When I was a boy of nine, I used to help Mrs. Long, a retired art teacher who lived across my home. She paid me very little for the help, but she taught me how to paint and promised me, “When Christmas comes, I shall have a present for you.”
I kept wondering what it would be. The boys I played with had baseball gloves, ice skates and bicycles. I hoped that Mrs. Long would buy any one of them for me.
“But it would hardly be ice skates,” I reasoned with myself. “An old woman like Mrs. Long wouldn’t know much about ice skates.”
I also ruled out the bicycle because she was just a retired art teacher in the local school and could not afford it.
On my last day at work, Mrs. Long said, “You’ve been a very good boy. On Christmas Eve I’ll make a present for you. Please come to my house and collect it.”
“Since she is going to have the present in her house, and since she will make it, unquestionably she is going to give me a pair of baseball gloves,” I thought. Actually, I became so convinced that I could imagine myself playing baseball with my friends in those gloves.
A day before the Christmas Eve, I could wait no longer and presented myself at the door of Mrs. Long’s house and said, “Can I have my present today, Mrs. Long?”
“I’ve been waiting for you,” she said, leading me into her house. She sat me in a chair, disappeared to another room, and in a moment stood before me holding a package which under no circumstances could hold a bicycle or a pair of skates, or even a baseball glove.
I lifted it from her hand and found it was extremely light.
“What is it?” I asked with disappointment on my face.
“A kind of magic,” Mrs. Long said. “It can give you whatever you dream of if you have learned how to use 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。
Suddenly, curiosity replaced my initial disappointment.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It was not until some years later that I realized the real importance of the gift.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
My husband has been out of town for work this past week. When he travels, he typically is only gone for a day or two, but this time it was a few days longer. He was set to come home last night, but as he boarded the plane his fight was announced canceled and he had to return to the hotel to wait for the next fight. He learned very quickly the city was struggling due to high crime rate. He was not able to get a Uber or taxi at 4:30 a.m. to get to the airport for his flight due to workers being fearful of their lives. When I told my kids dad was not going to be home that night, they were both upset.
My husband was the head coach of my 5-year old’s baseball team. They had a game the next morning and my husband was trying so badly to make it home in time. The thought of possibly missing our son’s game rally made him mad. He wanted to be there because this was their thing and he didn’t want to let him or the other boys down.
A young man by the name of Asher, who worked at the hotel my husband stayed at, overheard my husband’s dilemma. He realized he was not able to get transportation to the airport. This young man offered to wake up and get my husband to the airport at 4:30 a.m. My husband was in shock -a complete stranger would offer to do such a big act of kindness. When he called me to tell me the possible ride, he was so hopeful. This young man honored his word and brought my husband to the airport safely.
I didn’t want to get my son’s hopes up, so I told him, “Dad is trying to get home for your game but I am not sure whether he will make it.” That morning, on the way to the baseball field, both my kids looked up in the sky the entire ride to the field and pointed at planes in the sky saying, “Maybe that’s dad’s plane.”
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 we reached the baseball field, we were a few minutes late.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I saw a familiar figure and my son walked towards me.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Teen Becomes A Local Hero
When Sydney Raley headed into her weekend shift on Saturday, December 18, she likely expected to do more of the same: Stand at the drive-through window, take orders over the headset, and hand each customer their meal with a smile.
In fact. that’s exactly how it started. Sydney Raley has been working at MC Donald’s for about seven months and so far, it’s been her typical after-school job. The day had been mostly normal -making coffee, making drinks, and going into the lunch rush.
But a few hours into her shift. things took a dramatic turn. After handing a customer some of their food, Sydney let them know that more would be coming as soon as it was ready. But just seconds later, she noticed a terrible look of panic spread across the woman’s face. Then came the coughing. She was coughing like crazy and was speechless. Her daughter was in the passenger seat and looked extremely confused and frightened.
Sydney immediately knew she was choking. The first aid training Sydney received more than four years ago hit her. Most 15-year-olds might panic at the sight of this. But not Sydney. Instead, the teen remained calm and quickly shouted to both her manager and the woman’s daughter to dial 911. Then, she dove through the drive-through window and came to the rescue.
