I sat in the breakfast corner with my four-year-old son, Matthew, trying to ignore the ache in my stomach. I was still recovering from a surgery. I hoped for strength and happiness. But the future seemed so hopeless.
Matthew jumped up from his spot on the kitchen floor. “Bird!” he shouted, rushing to the sliding door. Sure enough, there was a white dove seated on a rubber tree. It sat there a few moments, and then flew away. I’d never seen one in our neighborhood before.
When I dragged myself to the kitchen the next morning, the dove was back. This time it was with a mate carrying twigs (嫩枝), “Look, Matthew,” I said, pointing to the tree. “They’re going to make a nest.” The doves flew in and out of the courtyard all week, building on the top of the rubber tree. Matthew could hardly contain his excitement. Every morning, he’d run into the kitchen and take his spot by the sliding glass door, talking to the birds while they worked. As much as I was grieving (感到悲伤), I couldn’t help but look forward to the doves’ visits too. We watched their progress as if it were a real-life soap opera unfolding before us. Gradually, my pain disappeared, replaced by joy.
Then it all went wrong. The courtyard was a safe enough spot for a nest, but the rubber tree’s broad, thin leaves were far from stable. One night, a strong wind blew through, throwing the doves’ nest to the ground. I heard the twigs break apart. Nothing good ever lasts. I wouldn’t blame the doves if they never came back. But they returned. And they paid no attention to the pi le of sticks that had once been their nest. They started again from scratch, though the wind destroyed all their hard work. The next day, and the next, they renewed their efforts, as if nothing had happened.
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: I knew I had to do something for the poor creatures.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:“The birds were back!” Matthew announced.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In 2018, 17-year-old Hemesh spent a life-changing summer with his grandmother Anne, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Witnessing the impact of the disease firsthand, Hemesh was awakened to the seriousness of the situation.
One night, Hemesh walked into the kitchen only to discover that his grandmother had left the gas stove (炉) on after making tea. Shocked by the dangerous consequences Alzheimer’s disease could bring about, he couldn’t help but wonder what might have happened if he hadn’t been there.
Hemesh’s worries increased as he observed his grandmother’s behavior. She would wake up in the early hours of the morning, believing she was on a train, and wander outside aimlessly. This wandering tendency could potentially lead her to get lost or put herself in risky situations.
Determined to make a difference, Hemesh engaged himself in extensive research about Alzheimer’s disease and its symptomatic (症状的) progression. Through his studies, he discovered that wandering was a common problem among dementia patients, especially those with Alzheimer’s disease.
Inspired by his newfound knowledge and fueled by his desire to help, Hemesh told his family, “I can’t just stand by and watch this happen. I need to do something to keep Grandma safe. I think I have an idea that might help not just her, but others in similar situations.”
With firm determination, he developed an inventive answer to the wandering dilemma, a device he called the Guardian Companion. It was a wearable device, similar to a smartwatch, specifically designed for Alzheimer’s patients. It integrated advanced GPS technology and a panic button to assist those who tended to wander, ensuring their safety and well-being. After the device got its official approval, Hemesh happily went to try it on for his grandmother.
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 Anne put on the Guardian Companion, Hemesh explained how it worked.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In the next few weeks, the device made a difference to Anne and her family.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Last Saturday, David was taking a walk in the park near his home when he noticed a woman with a boy of about eight years old. When David passed them, he heard the woman yell. “How stupid you are! You’re good at nothing.” David stopped and looked at the little boy. The boy said nothing. He just stood there, looking upset.
David was reminded of his English teacher Mrs Brown in middle school. After he entered a middle school, David lacked self-confidence because he was often made fun of by others. He was often told that he was good at nothing, which David behaved. But one day it all changed.
One day, in an English writing class, Mrs Brown asked them to read a novel. They were asked to write a new chapter of the novel after they finished reading it. A few days later, David handed in his story. He didn’t give it much thought. But the next day, to his surprise, the comment “well done” from Mrs Brown came into view the moment he turned to the page where the story was written. When David read that, he almost burst into tears. He never expected to be praised one day. He suddenly gained some self-confidence.
