Tomato Changed My Life
Doing things-without being planned was never my strength.
As a 14-year-old, I would refuse to go for walks around the block with my friends if I was the least bit behind in my schoolwork.
Unlike most teenagers, I lived not in my room, but in an unused kitchen upstairs where I spread my books and papers on a large round table. I spent considerable time there, working continuously for hours, and my mother worried. She would try to lure (引诱) me away. “Come and watch the parade!” she would call from downstairs. “All neighbors are out there!” She thought of all kinds of tricks-the swimming pool, ice cream, stray cats and turtles-to remove me from my -studies, but nothing ever worked.
Later, in college, the pattern continued. The library and my college dorm replaced the unused kitchen at home. When spring came along friends would stop by my dorm or peer into my library room to persuade me to play Frisbee on the lawn. “No, I would almost always say.” I have too much to do.
My college study days were gone, but not my need and love for schedules. My friends and sisters tried to keep me away from my plans, but they were hardly ever successful.
This summer, though, while house sitting for my parents, I was persuaded to change my plans in the most unexpected way. The sight of tomatoes growing in my mother’s garden lured me out of my tightly scheduled world. They drew me with the power of a lover’s gaze. Hundreds of them were turning ripe and red by the minute, decorating the garden like decorations on a Christmas tree.
“If I have time, I’ll make tomato sauce (番茄酱).” I told myself. But my long week in the house by myself was already filled with things to do: writing, and finishing a project that I brought home from the office.
Then, watching the fascinating tomatoes continuously falling to the ground in ever-greater numbers, again I mentally argued about all the things I had planned and needed to do.
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。
Finally, I gave in.
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A month later, my parents came back.
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One day two years ago, my mother came home from work and announced that she had found a pet for the family. My father, little sister, and I eyed her in doubt.
My sister asked what kind of dog it was. My mother said it was a poodle (贵宾犬) named Pepe. I couldn’t believe she wanted a poodle — especially one with such an ordinary name. But she had made up her mind. “Actually, I’m doing a co-worker a favor,” she said. “The woman who owns Pepe says he hates to be alone and needs children to play with him.”
Pepe arrived the next night. His short tail shook happily. I didn’t get very close to him, thinking he should have stayed with his previous owner. My little sister played with him until bedtime, and he would come to me and begged for more attention. I always ignored him. But no matter how I treated him, he’d always like to be with me. He has always been waiting for me at the front door at the end of the day, smiling happily. He seems to know that I will be coming home from school at that time. Every day, he asks me with his eyes to play with him or take him somewhere. At night, he will wait until I fall asleep, leave his bed by the wall heater, walk down the hall and jump onto the end of my bed.
One night, while everyone was sleeping, I was in a half dream state. My throat hurt, my eyes pained, and some animal was crying in my ear. I opened my eyes and saw fog in my room. I wondered who left the window open. Pepe cried and bit my pajama sleeve (睡衣袖). Then I woke up and realized that it wasn’t fog in my room — it was smoke.
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。
Standing up, I couldn’t breathe.
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I turned off the burner with Pepe around me.
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I have a passion for fishing and animal protection, which can date back to my childhood. When I was young, my father was a fish and wildlife officer, so he traveled all over the province in the spring and fall. He loved his job, especially the part where he protected nature from human.
He’d taught me to fish alone, in silence, lost in my own thoughts.
I still remembered that special day. Midweek, even in late August, no one was around. Police Outpost Lake is as far as you can go and still be in Canada. Songbirds, ducks, and Canada geese glided (滑翔) by on the breeze, touching down briefly on the water’s surface before flapping and quacking their way back up into the sky, passing in front of the sun, temporarily blocking its warming rays.
“How can I get the fish with these birds making noise?” I complained, rod (鱼竿) in my hand.
“Be patient, Jacob. Birds won’t disturb you.”
Out of the corner of my eyes, I suddenly caught a glimpse of a few great northern loons (潜鸟) stayed together not far from the shoreline. Dad once told me loon usually travel alone, but here were five of them in a group. Maybe it was a family? One loon, making odd sounds, swam away from the group, towards me.
This is unusual.
“Dad! Come here! Take a look at this loon!”
Hearing this, dad laid his rod down on the dirty sand, walking quickly towards me.
The loon rested in the shallow water near shore, not ten feet away from us. It was so close, we could see its red eyes.
“Look at that beak (喙)!”I said. “It could easily hurt us to death with that thing! It could tear our faces! Blind our eyes!”