The teen pushed the driver’s side door forcefully open and got the choking woman to her feet. Then she dug down deep into her memory bank to recall everything she learned from her Red Cross babysitter class-which she’d taken four years earlier. All that training of how to use the Heimlich maneuver(哈姆立克急教法)immediately kicked in. Still, she had never actually had to use the life-saving technique before, and after a few tries, it wasn’t quite working. Luckily, another customer was just a few feet away 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。
She shouted to that man for assistance.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The story has made headlines throughout the country.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What It Means to Serve
I didn’t continue college after graduation. I moved out of my family. With little work experience, I served as a waitress. But during the five years’ labor, I found myself burning calories running about only for a tip.
I had had enough so I moved to a smaller town hoping to pursue a college degree. I promised I would never serve people again - at least not in such way. It was time to serve myself. Luckily, I received a position as an afterschool program tutor at a local middle school, with the added benefit of completing English education degree. I had the opportunity to go big! The kid would need me - a role model and a trustworthy friend, I believed.
But my first day was welcomed by the students’ indifference (冷漠). The desks were messy and the whole room smelled of dirty gym socks. My excitement began to die down. I doubted whether the new job was a mistake. The playground activity was deafening while homework time was not much better. After my repeated persistence, they finally turned off the playground mode. But just a few minutes passed when I noticed two kids quarreling in the corner.
I supposed it was another little incident but one kid named Jeremy bothered me. He shouted at me for coming at him. And when I asked them to return to their seats, he slammed (用力摔) his backpack and grew mad as I tried to urge him to take the right attitude. “I don’t like you, homework and this afterschool program! All you guys do is yell at me. I’m never coming back.” he walked out of the classroom, slamming the door.
Naturally, I was so frustrated (挫败的). I wondered why I am here. Most kids disrespected me! I paused to take a deep breath. Then suddenly I thought to myself, “You said you would never serve people again, but you don’t understand what these kids really need.” At that moment, I remembered my middle-school life. I always had a poor attitude, never did my schoolwork, repeatedly got into fights, and disrespected my elders.
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。
Realizing I was not different, I walked out into the hall and caught up with Jeremy.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
At that moment, my heart broke for this boy and his family life.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A long time ago, when I worked in Ahmedabad, we would often drive to Mount Abu for short trips—it took us anywhere between seven to eight hours to drive up. That year, my close relatives were visiting from Lucknow during the holidays, and we made a plan to visit Abu for three days. Since there were seven of us, including my brother’s family who also lived in Ahmedabad, we hired two cabs. We picked ourselves into the vehicles, stacked (堆放) our luggage on the carriers on top and started out.
A good time was bad by all, and soon it was time to return. During the journey back, we stopped at a Dhaba for tea and snacks near the Mehana district. That’s when I noticed suddenly that the rope with which the luggage was tied on and of the carriers had come loose and one of the suitcases was missing. It must have fallen off somewhere along the way.
Although it didn’t contain any valuables—just clothes and some cash, we decided to retrace our steps, drawing back four kilometres, looking for the bag. But luck wasn’t our friend: we could not locate it and returned to Ahmedabad depressed.
After about a month, one day, while in my office, I got a call from my assistant that a certain Mr. Shah wanted to see me. I was in the middle of a meeting so he was asked to wait. After I got done, I called him into my office.
I was looking after the development of small industries in the state at the time, so my immediate query was. “How can we help you? Do you want to set up an industry or are you facing any issues in your enterprise?”
To which he said, “No, sir. I have not come for any official help. It is a personal matter. Did you lose something recently?”
Of course, it all came back to me and I told him about the lost suitcase from the cab back from Mount Abu a month ago.
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 Shah told his side of the story.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
But the gentleman insisted on delivering the suitcase to me.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It was my twelfth birthday, and what I really wanted most was a new bicycle. But I knew that my family couldn’t afford one, so I settled for a bedside table with lockable drawers, a safe place to keep my private stuff.
