Have you ever heard of the position “sometimes backup catcher (替补接球手)?” I hadn’t either. Until this spring.
Since childhood, I have always liked watching baseball match. I especially loved the thrill of watching the catchers grab that game-winning grand slam (大满贯球) at the final moment. I sometimes pictured myself as the catcher, with body moving as swift as a leopard to the outfield and with eyes as sharp as an eagle’s, ready to catch the ball from the pitcher(投球手) with the glove and secure those decisive points.
This spring, my parents brought me to the Centerville Youth Baseball tryouts (选拔). When it was my turn, I ran out on to the field. My parents were surprised at how quickly I returned. “How’d you do?” Dad asked. “I don’t know,” I said. “I’m not sure I’ll make the team.” “Let’s wait and see.” Mom said.
After tryouts, Coach Bull yard announced, “Positions are posted in the clubhouse.” Parents and kids stampeded to check the results.
Dad stared at the lineup list for a long time. I couldn’t get myself to look. “So, did I make the team?” I asked him finally.
“You did,” Dad replied. “It says ‘Mike Davis: sometimes backup catcher.’” What does that mean? It didn’t sound great.
We had three practices before the first game. The first day, Is at on the bench beside my friend Emily, and Coach pointed to the outfield. “Mike Davis and Emily Hall—out there. And practice!” Emily and I headed for the outfield.
During our first practice, everything seemed to be in a mess. At the second practice, I showed some improvement, but still missed several catches. I even slipped and fell as it started to rain. I heard Emily chuckle. Coach Bull yard noticed this, and came close to me, comforting, “It’s important for a catcher to catch every ball, especially the grand-slam ball. If you do your best, you’ll see the result in the game.
At home, I asked my older brother James. “Do you think Coach will ever put me in a game as a catcher?” James wrote down and calculated some numbers. Finally, he said “The likelihood that you’ll play in a game before the end of the season is as slim as finding a needle in a haystack.” He looked at me. “In other words, it probably won’t happen.”
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: That night in bed, I thought about my older brother James’ words.
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Paragraph 2: In the last few minutes of the final game, the coach decided to make substitution of players (换人) .
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We all make mistakes. Sometimes, it is hard to admit them. However, there is a magic power in this world that can give us the courage to do so.
I grew up in a small town in Ohio. There was a man in town that everyone seemed to know. We all called him Bob. Bob was uneducated. It seemed that because he was good-natured and not very smart,every one teased (戏弄) him.
One day when I was sitting on the porch, he came walking by. I was about 12 years old and thought it would make me feel grown up to tease him like some adults did in the town.
He asked how I was doing. I told him that my father had lost his job, and that we were short of money. I could see my friends laughing in the background so 1 went on with the lie. I had him fooled so completely that every time he asked me a question, I would make the situation seem worse and worse.I knew he made a meager (贫困的) living doing odd jobs, so it seemed funny when he asked me if we needed anything. I told him that we didn’t know if we would have enough to eat. He replied, “You poor thing. I will pray for you.”
That night I heard the door rattle (沙沙响) softly. I thought it was the wind beating against the door. So I didn’t pay much attention to it. Later when I opened the door to go outside, I realized it wasn’t wind.
注意：1．续写词数应为150词左右;
2．请按如下格式作答。
On the doorstep, I found a box of food with a note beside it.
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The next evening, with a big apple pie made by myself, I stood at the doorstep of Bob’s house.
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 | Hello, I’m Anna Green. I’m a student at Star Middle School. I’m in Class Two. My parents are teachers. I have a friend in my class. His name is Jackson Smith. He likes black. Look! He has a black cup and three black pens. |
 | My name is Alice. Jones is my last name. I’m at Ziyang Middle School. Yellow is my favorite color. I have a nice family. Jack and Tom are my parents. Scot is my grandfather. And I have a sister Grace. We like the same color. |
 | Hi! I’m Dave Brown. I’m an English boy. Now I live with my uncle and aunt in China. They have a daughter May and a son Peter. Peter likes drawing very much. Here is picture. Look! A black dog is in it. |
| A．Class One. | B．Class Two. | C．Class Three. | D．Class Four. |
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．A brown cat. | B．A black cat. | C．A brown dog. | D．A black dog. |
Living in the shadow of my two elder sisters at college who already had their lives planned out since they were little, I was always undecided about everything. As a teenager, I was fickle (反复无常的). I would like one thing for a week and then hate it the next. But I was constantly searching for the beginning of the rainbow. Changing my dream from a vet to an astronaut, I thought there were various options available to me. However, my parents would shake their heads and repeatedly asked me such questions as, “Why can’t you be more like your sisters? What are you going to do with your life? Aren’t you interested in anything at all?” After a couple of shrugs (耸肩), my parents usually stopped talking. I was not sure if they gave up or anticipated my dull reactions. I often responded, “I couldn’t answer all of your questions now.”