Walking into the water, getting closer to the loon, we both saw thin wire wrapped around its neck. Fishing line maybe? Was there a hook(钩子)on the line, too? Was the loon asking us for help?
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: Reaching down, I touched its feather, my heart racing.
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Paragraph 2: “Hurry, Dad! I can’t hold this bird forever, you know!” I said.
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1. In your opinion, is Yang Liwei a hero? Why, or why not?
2. What do you think a true hero should be like?
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“Guys, remember. This competition is extremely difficult. There will only be a few selections to make it to the final round with the judges,” the music teacher, Mr. Brooks, explained. “But I hope all of you put your best foot forward and make our academy stand out!” The teacher was talking about a state-wide competition held by the best musicians in the area.
Shahnaz, the new student who had only come to the class two weeks before, took the teacher’s words to heart and put her heart and soul into a composition. She had learned how to play the piano for a long time and really did well in it. She wanted to prove herself.
All the students were supposed to improve their compositions with the help of their teacher, Mr. Brooks. However, he spent most of his time guiding the few outstanding students in his class.
He never had much to say to Shahnaz unless it was a comment about her mistakes, but that didn’t stop her from wanting to impress him. He was a good piano player and could teach her a lot. She hoped that her composition would be improved under the guidance of Mr. Brooks.
“OK,” Mr. Brooks said during one of his lessons, “it’s time for Shahnaz to play.” Shahnaz sat in front of the piano and began moving her fingers softly. She practiced and practiced once her composition was done and could almost play it by heart.
Finally, the piece was finished. Shahnaz looked at Mr. Brooks nervously and hoped to receive his recognition. But he just sighed “Frankly, you made many mistakes. You shouldn’t take part in the competition.”
注意：
1.续写词数应为150个左右；
2.请按如下格式作答。
Shahnaz left Mr Brooks’ class that day with a heavy heart, but she refused to let his words break her spirit.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The night of the competition finally arrived.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6 . Topic: Nowadays, many people prefer socializing online to spending time with fiends in local community. Do you think social networking helps or hurts your relations with your friends?
Give two reasons to support your point of view.
Write your essay in 150 words.
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7 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。
I used to be crazy about the hunting season. I could hardly wait for those dry, cold mornings, that cup of hot coffee and then the walk over fresh-fallen snow, a fine rifle (步枪) in my hand.
There’s a thrill in hunting, an excitement that comes over you when a deer crashes out of the bush. You are waiting for him with death. After hunting, you also feel great. There’s the bit of showing off with the boys.
There’s beauty in the woods especially late in the fall. Sometimes you walk among the huge trees, where the sunlight filters through. It’s quiet and big. with touches of white and green and gold. And the silence is like that of a church.
It was like that the last time I was in the woods. I was alone, packing a rifle, a thermos (保温杯) of coffee and three thick sandwiches. I went up into the hills, heading for a well-used deer trail. Sure enough there were fresh tracks in the snow. I turned over a few rocks to clear the snow and settled down behind a little bush. It was pretty cold, but I was dressed for it and didn’t mind.
I sat there for about an hour. It was then that I saw him. A deer, a big beautiful deer! He was off to my left. There was no cover nearer to him than 30 yards. Surely, I couldn’t miss! I waited for him to realize I was there. I waited for him to be shocked and run away. But he fooled me completely. He came towards me! He was curious, I suppose, or maybe he was stupid — how else can you explain it?
He was not quite young. He must have known about men and guns. But he came closer, slowly and purpose fully. His big eyes never moved from my face. Well, that deer walked right up to where I was sitting. Then he stopped and looked at me!
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1:
What happened next is hard to believe, but it’s true.
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Paragraph 2:
I picked up my thermos and the wrapping for the sandwiches, and started walking back.
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It was a cold winter morning when Lily woke up from her deep sleep. She stretched her arms and yawned lazily, feeling a sense of emptiness deep within. As she looked out the window, she noticed that the once lively and colorful garden outside was now covered in a blanket of snow.
Lily had always been fascinated by the beauty of nature. She loved watching the flowers bloom in spring, feeling the warmth of the sun in summer, and appreciating the golden colors of autumn. But now, with winter’s arrival, there seemed to be empty in her heart.
Determined to bring back the lost spirit of spring, Lily decided to take matters into her own hands. She put on her warmest coat, wrapped a scarf around her neck, and went out into the frozen world. With each step she took, she imagined the scent of fresh flowers filling the air and the sound of birds singing happily.
