I’ve always thought of my mother Lee-Ann as a superhero because she has a huge heart full of love for anyone.
I could write about all of the wonderful things she has done, but I want to focus on the project she does every year that has shaped my whole family and everyone around us: She collects money and 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 coffees 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. She manages to get our whole family involved in this movement every year. Last year, she helped an organization where I volunteered—Ruth’s Place—a homeless women’s shelter in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
I had been helping in the shelter when I noticed the wish list on the wall: comforters (被子), a DVD player, a coffee maker and supplies. I told my mom, and within a day she had already asked if our family wanted to help Ruth’s Place. We all agreed and decided that the coffee maker and supplies would be the best things for our family to work on together. A few days later, Mom found a coffee maker online, showed it to us, and with a few clicks it was on its way. We gathered the rest of the supplies and called the shelter to find a day that we could deliver them.
On Thanksgiving Day, I drove my mom to the shelter—very slowly because she had baked fresh chocolate cupcakes for the women, and they were sitting on my clean leather seats. She had never been in the shelter before, but the whole way she talked about how excited she was to be able to check off something on their list.
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2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
When we took the gifts inside, the women were so happy.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My mother had tears in her eyes as we walked to my car.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lily’s Gift
Lily loved her mom more than anything in the world. Her mom worked hard every day to provide for Lily and her little brother, Jake, She was a nurse at the local hospital, and she often had to work long hours and night shifts. Ella knew her mom was tired and stressed, but she always had a smile and a hug for her children.
Lily wanted to do something special for her mom this Christmas. She wanted to show her how much she appreciated her and how much she loved her. She decided to buy her a gift, something that would make her happy and beautiful. She had seen a necklace at the mall, a silver chain with a heart-shaped pendant that had the word “Mom” engraved on it. Lily thought it was perfect for her mom.
But the necklace was expensive. It cost $50, and Lily didn’t have that much money. She only got $5 every week as her pocket money, and she had to save some of it for school supplies and snacks. She also had to help Jake with his homework and chores, so she didn’t have time to get a part-time job. Lily decided to save as much as she could from her pocket money. She also looked for ways to earn extra money. She sold some of her old toys and books at a garage sale. She offered to walk her neighbors’ dogs and water their plants. She even gave up her birthday money and asked for no presents.
It took her months to save enough money for the necklace. She had to resist the temptation to spend it on candy, movies, or clothes. She kept her goal in mind and reminded herself of how happy her mom would be.
Finally, on Christmas Eve, she had enough money. She ran to the mall and bought the necklace. She wrapped it in a shiny red paper and put a bow on it. She wrote a card that said, “To Mom, with love from Lily.”
注意：1．续写词数应为150词左右；
2．请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
She hid the gift under her bed and waited for Christmas morning.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“I saved up for it, mom. I wanted to give you something special. I love you so much,” Lily said.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I remember wondering if we should even be friends when I found out that my new friend Karina did not share my opinions about some stuff. It was hard to imagine disagreeing with her about anything, because when we first met, we got along so great.
It was as if we’d known each other forever. Whenever we got to pick a partner at camp, we picked each other. Whenever we had a break, we hung out together. And the more time we spent together, the more we realized how amazingly alike we were. We both had two lovely cats. We both liked baking extra-creative cookies.
But then something happened. The tent camp was next to a piece of beautiful land that had a bunch of giant old trees on it. Whenever it was nice out, we’d get to eat our lunch at picnic tables that were right by some of those trees. “Whoa!” said Karina one day. “Look at the millions of holes all the way up and down this trunk.”
“That’s amazing,” I said. “A special kind of woodpecker (啄木鸟)makes those holes to store acorns (橡子).”
“Pretty cool! ”said our counselor, Miguel. “Now, let’s all be sure to keep this magical forest as clean and perfect. Don’t forget to put your trash and recyclables in the bins.”
And that’s when things got complicated. “Hey,” said our friend LeVar. “Have you guys heard that shopping-mall rumor (传闻)? They want to cut down a bunch of those trees to make room for a shopping center.”