Actually, my parents just had high expectations that never seemed to be fulfilled. Plus, like other parents, they just wanted to give the best to me and expected me to achieve success. The arguments with my parents seemed childish. One day, my mother made her thoughts clear, “Your grades aren’t high enough. No schools are going to want you, dear. We didn’t pay so much money for nothing.” Hesitating for a while, I said, “No matter what you say, I believe I will enter a good college.” Still, I let my emotions control myself.
Certainly, I had never planned not to go to college. After another debate with my mom, I decided to make a change. No longer would I sit back and let my parents mistake me for a bad boy. It was time to take action.
I knew it was a crucial year at high school. Releasing my feelings, I began to collect all the knowledge I had learned and review it with all my heart. I didn’t argue with my parents any more, but instead turned to my sisters for help and tried my best to study. Finally, I took the national college entrance examination with ease and confidence.
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。
A few days later, I received a call from my school, saying my college acceptance letter had arrived.
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My parents excitedly said behind me, “Well, open the envelop!”
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I watched my dad scowl (绷着脸) as he listened to the voice coming through the telephone receiver. I heard him say, “Yes, Miss Beisner,” and “I understand what you’re saying, Miss Beisner. I appreciate you sharing this information. We’ll see what we can do about the situation. Thank you for calling. Goodbye.”
Miss Beisner was my first-grade teacher, and I loved her. I thought she felt the same about me, but now I was beginning to wonder. The tone of Dad’s voice, the redness in his cheeks, and his repeated clenching. And unclenching of fists made it pretty clear. This was not a warm and fuzzy good news-from-the-teacher call.
As I was deciding whether I should lock myself in my bedroom for the rest of my life or run away from home, Dad hung up the phone. “Jacquie, come here and sit down. We need to talk.”
Uh-oh. When Dad said, “We need to talk,” it meant he needed to talk, and I needed to listen.
I shuffled (拖着脚走) over to the well-worn brown chair in the corner of the living room, plopped down, and waited to hear the nature of my crime.
Dad told me that Miss Beisner thought I was bright but not working up to my ability. She said I had strong verbal skills but weak study habits. Translation: I never closed my mouth, and I seldom opened a book. Apparently, my failure to memorize the addition facts, or even attempt to, was more than she was willing to put up with. Hence, the telephone call.
Dad ended our one-way conversation with a verbal outline for his plan of attack. Bubbles, our Toy Manchester Terrier, was going to teach me math. Silently, I thought, No way is any dumb dog going to teach me how to add, not even our beloved Bubbles. Out loud, I said, “How?”
Dad summoned Bubbles from her bed near the stove and commanded her to sit. “Bubbles,” Dad said, “how much is five plus three?” Bubbles let out eight loud, crisp barks.
I was incredulous (满腹狐疑的). I couldn’t understand how a dog could add, and I was more than a little embarrassed by the fact that the family dog was smarter than me.
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: After that, I threw myself into math with newfound determination.
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Paragraph 2: One day, I asked Dad whether Bubbles really knew how to add.
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6 . Living in Iowa and trying to become a photographer specializing in landscape (风景) can be quite a challenge, mainly because the corn state lacks geographical variation.
Although landscapes in the Midwest tend to be quite similar, either farm fields or highways, sometimes I find distinctive character in the hills or lakes. To make some of my landscape shots, I have traveled up to four hours away to shoot within a 10-minute time frame. I tend to travel with a few of my friends to state parks or to the countryside to go on adventures and take photos along the way.
Being at the right place at the right time is decisive in any style of photography. I often leave early to seek the right destinations so I can set up early to avoid missing the moment I am attempting to photograph. I have missed plenty of beautiful sunsets/sunrises due to being on the spot only five minutes before the best moment.
One time my friends and I drove three hours to Devil’s Lake, Wisconsin, to climb the purple quartz (石英) rock around the lake. After we found a crazy-looking road that hung over a bunch of rocks, we decided to photograph the scene at sunset. The position enabled us to look over the lake with the sunset in the background. We managed to leave this spot to climb higher because of the spare time until sunset. However, we did not mark the route (路线) so we ended up almost missing the sunset entirely. Once we found the place, it was stressful getting lights and cameras set up in the limited time. Still, looking back on the photos, they are some of my best shots though they could have been so much better if I would have been prepared and managed my time wisely.