As she walked through the snow-covered garden, a small ray of sunlight broke through the clouds, casting a soft glow on the barren landscape. Lily’s eyes widened with wonder as she came across a tiny sprout (嫩芽) growing from the ground. It was a sign of hope, a promise of new life.
Eager to raise this fragile little life, Lily carefully dug a small hole and gently placed it in the soil. She watered it with tenderness, whispering words of encouragement. Days turned into weeks, and the sprout grew into a young plant, its leaves unfolding gradually.
One morning, as Lily stopped into the garden, she was greeted by a breathtaking sight. The once lifeless garden was now blooming with rows of colorful flowers. The air was filled with the sweet fragrance of nature, and the sound of buzzing bees and singing birds created a symphony (交响乐) of joy.
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 day, the weather took an unexpected turn.
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Through this painstaking process, Lily witnessed her own growth and transformation._
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9-year-old Igor lived in a huge forest in the north of Russia. His father was a woodcutter and his mother a tailor. The boy liked playing with animals in the forest, and knew the names of different birds and their songs. One freezing winter Igor was seriously ill and the doctor from big cities told his parents that only surprise could save him. Lying all day in bed, Igor only wanted his father to catch a bird and played with it. But in winter there were no birds in the forest. “You could make him a bird out of wood,” suggested the anxious mother.
The first finished birds were fat and too heavy to fly. He threw them into the fire, head in hands.
It was snowing heavily, and he really didn’t know where to find a bird. Then an idea occurred to him, “The bird needs two pieces of wood.” Eventually, he made it and showed it to his wife. “Beautiful!” she said, taking a needle and some thread (细线) and sewing the two ends together, like a real bird. She tied a long thread to the bird’s back. And it could be hung above Igor’s bed. Quietly, the woodcutter hung the bird above the boy’s bed.
At daybreak, his son was watching the bird carefully. There was a light in his eyes for the first time in many weeks. “Beautiful!” said Igor. “I’ve never seen it before in the forest. What’s its name?” “That’s a good question. I’ll find out and tell you.” The next morning, when the father entered Igor’s room, he found the boy sitting up in bed, trying to touch the bird. The last time Igor sat up in bed was many weeks before. “What’s it called?” the boy asked. “Oh, dear, I’m still not sure.”
Late on that night, Igor’s father went into his son’s room quietly and made the thread a little shorter. Then the bird was hanging a little higher above Igor’s head. Three days later, he found Igor kneeling on the bed, trying to touch the bird. His hand was very near it. “Have you decided on the name?” “Not yet. My son.” his father replied.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
Paragraph 1:
Again, at night the father went into his son’s room.
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Paragraph 2:
Several days later, Igor’s father was cutting wood when he heard a scream from the house.
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FOR SOME, putting up Christmas lights is yet another holiday activity. But in the Pascucci household, it was always a big day of celebration and it was a family affair. Every year on the day after Thanksgiving, Anthony Pascucci and his older sister, Connie Pascucci, would visit local stores to check out new decorations. Anthony’s son, Anthony Jr., and daughter, Sara, shared the home, and helped with the decoration every year.
In 2020, as in every year, Anthony Sr. Strung(悬挂) colorful lights all around their roof until it looked as if sparkles(火花) were dripping(滴). The whole house twinkled with lights, and gifts were piled under the tree.
Anthony Sr., 60, had outdone himself, as if the brightness of the lights could counter(抵消) some of the darkness of the past year with COVID-19. On Christmas Eve, everyone was looking forward to enjoying another Christmas together as a family.
Then Connie got a call: Someone she worked with had tested positive. Though Connie didn’t have any symptoms, she decided to get tested right away. Her rapid test came back positive.
Anthony Sr., Anthony Jr., and Sara decided they should all get tested too. When their results came back, they all learned that they also had COVID-19. Sadly, everyone agreed their Christmas celebration would have to be canceled.
Right after the new year, Anthony Sr. started having trouble breathing and was admitted to the hospital. Five days later, Connie began feeling weak and wouldn’t eat. She died before getting to the hospital. Less than a week later, Anthony Sr. passed away.
It was the worst of Sara’s life. She felt as if she was in a fog. Grief left her doubled over in pain. Every day she went back after a long day, the twinkling Christmas lights brought her a spark of joy. “It made us happy to see them,” she says. “I couldn’t bring myself to put them away.” Taking the lights down felt like a final act of closure(结束), but she and her brother weren’t ready to take. So they just kept them up.
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
Paragraph 1
One day in February, Sara received an annoying envelope in the mail.
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Paragraph 2
Days later she found her inbox quickly filled with messages showing support as well as criticizing the mean mail.
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