After over 10 years of dreaming and planning and 18 months of very serious considering, my husband and I finally bought a farmhouse about a mile from where I grew up. Neither my husband, David, nor myself had any experience with decoration, but we jumped in with much excitement. There was much to be done before the winter came to knock at our door. We rearranged the garden, laid out the lawn (草坪), and set all the furniture in place. Then there remained only one thing to worry us: We didn’t have a fireplace (壁炉) indoors against the extremely winter.
I knew the perfect choice of person for the work is my uncle, Richard Jones. Being a senior construct worker (建筑工人) for almost 40 years, he could do the job better than anyone else. On thinking of the idea that my house would be in my uncle’s hands, my heart was filled with expectation and comfort. The problem was that he lived far away in Florida, about an 18-hour drive from our home in Cortland. Another problem was the cost of building a fireplace. Buying the farmhouse cost almost all our savings, so could we even afford to pay him?
Much to my relief, the drive turned out to be no problem at all. On receiving my call, my uncle, at the age of 65, loaded his suitcase and his tools into his truck and headed to our place. When I asked how much he would charge, he replied, “We’ll figure up a price when the job is finished. Just have coffee and cookies ready when I get there. The more you bake cookies, the lower the price will be.”
My uncle wasn’t joking. As long as I had served coffee and cookies, he could work pleasantly. The man was obviously born with a sweet tooth. For two weeks, the coffee machine never stopped, and the cookies often disappeared before I could put them into the cookie box.
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 construction was slowly coming to an end.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I found the paycheck (工资) lying quietly next to the coffee machine.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Finding happiness in life
When John walked into the dining room in the morning, his wife Jenny and his two children, Kevin and Sophie, were sitting at the table. The atmosphere was frosty as John sat down. Sophie, who was only five years old, gave her father a weak smile. Kevin, his teenage son, didn’t look up from his food. Jenny looked at him silently with her arms folded across her chest.
“OK,” John began, “I’m sorry. I know I let everyone down yesterday.”
Kevin looked accusingly at his father. “You missed my music performance at school again! You’ve never come to see me do anything,” he said angrily.
Jenny placed a hand on John’s shoulder. “That’s true! John, you always miss family activities. The last time we had a family outing was five months ago! And I’m exhausted from all the housework.”
As he drank his coffee, John reflected on his life. He had so much to be thankful for: a successful business, a harmonious family and a lovely home. In fact, he had everything he had ever wanted, but he knew something was wrong. He had always believed that with hard work, he could make his family happy. But he realized he was failing. He was spending more time at work and less time at home. He was working in the office until late in the evening and even during weekends. When at home, he was talking on the phone with his clients or sitting in front of the computer reading or writing emails. He was neglecting his family. He hadn’t taken his wife to a nice restaurant for months. Kevin was passionate about music, but John couldn’t remember the last time he saw Kevin perform at a school concert. Sophie was growing up so fast and John had even missed her last birthday party. John realized he had become an absent husband and an absent father.
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的相应位置作答。
Later that day, John went to work, determined to make some changes.
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Soon, John felt a big improvement in his life and work.
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Sometimes, making a decision is hard for adults while easy for kids. The Jackson family had been meaning to buy some new furniture (家具) for ages, but somehow they never got round to it. There were always so many other things to do. Then one day there was a big shout from the room of Jason, 12. The rest of the family ran to see what happened.
Jason’s desk had broken. There were bits of wood and pens and papers all over the floor. And in the middle was Jason! “I was just doing my homework.” he said, “and then -bang! The desk broke. Everything fell over. I was so surprised that I fell over too!” Laughed Jane, 5. “That decides it.” said Mum. “We need to buy some new furniture before anything else breaks. Jane needs a new bed. And Jason needs a desk, so that he can do his homework. ”
So that weekend, the family got up early, and set off for the big furniture store outside town. It was huge. There was so much furniture, some of it was arranged like in a real house.
“Look, I’m playing houses (过家家),” said Jane, crawling ( 爬 ) under a table. Jane loved playing houses. “That’s enough,” Mum said, taking tight hold of Jane’s hand. Jane didn’t like it, but she had to stay close. The family chose a new bed for Jane, who was bored now, and tired. She didn’t say much, while the rest of the family discussed which desk to get. Jason had found one he liked but Mum and Dad couldn’t agree.
“It’s too big.” said Mum. “There’s not enough space in his room.”
“It’s too small,” said Dad. “There’s not enough space for his homework. ”
“I think it’s just right!” said Jason.
