When we were little, my younger brother Daniel and I had a special kind of relationship. I scared him, and he would cry. I don’t remember exactly why I thought scaring him was so funny. It was probably because of the fact that when I ran out and shouted “boo”, especially if I hid well and got him as he wandered past, lost in his three-year-old thoughts, he would jump into the air like a shocked frog.
This method provided years of youthful fun, but over time I found it increasingly harder to scare my little brother. He was just getting too old to be frightened. I tried to change my strategies, but failed.
Sadly, all good things must end. I announced peace and said sorry to my younger brother and he took it very well. I should have realized that I wouldn’t get away with my previous bad behavior so easily. I would pay for what I did. Finally, I was shocked and frightened by Daniel.
One afternoon, Daniel was racing down a steep (陡峭的) hill on a bike. All of a sudden, the handlebars (车把手) fell off on his hands. He had no helmet (头盔) on. He fell onto the shoulder of the road.
Daniel lay there with blood flowing. After a while, his friends arrived and managed to send him to the nearest hospital. They called the rest of my family, except for me.
When I came home from school, I found an empty house. It didn’t surprise me since it was normal in my family. Mom and Dad often worked late, and Daniel usually stayed at a friend’s house in the afternoons. My older brother Fred usually showed up by dinnertime. I liked having the quiet house all to myself. It meant I could listen to my music as loud as I wanted. On that day, however, I couldn’t pay attention to my music. Somehow, I felt so worried and unhappy.
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（2）请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
When it was getting really late, Fred came home.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I was frightened to see that Daniel lost his teeth completely.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I was standing in the living room in my running clothes, struggling with an armband that was supposed to hold my phone.
“Wouldn’t it be amazing if I could pay someone to exercise for me, and the fat would magically disappear from my body?” I said. “Thus, I wouldn’t have to suffer the hard work of doing it myself.”
My husband looked at me as if I were a nut. To me, running was the worst thing in the world. Running was for athletes or people who liked to hurt themselves. Running was for anyone but me.
“Come on, Mary,” my husband said. “No one can exercise for you! You must do it yourself to lose weight and be healthy!” I nodded, trying to wear the armband again and attach my phone to it. I needed the phone to listen to music to draw my attention from how much running would hurt. I also needed it so that I could hear the computer voice of my mile tracker (追踪器) telling me my physical condition with every passing mile.
I wasn’t getting any younger. Pushing myself to the limit had never before crossed my mind. But the pounds weren’t exactly disappearing though I improved my eating habits and hoped for the best. The annoying weight was slowly creeping (慢慢移动) to my legs and backside. Actually, it was creeping everywhere. As my doctor put it, “It’s time to put some exercise into your schedule.” My only hope for fighting against heavy weight and age would be through exercise. So here I was about to start the very thing I disliked.
“If you don’t hear from me in 30 minutes, come look for me. I could be lying on the side of the road. weak or dead,” I said to my husband.
Without even looking at me, my husband said, “Mary, it really won’t be so bad. You just have to get started. Believe me! You’ll do great!”
“Right,” I smiled as he continued preparing for his shift. Hesitating, I walked out alone. It was dark and cold outside.
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。
Gathering my courage, I fired up the music and my mile tracker.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Upon finishing a 25-minute run for the first time, I called my husband.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It didn’t take long to figure out I wasn’t invited to the party. I got off the bus and saw my friends gathered under the tree. There were four of us: Becky, Barbara, Kim and me. I can’t even say that we were close friends; we just came from different elementary schools and didn’t fit into the usual middle school groups. We became our own group by standing together.
The circle seemed tighter as I approached, with small white envelopes being stuffed into backpacks. Everyone knew Bridget’s party was this weekend. Bridget was one of the popular girls, the opposite of me. She was thin, beautiful and wore clothes that looked like they came straight from the pages of magazines. Being invited to her party meant elevation in the school ranking; not being invited meant being left out.
