Postcards from the World
While the sun washed over the grass of my grandmother’s front garden, I sank into one of her armchairs familiar to me. Life, as I knew it, had changed. My beloved grandmother, my Nanny, as a ”parent“ in the absence of my father, had cancer. It was terminal (晚期的).
As she watched Getaway, a Sunday afternoon TV program, she remarked to me that she’d never left Australia and that now she never would. Seeing her restricted to ”travel" by watching TV, I swallowed the sadness that came with knowing that chapters of her life were to be left unwritten.
At work, feeling helpless, I wiped tables and took orders and thought. Hard. The Saturday afternoon lunch rush was not enough to stop me from my thoughts. Collapsed with growing sorrow, I was reminded of the power of Facebook and the collective strength of human sympathy. I raced from the end of my shift to ask strangers on the Internet for help.
My Nanny Del has cancer. It’s terminal and she will never see the world. Please send her postcards so she can see the world from her armchair. I can offer nothing but gratitude.
I resolved not to breathe a word of this; if nothing came, I couldn’t bear to carry her disappointment along with my own. . And if something should wander into our humble little letterbox, I vould consider it a blessing and embrace it gratefully.
Days turned to weeks: Nothing. And Nanny’s health declined rapidly. I was trying to balance my full-time study, babysitting and waiting tables with the tiring responsibility of caring for my grandmother. As I helped Nanny in the early hours of those mornings, she would chat to me, sometimes reflections of her lifetime, and other times, the disturbance caused by medication. She seldom talked about her regret of being unable to travel, but I was still hoping for something.
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。
One afternoon, about six weeks after my Facebook post, a travel-worn postcard arrived in our letterbox.
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_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In 1940, I worked in the checkroom of the railway station. I saw everybody that came up the stairs.
Harry was a young man who came to the station and waited at the head of the stairs for the passengers from the 9:05 train.
I remembered seeing Harry that first evening. He wasn’t much more than a thin, anxious kid then. He was all dressed up and I knew he was meeting his sister, who he hadn’t seen for many years.
Well, the passengers came up and I had to get busy. I didn’t look toward the stairs again until nearly time for the 9:18 and I was very surprised to see that the Harry was still there. His sister didn’t come on the 9:18 either, nor on the 9:40, and when the passengers from the 10:02 had all arrived and left, Harry was looking pretty upset. Pretty soon he came close to my window so I called out and asked him what his sister looked like.
“She’s small and dark. She is nineteen years old and very neat in the way she walk,” he said. “She has a face that has lots of spirit. I mean she can get mad but she never stays mad for long, and her eyebrows come to a little point in the middle. She’s got a brown fur, but maybe she isn’t wearing it.”
“I couldn’t remember seeing anybody like that,” I told him.
He showed me the telegram he’d received: ARRIVE THURSDAY. MEET ME AT THE STATION. MAY. It was from Omaha, Nebraska. “Well,” I finally said, “why don’t you phone to your home? She’s probably called there if she got in ahead of you.”
He gave me a sick look. “I’ve only been in the town for two days. We were going to meet and then drive down to the south of the city where I’ve got a job. She doesn’t have my address.”
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。
When I came on duty the next day, Harry was still there and I asked more about his sister.
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One day, after about two weeks, I thought I could say something encouraging to him.
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1. 描述漫画内容；
2. 解读漫画含义；
3. 表述你的观点。
注意： 1. 词数 100 左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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When the final school bell rang, Eli walked home as usual. His trip took him across the playground, past the T-shirt factory, and across the main street. From there, Eli often cut through a blank lot (空地) where a house used to be. The house burned down years ago, but there were still flowers and trees to show that people used to live there. Everything was usual, but everything was immersed (沉浸在) in Eli’s sadness.
At that time, Eli watched a blue jay (蓝松鸦) fly into the old maple tree at the blank lot. The bird sat on a low branch and screamed loudly. It was as if the blue jay knew that he was sad, for he had failed his math test again. And he wrote a letter to Aunt Lucy. But Aunt Lucy did not reply to him.
