The Empty Pot
A long time ago in China there was a boy named Ping who loved flowers. Anything he planted burst into bloom. Up came flowers, bushes, and even big fruit trees, as if by magic!
Everyone in the kingdom loved flowers too. They planted them everywhere, and the air smelled like perfume.
The Emperor loved birds and animals, but flowers most of all, and he tended his own garden every day. But the Emperor was very old. He needed to choose a successor to the throne (王位的继承人). Because the Emperor loved flowers so much, he decided to let the flowers choose.
The next day a statement was issued: All the children in the land were to come to the palace. There they would be given special flower seeds by the Emperor. “Whoever can show me their best in a year’s time,” he said, “will succeed me to the throne.”
This news created great excitement throughout the land! Children from all over the country swarmed to the palace to get their flower seeds. All the parents wanted their children to be chosen Emperor, and all the children hoped they would be chosen too!
When Ping received his seed from the Emperor, he was the happiest child of all. He was sure he could grow the most beautiful flower. Ping filled a flowerpot with rich soil. He planted the seed in it very carefully. He watered it every day. He couldn’t wait to see it sprout, grow, and blossom into a beautiful flower!
Day after day passed, but nothing grew in his pot. Ping was very worried. He put new soil into a bigger pot. Then he transferred the seed into the rich black soil. Another two months he waited. Still nothing happened. By and by the whole year passed.
Spring came, and all the children put on their best clothes to greet the Emperor. They rushed to the palace with their beautiful flowers, eagerly hoping to be chosen.
Ping was ashamed of his empty pot. He thought the other children would laugh at him because for once he couldn’t get a flower to grow.
His clever friend ran by, holding a great big plant. “Ping!” he said. “You’re not really going to the Emperor with an empty pot, are you? Couldn’t you grow a great big flower like mine?” “I’ve grown lots of flowers better than yours,” Ping said. “It’s just this seed that won’t grow.”
Ping’s father overheard this and said, “You did your best, and your best is good enough to present to the Emperor.”
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。
Holding the empty pot in his hands, Ping went straight away to the palace.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When the Emperor heard these words, a smile slowly spread over his face.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“And that’s ‘The Ray of Hope’ for you!” Asta said as she ended her book review. She took a deep bow and was given thundering applause. I, too, gave applause. I was happy for my friend. Well, I was pretending to be happy for her. Deep down inside, I was rather feeling envious of Asta. She was always the one who makes speeches, debates and tells stories to others. Me? No! I had stage fright and was always the shy, quiet one who was never courageous to speak in front of others. I had never managed to do a presentation without stammering(结巴). Every time I saw someone making a speech, I would imagine myself in his or her place, receiving the applause and praise.
I was walking to the canteen with Asta. She, as usual, was looking at the script. She had been chosen to be the presenter for the National Day Celebration. I sighed to myself. Why could I not be like her, always loud and brave? If only there was a way to prove myself...
Just then, I caught a glimpse of a poster on the noticeboard.
“Minute to say it?” I read the poster out loud.
It was a competition where one has to prepare a speech about a particular topic and summarize it on the stage within one minute. This could be my big chance to overcome my stage fright! And the best part was, if I won the competition, I would receive a mini-trophy (小奖杯).
Without thinking twice, I grabbed a form and filled in it. I took a seat in the canteen with Asta and told her what I had done, after which she said that she had also signed up for the competition. Suddenly, regret hit me like a 20-pound hammer. I was competing against Asta who was the best speaker in the school! I was bound to lose! Why was I so ill-fated? I just wanted a chance to prove myself that I could overcome my stage fright.
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 big day finally arrived.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Next, it was Asta’s turn.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of teaching a young couple to dive (潜水) in Thailand on one of my favorite reefs (礁). The weather conditions were perfect, with mild currents and excellent sight of the beautiful ocean and the bright, vivid corals. Even with their masks on, I could see the smiles on my students’ faces.
The dive couldn’t have gone better. However, things changed as we made our way back to the boat. As we swam back along the reef, I noticed the current (水流) changing. As it did, huge quantities of trash and plastic began to flood the area. I saw small reef fish swimming amongst the straws, plastic bags and other bits of rubbish. I noticed that some of the fish were pecking away (啄) at the plastic. By the time we got back onboard the boat, there were bits of plastic floating all around us. It looked more like a trash site than the ocean.
