The cafeteria (自助食堂) conversation on Monday was all about hockey (冰上曲棍球) again. Jade usually fit in with the sports crowd, but now she was not included in the conversation.
“When will you get out on the ice, Jade?” Hazel asked. Jade was a soccer star at her old school in California. “I’m inviting her to play hockey.” Hazel told other players at the table.
Jade lowered her voice. “I can’t make it to open skating time because I have to look after my younger brother Calvin until 6:30.”
But Hazel had been friendly since their first meeting and she wasn’t going to give upon this. “A rink (溜冰场) is behind the stadium. I can practice with you thereafter the closing time. You can buy skates from Ms. Silva, the facility manager. 7 o’clock this evening at the rink!” Hazel told Jade excitedly.
However, Jade didn’t tell Hazel she couldn’t afford the skates and hockey stick. After school Jade hurried home to look after Calvin. When she was cleaning the crumbs (面包屑) under Calvin’s highchair with a broom, she got an idea. At 6:35, Jade grabbed the broom and an old tennis ball.
At the rink, Hazel hadn’t turned up yet. In her dirty shoes, Jade practiced hitting the ball with the broom independently. Surprisingly, she scored a goal. But her smile disappeared as she saw Ms. Silva walking over.
She looked down at Jade’s feet pitifully. “Your shoes made the rink dirty. Those aren’t skates and hockey stick.”
“I’m really sorry for the dirt,” Jade apologized. “I don’t have money for those.”
“You didn’t tell me that!” Hazel appeared, holding Jade’s hands.
“Want a weekend job?” Ms. Silva advised gently. “I’ll teach you how to remove the dirt and leaves. A month later you may get new skates!” “Definitely.” Jade replied. “I’ll be there with you!” Hazel said.
注意：1.续写词数应为100词左右；2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
In the following month, Jade was a dutiful staff and practiced with Hazel in the rink every night.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Grace and Ellen, both promising in their school’s dance competition, were fierce competitors. They both had great passion for dancing and dreamed for bigger stages. They were both friends and competitors. They had similar taste in music, and had similar dressing styles. Even they wore shoes of the same size. They had both committed themselves to preparing for the upcoming contest.
Grace’s journey to the competition was marked by countless hours of practice and determination. She would rise before the sun, and the studio lights were her only company. Every movement was perfected with unwavering commitment. She knew that this competition wasn’t just about personal success; it was also about upholding her school’s honor. “Grace, you’re incredible!” Grace’s dance instructor, Mrs. Anderson, often praised her. “Your hard work will pay off.”
Ellen had been practicing hard for this competition as well. Her love for dance was her driving force. After school, she would head straight to the dance studio, tirelessly perfecting every step and twirl. Her dance shoes had become an extension of her feet, and her heart burned with a strong desire for victory. “Ellen, you’re a natural,” her fellow dancers would often say. “You’ve got this!”
The day of the competition finally arrived, and there were five competitors fighting for the championship title. Ellen was scheduled to perform before Grace.
As Ellen stood backstage, the butterflies in her stomach seemed to have turned into a whirlwind (漩涡). She checked her dance shoes one last time and realized a huge mistake. The shoes themselves were a size too small—It turned out she took her little sister’s shoes by mistake. Panic set in as her mind raced for g solution.
“Ellen, you’re up next!” the stage manager announced.
In the dimly lit (灰暗的) backstage area, Grace overheard Ellen’s whispers to her friend, Sarah.
“I brought the wrong shoes, Sarah,” Ellen’s voice trembled (颤抖). “They are too small. What am I going to do?”
Grace’s heart sank as she overheard the conversation.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右：
2. 请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Grace knew her shoes would fit Ellen perfectly, but she hesitated.
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Tears of gratitude welled up in Ellen’s eyes as she slipped into Grace’s shoes.
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David was an 8-year-old boy living in Memphis with his family. When 4 years old, David got his face burnt by hot water, leaving scars (伤疤) on his cheeks. David was home-schooled by his mother, but as he grew older, his parents decided to send him to a private school. David was afraid of being made fun of, but his parents encouraged him to face everything bravely.
When he began school, other kids didn’t want to be his friends because of his scars. Luckily, a girl named Angel offered to sit with him and helped him go through that difficult time. They became good friends, chatting happily and sharing what they were interested in.
As time went by, David’s excellent learning ability and kind behavior made him popular with the students. Since David was good at science, his classmates would turn to him for help whenever they had problems with their studies. David was always glad to help them.