When he got home, there was something in his mailbox. He found it was from Aunt Lucy, who lived in a different town. Upon opening it, his eyes widened with delight. It was a letter he looked forward to and a book! Eli read the letter.
Dear Eli, You told me that you didn’t do well in math. I hope you don’t give up and don’t get discouraged by a few failures. Because you once told me that you wanted to be a math teacher when you grew up and helped more children. I gave you a book. It’s about a great scientist you liked, I hoped you, like him, had been studying hard and sticking to your dream.
Love,
Aunt Lucy
After reading Aunt Lucy’s letter and receiving her encouragement, Eli’s sad mood improved a lot. Eli took the book and rushed to show it to his father, saying that it was the best gift he had ever received. His father smiled, noting Eli’s happy smile. Touched by Aunt Lucy’s thoughtful present, Eli felt an immediate urge (强烈的欲望) to thank Aunt Lucy right away. So with his father’s help, he decided to call Aunt Lucy.
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。
Eli called Aunt Lucy but couldn’t get through.
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Just then, there was a knock at the door.
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写作要求: 1. 语言流畅, 语法正确； 2. 词数：100左右； 3. 题目已给出。
How to Get Along with Your Parents
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In a warm home, a young girl named Shireen was busily preparing for a special occasion. As she tiptoed (踮着脚走) to tie a balloon, hunger was evident in her eyes. How did her family do this every year? It was so hard to go without food or drink from lunch until sunset. She found this period especially challenging, because today also turned out to be her grandfather Babajoon’s birthday.
Suddenly the phone rang. Shireen answered to find her friend Amy on the other end, inviting her to the park. “Can I join Amy and Maya? They want to show me their new toys,” Shireen begged her mom. Understanding the struggle of Shireen, her mother gently replied, “Sorry, sweetie. You’ll get tired and thirsty running around in the sun, especially on an empty stomach.”
Disappointed, Shireen felt angry, thinking of her friends enjoying themselves. The burst of hunger and anger made Shireen question the significance of giving up meals of the period. Realizing Shireen’s upset, her mom explained that the most important thing was to know how it felt to be hungry, allowing them to understand those less lucky people’s feeling and experiences and developed compassion (同情).
To cheer Shireen up, her mom suggested baking a birthday cake for her grandfather. Her dad was passing by and heard their conversation. He considered it a bad idea, fearing that it would be too hard for Shireen on an empty stomach. However, Shireen had made her mind. She wanted to surprise Babajoon with a cake, not just any cake, but a beautiful chocolate one.
Shireen and her mom set out the materials: cocoa powder, sugar, flour (面粉),eggs and butter. Her mom selected the cocoa and flour. Shireen measured sugar into the mixer and added the butter. She liked watching the mixer turn the separate materials into a soft yellow paste. She cracked the eggs one by one into the bowl. “Oops! There’s some shell.” Shireen tried getting it out with a spoon.
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。
The process of making the cake brought moments of joy.
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Finally evening approached.
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A few weeks ago，when my mom and I were shopping，we ran into my teacher，who mentioned that the school didn’t have a music teacher to help our class put together a performance for Winter Fair.And，right then and there，my mom said，“I know the perfect song and dance.I’ll teach it to the kids!”
Before I could say “Please don’t，”my mom had agreed to come to my class every morning at 9：30 for a week.Oh，and just to be clear，it’s not as if she’s a professional entertainer (演员).My parents run a small grocery store，and the only singing my mom does is in the shower.
“Um，”I said on our way home，“are you sure this is such a good idea?”
“Of course!” she said.“If we want your school’s Winter Fair to happen，people need to step up and volunteer.”
“I know volunteering is important，” I said.“But couldn’t you help out in another way instead?”
She laughed.“Don’t be silly.We’ll have great fun!”
“OK，everyone，”my teacher said at 9：28 on Monday.“We’re going to stop silent reading a little early because a special guest is here to help us with a performance for Winter Fair.”
“Let’s all welcome Arizona’s mother.”
I looked up to discover my mom standing at the front of the room wearing the world’s silliest hat.
