It was in the afternoon before the end of the Second World War that Antonio Black, who was twelve, caught sight of a beautiful brooch (胸针) in a shop window. The brooch is so beautiful that he was unwilling to leave the store until he had purchased it. But it was too expensive — $5. His family was very poor and his parents struggled to make ends meet. Five dollars would buy almost a week’s food for his family.
Antonio couldn’t ask his father for the money. Everything his father made through fishing went to his mother, Susan. Slim and beautiful, his mother was the center of the home and the glue that held it together. The housework was never-ending, and she struggled to feed and clothe their five children, but she was happy as her family and their well-being were all she cared about.
Nevertheless, he opened the shop’s door and went inside. Standing proudly and straight in his flour-sack (面粉袋改做的) shirt and washed-out trousers, he told the shopkeeper what he wanted, adding, “But I don’t have the money right now. Can 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.”
Antonio respectfully touched his worn cap and walked out. He would raise the money and not tell anybody, for he thought Mum would be surprised when she saw that brooch. On hearing the sound of hammering (锤打) from a side street, Antonio suddenly had an idea that he could raise money by selling the used nail bags. People built their own homes in Bay Roberts, using nails bought in bags from a local factory. Sometimes the used bags were thrown away at the construction site, and Antonio knew he could sell them back to the factory for five cents a piece. That day he sold two nail bags and hid the money in a rusty soda tin.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Every day after school, Antonio started his plan.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The day finally came!
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Jenny was the only child in her family. She had a quarrel with her mother that afternoon and she ran out of the house angrily. She couldn’t help weeping sorrowfully when she thought of the scolding from her mother. Having wandered aimlessly in the street for hours, she felt a little hungry and wished for something to eat. She stood beside a stand for a while, watching the middle-aged seller busy doing his business. However, with no money in hand, she gave a sigh and had to leave. The seller behind the stand noticed the young girl and asked, “Hey, girl, you want to have the noodles?” “Oh, yes, but I don’t have money on me.” she replied.
“That’s nothing. I’ll treat you today,” said the man “Come in.” The seller brought her a bowl of noodles, whose smell was so attractive. As she was eating, Jenny cried silently. “What is it?” asked the man kindly. “Nothing. Actually, I was just touched by your kindness!” said Jenny as she wiped her tears. “Even a stranger on the street will give me a bowl of noodles, while my mother drove me out of the house. She showed no care for me. She is so merciless compared to a stranger!” Hearing the words, the seller smiled, “Girl, do you really think so? I only gave you a bowl of noodles and you thanked me a lot. But it is your mother who has raised you since you were a baby. Can you number the times she cooked for you? Have you expressed your gratitude to her?” Jenny sat there, speechless and numb with shock: she remembered her mother’s familiar face and weathered hands. “Why didn’t I think of that? A bowl of noodles from a stranger made me feel indebted. Why haven’t I thanked my mum for what she has done for me?” On the way home. Jenny made up her mind to make an apology to her mother for her rudeness as soon as she arrived home.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右;
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Nearing the doorway. Jenny took a deep breath.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A gentle touch on her hair called her mind back.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| A．In an office. | B．In the street. | C．In a department store. |
| A．Her son. | B．Her neighbor. | C．Her husband. |
| A．She will study there. |
| B．She will go sightseeing there. |
| C．She will pick up Hanson at the airport. |
| A．A colleague. | B．A travel plan. | C．A change in their firm. |
1. Who does the woman admire most?
| A．Her grandfather. | B．Tu Youyou. | C．Yuan Longping. |
| A．Music. | B．Medicine. | C．Math. |
Ear Potatoes
“I think the bathtub (浴缸) is just about full.” My grandfather shouted.
“Okay, Grampa!” I answered and quickly picked up the cool-as-could-be soap crayons (蜡笔) my grandparents had for the bathtub. My grandparents always had the coolest toys for us grandchildren. At that time, I was six years old and it was the first time that I stayed out with my grandparents.
“Alright, Gwen. Just be sure to clean well behind your ears. You don’t want to start growing potatoes behind your ears, do you?”