On Halloween, a variety of holiday activities were held on campus. Everyone wore costumes (化装服) they liked. David wore a mask (面具), and no one could tell it was him. Unrecognized, David was walking through the classroom backdoor when he overheard his classmate Tom’s comment, “David’s face is the ugliest one I have ever seen.” Hearing this, David felt upset and depressed. He ran away secretly. Angel happened to stand behind David and saw what happened, but it was too late to stop it. As David’s best friend at school, Angel thought David was a good boy who should be treated kindly.
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。
After thinking for a while, Angel walked up to Tom.
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Tom decided to say sorry to David.
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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.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As the saying goes, one good turn deserves another.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In a small town, there lived a girl named Lily and her older brother, Alex. Lily had a dream to become a professional dancer, a dream which filled her life with both excitement and challenges. Alex, who had always been her role model, understood her passion more than anyone else.
While, growing up, Lily looked up to Alex. He was the star athlete of his high school, admired by many. But to Lily, he was more than that; he was her support system, always encouraging her to pursue (追求) her dream. However, Lily’s path to becoming a dancer was filled with difficulties. Financial limits and lack of resources in their small town were constant challenges.
As Lily entered high school, Alex noticed his sister’s struggles and knew he had to step in. He started by organizing dance workshops and fundraising events in their community. He spent his evenings helping Lily practice, turning their garage into a dance studio. His efforts brought the community together, and soon, Lily had a small but devoted group of supporters cheering her on.
With Alex’s help, Lily started to gain confidence. She improved her skills and began to participate in local dance competitions. Each time she performed, Alex was there in the front row, cheering the loudest. His strong belief in her fueled Lily’s determination to succeed.
As Lily’s senior year approached, a significant opportunity arose — a chance to compete in a national dance competition, with the prize being an entry into a famous dance academy. Lily signed up for it and practiced day and night for the competition. The night before the event, Lily felt extremely anxious. Alex stayed up with her, talking through her routines and reminding her of the strength and beauty in her movements. His words calmed Lily down and filled her with newfound confidence.
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 day of the competition arrived.
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Thanks to Alex, Lily’s dream was coming true.
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In my high school years, I tried not to be anybody’s best friend and avoid going to birthday parties or weekend trips with my peers (同龄人). That was not because I was too shy but because I couldn’t afford the expenses. My parents did odd jobs to support the family and our income was low and unstable. As the oldest of the three kids in my family I had started to take part-time jobs on weekends and during vacations to help improve the family economic conditions. However, in my heart I did have a best friend, Joseph. I never said that to him and I guessed he didn’t know it.
Joseph came from a very different family from mine. His parents were both senior executives (管理人员) of high-tech companies, who provided him with the best of everything and he had many friends around him. We did school projects together, had discussions about interesting topics and enjoyed our time together. But I never joined him in anything outside the school. I liked him but I knew I didn’t have much to offer.
I had decided to go to college after graduation from high school, so I needed to have excellent academic performance in all subjects to be qualified for scholarships. I worked hard and was doing well in everything except math. I knew math was important to me but there seemed to be no way out. I was struggling when Joseph came to my help. He was considered one of the smart boys by the math teacher, who gave us monthly tests and awarded best performance with chocolates and best progress with Skittles (彩虹糖).
Joseph was a frequent holder of the best performance award. I appreciated his help because he had great ways to get me thinking and guide me to solve problems. I was making progress in math and Joseph knew it. He encouraged me to go for best progress award first and then best performance.
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。
Those awards seemed really big goals for me, but I decided to go all out.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Three months later, my first goal was achieved.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What Color Is a Hug?
When my daughter Bernadette was 10 years old, I found myself very worried about her. Her mother had passed away before she turned one, and I, needing to provide for our livelihood, had to work long hours, leaving little time for her. Although she was close to her grandparents, unfortunate circumstances took them away as well. The series of losses implanted unbearable pain on her young soul.
A merciless series of losses like that is hard on anyone, especially a child. But it was particularly hard on Bernadette because of her sensitive and loving nature. Prolonged periods of isolation and silence led her into a deep depression. The sparkle in her eyes faded, and her face lost the once-present smiles. She lost interest in playing, learning, and even declined invitations from friends. She often lost in her own thoughts without uttering a word for a long time.
