I like staying overnight at my Gramma’s house — that is, until Gramma starts telling me how wonderful my cousin Maya is. Then it’s Maya this and Maya that until I don’t ever want to hear another word about her.
That’s why I wasn’t too excited when Gramma called me on the phone to “come on over and bring your pajamas.” When I got there, it was worse than I’d expected. There, in Grandpa’s big leather rocker, sat Maya, all dressed up and formal-looking and wearing fancy shoes as if she’d just been to a party.
“Surprise, Kristen!” Gramma said. “Your cousin Maya and her parents have traveled in from the East Coast on business. Maya gets to stay with us this afternoon.” Gramma chattered away about how excited she’d been for this surprise get-together, and how cousins ought to get to know each other better.
I hung my baseball cap in the closet and set my backpack by the stairway, all the time smiling and nodding as if I’d been waiting forever for this chance to spend an afternoon with Maya. Grandpa’s chair squawked (咯咯叫) as Maya rocked back and forth. It’s the chair I like best in the house, the one I usually sit in. I sat down on the sofa across from her.
Shortly, Gramma went off to the kitchen to “see about some lunch,” she’d said. That left me stuck in the living room with rocking Maya.
She was still small but taller than I’d remembered her from her last visit four years ago. She was good at small talk, though, and was chatting away about how nice it was to see me again. But I could tell that she didn’t really think so. The last time she was here, we’d had hours of fun together building caves out of Gramma’s sofa pillows.
After that, I’d heard about her only through Gramma’s tales. Maya taking piano lessons. Maya learning math. Maya, Maya, Maya. Now Maya was here, looking great with the latest haircut and a fancy dress.
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。
Glancing down at my jeans and my old sneakers, I wished I hadn’t come.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“How do you know all these things about me?” I asked.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My mom is a world class chef, at least in my eyes. She is capable of the most dangerous cooking crafts, ranging from southern to northern Chinese cuisine, spiced with some Western influences.
As her daughter, I felt it a responsibility to use this time living at home to learn a few family dishes. I grew up watching my mom spin in the kitchen and I dutifully ate all the remainders. It seemed that Chinese cuisine was full of flexible rules and the ways could be dangerous and thrilling. It’s about time that I should stir (搅动) my appetite for cooking and not just for eating.
I was starting to cook at the not－so－tender age of 18. I could actually pull off a few Western dishes in fashion. But Chinese food was a whole new scene. I stepped into the new world with some great fear. Ahead of me was a war of massive mission — cutting, frying, chopping. HOT OIL. BURNING. But at least I figured I might find some cooking genes.
We began with a simple but hearty Chinese noodle dish: the egg and tomato noodle with green onion. With my mom’s excited looks, I pulled over my apron (围裙). The beginning of the lesson started off smoothly enough. I washed the tomatoes with great expertise. I proceeded to wash the eggs.
It started getting heated when I was separating the egg yolks from the egg whites. It was quite depressing. It took a good 10 minutes before the mission was completed. The next step was beating the eggs with just a small amount of water. This wasn’t too bad. Even cutting up the tomatoes wasn’t too difficult.
The worst part was to come — the eggs frying in a pot. I’m deadly afraid of hot oil. I danced around nervously, waiting for the oil to get to the right temperature. “See if the oil is ready,” my mom asked. I gave her a question mark. She sighed in despair, “Go put your hand over the oil.”
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。
“You want me to dangerously drop my hand over the hot oil?” I repeated unbelievably.
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Eventually, I placed my “masterpiece” on the table.
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It was the worst day ever. The exact date was January10, 2010. And my life was changed completely when that accident happened.
Before that day I had just started my college life and loved being at that stage in my life where I could eat all the pizza I wanted, yet engage in adult conversations with my parents about the responsibility to make life better for others. I was pretty sure I could be someone in the future, a great volunteer maybe. Then on that day, all the possibilities were destroyed by a careless driver. The days I spent in hospital were dreadful, suffering severe pain and hearing the doctor telling me that I could never walk anymore.
When I was finally permitted to leave the hospital, I had myself in a small apartment and refused any visit, blaming everyone in the world and drowning myself to despair. After I missed ten calls from my dad, he just couldn’t leave me alone. And when he entered the apartment, it was in a mess, with pizza boxes on the floor and dirty dishes in the sink. In the corner, there was a garbage can around which were pieces of garbage and waste paper. He turned around and finally had his eyes on me. A few steps towards me and he stroke his fingers through my hair, gently asking, “You want to see something?” I felt a little guilty for making my dad so worried, so I faked a smile and nodded my head.
He opened my fridge, searched for a while and took out some ice and some tea leaves after boiling some water in a pot. Mysteriously, he put the ice in the boiling water. After a while, he asked, “How is the ice now?” “What?” I was a little confused about his question, wondering what he was about to do next. When he repeated the move and asked me the same question, I began to feel bored. “How is the ice now?” “What ice? There is no ice in the water now! It melted!” I answered with my eyes fixed on the roof. Suddenly, Dad held my head, looked at me straightly and explained, “The ice was once tough and hard.” Dad continued, “But when it was put in the pot, the boiling water melted it and made it disappear as if it had never existed, just like what the difficulties may do to one’s dream.”