“Potatoes?” I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to look back at my grandfather.
“Yep, potatoes. You know if you have too much dirt behind your ears, potatoes just might sprout (发芽) and start growing there,” my grandfather explained as my eyes widened.
“But I don’t have potatoes behind my ears, Grampa,” I ran my fingers along the backs of my ears.
“I thought I saw just a couple sprouts starting earlier.” My grandfather took a quick look. “Yep, right there! Sure enough, I see two little sprouts. You’d better wash them nice and good, Gwen.” My eyes remained wide as could be as I nodded rather doubtfully since this was the first time I had heard of this.
Why have my parents never warned me this could happen? I sat in the bathtub, washing my ears while drew plentiful drawings all over the bathtub walls with the soap crayons. I used up nearly an entire bar of soap washing behind my ears that evening, just to be sure I got those little potato sprouts good and cleaned away.
I did not forget this bit of wisdom my grandfather had given me for years to come, and I was always very careful about cleaning behind my ears.
A few years later, I was at another fun-filled sleepover (夜宿) with my grandparents. After I got out of the bath for the evening and finished brushing my teeth, I pulled out the little handheld mirror from one of the drawers in the bathroom and placed it behind each of my ears, looking very careful for signs of potato sprouts.
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。
“What are you looking at behind your ears, Gwen?” My grandmother asked when she came in.
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Hearing my words, my grandmother burst into laughter.
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9 . Since 1979, Grandparents’ Day has been observed in the US on the first Sunday after Labor Day. Here are some ways to show your grandparents how much you appreciate them.
Surprise them. Though Grandparents’ Day has been marked for 40 years, many families don’t know about it. If you haven’t observed it before, give them a surprise this year.
Spend time together. Many grandparents say they wish they had more individual time with their grandchildren. So one of the best things you can do for Grandparents’ Day is to simply spend time together.
Record a message. If you can’t physically be with your grandparents, consider sending them a special message. Ask your parents for help recording you on video.
| A．Share your life with them. |
| B．Preserve your family history. |
| C．Teach them the tips for making videos. |
| D．You can start by wishing them a happy Grandparents’ Day. |
| E．They remember stories about when your parents were young. |
| F．You could plan to share a meal, go for a walk, or read together. |
| G．This could be as simple as sending a card or making them a special treat. |
This past summer, my family went on our annual vacation in a cottage on a lake. There were various activities to keep everyone busy: swimming, fishing and building sand castle on the beach. In the evenings, we gathered on the beach, having great fun.
However, by the third day of our vacation, I noticed my sister, Jane, spent most of her time watching videos and looking through online shops indoors. She was so addicted to her cell phone! Over dinner, I told Jane we would hike to the top of the mountain across the lake the following morning. I stared at her, “Put your phone away and enjoy the scenery. It’s really amazing.”
“Well,” Jane shrugged her shoulders and answered unwillingly, “there are some bargains tomorrow in several online shops, so I’ll not be available.”
“Come out to enjoy the fresh air and many views. Hiking is fun!” (嘟囔),“I can not walk that far.”
When I said it only took half an hour of steady walking to climb to the top, she nodded, “OK. I’ll go.”
The next morning was perfect for a hike, with sunny clear skies and gentle winds. I got up early and packed some sandwiches and bottles of water into my backpack along with the camera. Jane came slowly downstairs, and announced in a very unenthusiastic voice, “I’m ready to go, Jim.”
Anyway, we stepped out of our cottage and quite a different view unfolded before our eyes. Against the blue skies, a rough path wound to the top of the mountain across the lake with wild flowers and grass on both sides. The sunlight brightened on the glassy surface of the lake. We began from the path.
“I’m still wondering if this is a good idea, but if you could do it, I could also do.” She complained, frowning.
注意：1.所续写短文的词数应为 150 左右：2.请按如下格式在答题卡相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1:
She followed me, her mind wandering.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
Reaching the top, Jane widened her eyes, shouting, “How awesome!”.
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