“Let’s get a cup of tea while we try and decide,” said Mum.“There’s a cafe in the store.” Dad thought this was a good idea. He needed a sit down, he said, and Jason really wanted a milkshake (奶昔). “What do you think, Jane?” asked Mum. Then she looked round. “Where is she? I think she’s jumping on the sofa!”
But there was no sign of Jane on the sofa. Then Jason wondered if she could be lying on her new 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。
But there was no Jane on the bed. Mum and Dad were really worried now.
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When Jason pushed Jane softly, she woke up and came crawling out. “What were you doing?” Jason asked.
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Martin was returning home after a difficult shift (轮班) on a dark snowy night. He worked as a truck driver in Los Angeles, taking several shifts a week because he had a sick daughter, Anne, who needed urgent surgery, but he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to raise enough money for it.
Anne was diagnosed with a cyst (囊肿) shortly after birth. The doctors told Martin and his wife Helen that she needed an operation as soon as possible, otherwise, it could pose a threat to the little girl’s life. The parents decided they should do whatever it took to save their daughter and began saving money right away.
It was too black outside with no visibility (能见度). Martin was driving slowly, thinking of solutions to his problem when he noticed a shadow in the middle of the road. He hit the brakes and the truck came to a complete stop. Rubbing his eyes, Martin looked more closely. A human figure — a woman lying unconscious in the middle of the road!
Martin picked up the woman, carried her to his truck, quickly changed his route and drove straight to the hospital. About 10 minutes later, they finally arrived at the hospital. “It’s an emergency! Please call the doctor!” he screamed at the top of his lungs. The woman was admitted to hospital at once.
The next day, Martin went to the hospital to see the woman. The woman was Daisy, who was a rich businesswoman. Daisy expressed her gratitude to him and told him the whole story about how she ended up on the road. “Thank you so much, Martin. You’re a really generous soul. I heard you drove me to the hospital last night and that you have been here a few times with your daughter.”
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。
Daisy found that Martin seemed to be worried.
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As the saying goes, one good turn deserves another.
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“There are lots of beautiful fish in the lake,” said Grandpa as he drove our small boat out onto the lake one morning. “Robbie, this looks like a good place. Let’s stay there and start some serious fishing.”
Grandpa’s words filled my six-year-old mind with excitement of catching a big fish and having a dinner of fish. Attaching a bobber (浮标) to my line, I threw it into the quiet, blue-green water. My eyes carefully watched the bobber for any sign of movement. At first, my heart was beating with excitement, but after about half an hour, I grew tired of the bobber’s stillness in the water.
“Where are all the fish?” I cried. “Patience, Robbie,” said Grandpa. “Let our boat drift (漂流) for a while and see if that changes our luck.” This was how the rest of the day went. However much we drifted or moved to different parts of the lake, no fish was coming. I was quite sad and had thoughts of never fishing again. Finally, by late afternoon, Grandpa started driving us back to the lakeside.
During the period, he told me a story of how a fisherman finally caught lots of fish after being patient. But I was not that encouraged. After pulling up to the lakeside, he said, “Robbie, after I tie up the boat, stay on the boat and throw your line in one more time. There may be some sunfish hanging around the lakeside.”
I did as he said and again watched the bobber. This time I planned to be patient and waited longer.
注意
1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式作答。
Just when I decided to give up, I saw the bobber move a little.
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Grandpa turned around and taught me how to land the fish.
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One of my teachers once asked my class what our favourite memory was. She was asking for the moment in which “you felt the best, you felt that you had the world in the palm of your hand. ” Some described grand awards; others described winning a tournament. But I felt the best when I first learned how to ride my bike at thirteen. I didn’t mind my classmate’s stares and snickering, because I knew there was more to the story.
My brother and I shared a typical brotherly relationship: we couldn’t stand each other. Or, to be honest, he couldn’t stand me. I hero-worshipped him. My clothes mysteriously looked like his, and even my words tended to mimic those I heard from him. Many times, I even wanted to literally follow my brother, sobbing every time I was prevented from hanging around with him. Needless to say, I was an annoyance to him. Any sort of conversation we had usually degraded to fighting, and try as I might, my brother usually won.
After a while, I stopped trying to impress him and learned to be totally indifferent; perhaps the silent treatment would get more approval. I was wrong. We soon fell into a sad pattern—I avoided him, he ignored me, and deep inside, it hurt. Indifferent or hostile, he was only a brother in name. So that’s how it was between us. I believed we would forever be apart, two housemates without conversation, two strangers without warmth. And nothing more.
I still remember the day I learned to ride a bike. I had received it that Christmas, which was great, until I realized I had no idea how to ride it. My mom was too busy and had long since abandoned any attempt to teach me. I decided to teach myself to ride, a little bit each day, but in vain. On that fateful day, it was no different. I was coming to the end of my daily one-hour torture, and I was so frustrated that I threw my bike aside and began to cry.