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。
“Want to see something different?” Dad went on to pour a spoonful of tea leaves in the boiling water, too.
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I knew it was time to change.
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“Why can’t I just get a dog, Mum!”
“Because of your allergies (过敏)! How many times do I have to tell you, Violet!”
Violet was filled with anger. The rain started to fall. Large raindrops slid down the window, just like the tears on her face. There was violent anger in Violet’s eyes. She walked angrily to her room and threw herself onto the bed. Her anger was now like an angry bull.
She screamed into her pillow as loud as she could and threw it onto the ground with all her strength. She dialed her best friend Darla, who happened to also be her neighbor.
Darla picked up in an instant.
“I could hear everything.” Darla immediately chuckled. “I’ve known you and your mum since primary school. She’s not letting you get a dog.”
“Was I that loud?” Violet questioned herself in disbelief.
“You’ve been asking for a dog since you were seven! There’s no chance she was going to just give it to you. Plus, you have so many allergies that I’ve even lost count.”
“It’s just not fair. You get two dogs and I’m stuck with my younger sister who has basically a rat.” Violet announced unappreciatively.
“You have to be grateful for what you have. Anyway, I’ve got to have dinner with my family. I can call in half an hour, see you later.”
After the call disconnected, the words from Darla’s mouth about being grateful sunk into Violet like a dry sponge (海绵) filled with water, She remembered the countless times that she was admitted to the hospital for an allergic reaction while her family stayed and cared for her. Violet never really thought about the things she had, she only thought about the things she didn’t have. Violet had a tamily which accounts for more than everything, even a dog. Family love is stronger than any love. Violet knew she was blessed to have this love.
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。
From that day onwards, Violet stopped asking for a dog.
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The allergies were disappearing with age.
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Jim dreams of becoming a famous artist to help lift his family from poverty. However, an illness in the family forces Jim to give up everything he worked so hard for.
Jim used to draw skyline on the roof of the school building, with a broken piece of pencil lead he’d found in a rubbish can. His drawing was close to perfect except for some color. His family lived from hand to mouth so Jim could only rely on himself. He had to help out on the local farm after school and saved some of the money for paints.
One day Mom fell seriously ill and was rushed to hospital at once. While the rest of his family were still at the hospital waiting, Jim ran back home to get the household emergency money. But his heart sank when he saw the pitiful money. It’d never be enough to pay for Mom’s medical treatment. He ran into his bedroom and reached for his savings.
“Goodbye, paints and brushes,” Jim said as he added his to the emergency money.
One night on the way home, thinking of Mom in hospital he wanted to do something for her. He bent down beneath a streetlight and put his fingers in the dirt on the roadside. Before he knew it, he drew a portrait (肖像) of Mom.
He found red dust and mixed it with mud to add shadow, then picked up some grass and turned it into some kind of paint. He used this to add definition around Mom’s nose, eyes and hair.
When he was finished, Jim stood back up to study his work. The linework and shading were fine, but the colors…
“It’s still no good,” Jim shook his head.
“I disagree.”
Jim turned around and found a stranger standing behind him. He gave Jim a friendly smile and introduced himself as Mr. Finn.
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 am an editor for an art magazine.” Mr. Finn continued.
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With the payment from the magazine, Jim could not hide his joy.
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One morning Jack woke up with an aching arm. He touched it carefully with one finger. Ow! That really hurt! He climbed out of bed and put on his dressing gown(睡袍), very, very carefully. Then he went downstairs.
Mum was in the kitchen, searching for cornflakes(玉米片)in the cupboard.
“We’re out of cornflakes again,” she said, not looking round.
“Mum,” Jack began, “I think there’s something wrong with my…”
But at that moment, Lucy, Jack’s twin sister, came into the kitchen.
“Mum,” she cried, “I’m very, very ill! Very ill indeed! My stomach hurts really, really bad! I am far too sick to go to school!”
Mum was worried. She felt Lucy’s forehead. “You do feel hot. But you were fine yesterday.”
“I’m not fine now,” said Lucy. “Please, Mum. Can I go back to bed?”
Lucy didn’t even want breakfast. Jack tried to tell Mum about his arm. But Mum was too worried about Lucy.
“Please just get dressed, Jack, or you will be late for school!”
Mum stayed home to look after Lucy. Dad gave Jack a lift to school, and Jack tried to explain about his arm. “I was playing football yesterday and I hit my arm and it still hurts,” he said.
“Probably just a bruise(瘀伤),” said Dad. “I hope Lucy is better soon. She looked a bit feverish to me.”
It’s always about Lucy, thought Jack crossly.