We went to the charity shop where we found an old dark one. It didn’t look too cool, but I thought that I would paint it to make it look better.
After we took it home, I was getting ready to paint it. When I pulled the drawers out. I felt something stuck to the back. I reached in all the way, and guess what? A sealed bag with some papers in it.
When I opened the bag, I realized that the papers were official documents. And, wrapped in them were a bunch of ten and twenty dollar bills! Talk about finding a treasure! And on my birthday!
“Is this some kind of joke?” I said aloud. I went ahead and read the papers, and it turned out to be a will. Some old lady was leaving her savings for her son and grandchildren.
My mind was going crazy. Was I the luckiest twelve-year-old ever? With this money I could buy the coolest bicycle. Who knows?
I began counting. When I reached a thousand dollars, my mother was knocking on my bedroom door. I quickly closed the drawer with the money in it.
“Do you want some help? Is everything all right?” she asked.
No, everything was not right. Actually, my stomach was growling (低吼).
“I’m okay,” I lied.
When my mother left my room, I lay on my bed, starting thinking. What a dilemma (窘境)! I wished there were some one I could talk with. Could I keep it and get all kinds of stuff for me and my family? It wouldn’t be too bad for me to keep it, if I shared it...right? Thoughts ran through my mind. But I really didn’t need someone else to give me the answer.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I finally made a decision and called my parents into my bedroom.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Though surprised, the shop owner helped find the family’s telephone number.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Shrieking Toad and Dancing Ant
Kids got nicknames at a summer camp, and mine is Shrieking Toad (尖叫的蛤蟆). I guess it was my fault that I couldn't get a cool one.
A bunch of us campers were on our first nature walk. When we broke for lunch, we sat down on logs. I was on my nuts when a tree frog dropped onto my shirt from the branches above. I shrieked. It was totally unconscious and I didn't even know I could make a sound like that. Most kids forgot about it except Stan. Whenever I walked by, he'd shout, “Shrieking Toad, show us how you can hop!” I corrected him that it had been an eastern gray tree frog, not a toad, but that just made things worse.
Three days later, Counselor Matt announced we would be paired for a treasure hunt. Excited whispers spread through the camp. But when he read “Jay and Stan” as a team, my nerves got completely fried. Stan shouted, “Great! Shrieking Toad!” Then he called to the group, and I went red at what came out of his mouth. “Guys, if mosquitoes are bugging you, ask Shrieking Toad to eat them. Toads love bugs!” Kids roared with laughter.
After all the teams wandered off, Stan and I were alone. Then I had a great idea, surprising myself that I hadn't thought of it earlier. I suggested we split up so as to have a better chance of finding treasures. “Yeah, I'd better do what I'm toad (told).” Stan laughed and set off.
Ten minutes later, I heard something that reminded me of myself a few days ago. I ran toward the sound. I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Stan was jumping around near a mud pool like a monkey, shrieking and yelling something that sounded like “Dance! Dance!” Seeing him scratching at his body and hitting at his clothes made me realize what he was really saying: “Ants! Ants!”
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 rushed towards Stan and tried to help him.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
That night, we all routinely sat around the campfire and I saw Stan's worry as clear as daylight.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It’s a beautiful sunny day. The Bonds boarded their boat for a carefree day trip to Dove Island for some fishing as a family custom. Thomas Bond, a 30-year-old construction worker, loved the sport, especially catching bass (鲈鱼) and had impressed on his oldest daughter, Lizzy, a love of the outdoors, teaching her how to bait (下诱饵) a hook and cast a line and brave the waves.
The family spent the day fishing in the vast ocean, and then left the island in the early evening. Upon setting off from the shore, they found thick fog rolling in. Lizzy fell into a light sleep beside her five-year-old sister, Molly, at a table on the boat’s lower deck (甲板). Their father’s sharp orders woke her up: “Get out of the boat. The boat’s sinking!” Lizzy pushed her sister into the cold, dark water. Both girls wore life jackets. The adults did not. The girls were followed by their mother, Petra Bond, who was expecting a baby at that time. Within seconds, the boat was damaged and was left just the tip of its bow in the air.