That day after he returned home, he wrote a short story and gave it to Mrs Brown the next morning. And again he was praised. David became very interested in writing. He often wrote short stories and asked Mrs Brown to read them improve writing skills. One year later, David joined the school newspaper and became an editor of it. He was no longer that boy who lacked self-confidence. He gained his confidence, and was hopeful about his future.
He succeeded in entering a college and kept writing. Several years after graduating from college, he had his first book published. With some more books coming out, he became famous as a writer in his country. And he owed his success to Mrs Brown’s encouragement. Without her encouragement, his life might be very different 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。
Inspired by his own life story, David decided to do something for that boy.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The mother was ashamed when she heard that.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Armed with two over-packed suitcases,we arrived at the airport just in time for my flight. “Well, here we are, the airport,” my sister said with a sigh. As I watched her unload my luggage, I could see the sadness in her eyes. This was not easy on her either. We had both been dreading (害怕) this moment for the past week. One last hug and a final good-bye and I would be on my way to a new life abroad, leaving my beloved sister behind.
All my life I had loved airports. To me they were some kind of magic gateway to the world,a place from which to start great holidays and adventures. But today it seemed like a cold and heartless place. I looked at my sister and even though her eyes were filled with tears, she was trying to keep a brave face. “You’d better go or you’ll miss your flight,” she said.
“I’ll miss you,” I replied, and with those last words I was off. As promised, I did not look back, but by the time I reached the customs office I was sobbing (啜泣). “Cheer up, love,” the tall customs officer said with a smile. “It’s not the end of the world, you know.” But to me it was the end of the world, as I had known it.
While boarding the plane I was still crying. I did not have the energy to put my bag in the overhead locker, so I stuffed it on the empty seat next to mine. As I settled into my chair, a feeling of sadness overwhelmed me. I felt like my best friend had just been taken away from me.
Growing up, my sister and I would do everything together. Born barely fifteen months apart we not only looked alike, we were alike. Whenever one of us need something, the other one would come along. When the time came for us to go to college, we also went together. But now that our college days were over and I was off to a foreign country, all I had left were my memories.
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:
Suddenly the plane shook heavily and the bag next to me fell on the floor.
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Paragraph 2:
I spent the rest of the flight reading about my sister’s diary.
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My Best Teaching Experience
Tyler was only in my senior class for a semester. He had been suspended (使停学) many times in previous years because of his anger issues. 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, calling them by name. Unfortunately, every time I called on Tyler, he would respond with a joke. If he got an answer wrong, he would become angry.
About a month into the year, I was still trying to connect with Tyler. I can usually get students involved in class discussions or at least have them sit quietly and attentively (专心地). 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 from the office behaving worse than before.
One day, Tyler was talking over 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?” With that, he got up from his chair, pushed it over and yelled something. I can’t remember what he said other than that he included some impolite words. I sent Tyler straight to the office, and he received a week’s suspension.
To this point, this was one of my worst teaching experiences. Tyler’s anger was almost too much for me. The week Tyler was suspended from school was a wonderful time, and we got a lot accomplished as a class. However, the suspension week would soon come to an end, and I was fearful of his return.
续写要求：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.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Wow, these trees are so tall!” William shouted excitedly, while walking with his classmates in a forest near his school. They were on a field trip to the forest as part of a science lesson.
Over there, they met the forester (护林人), Victor. When William learned Victor lived in a simple wooden house there for years, he laughed at him with his friends.
Then, they passed by an entrance to a cave. William wanted to explore inside the cave, but his teacher didn’t allow it. “I’ll come back here,” he thought. On the way back to school, he remembered the exact location of the cave.
The next day, William asked his four friends to the cave together. They told their parents they would go to the library and return home in the evening. None of the teenagers told their parents about their plan to visit the cave.