Witnessing my daughter’s suffering, I felt a deep sense of guilt and helplessness. I knew she needed more than just companionship; she needed a healing of the soul. I began reading more about child psychology, attempting to understand how to guide her out of this situation.
Over the next few months, I adjusted my work schedule to spend more time by her side. I tried to communicate with her, stepping into her inner world. I encouraged her to join some extracurricular classes, developing new friendships. Slowly but surely, Bernadette began to regain her interest in certain things, and smiles started to reappear on her face.
Meanwhile, I started using hugs to comfort her. Each embrace conveyed my love and support, providing her with warmth and a sense of security. Gradually, she became more cheerful and confident. She initiated social interactions, sharing her thoughts with friends. Her mood gradually lifted, and life regained its brilliance.
After years of effort, Bernadette finally stepped out of depression. Our habit of hugging has persisted to this day, becoming the most sincere bond between us. Now, as my daughter is about to enter university, and I am approaching my fiftieth birthday, she has promised me a special gift.
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。
Paragraph1:
As her summer vacation began, she seemed even busier than before.
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Before us was a warmly decorated studio, with a sign reading “Heartwarming Embrace Association.”
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When David was a boy, he was embarrassed to be seen walking with his father. His father was short and severely crippled (跛腿的). When the father and the son walked along the street together, the father’s hand was on David’s arm for balance, which attracted a lot of unwanted attention. At that moment, David always felt ashamed and wanted to run away. But the father said: “We just walk differently.”
Almost every weekday David had to accompany his father to go to work. Their usual walk was to or from the subway, which was how his father got to work. It was hard for the father to walk, but he stuck to work, even if he was sick or the weather was bad. He never missed a day.
When snow or ice was on the ground, it was impossible for him to walk, even with others’ help. At such times David would pull him through the streets on a child’s sleigh (雪橇) to the subway entrance. Once there, the father would cling to (抓住) the handrail until he reached the lower steps where the warmer tunnel air kept ice-free. Fortunately, the subway station was the basement of his office building. After arriving at his office, he would not have to go outside again until David met him to go home. However, he had never complained, instead, he always said: “There is always a way to arrive.”
One Friday, when they walked back home as usual, David looked upset. His father asked the boy whether he met something terrible. David lowered his head and said nothing. “My dear, maybe I can give you a hand.” said the father. “No. You cannot.” the boy sobbed. Then the two men went on walking silently. After getting home, the father received a call from David’s teacher. He was informed there would be a parent-child football game next Friday on the school playground, and he was expected to take part.
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。
Paragraph 1: After saying thanks to the teacher, the father went to the sobbing David.
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Paragraph 2: David watched as his father was standing on the playground with other parents.
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“This is the very best part of carving pumpkins!” Jackson said. He was at the kitchen sink with Dad and they both had their hands in bowls of pumpkin seeds. Dad turned the water on to wash the seeds in his bowl, while Jackson squeezed a handful of seeds in his hand and watched the seeds squeeze through his closed fist.
“The very best part is eating the golden roasted seeds!” Dad said, asking Jackson to tip the wet clean seeds onto a dish towel stretched across the counter near the sink.
“I always love eating seeds! But how to roast them? Did you look it up on YouTube?” Jackson asked. Dad laughed and shook his head. “No. Your Grandpa and I used to do this together. Right here at this same sink!”
Jackson was amazed. Dad continued as he washed the seeds. “We carved the pumpkins just the same way we do now. Maybe someday you will be standing here and washing pumpkin seeds with your son.”
The next day, Dad and Jackson were back in the kitchen and by the window the seeds were dry, bathed in the warm sunlight. Dad placed two large cookie sheets and a large mixing bowl on the table, the same bowl that he and Grandpa used to use.
“I bet you miss your parents a lot, huh?” Jackson said while watching Dad bringing a measuring cup with melted butter to the table. “Yes. I do. Whenever someone you love dies, you always miss them. But you also have lots of good memories to remember and those make you happy,” Dad said, pouring the butter into the mixing bowl. Jackson picked up some salt and dumped it in. Dad then poured some olive oil in.
“Grab a spoon and stir all of this,” Dad told Jackson as he turned the oven on. “Now, all we have to do is put all of the seeds in the bowl and mix them up until they are all covered with the oil, butter, and salt mixture. Then we can put the seeds on the cookie sheets and then put them in the oven.”
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。
Jackson began to roast the seeds with Dad, expecting the familiar taste.
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“I just realized something too, Dad,” Jackson said while enjoying the seeds.
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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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