When I got home, the first thing I did was to go online and research plastic pollution in the ocean. I was surprised to find out that over the past decade, divers and beach lovers have seen a lot of changes in the oceans. Even very remote locations were suddenly filled with plastic and other chemicals. Plastics were entering our oceans at an alarming rate—up to 12 million tons each year. This huge amount of plastic was wreaking havoc (破坏) not only on the environment, but also on the marine animals that lived in the ocean, such as sea turtles and sea birds. Some of them were sadly mistaking the pieces of plastic for food. Pollution has brought our oceans to the point of disaster, and unless we make a great change, then our oceans and all of its living things, will be at risk.
Since that unforgettable plastic-polluted dive, I have become an ocean supporter and spend my days trying to get the message out there about just how harmful ocean pollution is, not only to marine life, but also to mankind.
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。
Then the idea came to me: I could appeal to my fellow divers to take action.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I decided to take it a step further to try and stop those companies producing single-use plastics.
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| 建议 | 注意事项 |
| 饮食 | 多吃水果和蔬菜，因为其中富含维生素，脂肪含量低； 不要吃脂肪含量高的食物；吃甜点要适量；不多喝咖啡。 |
| 锻炼 | 经常性的锻炼保持身材；每天跑步强壮心脏；饭后不宜立即运动；运动完不能马上吃饭，也不能大量饮水。 |
| 生活习惯 | …… |
1.写作词数应为80左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
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5 . Since my childhood my grandmother had noticed how shy I was about letting people do things for me. She was always pointing out to me, “Linda, it’s a blessing to do a good deed for someone else, but sometimes it’s a blessing to let another person do something for you.” I never really understood what she meant until recently.
It was three months ago, and I’d just moved into an apartment for college in Brooklyn, New York. Several of my friends had offered to help me settle in after the moving men left, but I’d said I could manage. Letting them help did not ft my image of myself as a capable and independent woman of 21.
As December arrived, getting to school became more difficult. One day, snowflakes had been falling past my window for several hours when it came time to leave for class. I put on two sweaters, a coat, a wool hat and boots, making for the bus stop near apartment. In this December storm it was a hard journey. As I tied around my neck the blue scarf that Grandma had knitted (编织) for me, I could almost hear her voice: “Why don’t you see if you can find a lift?” A thousand reasons came into my mind: I don’t know my neighbors; I feel funny asking for favors. Pride would not let me ask even though I came across three neighbors at the door of the apartment building. One of them was the woman living upstairs, and in her hand there was an obvious car key.
Result? An hour of waiting in the bitter cold before the bus finally arrived, followed by another half-hour journey. When I slid into the classroom, the class was almost over. If only I had taken the chance and asked for help! It would have been a 10-minute ride by car. Grandma would be shaking her head at my stubbornness (固执).
注意：1.所续写短文的词数应为80左右； 2.续写部分为两段，开头语已为你写好。
On the day of my final exam, I again walked to the bus stop through heavy snow.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As I pushed open the door of my apartment building, I found myself face to face with the woman form upstairs
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was a week before Christmas. Despite all the encouraging words I had given myself, I was having a really hard time staying positive. In a few days I would be facing the wedding anniversary (纪念日) on December 23rd. I had always looked forward to this time of year.
I was wandering about in the street, looking for a gift for my husband. The clock read 4: 00p. m. I still didn't find anything satisfying. I decided to head to a neighboring town to find the perfect gift for my dear Joey. I made it into town and stopped by a few local shops, festive with holiday music and bright Christmas light. Shoppers hurried from one place to another, eagerly picking out the perfect gift for their loved ones. I left empty-handed but not completely discouraged. I still had two more stops and I was determined to find something before I headed home.
I wondered that the local trading post would have a few good “gifts.” I headed that way and arrived at 6: 04 p. m. The sign on the locked gate showed I had missed it by four minutes. I took a deep breath. The thought of having to go out another day and do this all over again was unbearable. I shook my head. It wouldn't come to that because my next stop was a huge, multi-level store where I knew I would find the perfect gift for my husband.
I arrived at the huge store and was surprised that the parking lot wasn't all that crowded. Great! I started walking toward the front door when I saw a lady coming out of the building. She was wearing the blue uniform, looking at me with that “look”.You know, the “I know something you don't know look.” I recognized it and stopped. “Are they closed?” I asked her. “Yes ma’am. We close at 6: 00,” she pleasantly answered. My head fell forward and my feet were painful. I felt upset. This was a huge store. It was the holidays. How could they be closed? I couldn't help crying in the parking lot.
