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.
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The old green typewriter sits in my office now, unrepaired.
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A few years ago when I was looking for a small dog to add to our family, I contacted the local SPCA(Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and got the name of a woman who was fostering(领养，代养) some rescued Maltese dogs for them. I called the woman, and my husband and I drove to her home. As I looked around, I noticed a cute Maltese named Casper. My husband and I decided we would like to adopt him.
The foster mom asked us if there were any way we would open our hearts to Casper’s friend, Kato, as well. She told us that the two boys, who had only each other for comfort, had recently been rescued from a puppy farm, where they had spent the first seven years of their lives. When the local SPCA shut down the puppy farm and seized all the dogs, Kato and Casper had been put in her foster home.
She told us that when she first picked them up, their fur was in such terrible shape that they hardly looked like Maltese dogs. They were brown, whose fur was wet and dirty, and their paws were swollen. For seven years, they were locked in a dark doghouse and the only human contact these boys had was when they were thrown their food.
Hearing all this, I turned and looked down at the little Maltese named Kato. But he’s so ugly, I thought. And he isn’t even friendly. He barked angrily when we looked at him. When I reached for him, he pushed himself against the back wall of his doghouse, whispering. Still, I felt a tig at my heart and agreed to take Kato also. As we drove home, my husband and I worried that maybe we’d taken on too much. We’d never had dogs that had been so abused(虐待) for such a longtime.
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 first day at our home was very difficult for the two dogs.
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_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________要求：(1)语言表达准确，语句连贯通顺；
(2)短文必须包括以上内容要点，可以适当发挥；
(3)词数 80 左右。题目已给出，不计入总词数。
A Special Spring Festival
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1. 作业和体育锻炼时间的变化
2. 学生们课余生活的变化：有更多的空闲时间做自己感兴趣的事，如踢足球、弹钢琴和画画等。
请根据以上调查结果，写一份英文调查报告，并阐述你的看法。
词数：80左右(开头已给出，不计入总词数)。
The “double reduction” policy has been carried out since July, 2021. In order to learn about the changes of the students’ life, Yangcheng Middle School did a survey.
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Judy and Wendy were at the same school. They had been best friends since they were little kids and did everything together. Judy enjoyed taking risks, while Wendy preferred to be cautious.
Last summer, Judy’s family decided to take a trip to Europe. Judy invited Wendy to go with them, but Wendy was too worried to leave the country. Judy went on the trip without Wendy and had a great time. She saw all kinds of new things and met all kinds of new people.
When Judy came back home, he couldn’t wait to tell Wendy all about her trip. But when she did, Wendy felt left out and jealous. She couldn’t help but feel like she had missed out on something interesting.
Judy didn’t understand why Wendy was unhappy. She thought that they would always be best friends no matter what. Judy tried to include Wendy in her stories and show her photos, but Wendy just couldn’t shake the feeling of being left out.
Wendy started to distance herself from Judy. After that she stopped answering her phone calls and texts. Judy was heartbroken that her best friend was no longer close to her. She tried everything she could think of to get Wendy to talk to her again.
One day, Judy decided to write Wendy a letter. She opened her heart to Wendy and told Wendy how much their friendship meant to her. She felt really sorry for not understanding how Wendy felt and promised to always include her in her adventures. Judy also comforted Wendy by saying that no matter how many new people she meets or new things she experiences, Wendy will always hold a special place in her heart.
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。
After reading the letter, Wendy actually also wanted to mend fences with Judy.
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Therefore, Judy and Wendy were together again.
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A 17-year-old boy nicknamed Tao Tao with cerebral palsy (脑瘫) has made positive attempts to achieve greater independence through selling self-made popcorn on the street on his own, touching the hearts of netizens (网友) and winning him an education opportunity.
According to Tao Tao’s mother Yao Chuanhua, her son was born with the disabling condition. Be- cause of this Tao Tao has never set his foot on school. Yao was worried about her son’s future, especially when she would get too old to take care of her son. Therefore, over the years, she has continuously tried to train him to live as normally as possible.
As Tao Tao grew up, the idea of developing his independence by selling homemade popcorn has brewed (酝酿) in the mother’s mind. She taught Tao Tao how to make popcorn at home and helped set up a stand in Xiaoshan district, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.
At first nervous and not used to selling on the street, Tao Tao refused to sell popcorn alone. After keeping her son company for a few days, Yao said, “Tao Tao, it’s time for you to do this alone. Don’t worry. Take it easy even if no one comes to buy. The moment you stood here, you were already a success.” After a few words of encouragement, Yao stepped aside and let her son take charge. Noticing Tao Tao struggled to attract buyers, Yao bought a loudspeaker to help promote the popcorn and even paid some passersby to buy popcorn from her son’s stand to increase his confidence.
Gradually, despite shyness and physical difficulties, Tao Tao has become more active and confident, managing the business smoothly without relying on the loudspeaker to sell the product. He insisted on making and packaging the popcorn all by himself every day, trying his best to prove that he can make it.
注意：
1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右;
2.续写部分分为两段, 每段的开头语已为你写好;
Paragraph 1
Being proud of Tao Tao’s progress, Yao shared videos of her son’s popcorn selling story online.
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Paragraph 2
Although she refused donations from netizens, Yao accepted the help from the local education authority.
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Hats in York
Whoosh! The cold wind roared through the trees and between buildings. Winter was on its way. Susan was warm in her house, thinking about an article she’d read at school. The article had been about kids who helped out their communities, and she thought it would be really cool to help her own town, York.