Looking into the faces of her father, mother, and sister, Lizzy wasn’t frightened. After some time, her father told them he would swim for help. “I’ll be back,” he said before disappearing into the darkness.
“Dad is like the superhero to me. I believe he will get help to rescue us,” Lizzy said to herself. After some time, her mother became quiet and stopped swimming. Lizzy wrapped a rope around her mother’s chest and tied her to the boat so she wouldn’t float away. Then her sister fell quiet too and she stayed beside her.
To keep herself awake, Lizzy daydreamed about what they would do after they were rescued. They would stay in a hotel, order room service, and lie comfortably under the blankets in bed, cozy and warm.
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。
After several hours, Lizzy heard her name called in the distance.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
On the coast, an ambulance was waiting for them.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A New Addition to the Family
For the initial ten years of his life, Victor was the prince of the household. As he was an only child, his parents petted him and showered all their love and attention on him. Whatever toys his parents bought, they were always meant for him. Whatever food was in the refrigerator, there was no one to compete with him to polish it off first. Victor could leave his toys or books around the house with complete ease of mind, knowing that there was no one who would get their hands on his belongings and cause any damage.
However, all that was to change overnight when Victor’s parents brought back his new baby sister, Lina, from the hospital. With her rosy cheeks, wide open eyes and angelic smile, Lina caught the hearts of her parents, grandparents and relatives. Everyone focused their attention on the cute bunch of joy. Whenever she cried, her mother or father would rush to her bed. She simply cried because she wanted to be carried. There was little time left for Victor.
Now that Victor’s mother had his baby sister to take care of, she expected Victor himself to do most of the chores he can do. Victor was asked to clean his own room, iron his own school uniform and clean his own shoes. Before Lina’s arrival, he had never lifted a finger to help out with these tasks. The whole family also went out less because it was unhealthy to expose Lina to the bacteria(细菌) being in the outside world too often.
Victor felt neglected by his parents. He felt that they loved Lina more than him. As a result, he tried to attract his parents’ attention by becoming resistant. One evening, Victor’s parents were called up by his teacher because Victor had got into a fight at school. His teacher had noticed Victor’s behaviour and work attitude changing downwards in the past two months. Before that, he had been a model student.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；2.请按如下格式在答题卡相应位置作答。
Upon hearing the teacher’s feedback, Victor’s parents got lost in thought.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Victor realized that his parents still cared for him.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Back in the early 1980s, the idea of home computers was catching on. I wasn't keen on getting one. Somehow, I evolved and have owned several computers over the years. Some days, I loved my computer, but more often than not, I hated it. I didn't grow up with them, and they were a challenge to my mental health. Dealing with modern technology was my introduction to stress, and I know who to blame: my children.
They weren't satisfied that their dad and I finally bought a computer and learned to send e-mails. We were quite happy with that, but next came a cellphone. Then just talking on the phone was not acceptable; they insisted we learn to text as well. We couldn't get a break.
I remember well the night that Facebook became a household word around here. Those kids of ours were determined to set up a joint account for us. It took some convincing. We felt no guilt for grating on (激怒) their nerves considering the drama they'd sometimes created for us during their teenage years. A little payback wouldn't hurt those two.
More recently, my husband and I were forced into getting rid of our flip phones and getting smartphones. I will admit that I progressed into appreciating mine. I liked speaking to Siri and finding out what I needed to know in an instant. I enjoyed having Internet access everywhere I went. I felt a sense of accomplishment; my husband-not so much. To this day, he would happily take back his flip phone.
Last Christmas, our children surprised us with yet another popular form of technology-Alexa. The girls took our smartphones in hand and got us programmed. Before we fully understood what was happening, we could tell Alexa to turn our lamp on or off, and she would. To be honest, we were a bit annoyed at having to learn how to use yet another device, but we decided to keep it. We mastered turning the lamp on and off, and once again I got the hang of it sooner than my husband did. I became his Alexa coach.
注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
One night, Alexa did not turn on the lamp when I gave the command.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We should thank our children and grandchildren.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