When the teenagers reached the cave, they left their school bags outside to reduce the burden. One by one, they entered the cave. Just when they took a few steps inside, some rocks from the cave wall fell and blocked the entrance.
“How are we going to get out now?” one of the teenagers Sarah shouted. William had an idea and said, “Maybe we can try digging through the fallen rocks with our hands to reach the entrance.” But realizing getting out of the cave only by their hands was impossible, they had great fear. The sun was about to go down. The teenagers started calling for help, but nobody could hear them. The teenagers were losing hope.
Victor happened to pass by the entrance to the cave, and five school bags caught his attention. He also heard some sounds coming from inside the cave. “Who’s in there?” Victor shouted.
“I’m William! We came here yesterday with our teacher!” William replied instantly.
“Help us, please! We are stuck! Sarah can’t breathe here because of fear.”
“Okay, calm down, children!” Victor said. “I’ll help you get out!”
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:Victor immediately called the first-aid center and rushed home.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
Soon, the teenagers walked outside the cave and took a deep breath in the fresh air.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I am a proud mother of three children, my last little one being delivered in the middle of this pandemic (疫情). She was born in August and her name is Aida.
Shortly after having Aida, my mother-in-law Ann showed me something she learned from her friend’s mother in an art class she attended weekly, She had showed me how to knit (编织) a scarf.
I spent a lot of time breastfeeding my sweet little girl, so I had some extra time to do something with my hands throughout the day. I enjoyed making the scarf so I purchased tons of yarn (线) since it was winter. I wanted to make scarves for my three children as Christmas gifts.
There was a new family that moved in down the street. The only daughter of the family was Jane, a shy girl, aged 14, the same age of my oldest son David. It seemed that she came from a financially disadvantaged family, for she always wore old clothes. Worse still, in such cold days, she had no more clothes to wear and trembled with cold.
Due to the pandemic, society was thrown into crisis mode. Schools were closed, food supplies and deliveries were suspended and children were stuck at home. In such discouraging time, however, they became good companions, talking and playing at home or around the houses.
It was dreadfully cold this winter. Every time David came back from outside, with red face, he always cried, “Mum, it is freezing outside!” Then, he came over to see whether I finished the scarf. I could tell how impatient he was to wear my scarf sooner! I had to speed the project to satisfy his expectation. But David comforted me by saying he could wait a few days. What a kind and considerate boy he was! Then my great art project finally was accomplished on the morning ahead of Christmas.
注意：1.续写词数应为150词左右；
2.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语己为你写好。
Paragraph 1: I wrapped the scarf around David’s neck.
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Paragraph 2: Later that day David came back saying Jane also deserved a scarf.
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Maisie and her car
Maisie usually goes swimming every morning before she goes to work. She leaves home at 5:30 am and drives to the swimming pool. She swims for an hour, and then hurries home for a shower and breakfast before she leaves for work at 8 am.
One Thursday morning, Maisie drove to the swimming pool as usual. She did not feel happy because she had a quarrel (争吵) on the phone with a co-worker the night before. She was still thinking about it and feeling so depressed that she did not want to go to work.
“Swimming may make me feel better. Come on,” Maisie said to herself. She parked the car opposite the sports center, took her sports bag from the back seat and walked to the building, forgetting to put on the handbrake (手刹).
While Maisie was swimming, a strong wind came and the car started to move. Very, very slowly the car moved out of the car park and across the road. It was early morning so the road was empty. There were no people walking around and no other cars on the road.
A few moments later, there was a sudden announcement on the loud speaker system. “Is the owner of a white Honda, number plate XJY436, in the pool?”
“XJY436! That’s my car,” thought Maisie. She swam to the side of the pool and climbed out. A lifeguard was standing next to the pool. Maisie ran up to him. ”That’s my car, “she said.” Did I leave the lights On? “No,” said the lifeguard, laughing. “Come and see.” Maisie followed the lifeguard out to the entrance of the sports center. “Look!” said the lifeguard when he pointed to the big entrance door. “Oh, no!” shouted Maisie. Her car was in the doorway. It was half inside the building and half outside. No one could go in or out of the sports center.
