When I was about four years old, I started washing my face on my own. However, I always ignored the area behind my ears on purpose though my mom would often remind me.
One summer, in July of that year, my mom drove me to my grandparents’ house for our annual summer holiday visit. When we arrived, I was told that Grandma had gone on a trip with her friends and wouldn’t be back for another two weeks. Feeling a bit down, I went to the yard to play while my mom and grandpa caught up on some things. Although I couldn’t hear their conversation clearly, I had a strong feeling they were talking about me based on their gestures and expressions. Later, my mom returned home, and she would come back to pick me up two months later.
After dinner that night, Grandpa asked me to take a bath before going to bed. Since I loved taking baths, I happily agreed. With the bathtub (浴缸) filled with water, Grandpa reminded me, “Just make sure you clean the area behind your ears really well. You wouldn’t want potatoes to start growing there, would you?”
“Potatoes?” I stopped in my tracks and turned back to look at him. “Yes, potatoes. If you don’t clean the dirt behind your ears, potatoes might actually sprout (发芽) and grow there,” he explained, causing my eyes to widen in surprise. “But I don’t have any potatoes behind my ears, Grandpa,” I said as I ran my fingers along the back of my ears. He took a quick glance and replied, “Oh, I see a couple of sprouts: starting right there!” He urged me to get into the bathtub immediately and scrub (擦洗) them away thoroughly.
I nodded, still in disbelief. This was the first time I had ever heard such a thing. Why hadn’t my parents warned me about this before? I wondered, but couldn’t find an answer. Nonetheless, I felt shocked by Grandpa’s warning.
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 hurried to jump into the bathtub, carefully scrubbing behind my ears.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“What are you looking at behind your ears?” Grandma asked me curiously.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I had run away from home after finishing high school. My parents had insisted I go to college, but I was tired of school. I hated it. I was determined not to go. And, besides, my father was too strict. I had too many chores to do around the farm. I haled the work!
There had been a quarrel between my father and me. I threw some things into a bag and left angrily, as my father shouted after me, “If you leave, don’t come back!” My mother cried openly, and I had seen those tears during a hundred sleepless nights.
Then it was time to write a letter to my father.
Dear Dad,It’s been more than a year now. I’ve traveled east to west. I’ve had dozens of jobs. None of them amounted to very much. Always the same questions: “How much education have you got?” It seems they always want college men for the good jobs.
Dad, you and Mother were right about everything. I know now that the work on the farm didn’t hurt me, and I’m convinced I need college. I’m also convinced that both of you loved me.
Dad, I’ve learned a lesson. I want to come home. I know you said if I left, I couldn’t come back, but I’m praying you’ll change your mind. I want to come home and be a part of the family again.
Give my love to Mother and the girls.
Love,Your son
As I folded the letter and put it into an envelope, I felt a refreshing relief. It was as if a heavy load had been lifted from my shoulders. And I had to be on my way home.
I started down the desolate road—the long road home. Fortunately, a car picked me up, and it was good to have someone to talk with. The driver was a salesman and very pleasant.
“Where you going, boy?” he asked good-naturedly.
There was a long silence before I said, “Home.”
“Been away from home long?”
I smiled, a little self-conscious, and said, “One year, one month and two days.”
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。
Having heard my story, he expressed his support for my final decision and told me something surprising.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Finally, I arrived home when. it was completely dark.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________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.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Diana’s birthday was approaching, however, her usual excitement was now replaced with disappointment and pressure. Turning eleven means a lot to her, and she had always expected to throw a party surrounded by her friends. Sadly, this year was totally different. The heavy burden of homework and her parents’ struggling business weighed heavily on her, forcing Diana to make the difficult decision of not having a birthday party, even though it was an event she enjoyed dearly every year.
One day, during break, her best friend, Alice, with a curious look in her eyes, approached. “Are you going to have a birthday party this year?” asked Alice, sensing Diana’s sadness.
“No,” Diana sighed and replied sadly, “There’s just too much going on and my parents are going through financial difficulties.”
She smiled weakly, trying to conceal her immense disappointment and stress, but Alice saw through her pretence (假装) easily. Alice nodded thoughtfully and did not say anything. After the break, Diana saw her talking to one of their classmates, Sarah, secretively. Curious, Diana went over to them, but as soon as Alice saw her, she quickly walked away. Diana was startled by Alice’s strange actions and turned towards Sarah.