“That’s terrible!” I said. “We have to stop that.”
“I disagree,” said Karina. “My parents said the shopping center would make new jobs for people.”
“But think of all the birds and squirrels that would lose their homes!” I said. “I want people to have jobs, but not if it means cutting down trees.”
“Don’t you think people’s jobs are more important than trees?” Karina asked.
“Can’t we figure out how to make jobs without destroying nature?” I answered.
“You know,” Karina said, super seriously, “maybe we’re not quite as alike as we thought.”
I sighed sadly.
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。
Maybe two people with opposite points of view just aren’t meant to be friends, I was thinking. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We ended up having much more fun at the tent camp. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
On a flight, an eight-year-old boy named Louis was excitedly reading his favorite storybook loudly, much to the annoyance of a fellow passenger named Tyler sitting next to him. Edward, the boy’s father, had brought the book, hoping to read it to his son himself, but Louis insisted on reading it aloud on his own.
Tyler, who was trying to have a rest, became a little bit angry at the noise. “Hey, sir. Could you please tell your son to keep his voice down? I’m trying to sleep for a moment,” he complained to Edward. Although the father politely asked Louis to read in a low voice, the young boy was too excitedly absorbed in the storybook to notice his disturbance to others. His noisy reading disturbed not only Tyler but also a few other passengers nearby.
Tyler`s anger increased as he loudly admonished (责备) Louis` lack of manners and consideration. To deal with the matter, he called the flight attendant. When she arrived, Tyler completely lost his cool, admonishing both Louis and Edward. “Have you heard this boy? He’s been yelling out the whole time! And you’re still trying to defend his rude behavior! A child of his age should understand that he is causing serious disturbance and needs to show some respect for others!”
In the heated scene, the flight attendant tried to calm Tyler down. However, Tyler was a bit too disturbed to calm himself down. Edward continuously apologized while attempting to explain the situation. “Excuse me, sir. I admit what Louis did was wrong, but he meant no harm. He’s simply overjoyed at being able to read again after years of difficulties…” Edward’s eyes welled up and he was in tears before he realized it. He explained to the people around them that it was the first time in three years that Louis was able to see the world around him and could read his favorite book, one his mother who died three years ago used to read to him as a baby.
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 he revealed the heartbreaking story.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________At this point, Tyler and everyone else on the flight fell silent.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I don’t look like the rest of my family. As a matter of fact, I stand out quite a bit with my white skin and blue eyes. When people see us together, it is clear that I am adopted. I am happy to have such a loving and caring family, but sometimes I wish I knew who my birth parents are.
My friends often ask, “Are you sad that you don’t know your real parents?” I know that they are just curious and concerned about me — I’m fine, for the most part — but I feel like there’s something missing in my life, like a giant hole in my heart. My mother listens when I tell her about my feelings, and she feels that it is important for me to be in touch with my culture. Because of this, she and I go to Chinese Heritage Camp (CHC) each year in Snow Mountain Ranch.
CHC is a two-day camp where hundreds of adopted kids like me spend time with each other. We talk about how it feels to be adopted, and we participate in fun outdoor activities. It’s great because we can talk about our feelings without having the conversation get too intense. Confusion, occasional disappointment and anger are no longer strange; they are normal here. It makes me feel like I am not alone, and there is someone out there going through the exact same emotions. Whether we’re talking, laughing, crying, or dancing, CHC is always an experience to remember. I like all of the new people I meet, and I will keep them in my heart forever, because it always feels good to know there are people out there just like me.
In this way, my journey to find my roots continues for several years. I also gradually come out from the shadow of a seemingly inseparable teenager. Camp has changed the way I look at things. Each year seems to open up new surprises, adventures and friendships.