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。
“Do you have your car key?” asked the lifeguard.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Maisie’s entire face instantly turned red.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Jenny was the only child in her family. She had a quarrel (吵架) with her mother that afternoon and she ran out of the house angrily. She couldn’t help weeping sorrowfully when she thought of the scolding from her mother. Having wandered aimlessly in the street for hours, she felt a little hungry and wished for something to eat. She stood beside a stand (货摊) for a while, watching the middle-aged seller busy doing his business. However, with no money in hand, she gave a sigh and had to leave.
The seller behind the stand noticed the young girl and asked, “Hey, girl, you want to have the noodles?”
“Oh, yes, but I don’t have money on me.” she replied.
“That’s nothing. I’ll treat you today,” said the man, “Come in.”
The seller brought her a bowl of noodles, whose smell was so attractive. As she was eating, Jenny cried silently.
“What is it?” asked the man kindly.
“Nothing. Actually, I was just touched by your kindness!” said Jenny as she wiped her tears. “Even a stranger on the street will give me a bowl of noodles, while my mother drove me out of the house. She showed no care for me. She is so merciless compared to a stranger!”
Hearing the words, the seller smiled, “Girl, do you really think so? I only gave you a bowl of noodles and you thanked me a lot. But it is your mother who has raised you since you were a baby. Can you remember the times she cooked for you? Have you expressed your gratitude to her?”
Jenny sat there, speechless and numb with shock: she remembered her mother’s familiar face and weathered hands. “Why didn’t I think of that? A bowl of noodles from a stranger made me feel grateful. Why haven’t I thanked my mum for what she has done for me?”
On the way home. Jenny made up her mind to make an apology to her mother for her rudeness as soon as she arrived home.
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。
Nearing the doorway, Jenny took a deep breath.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________At that time, her mother came back and touched her hair gently, which called her mind back.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When a tornado hit the small town of Otwell, Indiana, many families found themselves completely ruined. Afterwards all the local newspapers carried a lot of human-interest (有人情味的) stories featuring some of the families who suffered the most.
One Saturday, a specific picture deeply touched me. A young woman stood in front of a completely destroyed mobile home, her face overshadowed by a cloud of sadness. Beside her, a young boy, aged six or seven, stood with eyes downward. Clinging to (紧紧抓住) her skirt was a tiny girl who gazed into the camera, her eyes reflecting a mixture of confusion and fear.
The article that went with the picture gave the clothing sizes of each family member. With growing interest, I noticed that their sizes closely matched ours. This would be a golden opportunity to teach my children to help those less lucky than themselves. I stuck the picture of the young family on our refrigerator, explaining their difficulty to my eight-year-old Brad and also to my three-year-old Meghan.
“These poor people have lost everything,” I shared. “Let’s extend a helping hand.” Then, I brought three large boxes down from the room upstairs and placed them in the living room. Meghan observed (观察) the process seriously, as Brad and I filled one of the boxes with canned goods and foods.
While I sorted through our clothes, I encouraged Brad to go through his toys and donate some of his less favorite stuffs. Meghan watched quietly as her brother piled up his less cherished old toys and games.
To my surprise, Meghan walked up with her favorite Barbie doll tightly hugged. She came to the box that held the toys, pressed her round little face into Barbie’s pretty little face, gave her a final kiss, and then laid her gently on top of the other toys.
“Oh, Honey,” I sighed. “You don’t have to give away Barbie. She means so much to you.”
Meghan nodded seriously, tears held back in her eyes. “Barbie makes me happy, Mommy. Maybe she’ll make that other little girl happy, too.”
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为100左右；
2. 续写部分为一段，开头语已为你写好。
Brad had watched, open-mouthed, as his baby sister placed her favorite Barbie doll in the box.
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