“What did she say?” Diana asked.
However, Sarah simply shrugged and walked away with Alice, leaving Diana standing there, feeling left out and anxious.
What is happening? Diana wondered anxiously. Are they keeping something from me?
As Diana’s birthday drew nearer, Alice was often found chatting softly with her other classmates. Whenever Diana went over to them, they would just walk away or tell her that they were talking about a secret which Diana was not allowed to know. Alice has never kept secrets from me before, Diana thought. Her heart fell. Even her friends were distancing themselves from her! She swung between confusion and sadness with each passing moment, desperately trying to figure out what was happening. Why were her friends distancing themselves from her? And what were they hiding?
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。
On Diana’s birthday, she went to school, finding her classroom in total darkness.
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Tears welled up in Diana’s eyes, her face brightening up with a broad smile.
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When I look back on my childhood, the first image that springs to my mind is the daisy (雏菊) kept in my dictionary, which always reminds me of my lunchtimes with my mother.
When I was in the third grade, I was picked to be the princess in the school play, and for weeks my mother had practised my lines (台词) so hard with me. But no matter how easily I delivered them at home, as soon as I stepped onstage, every word disappeared from my head. Finally, my teacher took me aside. She explained that she had written a narrator’s (旁白) part to the play, and asked me to switch roles.
I didn’t tell my mother what had happened when I went home for lunch that day. But she sensed my pain, and instead of suggesting we practice my lines, she asked if I wanted to walk in the yard.
It was a lovely spring day and the rose vine (藤蔓) was turning green. Under the huge trees, we could see yellow daisies popping through the grass in bunches, as if a painter had touched our landscape with a little bit of gold. I watched my mother casually bend down by one of the daisies. “I think I’m going to dig up all these weeds,” she said, suddenly pulling a flower up by its roots. “From now on, we’ll have only roses in this garden.”
“But I like daisies,” I protested (抗议). “All flowers are beautiful——even daisies.” My mother looked at me seriously. “Yes, every flower has its own beauty, doesn’t it?” she asked thoughtfully. I nodded, feeling pleased that I had won her over. “And that is true of people too,” she added, “Not everyone can be a princess. Hence, there is no shame in that.”
Relieved that she had sensed my pain, I started to cry when I told her what had happened. She listened and smiled.
注意：1. 所续写的短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在以下位置作答。
Paragraph 1：
“You will be a beautiful narrator,” she comforted.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
Backstage on the night of the performance, I still felt nervous.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year -old highly educated son. Suddenly a crow (乌鸦) perched (栖息) on their window.
The father asked his son, “what is this?” The son replied, “It is a crow.”
After a few minutes, the father asked his son for the second time, “What is this?” The son said, “Father , I have just now told you, it is a crow!”
After a little while, the old father again asked his son for the third time, “What is this?”
At this time some expression of irritation (恼怒) was felt in the son’s tone when he said to his father with a rebuff (生硬回绝) . “It’s a crow , a crow.” A little while later, the father again asked his son the fourth time, “ What is this?”
This time, the son shouted at his father, “ Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again, although I have told you so many times ‘IT IS A CROW’. Are you not able to understand this?’
A little while later the father went to his room and came back with an old tattered (发皱的) diary, which he had maintained since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page. When the son read it, the following words were written in the diary:
“Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa, when a crow was sitting on the window. My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question. I did not at all feel annoyed but I rather felt love for my innocent son.
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150词左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
Paragraph 1:
After reading the diary,
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Paragraph 2:
Feeling ashamed , the son got down on his knees before his father.
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Caught in a flood
Mary and her parents were downstairs in the living room. Mary was looking through the windows at the endless rain outside. It had been raining non-stop for three days. She had never seen a storm this bad. It was making her nervous. The wind roared the rain beat on the roof and windows. Dad was listening to a weather report on the radio, while Mum was putting their important documents and disaster supplies into a bag.
“Mum, Dad,” said Mary suddenly, “I think we should leave here right away!”
“No” said Dad. “It’s too late! The radio says the city has already been flooded.”
“We can drive our car through the floodwater! Let’s just leave! I’m really scared!” cried Mary. “We can’t do that, honey,” explained Mum, “otherwise the moving water could wash the caraway!”