The only problem was that she wasn’t sure how to help. What did her town need a kid to do? In the article, the kids had grown food for people who needed food, but it was winter. She couldn’t start a garden. Susan was still deep in thought when her mom said it was time to go grocery shopping.
As they drove along the road, Susan saw a family walking on the sidewalk, wearing only light jackets. How cold they must be, Susan thought. That gave her an idea! She could help her town, she could collect winter coats, hats, and gloves for people in York who needed them.
She shared her idea with her mom, who thought it was a great idea. But how would they spread the word so that they could get a lot of winter clothing? They decided to call the project “ Hats in York,” and they wrote up a letter explaining the idea that people can drop off their winter clothing in the park to those in need to the families. Her mom asked Susan talk to her teacher, Mrs. Monroe, because then Mrs Monroe could share her idea with her classmates at least.
Susan and Mrs. Monroe met one day during lunch time.
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Three days after their field trip to the park, Susan and her mom were driving once again.
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On the first day of Grade 6, I sat in my quiet classroom and observed all the people I would eventually be friend. I looked around and noticed that most kids were dressed in their nicest clothes. My eyes stopped on a shy-looking girl in the back of the room. She wore an old yellow shirt with a pair of worn jeans. Her hair was unusually short and unwashed. I caught myself thinking, “That’s disgusting (令人反感的). Doesn’t she know what a bath is?” As I looked around, I found others were probably thinking the same.
The teacher began checking the attendance. “Terri Jackson?” the teacher asked. Silence. “Um, Terri Jackson?” Finally we heard a trembling answer from the back of the room. We all turned back to see what had happened. “Frightened Terri’s shirt has a crack!” one boy joked. “Eww, I bet it’s a hundred years old!” another girl said. One comment after another brought a roar of laughter. I was probably laughing the loudest. Certainly, it made her feel awkward. Terri was the joke of the whole sixth grade that year.
With my birthday coming closer, I began to invite my classmates. It struck me that I should also invite Terri to make us happier. So I came to Terri’s seat. “Hey Scary—I mean Terri—you want to come to my birthday party on Friday? “A lot of girls were laughing beside us. I noticed Terri’s face buried in her hands. She was crying.
“What’s got you all upset? All I did was invite you over, ”I whispered. She looked up and watched my eyes. “Really?” That was all she could say. Her seldom-heard voice amazed me. “I guess so. ”My voice sounded surprisingly sincere. I’d never seen her smile so brightly. I felt good the rest of the day. I was even looking forward to my birthday party.
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。
When Friday came finally, Terri and my classmates arrived on time.
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From then on, Terri and I became best friends.
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Once upon a time, there lived a poor but cheerful shoemaker. He was so happy that he sang all day long. The children loved to stand around his window to listen to him.
Next door to the shoemaker lived a rich man. He used to sit up all night to count his gold. In the morning, he went to bed, but he could not sleep because of the sound of the shoemaker’s singing. One day, he thought of a way to stop the singing. He wrote a letter to the shoemaker inviting him over for a cup of tea.
The shoemaker came at once, and to his great surprise, the rich man gave him a bag of gold as a gift. The shoemaker took the bag and thanked the rich man. When he returned home, the shoemaker couldn’t wait to open the bag. He had never seen so much gold in his life! He sat down at his bench and began, carefully, to count it. The children watched through the window.
There was so much there that the shoemaker was afraid to let it out of his sight. So he took it to bed with him. But he could not sleep for worrying about it. So he got out of bed and went to hide it in the attic (阁楼), but he was not sure if that was a good place.
Very early in the morning, he got up and brought his gold down from the attic. He had decided to hide it up the chimney (烟囱) instead. But after breakfast, he thought it would be safer in the chicken house. So he hid it there. But he was still uneasy, and in a little while he dug a hole in the garden and buried his bag of gold in it.
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:
He was in no mood for singing and found it difficult to focus on his work.
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At last the shoemaker felt so unhappy that he took his bag of gold and ran next door to the rich man.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I blame it all on my dad’s good intentions. You see, my writing career started when I was in elementary school, where there were various writing contests throughout the years. I’m assuming it was in the hopes of trying to get our young, little minds excited about the possibilities that writing could offer us in our lives. Then I’d come home, show my parents and my dad would say, “You did such a great job, honey! Wow, you must be a great writer!” I was probably a better writer in 5th grade than my average students at the time. I even went to the special advanced classes for the “gifted” kids for a few years.
And as I grew older, I remembered those experiences and what my dad was always telling me, and it just sort of stuck with me, and became part of my subconscious (潜意识) —that I was a great writer. I always did well in all my classes because I had this confidence. I didn’t like all subjects particularly, but I got good grades. I was pretty self-assured in my abilities as a student. Then, fast forward to my freshman year of high school. By this time, I had started to even out (相等) with the rest of my peers, in terms of intellect. And then, it happened, the day that I was shattered.
It was all because of my English teacher Ms. Moon. The year started out like any other. Jexpected to do well; I worked hard and knew that my dedication would pay off, like it always had in the past. But something started happening. I started getting Cs on my papers! I don’t think I’d ever even seen that letter, except in the spelling of my first name. And, not only was I not getting good grades in her class, but her comments were off the charts shocking. My papers were full of red marks, and I was being asked to re-do many assignments to even get a passing grade.
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。
One day, Ms. Moon handed my paper to me and whispered, “It’s still not good enough.”
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Very soon it was time for my final exam result.
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