At school, Jack had to be very careful of his arm. He had to keep it really still. Luckily he could still write with his other hand. At home, Mum was looking after Lucy. She put her back to bed and brought her a glass of warm water. She read her a story.
“How do you feel now?” she asked. “Would you like to try a little breakfast?”
“I can’t eat a thing,” said Lucy.
Mum was worried. It wasn’t like Lucy not to eat anything. She bent down to pick Lucy’s teddy bear off the floor. As she did so, she caught sight of something under the bed.
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 huge pile of candy wrappers(包装纸)! And an empty box!
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Mrs Smailes, the headteacher, came running to meet them. ”I think you need to go straight to hospital. Jack is there!"
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When I was young, my father was quiet and seldom talked to me, so we were not so close. The times I loved most were the special moments we had together. To this day, I still hold those memories dear. When I had a son, I was always worried that my absence might have an impact on his future life and that I might miss all his milestones since I travelled a lot. I knew how important it was for a boy to have his father near. I decided that if I couldn’t be with my son as often as possible, I would make every effort to create special moments for us.
When my son was five, I was sent to the branch in Shanghai, which meant I had to be away from my family for nearly a year. The hardest time for me was the summer and winter vacations when my son was out of school and families could get together doing something fun. To ease the separation, we kept writing letters to share any precious moments in our life. In one letter home, I promised my son that we would make a lantern together and sign up for the community lantern design competition on the Lantern Festival.
Everywhere I went on business, I would pick up things for our lantern adventure and send them to him. I bought a couple of handbooks on how to DIY a lantern, and I sent those on. I found special bamboo for the frame. I sent him one piece at a time, carefully packed. When I was in Hangzhou, I found the most beautiful silk with gold threads woven through it. Perfect lantern material. I sent it home. I found a golden Chinese knot that could be attached to the bottom of the lantern. I sent that home, along with some auspicious cloud(祥云) paper-cuttings that would serve as splendid decorations. Then I was on my way home.
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 arrived home at night and couldn’t wait to see my son.
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Then, the lantern design competition finally arrived.
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8 . Many years ago, I was living with my best friend and we had many happy moments together. But there was one night that
On the night of November 25, 2011, I got into a fistfight with my best friend in our kitchen. It all started because I was trying to help him. He was drinking a lot, arguing with everyone and
I thought alcohol
That Christmas my friend didn’t have any place to go, so I invited him home to my parents’ house in Lancaster. They
That year my friend and I both received gifts that we would
| A．defined | B．inspired | C．created | D．changed |
| A．defending | B．separating | C．protecting | D．locking |
| A．communication | B．investigation | C．exploration | D．promotion |
| A．put up | B．take away | C．break out | D．call off |
| A．talking | B．crying | C．fighting | D．laughing |
| A．access | B．addition | C．abuse | D．affection |
| A．look | B．break | C．drive | D．carry |
| A．time | B．holiday | C．gift | D．family |
| A．happily | B．generally | C．formally | D．hurriedly |
| A．awake | B．asleep | C．available | D．absorbed |
| A．generosity | B．curiosity | C．ability | D．creativity |
| A．admitted | B．realized | C．recognized | D．accepted |
| A．exchange | B．present | C．treasure | D．appreciate |
| A．day | B．test | C．skill | D．eye |
| A．kind | B．grateful | C．blessed | D．healthy |
When Someone Believes in You
When Marco was a boy, he tried everything to get his father’s love and attention. He worked hard to earn excellent marks; he tried to be obedient (顺从的), he chose inspiring friends and always tried to behave well.
Sensitive and shy, he always wore turtleneck shirts. He hid behind his hair, which he wore long around his face and ears. To make it worse, Marco was naturally shorter than the other kids. And because his good marks had allowed him to skip second grade — he was younger than everyone else. This added nothing to his already low self-confidence.
When Marco was eight his parents divorced, and Marco was sent to a boarding school. Six years later, he and his young sister Sandra moved in with their dad and his new wife in St-Léonard, a French Canadian and Italian neighbourhood on the east side of Montreal. Between his work and his new young wife, it felt to Marco that his father had little time for him and Sandra. Except for his demands around housework after school, there was no communication. It seemed to Marco the only time his dad ever spoke to him was to be demanding or critical. But his dad really did love him and wanted the best for him. It was his own insecurity that made him react to anything that might threaten his son’s future.
Marco sank further into his low self-respect and was overwhelmed with feeling unappreciated, inadequate, depressed and confused. He felt desperately alone and lonely. He began to fear coming home from school every day.
One day, his aunt called him. To Marco, this seemed like a miracle. Aunt Ginette usually only called once a year, on his birthday. She said she had just seen some young teenagers participate in a public speaking contest called Gala Personnalité sponsored by Club Optimiste — and she thought about him. She thought he should give it a try. She told him she firmly believed he could perform on stage like the other kids, since she had seen him do skits (小品) for the family at Christmas.
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。
Him? On stage? In a public speaking contest?
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Four months later, the big night arrived.
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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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