Mary walked to the door. She was curious to see how much water there was outside.
“Don’t open the door!” shouted Mum and Dad at the same time. “The water may flood in!”
Dad moved the dinner table against the door, in case the floodwater forced the door open. Mum waved to Mary to sit on the sofa. “Mary, don’t worry. Everything’s going to be OK,” she said softly, trying her best to comfort Mary. Her voice was calm, but Mary could tell she was worried too.
Without saying a single word, Dad walked to the sofa, sat down and hugged his wife and daughter. The sudden silence in the house seemed to make the wind and rain more frightening outside. What could they do?
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答；
3.提示词汇；
Para 1: After a brief discussion, Mum and Dad made a decision.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Para 2: Finally, the rain stopped.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When I was a boy, I always wore turtleneck shirts because I was so sensitive and shy. I worked hard to earn exceptional marks and always tried to behave well. I was younger than everyone else because my good marks had allowed me to skip second grade, but this added nothing to my already low self-confidence.
When I was 14, my parents divorced (离婚). I moved in with my dad in a new neighborhood, but he was always so busy and had little time for me. It seemed the only time he ever spoke to me was to be demanding or critical. I began to hate coming home from school every day. I sank further into my low self-esteem (自尊心) and was overwhelmed with feeling unappreciated and alone.
One day, my aunt called. This seemed like a miracle (奇迹) to me. Aunt Ginette usually only called once a year, on my birthday. She said she had just seen some young teenagers participate in a public speaking contest, and she thought I should try it, too. She told me she firmly believed I could perform on stage like the other kids since she had seen me do skits (幽默小品) for the family at Christmas.
I was a little surprised. Me? Onstage? In a public speaking contest? I was hesitant. But Aunt Ginette was so confident and seemed really serious. Feeling her strong belief, I went against all odds and agreed to enter the contest.
All that winter, twice a week after dinner, I took three different buses for the three-hour round-trip to practice in Ville d’Anjou, where the competition would take place. Although my dad really did love me and wanted the best for me, he disapproved of this new dream, fearing it would take away from my homework time and impact my academic performance. But I remained a top performer in school and never missed a day.
注意:1.续写词数应为 150 左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卷的相应位置作答。
Four months later, the big night arrived.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When I saw my father’s face, his eyes were shining－he was so proud.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________With a wide smile on her face, 15-year-old Sirin eagerly rushed to her mom to show off her new painting. But Mom raised her eyebrows with eyes wide open, and spoke impatiently, “No time, baby. Right now I am busy with an important talk. Just wait for some time, OK?”
Holding her oil painting, she frowned (皱眉),and then searched for her dad. “Dad, see what I have done,” Sirin exclaimed cheerfully. Her dad turned around while adjusting his tie, grinned at her, and showed his thumbs up!
Immediately, Sirin replied angrily, “Dad, you haven’t seen it yet.”
He smiled at her saying, “No time, baby. I will see it later.” He just patted her back lovingly, kissed her forehead, and rushed for his office.
She was not a kid to be pleased with simple gesture or smile. She stood there for a few seconds, and then stormed off to her own bedroom. Hot air was blowing from her nostrils (鼻孔) ; her face turned into apple red. She threw the painting on the table, slammed the door and threw herself on her bed.
“Why is everybody so busy?” She recalled thousands of incidents that hurt her in preschool, middle school and even in high school too! She assumed at least her own family members would give some values to her thoughts, but they were no exception. Unconsciously, her eyes were filled with tears.
The knocking sound on the door put a sudden stop to her thought. Her mom was calling her for dinner. Sirin deliberately (故意地) came late to join them. She kept silent and didn’t look at anyone, scratching the table mat with her nail. Her mom was puzzled at the unusual behavior. Suddenly the morning incident came to mind. Softly, she asked, “ Honey, did I do anything wrong? ”
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。
At this very moment, Sirin could no longer resist her anger.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When back from school the next day, Sirin was surprised to see her beautifully-decorated paining on the wall.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________内容：1. 人物评价；2. 你敬佩的原因；3. 你的评价或对你的影响。
注意：1. 词数应为80左右；
2. 开头结尾已给出，不计入总数。
The Person I Admire Most
Dear fellow students,
There are many respectable people around us. And the person I admire most is
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That’s all. Thank You!
