With cold winter setting in, sometimes people need a small act of kindness to stay warm. That’s where Sharie Monsam and her niece come in. The pair are leaving scarves and hats on statues in downtown Mesa, Arizona for people who need them to keep warm.
Helping people who are homeless or down on their luck comes naturally for Monsam. “If you’re cold, take one,” she said. “This is the fourth winter that we have collected hats and scarves from family, friends, and neighbors. And also, we bought them at second-hand stores. And then we put them on the statues downtown, probably 15 to 18 statues.”
The hats and scarves are quickly taken from the statues, showing that there is a need for the winter equipment. Monsam hopes that other people will follow her lead and help the unhoused.
“I hope more people do it. They can donate food to the food kitchens as well,” Monsam added. “Every single person would make a difference. Find something that you can do to help other people. I personally think that’s what we're here on earth for.”
Happily, there are people doing the same thing. In Morristown, New Jersey, the fiber fairies are spreading warmth by decorating statues with gloves, hats, and scarves.
The founders who want to remain nameless established the group in 2014 to help the homeless stay warm. They began by asking for donations of winter hats and scarves on Facebook. The group placed the winter items on statues in the city’s green spaces.
One day, a boy named Peter went to the city center with his mother. Peter wore few clothes and felt very cold. The clothes on the statues became timely rain. The incident left a deep impression on the boy.
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。
Peter went home and began to look for clothes.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Peter wasn’t about to stop the good behavior.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Near the end of August, I got a piece of terrible news from the doctor. “Linda, you have a brain tumor (肿瘤) on the underside of your brain. This is the worst place you could have possibly gotten a tumor. It’s growing very quickly. I’m sorry. It’s inoperable.”
I walked out of her office and went through the large medical building, not daring to glance at anyone. By the time I met my husband in the parking lot, my chest hurt. “It’s inoperable!” As I repeated the doctor’s words, I began to cry. My dream of becoming a licensed psychotherapist (心理治疗师) and helping others dissolved into my tears.
I had waited until my children were grown, with families of their own, before starting my own work on a college degree. By then I was 51. Through the years I dreamed of going back to school and becoming a psychotherapist. It had been a dream of mine for almost as long as I could remember. But so many things had gotten in my way.
Several days went by as I realized that I shouldn’t give up without a fight. So I began to do online research to see if someone else could help me. I was afraid to hope, but within a week I received a call from a doctor in Los Angeles. “I can help you,” he began. Those were the words I needed to hear.
I underwent a very risky brain surgery on a sunny fall day in October 2006. Dr. Shahinian told my husband, “It’s much larger than I thought. If I take it all, there is a possibility that she will not be able to walk or smile. She may not hear and perhaps she will be blind. If I leave half of it, she’ll be back here in five years to do this all again.”
My husband and my daughter made the hard decision to allow Dr. Shahinian to attempt to remove the entire tumor in this operation.
The recovery was horrible. My optic (视觉的) nerve was damaged. I completely lost the hearing in my left ear. I heard what sounded like the roaring (呼啸) of a waterfall in my head. My balance was terrible, and it seemed as if the floor wanted to come up. But I didn’t want to live just for the sake of remaining alive. I still wanted to help other people.
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。
So after six months of lying in bed, I decided to take action.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Finally, my dream came true.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________We have all heard the expression: “Remember to stop and smell the roses.” But, how often do we really take time out of our busy fast-paced life to notice the world around us? I have reflected back on one situation many times since it happened and have learned several powerful lessons from it.
I am as guilty as anyone of ignoring the world around in this manner, especially when I am driving on California’s overcrowded streets. A short time ago, however, I witnessed an event that showed me how being wrapped up in my own little world has kept me from being fully aware of the bigger world picture around me.
I was driving to a business appointment and, as usual, I was planning in my mind what I was going to say. I came to a very busy crossroads where the traffic light had just turned red. “All right,” I thought to myself. “I can beat the next light if I race ahead of the cars.” My mind and car were in auto pilot (自动驾驶), ready to go when suddenly my absent-minded state was broken by an unforgettable sight.