“I’m super excited to be here with you!”my mom said.“I’m going to teach you a fun little songanddance number I learned a few years back，when I did some theater in college.Here goes!”
Oh，please，oh，please，I said over and over in my head，let there be a fire drill (演习) or a power outage (停电)，or anything to stop my mom for completely embarrassing herself—and me!
But obviously，my mom was not at all concerned about looking silly.She turned on some background music and started singing and dancing away.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右。2.请按如下格式作答。
I closed my eyes，covered my ears，and shrank as low as I possibly could in my chair.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Not only did my mom turn out to be more than a little OK at performing，but she was also good at teaching us the song and the dance steps.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Look at the little dog!” a girl shouted from across the street. “She’s got rain boots (靴子)!” I smiled and waved. I would never have put clothes on any animal I owned, but Velma wasn’t my dog. I’d just offered to walk her this morning because my friend, Arlene, fell ill. When Arlene had asked me to walk Velma, I’d been happy to volunteer. But I was less pleased when Arlene made me spend 20 minutes putting on Velma’s raincoat and four tiny rain boots. Once outside, I had expected to walk Velma around quickly. But with all the people stopping me every few minutes to talk about the little dog, it was taking me a long time. It was a moment of letting my unhappy feeling away to get her back home. I had done my good deed (行为) and could finally go off to work before I was late.
As I turned to go, Arlene said at the door. “Thank you so much. I’ll see you again at noon.” “Wait, what?” I was shocked by her words. “That’s when Velma gets her next walk,” Arlene said as if I’d somehow agreed to a whole daily schedule, “I’m sorry, Arlene,” I said. “I have to be at work.” “Oh,” Arlene said, “I guess we’ll see you at six then.” “Great,” I said, making my escape. 10 minutes later I realized that I’d just agreed to walk her dog again at six! How had I let that happen? I agreed to do things I really didn’t want to do.
That day was just the beginning. All the next week, Arlene “reminded” me to walk Velma at various times throughout the day. “Velma loves you,” she said one evening when I came to get the dog. “Sometimes I think she likes you better.” That sent a shake down my body. Was Arlene trying to make me Velma’s long-time dog walker? God, what have I gotten myself into?
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。
To refuse Arlene, I struggled for some days, and then I thought of calling my friend Callie. _
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I decided to try taking Callie’s advice, so I walked over to Arlene’s.
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Davey got up early in the morning and couldn’t wait to look out of the window. To his great disappointment, it was snowing heavily outside. Usually he would look forward to watching snow, but today he was not. It was Christmas Eve, and because of the snowstorm, Davey was worried that his cousin Josh would be stuck in the road and couldn’t make it to his home for Christmas from a neighboring city.
“We haven’t seen each other for half a year, and I have got a special present for him!” Davey said to himself. “How I wish he could get here!” Davey turned away from the window with a sigh (叹气).
In the afternoon, Davey and his parents drove to the town to buy a Christmas tree. When they finished shopping and were about to leave the store, Davey saw a crowd of people outside. He ran to get a closer look. It was Santa Claus (圣诞老人)! Children were waiting in line to express their wishes to him. “Can I get in line, please Dad?” asked Davey. “Well, we’re kind of in a hurry,” said his dad. “But since this is Santa Claus, I guess we can spare the time.”
Davey gave his dad a big thank-you hug and ran to the line. When it was finally his turn, Davey climbed up on Santa’s lap. Santa asked, “Well, what would you like for Christmas?”
“I wish my cousin Josh could get home for Christmas,” Davey said. “But the snow is so deep that Mom and Dad don’t think he can make it.” Having known from the weather forecast(预报) that it would clear up with the snow stopping in the late afternoon, Santa Claus said, “I don’t usually deliver people on Christmas Eve, but I’ll tell you what to do. Tonight, before you go to sleep, make your wish on the biggest, brightest star in the sky. That’s the Wishing Star and it might hear your heart.”
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。
When it finally came to the bedtime, Davey rushed to the window.
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Just then, they heard the doorbell.
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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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