In a few short weeks I will be going to watch my 40th performance of Les Miserables (《悲惨世界》). I fell in love with the songs back in 1985 when they were first released — Bring Him Home, I Dreamed A Dream and On My Own. Even as a head teacher, I hadn’t read the Victor Hugo novel and knew very little about the musical, but the songs captured my attention instantly and I happily sang along whenever I heard them on the radio.
Five years later I set out on a trip around the world with my wife and daughter. On one of our stops in Vancouver, Canada, I saw a large advertising banner promoting Les Miserables and immediately suggested booking tickets. On the drive to the theatre, we discussed what we knew of the storyline — nothing but the French Revolution. But we did love the rollercoaster ride of emotions and the tragic story of Jean Valjean when enjoying it.
On the late-night drive home, on a high after this amazing performance, I announced that I wanted to perform in the musical when we returned to Australia. This was an incredible statement, given we lived 50 kilometers from the nearest large town, Toowoomba. There was little likelihood of ever having a chance to perform. But the Toowoomba Choral Society bought the performance rights in 1992 with the view to perform it in 1994. I had seen a few of their performances but was not a member of the choir. They called for auditions and, emboldened by the chance to be part of the “Les Mis” experience, I went along. I had had no experience singing and had never performed in any musicals but I believed in miracles and hoped for a place for me somewhere in the chorus.
I tried out for the part of Javert with others as well as the students from the University of Southern Queensland. Rehearsals (排练) started immediately and I got a crash course in singing, acting and dancing. There was so much to learn and as I drove to rehearsals three times a week a little voice would say, “You are in over your head, get out now.”
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 rehearsal process was tough.
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Opening night was amazing.
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My struggles started in seventh grade when I began passing out. I had many medical check-ups and finally found one that helped. My average blood pressure was about 80/60 on a good day. To this day, I continue to battle this problem.
Then, two years ago, I was diagnosed (诊断) with fibromyalgia, a muscle disease that is not really helped by medication. It’s like having a pulled muscle when the disease attacks. It can last as long as three months. I was bedridden for a month. Cold weather, rain, or physical or emotional stress can cause the pain,
It’s hard enough to be a healthy teenager and go through the typical changes with friends, family, school, etc. Add to that missing two to three months of school a year, and it can make things very difficult. The hardest part was on the outside I looked normal like everyone else; however, on the inside, I was in horrible pain. Some classmates had passed their comments on me thinking that since my physical appearance was fine, I must be OK. The judgment hurt me more than anyone will ever know.
I battled with depression (抑郁) as well, because I felt like an outsider. I longed to be normal and healthy. I even developed an eating disorder. In the beginning, I had lost a lot of weight. For the first time, I felt like I was attractive because I was skinny. I was receiving more attention than ever. I would still feel depressed, though, because of all that was going on in my life. I would eat a lot hoping the stress would go away. But then I would throw up the food so I would still look good. Luckily, I overcame these problems with the help of my family and a wonderful job.
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。
My mother stuck by me and encouraged me in all my time of need.
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I found a purpose knowing I had something to give to these elderly people.
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One Sunday last year, eight of us hiked for a couple of hours through the desert near San Diego to reach Thunder Canyon Cave. We had to go through a waterfall to get inside, so we put on our wetsuits and lowered ourselves 30ft down. By 11：00 am we were inside. With further climbing, we reached a nineinch crack. Having caved for four hours,__I was tired and wet.
The group leader, Luca,__was guiding three cavers. One of them, Steve, in his 50s, got jammed in the__crack. There was 10 minutes of pulling and pushing until Steve was free. He was tired and needed to leave. Luca, assuming I'd been through the crack before, guided Steve through another 15 minutes of cave to an exit. I was second from last to go through and out of earshot (可听距离). I didn't realize that Luca wasn't there—if I'd known, I wouldn't have attempted the crack, as I needed an experienced guide.
The challenge is to move your feet first down the length of the crack, and then angle your body sideways to swing along, before dropping five feet to the floor of the next space. On my first attempt, I knew I wouldn't make__it through, but the group encouraged me to try again. I didn't want to inconvenience anyone by having to make the long trip back through the cave, so I backed out and took off my wetsuit. In just my Tshirt, I tried to slide through again but my hips (屁股) jammed. My feet were hanging the other side and my left arm supported my body. My hand rested on a wooden board that had been left covering rocks to protect cavers from slipping. Luca returned and the team tried everything to move me as I mentally focused on escape.
After two hours my arm weakened, so I slid further into the crack, where the__gap was only eight and a half inches wide. My body weight was now on my left elbow, my back and chest touching the cold stone walls. The guy behind me, Jim, tried unsuccessfully to pull me back. Of course, I was blocking his escape,__too.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1：
With the risk of hypothermia (低体温),
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Paragraph 2：
Luca finally found the rescue helicopter.
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An old wooden seat that Susan extremely valued often reminded her of mother’s Golden Rule.
Back in the 1930s, the country life was really tough. One day after dinner, Susan’s mother sat on the seat, announcing to the children the Golden Rule: “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” Susan reflected carefully and seriously on what her mother had said. She resolved that she would keep in mind and follow the rule.
One Saturday afternoon, she went to farmer Jason’s inn (小旅馆) to get the pay for her mother’s washing for the guests there, which amounted to five dollars. She found Jason in the yard, who, as all the villagers knew, was selfish and mean.
His eyes clouded with anger, as he had just finished a quarrel with one of his guests. He held in his hand an open wallet, full of bills. He barely noticed Susan until she made her request for the money. Instead of shouting at her, as usual, for troubling him when he was busy, he handed her a bank note.
Feeling relieved for escaping from Jason so easily, Susan hurried out of the inn. When carefully putting the money into her pocket, she discovered that Jason had given her two bills instead of one, and her first reaction was joy at the unexpected prize. She looked around and there was nobody nearby to share her discovery. “It is mine. All mine.” she said to herself. “I will buy mum a new coat with it, and she can give her old one to sister Mary, and then Mary can go to the Sunday school with me next winter. I wonder if I can buy a pair of shoes for brother Tom too.”
Just at that moment, she realized that Jason must have given the extra money to her by mistake, and therefore she had no right to own it. But a voice of temptation (诱惑) whispered, “He gave it, and you can keep it. He will never know, even if it is a mistake. ”
As Susan hurried home, this conflict went on in her mind.
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Susan’s face became red with embarrassment and annoyance.
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