A young couple, both blind, was walking arm-in-arm across this busy crossroads with cars whizzing (嗖嗖掠过) by in every direction. The man was holding the hand of a little boy, while the woman, obviously was holding a child tightly in her arms.
Each of them had a white walking stick extended, searching for clues to guide them across the crossroads.
Initially I was moved. They were overcoming what I felt was one of the most feared disabilities — blindness. Suddenly, horror seized me. The couple were not walking in the crosswalk, but was turning directly towards the middle of the crossroads. Without realizing the danger they were in, they were walking right the path of oncoming cars. I was frightened for them because I didn’t know if the other drivers understood what was happening.
However, as I watched from the front line of traffic, I saw a miracle unfold before my eyes.
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。
Paragraph 1:
Every car in every direction did the same thing.
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The couple adjusted their route as they followed the drivers’ guidance.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4 . On a freezing morning of December, two police officers were patrolling（巡逻） the streets. Suddenly, the walkie-talkie (对讲机) on Alan, one of the officers, rang. “The cake shop near the City Museum has reported a burglary (窃案). Please rush to the scene immediately”, said the electronic voice.
The two policemen quickly arrived at the shop, only to find that the scene showed no sign of crimes at all. Curiously, they checked the monitor (监控器) and found that a thin woman broke open the window and climbed into the store at 5:20 a.m. Instead of searching around, she walked straight into the storage room, stole cheese, chocolate, butter and other ingredients for a cake, and then ran away down the road.
Both policemen felt quite confused about her behavior. One of the shop assistants identified the thief as Clara, a single mother who lived nearby. She had an eight-year-old boy to take care of and lived in poverty.
Moments later, the two officers arrived at Clara’s house. Bob, the other officer, pulled out a gun and was about to break in. But Alan told him to put the gun away and knocked gently.
The door opened and out came a very thin woman. From the outline of her figure, Alan recognized that she was exactly the thief. The woman, Clara, immediately understood the situation when she saw the two policemen. She buried her face in her hands and sat down on the floor.
At that very moment, a child’s voice broke the silence, “Mom, is anyone coming for my birthday? Invite them in, please.”
After hearing the boy’s words, Clara stood up and begged in a low voice, “Officer, I did steal those things, but there’s nothing else I could do. It’s my baby’s birthday, and I’ve got neither job nor money. Please don’t take those things away. I’ve just used them to make him a cake.”
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。
Para1:
Looking into the woman’s teary eyes, Alan understood and walked into the house.
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Bob nodded thoughtfully and asked, “What about the things she stole?”
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The basketball court was filled with eager students and cheerleaders were waving their pompoms at the stands. Excited cheers could be heard from all sides of the court. My teammates and I got fully prepared for our basketball competition. Our hearts were pounding in expectation of the competition ahead.
“And let’s all welcome the Blue Team!” the emcee (主持人) announced through the microphone. All of us marched in proudly as everyone cheered at the top of their lungs. “And welcome the Red Team!” the emcee announced, and the Red Team came in. We were astonished to see that the Red Team was filled with tall and strong members! We were trembling with fear as we walked slowly towards the centre of the court. As we were short of teammates, our confidence in winning wavered (减弱).
The judge threw the ball and the other team quickly caught it! The ball danced between their hands. Our defence seemed to be in slow motion compared to the Red Team’s swiftness. Soon, the other team scored!
We were losing the match as time passed. To make matters worse, our star player, Tom, even tripped and fell, hurting his ankle! We were losing hope as our best player was gone. Just then, our captain called for a time-out. On the bench, our captain announced that this would be his last match. “Come on! Don’t give up! I want to win one last trophy (奖杯) before I quit. Let’s do it!” he insisted, giving us a wide smile. Hearing this, our team held our fists tightly. We were focused on winning this match and making our captain proud! The judge threw the ball once more. I jumped as high as I could and caught the ball. I ran as fast as lightning and scored. Our opponents were nervous but they still scored a few goals to catch up. A few minutes later, we were neck to neck, locked in a tie.
