In April last year, sitting in the back of the car, my two daughters, Nia, 10 and Robyn, 8, chatted away about the latest electronic devices. “Mum, can I get a new phone for my birthday?” Nia asked. “No, love,” I replied. “Can we go to a theme park this year?” Robyn asked. “That’s very expensive,” I said. Disappointment entered our car like a dark cloud, putting an end to the chat.
Arriving home, I switched on my laptop, went through pictures taken in Uganda (乌干达). A few months before, I’d been there, working with local schools. As an officer for Teams4u, a charity that provides resources to people in need, I’d seen what life was like there. I went there twice a year and loved it. “You must bring your family next time,” one of the local teachers had said to me. My girls had never been out to Africa with me before, but were always wide-eyed as I told my adventures.
Life in Uganda was very different from what we were used to. Children there had little to eat for lunch. There were no proper desks and chairs in the classroom. I’d been out there to help, but there was still a lot of work to do in some remote schools.
During dinner, Nia asked me, “Mum, can we dine out?” “Homemade food is boring,” Robyn complained. I didn’t say a word.
That night in bed, I thought about the invitation from the teacher in Uganda. By the following morning, I’d made my decision. “Girls, we’re going to Uganda! For Two weeks!” I announced. Nia and Robyn were surprised at first but soon became excited! Uganda wasn’t a theme park, but it was an adventure anyway.
So, a few weeks later, in May last year, we landed in the capital city of Kampala. That night, we all slept under mosquito nets (蚊帐) in the blazing (燃烧的) heat --- we were worlds away from home.
注意：1. 续写的词数应为150 左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡相应位置作答。
The next morning, we headed out to a remote school with resources.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Upon returning to the UK, the change in Nia and Robyn was evident.
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1. 词数 100 左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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In June’s room stands a bright blue clay vase. Not a perfect or beautiful vase, it is broken in several places. It has been mended, but spiderlike cracks (裂痕) remain. It tells a story of two girls’ friendship.
Amy and June met on a plane returning from Bangkok, where their fathers, business partners, attended meetings. June sat behind Amy. Midway, Amy hesitantly turned around and gave June a bright blue clay vase. It was a small gesture, but a simple friendship between two 4-year-olds was established.
Years flew by. Amy and June grew up together, played together, studied together and became each other’s closest friend.
However, people change as they grow up. Even the most special friendships can be destroyed. As Amy’s interest s broadened, she started to see loss and loss of June. Though hurt, Jun e tried to be understanding. She was still there for Amy when Amy needed support. But when she tried to bring up her difficulties, Amy brushed her off by saying, “Later.”
June couldn’t take it anymore. So one day she invited Amy to her house, hoping to figure their problem out. Instead, a terrible quarrel broke out. “What am I to you? Your friend or just your little dog?” June cried. To her shock, Amy was defensive and screamed back.
“June, I hate you!” With these words, Amy stormed out of June’s room, shutting the door hard behind her. A blue vase on the shelf jumped and fell onto the floor, crashing into several pieces. A friendship of ten years was broken, just like the vase.
One year passed. It was June’s fifteenth birthday. Instead of feeling happy, June only felt depressed. She remembered her fourteenth birthday. It’d been a great one, and they’d been so happy. Bittersweet tears filled June’s eyes. She could still remember the image of four- year-old Amy holding out the blue vase to her. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. June jumped up and rushed to open the door.
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。
At the doorstep stood Amy, holding a small package.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Going to her room, June sat down on her bed and opened the gift.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Last summer, I traveled to Rockville, Maryland, to visit my parents. The trip was special because I had brought along my ten-year-old dog Dakota, who had been part of my family since he was a puppy. My parents had not seen him since I moved to California two years ago, and they were excited about seeing him again.
On the way back, my brother dropped Dakota and me at the airport. After checking in, I stayed with Dakota until an airport worker came to get him. Seeing him off, I headed to the gate and boarded the plane.
About two hours into the flight, the captain came up to me. He told me that he had received a call from the airport worker who said that Dakota had been carelessly loaded in the wrong cargo hold (货舱). He went on to explain that the plane was divided into two cargo holds — forward and rear. The rear cargo hold was designed as animal cargo, as it was lighted, pressurized and heated, while the forward cargo was not designed or used for animal cargo. He said Dakota had been misplaced in the forward cargo hold, and since it was not properly heated, he could not be sure that Dakota was okay, especially in the freezing temperatures at thirty thousand feet.
I couldn’t believe what he was telling me. I turned white as a ghost as my eyes watered with tears. The captain then told me that he was going to make an unscheduled landing in Denver. Again he said that he did not know if Dakota was still alive. Even though I was very upset, I was grateful that the captain was going to stop in Denver. He went on to explain that once we landed, I could go with him to check if Dakota was alright.
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。
Unfortunately for Dakota and me, we had another hour to go before we could land in Denver.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When we landed in Denver, I could hear the ground crew opening the cargo hold door.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After college graduation, I became an editor of our city evening paper and was promoted to the deputy（副的） editor of the paper five years later.
