As a sixth grader, I began noticing how other kids were separating into groups. I wasn’t sure where I belonged. I found it hard to fit in.
Our teacher had assigned “secret friends” for the coming week. She wrote each kid’s name on a piece of paper and threw them into a glass; then we each closed our eyes and catch one piece of paper from the glass on which was the name of a classmate who we were to secretly befriend and support each other over the next five school days. By the middle of the week, everyone, including me, had turned this assignment into a competition to see whose secret friend could leave the best gift. We left cards, pens and even money. It seemed that everyone was getting cool presents from their friend except me.
On the last morning of our assignment, I walked into my classroom and noticed there was a package. I opened the wrapping paper and inside was a box of powder (胭脂). The girls sitting near me laughed at the gift I had received. To make matters worse, the powder had already been opened.
I tried to forget about the embarrassing gift, but when I was in the bathroom during the break, the girls who had seen me open the powder started speaking ill of my secret friend. I quickly joined in: “How terrible”. I heard myself saying “What could my friend be thinking by giving me such a stupid gift? My grandmother wouldn’t even want it.” The girls laughed at my remarks and rushed out of the bathroom. I stayed to wash my hands and let the water run through my fingers as I thought about what I had just said. It wasn’t normal like me to say mean things like that about someone.
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Then I saw my classmate Janet come out of a bathroom booth (厕所隔间), tears streaming down her face.
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___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Pat was the new kid in town. Her dad got a new job, so they had to move from their old home, school, friends and everything in South America to this new city. Now they were total strangers here.
Summer vacation went by while they unpacked, arranged furniture and adjusted to the new city. School was approaching. Pat dreaded it. She was not an outgoing person, so making friends was not easy for this shy and quiet girl. She was filled with fears and worries. She thought, “Would I make friends? Would I fit in? Would I survive at all in this strange new world?” But there she was, preparing for a new school full of strangers.
Here came her first day in the new school. She arrived at school on time, found her classroom and seated herself. Everything was going well until the first class when Pat’s teacher asked her to introduce herself in front of the whole class. She had prepared for it the day before, so she should have done it well. But when she uttered the first sentence, the whole class burst out laughing and began to whisper. It was then that Pat realized she talked with a very strange accent which was different from the locals. Blushing with embarrassment, she finished her introduction quickly and sat there all day long without talking with others.
After school, Pat came home crying, “It’s an awful day. All of them are disagreeable. I hate them.” After knowing what had happened in the school, Pat’s mother gently hugged her and comforted her, “Hatred is a double-edged sword that can hurt both others and yourself. Honey, try to be happy.” In order to cheer her up, Pat’s mother suggested, “How about having a party this Saturday? We haven’t had any party since we arrived here.” Party is such an appealing event for kids like Pat. Right away, she stopped crying and looked at her mother excitedly, “Oh yes! Ice cream! Cake! Red, red balloons!”
“And friends?” mom asked gently.
Hearing this, Pat sobbed again, “I haven’t got any friends here. Nothing but enemies.”
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。
“If so, let’s have an enemy party. I think it would be interesting.” Pat’s mom smiled.
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On Saturday, it was sunny and all of Pat’s classmates came to the party.
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3 . Never had a lovely sunflower been absent to my house on my birthday, since I turned 13. No cards or notes in it. Calls to the flower shop were always
I never stopped
My mother even
When I was 17, I failed
One month before my graduation from high school, my father died of a heart attack. My feelings ranged from pain to
My mother didn’t. The day before the dance, I found that dress, in the right size,
Actually, my mother passed away one week after I got married, That year the adorable sunflower stopped
| A．in advance | B．in vain | C．in charge | D．in private |
| A．declaring | B．admiring | C．calculating | D．confirming |
| A．identity | B．proof | C．address | D．presence |
| A．subscribed to | B．referred to | C．objected to | D．contributed to |
| A．applause | B．account | C．appreciation | D．assistance |
| A．though | B．moreover | C．therefore | D．otherwise |
| A．particularly | B．unexpectedly | C．unavoidably | D．sincerely |
| A．applied | B．allowed | C．forced | D．devoted |
| A．wandering | B．rushing | C．pacing | D．moving |
| A．astonishment | B．annoyance | C．tiredness | D．abandonment |
| A．grasping | B．interrupting | C．accepting | D．skipping |
| A．awesome | B．original | C．ordinary | D．imaginative |
| A．awarded | B．thrown | C．delivered | D．paid |
| A．in response to | B．by means of | C．in terms of | D．in the face of |
| A．cheering up | B．showing up | C．lighting up | D．warming up |
“You signed us up for what?” Lu’s eyes widened as Jamie grinned at her. “A charity bike ride. It’d be fun!” She stared at him open-mouthed. “Fun? But I haven’t ridden a bike for years, Jamie. And I hate exercise! How long is this ride?” Lu could feel her muscle shrinking at the mere thought of it.