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。
Whoever scored this one goal would win the competition!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The crowd erupted into deafening applause.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My Best Teaching Experience
Tyler was only in my senior class for a semester. He had been suspended (使停学) several times in previous years because he had difficulty controlling his anger. When he entered my class, I thought the worst.
Tyler sat in the back row. Every time I talked to the class, I would ask students questions by calling out their names. Unfortunately, every time I called Tyler’s name, he would respond with a joke. If he got an answer wrong, he would become angry.
About a month into the school year, I was still trying to connect with Tyler. I could usually get students involved in class discussions or at least have them sit quietly while paying attention. By contrast, Tyler was often loud and sometimes rude.
He had been in so much trouble over the years. He expected his teachers to know about his past: about how many times he had been sent to the office or suspended from school. I had found that these sorts of referrals (移交) were not very effective and that students would return behaving worse than before.
One day, Tyler kept interrupting me while I was teaching. I stopped my lesson and said, “Tyler, why don’t you join in our discussion instead of having one of your own?” When I said that, he got up from his chair, pushed it over and shouted at me. I can’t remember what he said but he used bad words. I sent Tyler straight to the office, and he was told not to come to school for a week.
This was one of my worst teaching experiences. Tyler’s anger was almost too much for me. The week Tyler was off school was wonderful. We achieved a lot as a class. However, he would soon be back, and I was worried about his return.
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。
On the day of Tyler’s return, I stood at the door awaiting him.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A spark of surprise flashed across his face.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A boy called Jamy always arrived home hungry every day and his parents couldn’t figure out why, despite making meals for him. When Jamy wouldn’t share what was going on, his parents decided to visit the school principal (校长), hoping the principal could offer some insight.
After talking with Jamy’s classmates, the principal and his parents heard a story they weren’t expecting. Although Jamy never talked about it, his classmates told them that he always came to school without food. The principal and his parents were shocked. No wonder Jamy was always so hungry after school! Was there something happening on the way to school that Jamy didn’t tell them?
To make the situation clear, the principal asked Jamy’s teacher, Callum to talk to Jamy in private. During the conversation with the teacher, Jamy refused to say any further details about the situation, leaving everyone frustrated and helpless. And despite multiple questioning, Jamy still refused to say any knowledge of the situation. This left the principal with no evidence to take any action regarding the missing lunch of Jamy.
Jamy’s parents were becoming increasingly concerned as their child continued to come home from school without saying a word. Despite their meeting in the school, they thought that they hadn’t gotten any closer to uncovering the truth about why Jamy was always so hungry. The lack of communication from their child only added to their frustration and helplessness. They knew they needed to take action, but they had no idea where to start.
Determined to get to the bottom of the problem, Jamy’s father decided to take action again. The next day, Jamy’s father went to school and requested to speak with Jamy’s teacher Callum.
When Jamy’s father reached the school, Callum spoke with him and patiently answered all of his questions. However, despite a deep conversation between them, no conclusion could be reached, which still puzzled Jamy’s parents.
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。
One day, by accident, Jamy’s father found a thank-you note from his study (书房).
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Jamy’s parents were touched by Jamy’s act of kindness.
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When I was in middle school, my family moved to Seattle, where my parents started their new business — a small grocery store downstairs my house. As a girl of shy and reserved nature, I had to take a fresh start to fit into the sophisticated city life.
One sunny day, my school announced an exciting event, a talent show for the local food bank. Students were encouraged to showcase their unique talents in front of the public in the city hall on National Day. A buzz of excitement fed the school as everyone began preparing for the big day. Deep down, I felt a spark of curiosity and a desire to participate. However, my self-doubt held me back, “I don’t have any special skills to share.”