My throat tightened, hoping Bridget still had an envelope for me. But my friends’ nervous looks and shifty glances guaranteed my fate. Their too- eager hellos told me everyone knew who was invited and who wasn’t.
Thankfully, the bell rang, and I hurried to English. But I couldn’t concentrate on the class. Why invite everyone in my group except me? Was it my big feet? My ugly coat?
At lunch, I sat with my group, and they politely avoided the subject. When Kim asked if anyone wanted to go shopping after school, I knew what they were shopping for, so I said, “I can’t. I’m busy.”
“I heard Bridget could only invite so many people.” Becky said.
“Whatever,” I said, pretending to look for something in my backpack. I hated Bridget for making my life miserable.
By the fifth class, the news was out. A girl who’d been invited couldn’t go because of a family trip. Whispers began about who might be chosen in her place. I walked to sixth class, following behind Bridget and observing ni ne girls smile and say hello to her between classes.
After school, I was waiting in the bus lines and saw Bridget headed toward my line, and it did seem like she was coming to me. I pretended not to notice.
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。
“Will you come to my party?” Bridget held out an invitation.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I took another look at the invitation without my name on it and made a decision.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Bullying (欺凌) is a problem in many schools and people often talk about how to deal with it. But I see bullying occur in ways that others often fail to realize. One thing that I have happily discovered is that a bully (欺人者) fears nothing more than when the victim responds by being nice. A bully’s existence is based on being cruel, and it is a shock to receive kindness as payback.
I once experienced bullying during middle school. I met my bully — let’s call her Kristy my first day of art class. I loved art, but Kristy quickly made me sick of it.
When I entered the art room that first time, I found a scat at a table and sat next to Kristy. Before I even had a chance to introduce myself, she looked at her friend and said, “Let’s move.” I politely said, “Hi, I’m Ann.”, but she replied, “Well, Ann, I’m Kristy, and my friend and I moved tables because we didn’t want to be near you.” That was my first snakebite.
For the next few days I tried to avoid Kristy, but that only worked for a while. She began to make fun of everything about me: my hair, what I wore, the way I talked, and how I created my art. Then I decided to attempt the impossible-I was going to make Kristy my friend.
“Kind words are short and Easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” Mother Teresa once said. I began to respond politely whenever Kristy threw a nasty (恶意的) comment my way. One day, Kristy looked at the picture I was drawing and said:
“Ann, I have to tell you, this is the ugliest picture I have ever seen. I mean, what is it?”
“Well. Kristy, I think it’s really beautiful, and this blue paint I am using reminds me of that pretty shirt you wore yesterday. You looked so beautiful 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。
Kristy looked shocked at my kind words.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________So our friendship started on that very day.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________There are so many sweet souls in animal shelters that are just waiting for their owners to find them and take them home. Sadly, bigger and older dogs are usually overlooked in favor of smaller pups. Some people mistake them for being too frightening. But these big animals are actually sweethearts who will love you unconditionally. A dog named Petey is a typical example of this. After being stuck at a shelter for over a year, he finally found his forever home.
Petey was known for his cheerful behavior and was popular in the shelter. He is bigger and older than other dogs, which made some people mistake him for being too frightening, so he had run out of time at a small overcapacity shelter with no potential adopters lined up for him.
That’s when the staff of the shelter reached out to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Wake County to help him find his forever family.
Despite these developments, Petey never lost his spirit and was excited about the move. “As soon as he got here, he was pulling on the leash trying to get through the door. He ran into the building with his tail shaking,” recalls Simon Ranlet, a staff member of the SPCA. “He was super friendly and very playful from day one. We couldn’t believe that nobody wanted him.”
To help Petey find his forever family, Simon got Petey’s detailed information including some photos and videos from the shelter. One morning, Simon and his colleagues were watching Petey’s photos and videos. They wanted to find a way to help Petey.
