As I unzipped my lunchbox, the whole place was turned into a spicy curry (咖喱) dream. I immediately hid it under my seat, hoping no one would take notice.
Mom had really outdone herself with masala — our family’s all-time favorite dish back in India. But today, it wasn’t just about me and my lunch. A warm smile on his face, Ricky invited me, a new transfer student from India to New York city, for lunch.
“Ava, come sit here!” Ricky called out, gesturing towards a vacant seat.
As I made my way over, memories of those awkward lunchtimes when I studied in Kansas, one of the most conservative states, flooded back. I could still recall how everyone would wrinkle their noses and stare curiously when I unpacked my Indian food. It always made me feel like an outsider, like I didn’t belong.
Therefore, before my first day in this school, I had demanded my mom pack “normal” western-style food for me. I still remembered the look on her face upon hearing it, as she signed in disappointment and confusion, “Isn’t there a moment when you feel proud of your origin?” That was hurting, but not more hurting than others’ giggles and whispers. Honestly, long queues were common in Indian restaurants in New York city, a cultural melting pot, but I wouldn’t take that risk.
Unfortunately, this morning, Mom had forgotten to make sandwich or any “normal” food, so I had to bring leftovers from our dinner. At the thought of the possible oh-no-second (社死), I felt like being thrown into darkness.
However, before I came back to reality, Ricky noticed my sneaking (躲躲藏藏). “What do you have for lunch?” he asked, his eyes twinkling with interest. I tried to brush it off (搪塞), claiming I wasn’t hungry. But Ricky wouldn’t let it go, and before I could protest, he had the lid of my lunchbox open and I prepared myself for such familiar responses as “Ew” or “What is that?”
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, I did not get what I was expecting.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After school, I found Mom preparing sandwich for tomorrow’s lunch.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Don’t forget to study for the European history test on Friday,” Mrs. Beville announced to her students before the class was over.
Julie shut her book and sighed to herself, “Why couldn’t the test be on poetry?” Julie loved poetry and its rhythmic expression of feelings and ideas. Yes, she could understand poetry, but as to history she was not sure. “What if I fail? I’ve never been good at memorizing anything for a test,” she thought.
That night, Julie sorted out her notes. She flipped open her textbook to the end of the first chapter, where she found a list of practice questions for the test. “Need some help?” asked her older brother, Joey, who poked his head into her bedroom to see what she was doing. Julie handed him her textbook and said, “Quiz me.” Joey took the book and read the first question. “In what year did England defeat the Spanish Armada?” Julie frowned and pursed her lips. “Dates are the worst! Ask another one.”
Joey’s eyes traveled to the bottom of the page. “Who took the throne following the death of Queen Mary I?” “Oh! It’s on the tip of my tongue. It’s - it’s - I don’t know!” Julie shook her head. “It looks like you didn’t study,” Joey said. Julie grabbed her book back and glared at Joey. What did he know about her study habits? She could read a chapter a thousand times, but getting her brain to hold on to information was like getting a rock to absorb sand.
The following day, she decided to use library time to study. She found a table in a quiet corner. With her textbook open in front of her, she tried to make sense of all the facts and dates. But it was useless. She dropped her head to the book and buried her face in the pages. “Impossible!”
“Julie!” Julie heard someone calling her and looked up. Maria from her class was seated at a nearby table.
Maria approached Julie with a sparkle in her eyes and asked, “Want to study together?”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On the day of the test, Julie and Maria both felt nervous.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I still remember what I felt on a bright Saturday morning in late September, at a five-kilometer race in Clarkston, Georgia.
It was an unusual morning. About an hour earlier, when we drove into town to participate in the race, my 11-year-old son noticed a green tree cricket（蟋蟀） on my car. It was friendly, no longer than a fingernail. It jumped onto my son’s finger, and walked across my shirt, and then went back to my son’s hand, where it stayed so long that we eventually gave it a name: Little Friend.