One day, as I parked my car and walked towards the office, I noticed two boys who appeared to be around eight years old, selling popcorn on the street corner. Curious, I approached them and requested half a kilogram of popcorn. They prepared it for me within five minutes.
“How much is it?”I asked.
“It’s 30 rupees, sir.” they replied.
I then asked their names, and they answered, “Sahib, Asib.”
I asked Sahib why they weren’t in school and were selling popcorn instead. Sahi b explained that they were doing it to earn money for their schooling. However, Asib quickly interjected（插话）, saying they had no money left after covering food and medicine, not to mention schooling fees.
“Medicine for what? You guys are looking well,” I said.
Asib replied, “Our mother has a kidney（肾） disease, so we need money to purchase medicine for her treatment.”
When I inquired about their father, Sahi b sadly shared that he had passed away from cancer four years before, leaving their mother to support them with two jobs. I was deeply moved and struggled to find words. Before leaving, I asked whether they would be there the next day, intending to buy some then. They assured me they would come.
“Take care, boys,” I said as I left.
The next day, I returned to the spot where I had met Sahib and Asib the day before, but they were not selling popcorn as usual, standing there with a single bag of popcorn. Seeing in their eyes that their hearts broke because of sadness, I asked why and they explained that they had been waiting for me but had to leave because their mother’s health had got worse.
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 tried to comfort them and decided to something myself to help the family.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________At my office, I penned down this story and made it public.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Oops. Colored rice poured out of Manju’s paper cone (纸锥) and showered across the floor. “I’m sorry. I cut it too much.” he told his grandmother, Nanima. He rushed to clean up the rice. Would Nanima still let him help with the rangoli (地画)?
The rangoli represented good luck for a new year and Nanima made one every Diwali (排灯节). First, she would draw on the floor with chalk. Then, she would fill the drawing with uncooked colored rice without any gaps.
This year, Manju was old enough to help. He stood on one side of rangoli, while Nanima the other side. But so far, he’d only made a mess.
“ Don’t worry,” Nanima said gently, smiling at him.“ It takes some practice.” Manju tried again. He made a new cone and filled it with rice. This time, he cut it carefully. Rice flowed out immediately.“ It works!” Side by side, they made rice move out of the con e across the drawing.
After a while, Manju glanced over at Nanima. He frowned (皱眉) with disappointment.“ You’ve finished a lot. I’ve done hardly any.”“ You’ re doing a good job,” Nanima said with a smile.“ Gaps bring bad luck. But your side looks nice and tight.”
Manju kept working. Sometimes his rice moved very quickly and lightly outside the drawing. Sometimes he used the wrong color. Sometimes he touched the outline carelessly. It became so unclear that Nanima had to redraw it. But slowly, the bright patterns of rice was transformed into a beautiful peacock (孔雀).
All of a sudden, the phone rang. “I’ll be right back in a moment,” Nanima said as she left to answer it. Manju admired the peacock in wonder. Then he spotted a small gap on Nanima’s side.
A gap! Should he fix it?
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。
Paragraph 1:“I’ll surprise Nanima!” he decided.
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Paragraph 2: When Nanima came back, Manju looked anxious.
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One September day, I volunteered at the Massachusetts animal shelter. My heart sank as I heard a slight meow from an abandoned cat carrier by the door. I opened it and took the cat in my arms. Immediately, she buried her face into my arms, her skinny body shaking, but she didn’t escape as if she knew I was there to help.
The doctor estimated her age to be about six. Although weak and underweight, she could return to normal with care. Unfortunately, she tested positive for feline leukemia(猫白血病), which is infectious with only a bite, without cure. Though infected cats can also live normal, happy lives, the doctor regretfully announced she was “unfit for groups”. The only choice was for a volunteer to adopt her.
Already having four cats, I had determined not to put them through the stress of learning to live with a new member. Plus, I had agreed with my husband that we had reached the animal limit. Nevertheless, I took her home anyway and quarantined(隔离) her in a spare room.
The first few nights were difficult. I spent as much time as I could with her. Gradually, she seemed to accept her fate and waited every morning for me. Her appetite returned and soon she looked quite health y again. Before long, this cat began walking around the room as if she owned it — like a little princess, so “Princess” she was named.
Nine long months passed. While I tried to find her a home where she could be the only cat, it was fruitless and we finally accepted her presence.
Summer arrived. Every year, one shelter volunteer hosts a party. It was my turn that year. About thirty volunteers and their guests enjoyed barbecuing and sharing animal stories. Everyone wanted to see “the cat in the room”, so Princess received more than her share of attention. Jody, the Sunday morning volunteer, arrived and introduced her fiancé, Eric. We chatted for a while. Eric mentioned he once lost a cat named Queen, and was also quite interested in Princess.
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。
I was totally unprepared for what happened next.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It turned out that Princess — I mean Queen — was lost when Eric was moving here.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In the distant and mysterious star continent, there is a young man named Bruce. He has a pair of eyes that can see the mysteries of the stars, and a heart that never gives up. Bruce lives in a small, quiet village where people make a living by farming and pastoraling, and know little about the mysteries of the starry sky. However, Bruce is always looking up at the stars, and his heart is full of longing for the unknown.