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 lady walked toward me and asked: “Are you ohey?”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Hearing what I said, the lady thought of a good idea.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I pulled my exhausted (精疲力竭的) body off the bed and headed out the door. Put one foot in front of the other. That is all you have to do, I told myself. I was determined (决定) to make myself walk every hour for five minutes, regardless of how terrible I felt — it would help me feel better.
My husband and I had been told by my doctor, Tiffany, that my coping strategies needed to change to effectively manage my fatigue (极度劳累). Walking was a key part of my hoped-for change. Cancer had taken so much from me, and it was time to start working my way back. With that goal in mind, I set out into my yard and began walking.
At our second meeting, Tiffany helped us set long-term goals. One of my goals was a day at a theme park, walking instead of using a wheelchair. After our meeting, I carried on with my step challenge. As the weeks progressed, I began meeting other program goals, but I still had the theme park to conquer. It frightened me to risk a whole day on my feet.
The day finally came, and we went to SeaWorld. As we walked into the park, the sun was shining. Over the speakers, Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song” played. “This is my fight song, take back my life song ...” she sang. Tears glistened (闪光) on my face, and my husband looked at me with concern. Our teenage daughter saw the worry in his eyes and looked at me. When we shared a knowing smile, my daughter said, “Don’t worry, Dad. That’s Mom’s song.”
In the early days of this cancer journey, she had left something at home after leaving for school and had found me balled up in bed, crying from the pain, with “Fight Song” on repeat. I told her it was my “fight song” and I would be fine finally. She gave me a hug before returning to her father’s waiting truck. Clearly, she hadn’t told him about that.
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。
I walked from show to show that day.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My body cooperated (配合) on some days and let me down on others, but I kept walking.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ONE DOLLAR AND EIGHTY-SEVEN CENTS. That was all she had. Della counted it three times. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas. If she was to buy a nice gift for her husband Jim. she would need more money. But how could she earn some? Della stood in front of the mirror in her apartment, She looked at her reflection, brushed her long, brown hair, and made up her mind: she was going to sell her hair. With the money she received for it, she would buy Jim a perfect gift.
Della had her hair cut off and sold it for twenty dollars. She spent the next two hours hunting for Jim’s gift. She found it at last: a simple but beautiful watch chain for his gold watch, which had been passed down to him from his grandfather. Della paid twenty-one dollars for the watch chain, and hurried home with the remaining eighty-seven cents. She looked at her reflection in the mirror carefully again. She felt nervous.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
Did she look like a little schoolboy without her beautiful long hair? Would Jim still think she was pretty? She was about to find out.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________And the next day would be Christmas. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One very cold day, not long ago, in Edinburgh, I was standing at the door of a hotel. A little boy with a thin blue face, his feet bare and red with the cold, and with nothing to cover him but a bundle of rags, came to them and said, “Please, sir, buy some matches.” “No, I don’t want any.” answered one of the gentlemen. “But they are only a penny a box.” pleaded the poor little fellow. “Yes, but, you see, I don’t want a box.” I said again. “Then I will give you two boxes for a penny.” the boy said.
At last, I decided to buy a box to get rid of him. Then, finding I had no change, I said to him, “I will buy a box tomorrow.” “Oh, please buy them tonight.” the boy pleaded again, “ I will run and get you the change, for I am very hungry.” So I gave him the shilling, and he started away. I waited for him, but no boy came. I thought I had lost my shilling. still, there was something in the boy’s face I trusted, and I did not like to think bad of him.
Late in the evening I was told that a little boy wanted to see me. I found, when he was brought in, it was a smaller brother of the boy who took my shilling. He stood for a moment, diving into his rags as if he were seeking something, and then said, “Are you the gentleman who bought the matches from Sandy.” “Yes.” “Well, then, here are four pence out of your shilling. Sandy cannot come. He’s very sick. A cart ran over him and knocked him down. He lost his cap and matches and seven pence of your money. Both his legs were broken, and the doctor says he’ll die. My brother and I lived almost alone, for our father and mother were dead”
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 fed the little fellow, and then went with him to see Sandy.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Then I took him by the hand, and said, “I would always take care of your little brother.”
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