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 guess that was what caused my brother to come outside.
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An hour later, I was showing off my riding skill to my mom.
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I was fifteen when my world took a hopeless turn for the worst. My mom was diagnosed with cancer again. She had undergone surgery and beaten the cancer. Then the cancer came back. However, there was more to worry about than the disease that my mom was battling. My dad had left us years before. Besides, because of the mounting medical bills she was paying for her previous cancer, we were on the edge of financial ruin. I was too young to get a job.
That winter was the worst. We didn’t have money to pay for electricity. Our neighbor, Sophia, allowed us to use her electricity so that we could have one lamp on in our home. The gas stove in the living room was the only heat in our house. My mom slept in her cold room, with as many blankets as we could pile on her.
Thanksgiving Day came. I searched our cupboards for food and there wasn’t much. I started slamming doors as I looked through the cabinets for a can of food we might have missed. The more I searched, the angrier I became. The noise must have woken my mom, because she came to the kitchen wrapped in a blanket. She looked worried at me and asked, “Baby, what’s wrong,” I retorted, “I’m hungry. I’m freezing to death in our own house,” I wasn’t angry at her. I was angry at our situation.
She opened her arms toward me and said, “Come here. Right now things are hard, but hope is always there. Whatever difficulties we meet, we should be strong. All you have to do is have faith. Why not believe we can be better by using our own hands?”
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 was deeply ashamed of what I had done and said.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Just as I wondered what to do to spend the night, Sophia knocked at our door.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On the first day of high school after moving to St. Louis, Missouri this summer, I was really nervous. I had decided the night before that I would be much happier if I made friends that were so-called “popular”. I bought a new outfit (套装) regardless of the high price just so the first day would be perfect.
Scared, yet anxious, I walked up the stairs to the front door. My first class was math, but where was that? I was standing in the hall looking confused, when a short, blond girl wearing glasses came up and asked, “Are you new? You look lost. I’ll help you find your class. My name is Diane. What’s yours?” Even though she seemed a bit strange, definitely not the kind of person I wanted to be associated with, I decided to answer her anyway. I was, after all, lost.
When we reached my room she said, “Well, here you are. It was nice meeting you. I hope your day goes all right.” I said thanks and waved good-bye.
Once inside the classroom, I saw a guy in the middle of the class who was wearing a letter jacket. A group of people crowded around him. I decided this guy was popular. He was talking about wild and crazy things he had done in the summer. A few minutes later, the teacher came in and told everyone to find a seat. I managed to get one right next to the guy. I said, “Hi, my name is April and I’m new here.” He said, “Hi, I’m Johnny.”
That lass dragged on and on Finally the bell rang. I turned to him and asked, “I’m not sure where my next class is. Could you help me find it?” “No!” he said, turned back to his friends, and walked out of the classroom. As they were walking out I heard him say, “Did you guys see that the new girl trying to get into our group? That outfit was way too strange.”
注意：1. 续写词数150左右；2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
They all laughed and some of them turned around and stared at me.
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The next day before class started, someone came up behind me and said, “Hi, again. How was your first day?”
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Every time my family makes special plans, they end up getting canceled due to some incidents. Every time that happens, my parents would tell us to look on the bright side and make the best of a bad situation. However, I never managed to do that until this spring.
On a sunny morning last month, my aunt Jen invited us to the annual outdoor spring celebration at her farm. Since my family hadn’t done anything different for ages, the whole family was very excited and everyone pulled his own weight to make sure everything goes as planned. In order to add more fun to this exciting trip, my little sister Indi and my little brother Tex even joined me to make an extra-special treat — cupcakes.
The picnic was intended to go from twelve to three. After double checking the car, my parents loaded books, games, picnic blanket, and a whole big pack of food into the car. The moment of our departure finally arrived as the clock struck 11. However, everything went wrong the instant we bravely drove off. First, we had to stop and wait for Tex to find his shoes. Next, as we were driving down the road, we had to go back to the house because my mom forgot her wallet. Then, about halfway to Aunt Jen’s house, we had to drive far out of our way to find a place for Indi to use the bathroom. After that, my parents decided it’d be quicker to take this one little side country road as a shortcut. But the shortcut ended up turning into a long cut! We drove forever on a winding road with wildflower field spreading endlessly out on both sides and the deep green pine trees going on and on within our sight. Spotting hundreds of birds flying in the sky, I was seized by a growing sense of desperation for I entirely had no idea when we could hit our destination.
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 then, our car started making a strange noise.
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At first, we kids weren’t excited about the idea.
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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.
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