1. How does the author deal with the challenge as a landscape photographer in the Midwest?| A．By teaming up with other photographers. | B．By shooting in the countryside or state parks. |
| C．By studying the geographical conditions. | D．By creating settings in the corn fields. |
| A．Proper time management. | B．Good shooting techniques. |
| C．Adventurous spirit. | D．Distinctive styles. |
| A．They went crazy with the purple quartz rock. |
| B．They felt stressed while waiting for the sunset. |
| C．They reached the shooting spot later than expected. |
| D．They had problems with their equipment. |
| A．Amusing. | B．Satisfying. |
| C．Encouraging. | D．Comforting. |
7 . When I was little, I was really little. But my dream was big. I dreamed of being a basketball player. I tried out for the teams at school, but I was never given a chance.
As I got older, I did grow a little bigger, but not a lot bigger. On my 12th birthday, I decided to try a new sport: running. I told Grandpa. “I’m going to be an athlete.”
“Dave.” Grandpa began gently, “if you can’t be big, you can do something big.”
I ran 12 miles on my 12th birthday. On my 13th birthday, I did it again, but I added an extra mile. On my 14th birthday, I ran 14 miles. 15 on my 15th, 16 on my 16th, and you guessed it—17 miles on my 17th birthday.
All this running inspired (激发) another big dream. Someday, I’d run the Boston Marathon (波士顿马拉松赛). I told Grandpa about my decision.
“But, Dave, you haven’t trained for the marathon. Are you sure you’re ready?” Grandpa asked. But he still promised to walk over and cheer me on.
I ran fast that day. But I fell at Mile 18 and was driven to the hospital. Later that night, I called Grandpa and told him I failed.
“No,” he said calmly, “you didn’t fail. You discovered something.”
“I did?” I asked.
“Yes, you discovered that big dreams don’t just come true. They take work. If you train and work hard, I promise to wait for you next year and cheer you on.”
I trained every day, running miles and miles. Sadly, just two months into my training, Grandpa died. He wouldn’t be waiting for my second Boston Marathon. I decided I’d run for him.
That day, I ran fast. “Keep going! You can do it!” His words filled my head as I forced my legs to make each painful step. As I crossed the finish line, I threw my arms in the air and cried, “Grandpa, we did it!”
1. Why did Dave fail to join the school basketball team?| A．He couldn’t run fast. | B．He didn’t work hard. |
| C．He was not tall enough. | D．He wasn’t a quick learner. |
| A．Adding an extra mile. | B．Running on his birthday. |
| C．Training for the marathon. | D．Trying out for the basketball team. |
| A．Creative. | B．Modest. |
| C．Generous. | D．Encouraging. |
| A．Dream Big. | B．The Boston Marathon. |
| C．Think Twice. | D．The Story of Grandpa. |
I live in a small but lovely neighborhood. Our house is neither large nor luxurious, but it has a fairly big garden. My father loves his garden. He planted some seeds in it and took good care of the plants, watering them, applying fertilizer, weeding and getting rid of bugs. He was never tired of doing all that stuff. But at that time, I didn’t understand why working in the dirt excited him so much.
Unfortunately, in the summer vacation before senior high school, my father was seriously injured in an accident. He had to stay in bed for a while. My mother had several business trips, so she couldn’t take care of the garden. I didn’t want my father to worry. I said that I would take care of his garden until he recovered. I assumed that the little plants would continue to grow as long as they had water, and luckily it rained fairly often, so I didn’t think much about the garden.
One Saturday morning, my father said to me, “Christine, the vegetables should be about ready to be picked. Let’s have a salad today!” I went out to the garden and was upset to see that many of the lettuce (生菜) leaves and carrots had been half eaten by bugs. There were hundreds of bugs all over them!
I panicked for a moment but then I quietly went to the nearest supermarket to buy some vegetables. When I was making the salad, my mother came home and saw the bag from the supermarket in the kitchen. I was embarrassed and admitted, “Dad would like a salad, but the garden is a disaster. I don’t want to disappoint him, so I went to the store and bought some vegetables.” My mother smiled, saying, “Honey, you know what is the right thing to do.”
Paragraph 1
My father seemed very pleased when I took the salad to him.
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Paragraph 2
Feeling guilty, I decided to do the right thing.
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When I was at senior high school, my family moved around a lot. As a result, I had to go to