“Only 20 kilometers.”
Lucinda swiped the brightly coloured leaflet advertising the bike ride from her husband’s hand. “Twenty kilometres? That’s a half marathon, Jamie!”
She tossed the leaflet back at him. “Well you can count me out. I’m not fit enough to run five minutes round the block, let alone hours on a bike.”
“But you will be in a couple of months. I thought we could train for it together.” Jamie patted his beer belly. “I’m not exactly in great shape at the moment. And you’ re always saying we don’t get to spend enough time together!” He gave her his best winning grin.
A smile fell across Lucinda’s lips. It was true, she was always saying that lately. Though spending her weekends cycling was not exactly what she’d had in mind.
A wave of sadness spun through her heart. The past few months had been... difficult. She had lost her job and was struggling to find a new one. Being at home, scrolling through job adverts and waiting for interview replies, had left her feeling stuck. Jamie had been working extra hours to support financially, but that only added to her guilt. Despite trying to stay positive, life had somehow skidded to a stop.
“I’m not sure,” Lu sighed.
“It’s not a race, but a joy ride, Lu.” Jamie reassured her, nudging her playfully. “Plus, I’ve already rented us a tandem bike(双人自行车)!”
“A tandem?” Lu’s eyes flashed with horror. “Are you mad?” She stared at him. “You’re not even joking, are you?” Doubts crept into her mind as she imagined the challenges of coordinating their movements on a shared bike.
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。
Actually, the first training session did not go well.
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It seemed cycling had truly got their lives moving forward again.
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When Mark was five years old, his parents separated and he stayed with his mother.
As Mark grew up he occasionally (偶尔地) thought of the brief time he shared with his father and longed to see him again one day. However, as he grew into his late teens, thoughts of his father began to fade away.
After he graduated from college, Mark got married and one year later, had a boy. The years passed.
One day when Mark’s son was five years old and as Mark was preparing to shave his face, his son looked up at him and laughed, “Daddy, you look like a clown (小丑) with that cream on your face.”
Mark laughed, looked into the mirror and realized how much his son looked like him at that age. Later, he remembered that his mother said he had told his own father the same thing.
This event started him thinking about his own father a lot and he began asking his mother. It had been a long time since Mark had spoken of his father and his mother told him that it was now over twenty years since she had spoken to him. In addition, all her knowledge of his father stopped when Mark became eighteen.
Mark looked deep into his mother’s eyes and said, “I need to find my father.” His mother then told him that his dad’s relatives had all passed away, and she had no idea where to begin searching for him but added, “Maybe, just maybe, if you contact the United States Embassy in England, they might be able to help you.”
Even though the chances seemed slim, Mark was determined. The very next day, he made an overseas call to the American Embassy.
“U.S. Embassy, how may we help you?”
“Ahh...hi, my name is Mark Sullivan and I am hoping to find my father.”
There was a long pause and the ruffing of some papers,’ and then the man said:
“Is this Mr. Mark Joseph Sullivan?”
“Yes,” Mark answered anxiously.
They checked the birth place and date.
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。
Mark then overheard the man as he made an excited announcement to his coworkers.
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The following day, Mark received a phone call from his overjoyed father.
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It was in 1959, one week before my 10th birthday, my mother announced we were taking a trip to Niagara Falls when summer vacation started. Reservations had been made for a hotel and a Maid of the Mist Boat Tour trip. It all sounded incredibly good until Mom said we would drive to Canada.