“How cheerful his behavior is! So friendly and playful. Can we post his photos and videos on social media to help Petey find a suitable adopter?” one of Simon’s colleagues suggested.
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。
Simon agreed and took action immediately.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Petey quickly adapted to the new life in his new home.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A group of poor people live in a village of Africa. The people there relied on corn farming for their livelihood. However, the harsh natural conditions often resulted in poor harvests. Droughts were the biggest challenge, while sudden downpours during the rainy season would flood the fields. Despite these difficulties, there was a young boy in the village named Steven who had a deep love for science. He dreamed of using knowledge to change the fate of his community.
From a young age, the boy was fascinated by the wonders of science. He spent his days exploring the world around him, eager to know its mysteries. While other children played in the fields, he could be found conducting “experiments” and thinking about his future under the shade of a tree. He wanted to develop a dam to store rainwater and then pump (用泵抽运) the water from the dam to water the corn when there would be a drought. But to build the dam was a big problem.
His passion tor learning was undeniable, but his father, a traditionalist who valued hard work above all else, did not understand or support his son’s ambition at first. To him, the only real way to help the family was through manual labor on the farm.
Despite his father’s disapproval, Steven remained determined in his pursuit of knowledge. Steven believed that education held the key to a better future, not just for himself but for the entire village. Seeing his son’s firm determination, the father changed his mind. The father realized that perhaps there was more to life than working in the fields. With a heavy heart, he emptied his savings to send Steven to school, hoping that one day his son would make his own dream come true.
Years passed, and Steven tirelessly worked on his studies. His efforts paid off when he graduated with top honors from university. Armed with a wealth of knowledge and a burning desire to make a difference, he returned to his village with a mission.
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。
Upon returning to the village, Steven immediately started to solve the problem.
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After knowing the project, all the villagers joined in the construction of the dam.
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“Be proud of doing something honorable that you think might bring you shame at first,” Grandma always told us before telling us this favorite family story.
In 1918, Grandpa worked in a shoe repair shop. He labored on the night shift so that he would be free to take care of the children in the daytime, allowing Grandma to attend school and receive an education.
On the morning of her first class, Grandm a excitedly rushed to dress for school. As she excitedly took out all her old socks, Grandma became sad. She discovered all had many holes. “Forget it, dear. We have no time to repair them now,” urged Grandpa. “You’ll be late for class. And, anyway, I have a surprise for you!”
A moment later, Grandpa handed Grandma her old high-button shoes. But she could hardly recognize them, as they had been repaired and looked beautiful. While she was sleeping that night, Grandpa secretly repaired the shoes.
Grandma's eyes welled with tears of gratitude, “I'll look like a fine lady in these wonderful shoes!” she said. “Hurry! Put on a pair of long socks and the beautiful shoes, and no one will suspect you have honey socks. They’ll be our little secret,” Grandpa promised. Grandm a nodded and rushed out when Grandpa handed her two one-dollar bills for her tuition.
Arriving at school, Grandma felt uneasy in a classroom filled with strangers. Standing ahead was a serious-looking teacher called Miss Peabody. That morning, Miss Peabody passed an empty bowl around the classroom and instructed each student to drop the fees into it. Every student did that. One student paid his fee with a bright two-dollar gold coin.
After collecting all the money, the teacher placed the bowl on her desk. Later that afternoon, when Miss Peabody counted the money, the small gold coin accidentally slipped out of the bowl and fell into Grandma’s shoe. Unaware of it, Miss Peabody discovered the coin was missing. She felt quite anxious and searched around, but in vain.
注意：(1) 续写词数应为150个左右；
(2)请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
Meanwhile, Grandma felt convinced that the thing in her shoe must be the coin.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Hesitant but determined, Grandma removed her shoe, feeling everyone's gaze on her honey sock.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Have you brought the frog to school?” I whispered excitedly to my friend, John. It was early in the morning and my friends, John, Tom and I were already in school, discussing the prank(恶作剧)we were going to play on our class monitor, Jane. Laughing quietly, John reached for his bag, opened the bag and showed us the frog in his bag. Tom and I couldn't hold back the laughter, thinking about what would happen.