The walk from the car to the registration table was perhaps a quarter of a mile. Little Friend stayed with my son. Then, we walked back across the railroad tracks and waited for the race to start. A few minutes before the race, Little Friend either fell or jumped off my son’s hand and landed on the sidewalk. Maybe it wanted to go free. But this was not a good place for that. Pedestrian（行人） traffic was heavy, so Little Friend was in danger. My son knelt and reached out his hand. It came back.
The race was about to start, and the tiny green insect was in for a wild ride. My son would run fast, and the race would be long. The race began. I ran well enough, and felt excited at the finish line. But that thrill gave way to anxiety when my son didn’t show up.
I knew he could run 5 kilometers in about 30 minutes. When I didn’t see him at the 35-minute mark, I began to wonder what had gone wrong. And as the 40-minute mark approached and he still didn’t appear, I went out looking for him. Had he got lost? I crossed the railroad tracks and looked down a long straightaway, hoping to see his face. Finally, there he was, just ahead of the 45-minute mark.
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。
Little Friend was riding proudly on one finger of my son’s right hand.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Smiling, we walked back to the car with Little Friend.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One day my mom and I read a story on a magazine called Humane Society News. A wild dog named Solo died for lack of medical care after he was ill. I knew how sad the story was because my own dog, Kela, had recently died. My world had ended when I lost Kela. She had been my best friend since I could remember. The article continued to tell about wildlife rehabilitators. They nursed the sick animals back to health, but as more and more animals were rescued, the medical expense became a big burden for them. I immediately determined to do something for them. I may be a kid, but why can’t I do a fund-raiser to help save more dogs?
My mom thought it was hard for an eleven-year-old girl to raise, but she told me to go ahead and try it anyway. I realized that I needed a name for the fund-raiser and thought since I was trying to protect dogs’ life, I would call my program Help Dogs. I decided that pet stores would be really good places to go with donation boxes and Help Dogs flyers (传单). I used little green Chinese take-out boxes, decorated with a picture of Tiko, one of the dogs I chose to help, and me. I wrote on each box “Help protect the life of dogs by donating a dollar”. I thought my actions might not raise much money for the dogs, but they can at least increase people’s awareness of wild animals protection.
One afternoon, after all the boxes had been distributed throughout our community, I got a call from a local newspaper reporter who had seen one of my flyers. The reporter decided to do an article about Help Dogs. After the article came out, I waited for a few days before checking to see if there were any donations.
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 was really nervous when I finally went to collect the money.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I realized many people feel the same way as I did but didn’t know how to help.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was just another boring day for Jamie, a third-grader. He sat in his English class, mindlessly doodling on his notebook.
“Jamie Turner, please report to the principal’s office immediately.”
Jamie’s heart sank. With his mind racing, Jamie grabbed his backpack and made the long walk down the hallway to the principal’s office, avoiding eye contact with fellow students. As he walked, he searched his brain for any possible explanations for why he was being called.
Jamie finally reached the principal’s office. He took a deep breath and pushed it open, bracing himself for the worst.
To his surprise, he found the principal, Mr. Harrison who was wearing a giant yellow chicken hat on his head, standing on his desk and waving his arms as if he were trying to fly!
Jamie’s mouth fell open at the sight, too stunned to speak.
“Jamie, sit down,” Mr. Harrison exclaimed, gesturing him to take a seat. “I’ve called you here because we’ve been having some complaints about your behavior. You’ve been… too funny.”
Jamie’s jaw dropped further. Was that really the reason he was called to the principal’s office?
The principal continued, his tone serious, “Now, we take our education very seriously here, and while we appreciate a good sense of humor, we have to draw the line somewhere. We cannot have students disturbing the learning environment with their… their humor.”
Jamie couldn’t help it—he burst out laughing, doubling over in his seat as he gasped for breath.
Finally, Jamie managed to compose himself enough to speak. “I’m sorry, sir, it’s just… I can’t stop laughing at the thought of getting in trouble for laughing… and your hat! It’s ridiculous!”
The principal frowned, “Well, I’m glad you find it funny. But your teachers don’t.”