One day, a shooting star streaked across the sky and landed in Bruce’s backyard. Bruce walked over curiously and found that it was actually a strange shaped meteorite, which was engraved with ancient runes. He gently touched the meteorite, suddenly a powerful energy poured into his body, his eyes emerged a series of strange pictures: stars twinkling, the vast universe, mysterious creatures shuttling between the stars...
“It’s the power of the stars!” An old and mysterious voice sounded in Bruce’s ear, “You have been chosen to become the guardian of the star continent. You need to find the scattered pieces of the stars to unlock the power of the stars and protect the peace of the continent.”
Bruce was shocked by this sudden responsibility and mission, but he did not flinch. He says goodbye to his family and embarks on an adventure to find the shards of stars.
During the journey, Bruce encountered various challenges and difficulties. Sometimes he has to navigate dangerous forests, sometimes he has to solve complex puzzles, and sometimes he has to fight against evil forces. However, he never gave up, because he knew that only by finding all the pieces of the stars could he unlock the power of the stars and protect his beloved home.
After countless times of sharpening and experience, Bruce has gradually grown into a brave, wise and responsible young man. He not only found many fragments of stars, but also made a group of like-minded friends. They fought side by side and faced various challenges and difficulties together.
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。
However, as they approach their goal, they encounter a powerful enemy— the leader of the dark forces of the Star continent.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After a thrilling battle, Bruce finally defeated the leader of the dark forces with his firm faith and the support of his friends.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I stared at the stuff my mom placed near my vegetable. Right. A whole week. She kept seven recipes, each one labelled with a day of week. Today was Meatloaf Monday. Again.
I kept complaining about the food. “Malia,” mom continued serving the twins, saying, “You are 11. You should be setting an example.”
The next day in school’s kitchen classroom, our teacher announced we would have a competition to finish off our unit on kitchen skills. An eager chatting traveled through the class.
“I’m going to win,” said Tania, “My dad’s the best cook. I’ve got talent.” Right. Tania’s dad is good at cooking. I love having supper at her house. But I also wanted to win. I thought about my talent and decided that I would practice by making supper tonight.
After school, I told mom my determination, but she was nervous. I hurried to the kitchen. Thinking about Tania’s dad’s saying — good ingredients (食材) make good meals, I took whatever I thought was good from the cupboard. Then remembering mom’s saying — health matters, I found more vegetables. I put all together in the soup pot and turned on the burner. Soon later, the stuff I cooked turned messy. The twins whispered about my failure but my mom stopped them, “Malia worked hard on this.”
After supper, as I was throwing my work in the compost (堆肥), Mrs. Benny, my neighbour, spotted me. Learning what happened, she smiled and invited me to come over to her garden.
The next day, I laboured in Mrs. Benny’s garden, picking vegetables. Together, we collected some fresh ingredients. “Touch and smell the plants. If you see something you like, place it into the bowl.” I followed that and picked out fresh potatoes and onions. She recalled how she went from getting no idea about cooking to falling in love with it. “The secret is using all your senses — sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing. Listen to your stomach. Don’t rush.” she said.
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 Mrs. Benny’s words, I started to practice right away.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After the competition, I went home with the dish cheerfully.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Emily Harper sat at her desk, staring blankly at the math problems in front of her. Numbers and variables danced confusingly across the page, laughing at her every effort. At school, Emily was known for her artistic talents, but math had always been her weakness, No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t make sense of it.
Her struggles only worsened in the 10th grade. The pressure to keep up with her classmates grew, and the poor grades shook her confidence. Her parents decided to step in. “We need to find you some help,” her mother gently suggested one evening.
Then came Mr. Jenkins, a retired local teacher known for his unique teaching style. Emily was initially resistant; the idea of spending extra hours on a subject she hated seemed like a punishment. But - she unwillingly agreed, knowing something had to change.
Their first session was tense. Mr. Jenkins, sensing her frustration, didn’t dive straight into problems. Instead, he asked about her interests. When Emily spoke passionately about her painting, he smiled. “Math is like art, Emily. It has patterns and beauty if you know where to look.”
Doubtful but inspired, Emily listened as he began to explain concepts through visual examples. He used colors and shapes, turning abstract numbers into something almost tangible (有形的). For the first time, math seemed less like a foreign language and more like a puzzle waiting to be solved.
However, progress was slow. Weeks passed with, minimal improvement, and Emily’s patience wore thin. A particularly difficult quiz left her in tears, convinced she was sure to fail. Mr. Jenkins said, “Remember, Emily, every artist starts with a blank canvas. Masterpieces aren’t created overnight.”
Encouraged by his firm belief, Emily pushed on. She began to see the connections between the steps, how each solution followed a logical path. Small victories in practice problems gave her some hope. Mr. Jenkins was always there, celebrating her successes, no matter how minor.
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。
Gradually, Emily’s confidence grew with Mr. Jenkins’ help.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Emily’s heart raced when the results day arrived.
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