Driving in the car meant I’d share the back seat with my 3-year-old sister. “Sitting in the back seat all day is dull,” I thought.
“Hey, can we take a plane there instead?” I asked between mouthfuls of hamburger and French fries.
“Sorry, honey, maybe next time,” my mother replied as she and my father exchanged glances.
“Dad, how long a ride is it to Canada?”
“It’s about nine hours, pal.”
This was an excellent chance to get one parent on my side. “That’s not fair to you, Dad. You’ll be too tired to have fun after driving so much.” I crossed my fingers. “Then you’ll have to drive all the way home too! Being on a plane would be very relaxing for you because you won’t be driving so much.”
My father smiled and patted my back. “Thanks for being so concerned, but I’ll be fine. No need to worry.” Then he looked at my mother and winked.
Parents can be so frustrating. Didn’t they get it? I’m in desperate need of a plane ride, and I need something cool to talk about with my friends when we get home. I lost control. “Sitting in the back seat of the car sucks,” I blurted out, then rapidly covered my mouth with a hand to prevent any other forbidden words from escaping.
“Jay!” My mother shouted. “Watch your mouth!”
“I don’t want to hear that type of language again,” my father said, slapping the table angrily.
“Ok, sorry, but I really wanted to go by plane.”
“This conversation’s over.” My father said. “If you have finished eating, go to your room.”
On Saturday morning, We loaded all our luggage into 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。
My father turned the key and started the engine.
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Then I was surprised to see a sign that read “Airport Parking”.
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I was packing lunch for my two children and myself when I suddenly began to doubt whether this was necessary. It was so early in the day it was still dark outside, and I was making sandwiches. I thought about just sending lunch money and getting an extra half hour of sleep. Being a single mom, I needed all the shut-eye I could get.
So why was I adding this stress to my life? It’s all because of genetics (遗传).
I remember my grandmother telling me how, many years ago, she packed leftovers (剩饭) for my grandfather’s lunch. He loved them but always seemed to come home hungry. Finally after much questioning, he admitted he had been giving away half his lunch to a co-worker who had none of his own. From that day forward, my grandmother always sent extra—just in case.
With five kids in school at the same time, my mom didn’t have time to pack lunches. We ate cafeteria food, which was fine with us. In the world of our primary school, it was not cool to bring your lunch from home. There was an exception to the no-pack rule, however. As a punishment, we were forced to bring our own lunch for however many days my mom chose to keep us. My time of suffering came in third grade. I had broken the rules. For four days, my noontime dinner consisted of a cheese and mustard sandwich, a bag of chips and one lonely cookie. By Friday my mom changed her mind. And although I still brought my lunch from home, she packed it for me.
That afternoon I opened my lunchbox to find my favorite egg salad sandwich, a choice apple and a whole giant cake with a note taped on top: “Just in case you want to share.” To my 10-year-old eyes, that cake looked big enough to feed the world. I was in heaven as I offered piece after piece to my friends. It was the best lunch of my life.
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。
As I continued packing lunch for my kids, I thought about my grandmother and mother.
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I emptied my own packed lunch on the table and divided it between the children, then made two more sandwiches.
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On a Sunday afternoon, Kiana French was having fun fishing with her father and younger sister, not knowing the next minute, they would struggle not to sink in the freezing water. Their 12-foot boat was taking in water little by little, and the wind was picking up. Her father, Gary French, hurried to operate the engine, while Kiana,16, was in the middle with Cierrah, her sister, frightened but still able to keep calm.
Kiana asked Cierrah to take off one of her cowboy boots, with which she got some of the water out. Hard as she tried, that little effort would not help stop the boat sinking. Moments later, the unthinkable happened. The boat was full of water and then it flipped over. Kiana and her sister were dumped in the water. Their father, who had had a surgery six months ago, managed not to be thrown into the water but seemed to have great pain in the chest due to the sudden change.
Kiana quickly put on her life jacket and saw Cierrah’s and her father’s life jackets floating away. She reacted quickly to get them back and held her sister onto the boat. They were so far out in the middle of the lake that they could not see the shore clearly. What’s worse.it was getting harder to stay above the waves. Their father swam over and hugged his two girls. Cierrah crying silently. Kiana heard her beloved sister murmur, “I can’t feel my feet.”
