When they started packing up to leave after class, Tyler accidentally told Javon he got extra time on the test. Upon hearing this, Javon burst out, “It was unfair!” He dropped his books, face hot.
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。
At this very moment, Mr. T came up to see what happened to them.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Eventually, Javon understood what a reading disorder was and how to ask for help.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The Day Mother Cried
Coming home from school that dark winter’s day so long ago, I was filled with anticipation. I had a new issue of my favorite sports magazine under my arm. Dad was at work, my sister was away, and Mother wouldn’t be home from her new job for an hour.
I was shocked into stillness by what I saw . Mother pulled into a tight ball with her face in her hands. She was crying. I had never seen her cry.
I approached cautiously and touched her shoulder. “Mother?” I said. “What’s happened?”
She took a long breath and managed a weak smile. “It’s nothing, really. I’m going to lose this new job. I can’t type fast enough.”
“But you’ve only been there three for days,” I said. “You’ll catch on.” I was repeating a line she had spoken to me a hundred times when I was having trouble learning or doing something important to me. She sobbed in silence .
I felt helpless and out of place. At the age of 16 I still assumed Mother could do anything. To provide enough income for my college two years later, Mother was crazy for ways to save money.
A few months ago, Mother arrived home with an old typewriter. It skipped between certain letters. “That’s all we can afford,” Mother said. “It’s good enough to learn on.” And from that day on, immediately after dinner, Mother would disappear into her sewing room to practice. The slow tap, tap, tap went on some nights until midnight. On Monday, she got a job as a typewriter at a radio station. I was not the least bit surprised but she was excited. But on Tuesday Mother looked drawn. I didn’t care honestly.
My shock and embarrassment at finding Mother in tears on Wednesday showed how little I understood the pressures on her. Sitting beside her on the couch, I began very slowly to understand.
“I guess we all have to fail sometimes,” Mother said quietly. I could sense her pain. I reached out and put my arms around her.
A week later Mother took a job selling dry goods at half the salary the radio station had offered. “It’s a job I can do,” she said simply.
注意：续写词数应为150左右。
But the evening practice routine on the old green typewriter continued.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The old green typewriter sits in my office now, unrepaired.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Acts of kindness have the power to not only brighten our day but also restore our faith in humanity. While young children are often reminded to be kind, real-life examples of young people showing charity prove that kindness knows no age limit.
In the busy city of Detroit, 14-year-old twin sisters, Makhia and Makyla Vincent, were on their usual route to school when something caught their attention. On the snow-covered ground lay a wallet, seemingly out of place. “What do you think we should do?” Makyla whispered, her voice low．Makhia bit her lip, her eyes locked on the wallet. “I don’t know, but we can’t just leave it here. What if the owner needs it desperately?” Finally, worry and curiosity got the better of them, and they decided to take a look inside.
Slowly, Makhia reached out and picked it up. As she opened it, the sisters gasped at the same time. To their surprise, they discovered a large amount of cash, bank cards, and a military ID. It was clear that whoever owned this wallet held great value for these possessions. Instantly, the girls knew exactly what they had to do. Coming from a family with a veteran (退伍军人) grandfather, the sisters felt a deep sense of empathy for the person who had lost the wallet.
The girls looked closer to inspect the military ID. It belonged to a Marc Walsh, a middle- aged man who looked serious. “We have to find this Marc Walsh,” Makhia declared, her voice filled with determination. “But how?” Makyla asked. Makhia thought for a moment, “Maybe there’s an address on one of these cards. Let’s see if we can find any clues.”
They carefully examined the bank cards and discovered that one of them had an address on it. It was located not far from where they stood. With a sense of purpose, the twins decided to make their way to the address, wallet in hand.
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 address led them to an old apartment building.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Upon returning home, Marc’s roommate informed him of the discovery.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pimple on the Nose
“Nooo!” screamed Asha as she saw a huge pimple(痘) on her nose. She didn’t have time to cover the pimple as she was running late to school. She gobbled her breakfast, grabbed her bag and got into her school bus just in time. As soon as she entered, kids started laughing. Nobody was willing to make her sit beside them. Even Anita, her bus mate acted a bit differently with her.
Asha was lost in thoughts. A new thought popped in her mind every second. Once she thought “Great! As if homework and exams were not enough, I have to worry about my pimple as well.” The next minute another thought popped in her mind. “I am tired of using that face wash. I still wonder how I agreed to use that horrible thing! How can…” Mr. Shetty, the bus driver said “Asha, do you want to miss the class?” Asha was so lost in her thoughts that she did not even notice that everybody had got down the bus except her.
She did not want to step into the campus. She thought, “What will my teachers think? What will my friends think?” After some time, she gathered courage and entered her class expecting that she would be laughed at.
It was a very hard day at school for her. As soon as she got home, she hugged her mother tightly. As she did so she felt all her worries were not even a dot in front of the warm and loving hug.
Later that day, she went to the supermarket with her mother. While coming back she heard people commenting on her pimple. A small child cried, “Daddy! My cherry is on her nose! Get it for me.” She heard some boys murmuring, “If she would have been in our school, she would definitely be chosen as the joker in the dance.”
Asha wondered why people cared so much about her appearance.
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 it was time for bed story, and mom asked her to choose a book.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Her mother asked her never to judge a book by its old cover but to pay attention to the details.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