Jamie nodded seriously, trying to contain his laughter. “I understand, sir. I’ll be less funny in class.” “Um, Mr. Harrison, why are you wearing a chicken hat?” Jamie asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
“Oh, today is Animal Day for the first-graders.” Mr. Harrisjon grinned.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Really, Mr. Harrison? You think I’m that good for the upcoming school Comedy Festival?” Jamie asked.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When I was in middle school, my family moved to Seattle, where my parents started their new business — a small grocery store downstairs my house. As a girl of shy and reserved nature, I had to take a fresh start to fit into the challenging city life.
One sunny day, my school announced an exciting event, a talent show for the local food bank. Students were encouraged to show their unique talents in front of the public in the city hall on National Day. A sense of excitement filled the school as everyone began preparing for the big day. Deep down, I felt a spark of curiosity and a desire to participate. However, my self-doubt held me back, “I don’t have any special skills to share.”
Days turned into weeks, and the talent show drew closer. I couldn’t shake the upsetting feeling until one day Emma, one of the most popular girls in my class, came to me while I was helping in the grocery store after class. “How about singing together in the talent show?” She grinned, “I heard you singing a tune, along the way back home. I can’t help following you here.” Gosh, I couldn’t believe my ears. Emma, with personality and popularity, acknowledged my little talent. Since Emma had the world’s prettiest voice, I felt like being favoured by fortune.
“You two? The talent show for the food bank?” My mum bent towards us and her face lit up. “A big occasion.” Then a bright idea seemed to occur to her. “Why not practise right now upstairs? I bet you’ll be a perfect match.” Winking at (眨眼示意) us, she seemed to know we were thinking alike.
Emma and I practised almost every single day after school. As the days rolled by, I was feeling pretty good about our act. But the day before the performance, Emma called that she had a serious stomachache and was not in any shape to perform.
I was completely knocked out by the news. Without Emma’s voice to guide me, I would definitely mess up and this was not how everything was supposed to go!
要求：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
As I stood there, feeling at a loss, my mum came in.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Finally came the big moment of my solo (独唱) show.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A boy named Andrew lived with his parents in a poor community. One day, he saw a beautiful brooch (胸针) in a shop window that set his heart racing. Thinking that his mother’s birthday was coming, he wanted to give her a present. But the price - five dollars - was too high for him. Five dollars would purchase almost a week’s food for his family.
Well aware of his family’s financial situation, Andrew could not ask his father for the money. Every penny his father earned through driving went to his mother, Dara. Slim and beautiful, she was the center of the home and the glue that held it together. She struggled to feed and clothe their three children, thinking about how to make ends meet every month, but she was happy as her family and their well-being were all she truly cared about.
Nevertheless, he stepped inside. Standing proudly and straight in his ragged shirt and washed-out trousers, he told the shopkeeper what he wanted, adding, “But I don’t have the money right now. Could you please hold it for me for some time?”
“I’ll try,” the shopkeeper smiled. “People around here don’t usually have that kind of money to spend on things. It should keep for a while.”
Andrew respectfully touched his worn cap and walked out. He would raise the money and not tell anybody, for he thought his mom would get surprised when she saw that brooch. But how to raise the money? An idea struck him when he saw the scene of workers painting external walls of buildings in the city. The paint was bought in buckets from a local factory. Sometimes the useless buckets were thrown away at the construction site, and Andrew knew he could raise money by selling them back to the factory for five cents apiece. That day he sold two paint buckets and hid the money in a rusty soda tin.
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。
Every day after school, Andrew stuck to his plan.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Eventually, the moment came!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Steven Price is the class clown and has an unyielding (执着的) passion for coins. He tells silly jokes and asks dumb riddles while Ms. Redfield is trying to teach. “Ms. Redfield,” said Steven. “What have a head and a tail, but no body?”
“I don’t know,” said Ms. Redfield. “Coins!” Steven laughed and laughed.
When his attention is diverted (转移) from coins, he finds amusement in playing tricks. I don’t mind when Steven plays tricks on Ms. Redfield or on some other kids. I just hate it when he plays tricks on me. I try to avoid or ignore him, but he gets me every time!