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。
CHC teaches me to learn that being adopted doesn’t mean that I’m strange.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I also sincerely love and thank my parents.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When I was seven years old, my family moved from Mexico to America. In Mexico, I was a cheerful girl who loved making people laugh with my jokes and inventing fun games to play with my friends. However, when I arrived in America, I found it hard to fit in, and I became quieter.
We lived in a small house with a modest yard where we grew vegetables—my responsibility. While I took pride in watching them grow, there were times when I dreamed of having a beautiful garden like my schoolmate Luella’s, with its delicate tulips (郁金香). Although Luella lived in the same neighborhood as me, we barely knew each other.
It was after a tornado that Luella and I finally became close friends.
The tornado struck on a Sunday afternoon.The gentle breeze transformed into a strong wind, and thick gray clouds filled the sky. Gradually, the tornado took shape, starting as a thin rope and growing into a large black funnel (漏斗). My entire family gathered in the bathroom, seeking shelter from the storm. Terrified, I sat close to my mom, knees in my chest. After the storm had passed, our worries and fears were replaced by relief that we were unharmed and that our house had remained undamaged.
As I stepped outside, I witnessed the extent of the damage the tornado had caused to our neighborhood. Across the street, a tall tree had fallen, crushing Luella’s garden in front of her yellow house. We hurried over to check on it. Fortunately, her family seemed to be away at the time, and no one was injured. However, her once-beautiful garden was in ruins, with the fallen tree destroying the tulips and debris (碎片) spread everywhere. I could only imagine how heartbroken they must feel seeing this.
Then my mom’s usual words rang in my ear, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” and my family started to think about how we could 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。
Just at that moment, Luella’s family returned in their car.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Even after the debris was cleared, I could still sense Luella’s sorrow for her lost garden.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The day Dana and Jeff’s daughter Melody was born was nothing like they expected. The words the doctor said to them completely shook them, “Your daughter was born with a cleft lip (唇裂).” It was impossible for the couple to hide their sadness. They couldn’t believe it was true until they saw their daughter in person. Seeing her cleft made Dana and Jeff heartbroken more than anything. It broke their heart to imagine the kind of life Melody would lead in the future.
When the doctor told Dana and Jeff that their daughter’s condition was treatable with a cleft lip surgery (外科手术), the couple saw a ray of hope. Rather than feeling stressful like the first few days, they promised themselves they never wanted their daughter to suffer from that. They would support Melody as best they could.
Dana and Jeff were ready to do anything for Melody. After bringing Melody home, they immediately began looking for cleft surgery options. However, no matter where they turned, getting Melody the surgery she needed was expensive, and the various treatments and medications she needed in the following would also be much more costly than the young family could afford.
One day, however, things took a turn for the better. While browsing through a medical forum one evening, Jeff stumbled upon (意外发现) a post about a nonprofit organization that specialized in cleft lip surgeries for children. The organization, named Smileatfuture, is dedicated to providing free surgeries to families who could not afford the procedure. The couple had seen a lot of photos and read a lot of stories about children who had cleft surgeries sponsored by Smileatfuture, and the results were unbelievable. The idea that Melody could grow up with hardly a scar (伤疤) where her cleft was lit a fire under the couple. Without any hesitation, Dana and her husband reached out to Smileatfuture and handed in an application for medical aid.
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。
Everything went more smoothly than Dana and Jeff had expected.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The big day for Melody’s surgery finally came.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Two weeks after my husband and I moved into our new house, he went abroad on a business trip that would take a year. This was the first time I had had to take care of our three-year-olds son Cameron and four-month-old baby Colby alone for so long. I had met a few neighbors, including Karen, Tim and Mike in our new neighborhood, but everyone was busy with their careers. We hardly even spoke.
One afternoon, I glanced out the window and noticed something strange. I walked outside and saw a light green colour in the sky that made my hair stand on end. Before long, the tornado sirens (龙卷风报警器) sounded. I turned on the news to learn of a tornado forming above our town. I was nervous and scared.