Days turned into weeks, and the talent show drew closer. I couldn’t shake the upsetting feeling until one day, Emma, one of the most popular girls in my class, came to me while I was helping in the grocery store after class. “How about singing together in the talent show?” She grinned, “I heard you singing a tune, along the way back home. I can’t help following you here.” Gosh, I couldn’t believe my ears. Emma, with personality and popularity, acknowledged my little talent. Since Emma had the world’s prettiest voice, I felt like being favoured by fortune.
“You two? The talent show for the food bank?” My mum bent towards us and her face lit up. “A big occasion.” Then a light bulb seemed to go in her head. “Why not practise right now upstairs? I bet you’ll be a perfect match.” Winking at us, she seemed to know we were thinking alike.
Emma and I embarked on rehearsing almost every single day after school. We brainstormed, exchanged ideas and rehearsed the scene. As the days rolled by, I was feeling pretty good about our act. But the day before the performance, Emma called that she had an acute stomachache and was not in any shape to perform.
注意：1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1:
I was completely knocked out by the news.
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Finally came the big moment.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A Little Boy
A little boy selling magazines for school walked up to a house that people rarely visited. The house was very old and shabby and the owner hardly ever came out. When he did come out, he would not say hello to his neighbors or passers-by but simply just glared at them.
The boy knocked on the door and waited, sweating from fear of the old man. The boy’s parents told him to stay away from the house, and a lot of other neighborhood children were told the same thing from their parents.
Dusk found the boy lingering on and hesitating what to do. As he was ready to walk away, the door slowly opened. “What do you want?” the old man said impatiently. The little boy was very afraid but he had a quota (定额) to meet for school with selling the magazines. So he got up the courage and said, “Uh, Sir, I am selling these magazines and, uh, I was wondering if you would like to buy one from me.”
The old man just stared at the boy without a word. The boy could see inside the old man’s house and saw that he had dog figurines (小雕像) on the fireplace mantle. “Do you collect dogs?” The little boy asked. “Yes, I have many collections in my house. They are my family here and they are all I have.” The boy then felt sorry for the man, as it seemed that he was a very lonely soul.
“Well, I do have a magazine here for collectors. It is perfect for you. I also have one about dogs since you like dogs so much.” The old man was ready to close the door on the boy and said, “No, boy. I don’t need any magazines of any kind, now goodbye.”
The little boy was sad that he was not going to make his quota with the sale. He was also sad for the old man being so alone in the house that he owned. The boy went home and then had an idea. He had a little dog figurine that he got some years ago from an aunt. The figurine did not mean nearly as much to him since he had a real live dog and a large family.
注意:1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
The little boy headed back down to the old man’s house.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________From that day on something changed inside the old man.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Alphabetical (字母表的) order was a big problem for Keisha Williams. In every list, on every line, in the lunchroom and the classroom, teachers put all the W’s together. Alice Wilkins was always one place ahead of Keisha.
“You two are going to be friends,” said the girls’ teacher, Ms. Mubarak, “whether you like it or not.”
Yeah, right. Could she be friends with Alice? “I doubt it,” Keisha thought. Alice was perfect. She was everything Keisha wasn’t. Alice changed her hairstyle every day. She always wore beautiful clothing. She had polish (指甲油) on her nails. Keisha had plain (普通的) nails, a very ordinary hairstyle — and not to mention her out-of-tyle clothes.
Alice had new fashionable notebooks. Keisha’s notebooks were boring black and white. Keisha complained to her mother that her notebooks were too plain. “They still have paper and lines,” her mother said. “You don’t need glitter (华丽) to make you smart.”
Keisha thought Alice’s mother treated her like a grown-up. Alice had a house key and said that she always let herself into her apartment. But when Keisha came home, she had to ring for her mother to open the door. And every time, her mother would give her a big bear hug. That’s for babies, Keisha always thought, trying to free herself from her mother’s arms.
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:
One Tuesday at school when math tests were handed back, Keisha got her usual A.
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Paragraph 2:
Later, in the cafeteria, Keisha and Alice worked on math problems together.
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