Kiana knew the only thing to do was to get to shore herself and find help. She looked up at her father, exchanging a concerned glance, turned round and swam as hard as she could towards the shore
Fighting against the strong currents and cold wind, she screamed for help at the top of her lungs every three minutes or so. A strong wind blew, and she looked back only to see her sister’s and father’s heads bobbing(浮动)in the water. She burst into tears, thinking her sister and dad were dead, because she was taking too long.
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。
With desperate tears, she suddenly spotted a boat with a figure walking on it
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Once rescued, they were rushed to shore, where a concerned group waited for their arrival.
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Jimmy always perceived himself as a progressive dad, very open to different minds and perceptions. While he had imagined all sorts of headaches his son would possibly bring him to confront, never did it occur to him that the headache would come so early.
When his son was just a baby, asked about his favorite color, he babbled out “pink”. Seriously, what a baby said wasn’t a big deal and Jimmy didn’t make a fuss at that moment, but deep down inside, he felt somewhat uncomfortable and a huge question mark kept haunting him. How could a boy supposed to love ball games and racing cars become a fan of pink, a color that was generally regarded “girly”?
Jimmy even worried about the future school life of his son. He repeatedly pictured a horrifying situation where his son got bullied because he was labelled girly. On some nights, in his nightmare, the tease his son suffered and the miserable screams his son let out seemed louder against the deafening silence and the intense darkness of the night.
One incident always succeeded another. One day, when Jimmy returned home from a long day’s tedious work, his wife showed him a photo on her phone where all the finger nails of a pair of little hands were colored black. Apparently, those were his son’s hands. His son might have thought it was cool to learn from his mother painting her nails, so he grabbed a marker and colored his own.
Jimmy got shocked inside. What his son had done to his nails hit Jimmy’s bottom line. He was on the verge of explosion, with all the worst ideas dashing back and forth in his mind. At the thought of the possibility that his recurring nightmare would come true and that his son would be discriminated out of his own choice and preference that were not generally accepted, he almost collapsed as if he had been torn apart and his heart had got smashed to pieces. He considered scolding his son not because his son had shamed him, but because he could no longer mask his worry aroused by his son’s rough future that he thought was due to come.
注意∶
1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按照如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
His wife sensed his overanxiety and tried to comfort him.
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Feeling somewhat ashamed, he walked into his son’s room.
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My father is a practical man. He can’t explain calculus(微积分)，but he can tell you how much pressure a boiler needs. He can’t draw an architect’s plan, but he can tell you if the pipes and wiring will sustain the structure. He put himself through night school to become an engineer, but that was only after he worked a slumber, an electrician, and a mechanic.
One day we walked by a toy store window. Sitting in the comer was the most unusual doll-house I’d ever seen. It was shaped liked an upturned log（原木）. Little oval windows decorated with nice curtains and framed by tiny balconies were cut into it.
“Oh, Daddy,” I said, “isn’t it beautiful? Do you think Santa Claus will bring it to me?”
Dad looked at the $100 price tag, silent — that’s a rather big figure in those days. “I think even Santa couldn’t afford this house,” he joked, lifting up his belt as he often does when he’s nervous. “Maybe one day, sweetheart.”
On Christmas morning, I awoke early and raced downstairs. In the dim light, I made out a lot of wrapped boxes under the tree — but none large enough to contain my dollhouse. Dad could see my disappointment He pulled me onto his lap and gently told me how, as a boy, he had wanted a red wagon, but his father couldn’t afford one. He said he made his own from wood and old wheels he found. “I’ll make one for you,” Dad assured me.
And right after Christmas, despite all the unfinished projects at home, he started it. I naively（幼稚地）thought it was an easy toy to make, but every step of the long process was considerably more complex than I had anticipated. Night after night, Dad would come home from his job dead tired, yet he’d always find time to work on the log house. In the dark yellow electric light, Dad was always busy creating my dollhouse.
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。
I hesitated, wondering if I should help my father.
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In all, it took us one month of hard work.
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