“Get into your storm shelters immediately. If you don’t have one, go into a bathroom in your house,” the weatherman soon announced. I rushed to the kids’ room. “We need to get into the bathroom. There’s a big storm outside, and we’ll be safe in here,” I said, trying to sound brave. I then tried hard to pull a mattress over us, but it wouldn’t stay. The baby was crying; the dog was barking. I could hear the wind roaring outside. Fear hit me like never before. I felt anxious and completely alone as the tornado sirens screamed in the distance.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. It was our neighbour Karen from across the street. “Tim and I are leaving. You and the boys are coming with us,” She said. For a second, I hesitated. Where in the world were they going? If they were getting into their car, I think we’d be better off here. It was raining heavily with bright flashes of lightning. It looked like it would be the end of the world. My kids were firghtened, and I was lost and seemed to be in my dream.
注意：1.所续的短文词数150左右；2.续写部分分为两段。每段开头语以为你写好。
Paragraph 1
I stood before my door in terrible fear, afraid to move.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2.
I found several other neighbors already in Mike’s storm shelter.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________9 . Once you get close enough to someone, it’s easy to assume they’ll be a friend for life — but friendships take work, too, and it’s important that you make time to cultivate these relationships as well.
1. “How do you think we’ve both changed since we became friends?”
There’s a good chance that you’ve been friends with those closest to you for some time, which means you’ve both changed in certain ways over the years. Shari, founder of Imperfectly Perfect Life, says it’s important to reflect on that change. “
2. “
“You don’t have to just focus on your own friendship. People vary greatly in what makes them feel most connected to others — for some it’s sharing something exciting together, while for others, it’s doing daily tasks together,” Julia, a clinical psychologist, notes.
3. “What is the best advice you’ve ever received?”
Another way you can “gain a deeper understanding of your friend’s values, beliefs, and the lessons they’ve learned along their journey” is by asking them about the best advice they’ve ever received. “This provides an opportunity to share wisdom that has had a significant impact on their personal growth,” Natalie shares. “
4.“What are your biggest dreams for your life?”
| A．What life experience has shaped you the most? |
| B．Acknowledging your growth can enhance your friendship |
| C．When do you feel most connected to the people in your life? |
| D．It’s also good to acknowledge that even the closest friendships are not perfect |
| E．You should know what your friend actually envisions for themselves in the future |
| F．Additionally, it opens the door for meaningful conversations about life’s challenges |
| G．We’ve talked to different experts to get their best advice on how to create stronger bonds |
10 . We all have friends that need a little advice, but one of the problems with those types of conversations is that it’s really easy to come off as a know-it-all when you’re offering help. When you do that, nobody’s going to listen.
Obviously not everyone is looking for your advice. Before you go offering up your point of view, make sure they’re interested in hearing it. As Roger Gil points out, often friends aren’t looking for you to solve a problem. They just want you to listen and maybe ask some questions. So, ask if they’d like to hear your input or insights on a problem, but also ask questions about why thee feel a certain way. If they say “no”, let them finish their story and listen politely.
Speaking of listening. It’s also a good idea to figure out right away what your friends want from you. Gil describes this as differentiating between opinions, expert advice, and being a “sounding board”. Essentially, don’t pretend like you know something you don’t.
Now that you know whether or not your friends or family actually want your advice, it’s time to learn how to advise without sounding like a know-it-all. This is a lot harder than you might think. As Gil points out, one way to offer advice without sounding pretentious (自以为是的) is to avoid “You should” statements.
| A．Definitely don’t act like you’ve been in a situation you haven’t been in. |
| B．Different situations require different approaches so we need to know what we should contribute. |
| C．Gil also adds that even when you know the answer to something, you might want to keep your mouth shut. |
| D．Gil’s advice, seems obvious, but it’s incredibly easy to get on your high-horse and use “You should” if you’re not careful. |
| E．When you have a friend who’s stuck in trouble, it’s normal to want to provide some type of insight to get them out of it. |
| F．However, the key is to make sure you stay in “listening mode” for as long as possible, and you don’t push your advice when it isn’t wanted. |