During recess (课间休息) on Monday, Steven was holding a small box in his hand. “Come and see what I’ve got,” he said to me. Before I could reject it, Steven lifted the lid. As the lid of the creaks opened, a horrifying clown figure sprang forth with a sudden burst of energy. Its painted bloody grin stretched unnaturally wide, revealing rows of sharp, jagged (锯齿状的) teeth. I was startled! My heart raced as the clown’s high-pitched cackle (咯咯的笑) echoed through the classroom. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!” I said. Steven just made a face and disappeared.
On Tuesday, we were studying measurement. Steven asked me to help him measure part of the hallway for his project. I told him I was busy working on my own math problem. “This will just take a minute!” he said. He had a piece of string 30 feet long. He wanted to see if it would reach to the cafeteria. I held one end of the string, and Steven went down the hall and around the corner. Pretty soon I felt the string get tight. I thought he was measuring. Keeping holding the string, I thought he would come right back.
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。
Ms. Redfield came around the corner, looking strangely at me.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On Wednesday, I decided to fight back and play a trick on Steven.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I’ve always thought of my mother Lee-Ann as a superhero. Not that she can fly or shoot lasers (激光) out of her eyes, but because she never runs out of room in her heart for anyone or anything.
I could write about all of the wonderful things she has done, but I want to focus on the one project she does every year that has shaped my whole family and everyone around us: She collects the money she finds in the washer and dryer, and she puts it in a little jar that we refer to as “The Charity Jar”. Every year, she takes this money and puts it toward something — a cause, an act of kindness, anything that can help someone. Sometimes, she buys coffee for the next people in line at a coffee shop. Other times, she buys something for an organization that needs it.
If you ask her about this tradition, she will tell you that she is carrying on something that her mother used to do around the holidays. If you ask anyone else who knows her, however, they will tell you that she has a huge heart. She manages to get our whole family involved in this movement every year.
Last year, for example, my younger brother Bob and I volunteered in a shelter for the homeless. Once, when we helped with delivering daily supplies there, he noticed the wish list on the wall: comforters, a DVD player, a coffee maker and supplies. We told Mum, and she quickly organized a family meeting to discuss how to help the shelter. We all agreed that the coffee maker would be the best thing for our family to work on together. We found a coffee maker online and decided to buy one.
Bob opened “The Charity Jar” and we counted the money Mum collected. Unfortunately, it was 50 dollars short. “Any way to make it up?” Mum asked me and Bob.
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’ve learned that Mr. Smith needs someone to tidy his big garden,” I told Bob.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The next weekend, we went to the shelter with the new coffee maker excitedly.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I grew up in the south of Arizona in a little community called Estepona. I was 16 when one morning, my father told me I could drive him into a remote village called Mijas, about 18 miles away, on condition that I take the car in to be serviced at a nearby garage. Having just learned to drive, and hardly ever having the opportunity to use the car, I readily accepted.
I drove Dad into Mijas and promised to pick him up at 4 P. M…Then I drove to a nearby garage and dropped off the car. Because I had a few hours to spare, I decided to catch a couple of movies at a theater near the garage. However, I became so immersed in the films that I completely lost track of time. When the last movie had finished, I looked down at my watch. It was six o’clock. I was two hours late!
I knew Dad would be angry if he found out I’d been watching movies. He’d never let me drive again. I decided to tell him that the car needed some repairs and that they had taken longer than had been expected. I drove up to the place where we had planned to meet and saw Dad waiting patiently on the corner. I apologized for being late and told him that I’d come as quickly as I could, but the car had needed some major repairs. I’ll never forget the look he gave me.
“I’m disappointed that you feel you have to lie to me, Jason.”
“What do you mean? I’m telling the truth.”
Dad looked at me again. “When you did not show up, I called the garage to ask if there were any problems, and they told me that you had not yet picked up the car. So you see, I know there were no problems with the car.”
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。
Dad let out a sigh of disappointment.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________However, determined to teach me a lesson, Dad continued his walking back home.
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