Ring! As soon as the bell rang, other students, including Jane, hurried out of the classroom. We had planned to put a frog in Jane's bag and scare her for telling Ms Tan, our headteacher, that we were playing in the classroom when there was no teacher in class. “This should teach her a lesson!” I thought, smiling to myself. Once we were the only ones left in the classroom, I took the frog from John's bag. Surveying around to make sure that no one was walking past our classroom, I put the frog into Jane's bag secretly.
“Please take out the homework I assigned you yesterday,” Ms Tan instructed after the break. Everyone started looking through their schoolbags for their homework. Out of the corner of my eye, I spied Jane bending down to open her bag. Glancing over at Tom and John, I saw them covering their mouths, trying to hide their laughter.
“Ahhh! There is a frog in my bag!” Jane screamed as the frog leapt(跳) out of her bag.
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。
She jumped onto her chair as she screamed in horror.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Gathering all my courage, I decided to tell the truth.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lisa Sweeney is a 32-year-old mail carrier in Staten Island, New York. Four months ago, she noticed that something wasn’t right at one of the homes on her route. It was her quick action that made all the difference.
One afternoon in August, an old woman named Marie Boyer, who lived alone, fell at the foot of the stairs in her home. She was just lying unconscious(昏迷的)on the floor.
The next afternoon, her regular mail carrier, Lisa Sweeney, passed by and noticed something unusual. Though she and Marie hadn’t had much conversation over the years, Lisa knew her habits. She was surprised not to see Marie working in her garden, because she usually spent most afternoons there when the weather was fine.
I just had a feeling in my heart that Marie was inside. “Lisa recalls. She went straight round to the back of the house, thinking that the old woman might be in the kitchen, but she didn’t find anybody there. Puzzled, Lisa returned to the front of the house and knocked bard on the door. There was no answer. She thought that this was very strange, so she knocked on a neighbor’s door, but he’d been away on vacation and arrived home just a short time before so he didn’t know anything. Just then Lisa noted that Mane’s bottle of milk, which was delivered early in the morning, was still on the doorstep. It was a clear warning sign.
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 must get in to see what’s happened.” Lisa said to herself.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lisa’s quick action not only saved a life but also started a friendship.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________If there was one thing more than another that Brenda wanted for her birthday, it was a pair of skates. How she hoped her parents would give her a pair!
In vain (徒劳) her mother explained that Brenda might not learn to use them as easily as other children, and that she might fall many times and perhaps hurt herself before she could skate properly. Brenda wanted skates and that was that. She thought about skates all day and dreamed about skates all night. She pictured herself skating to school and home, skating to the stores for Mother, and skating all over the yard.
Her birthday came at last, and with it the precious package which she had been eager for. Before she opened it, she guessed there were skates inside. And there were — beautiful new shiny skates. Just her size, too. Brenda was on cloud nine. She felt she had never been so happy in all her life.
And now it was time to practice with them. Hardly was breakfast over when she was out on the smooth concrete(水泥地).“At last,”she thought,“I am going to skate! Hooray!”
Excitedly she put on her precious pairs of skates and eagerly she stood up. But only for a moment. Suddenly, to her great surprise, away went both her feet from under her. Down she went. Brenda stood up again. But hardly had she put one foot forward, when the other started running backward, and down she went again. This really hurt, and Brenda felt very much like crying. Slowly she got up once more despite the pain and started to walk with great care. But before she knew what was going on, she was sitting on the concrete again. She felt very sad, tears filling her eyes. All her hopes of skating to school and town like the other girls disappeared. She began to wish she had never asked for skates for her birthday. She cried, taking off the skates from her feet and throwing them inside the back door.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
Mother saw all this and asked Brenda what was wrong.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Slowly Brenda put on the skates, got up and tried again.
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