Bruce had a sweet tooth during his childhood, but it was not just sugary snacks that he desired. Being raised in a poor family was a bittersweet experience, but it gave him adaptability and ambition.
When Bruce was young, his mother would tell him that the candies in the store’s checkout line belonged to the cashier. She said that because she could not afford a 50-cent chocolate bar. Nevertheless, he saw through her trick and made a promise that he would grow up to be wealthy enough to buy what his family needed.
Bruce’s father worked hard to make money outside, so he spent less time at home. Instead of focusing on their economic instability, Bruce’s mother selflessly pushed her children to strive for success so that they could lead a more comfortable life later. She worked for long hours every night and struggled to pay the minimum due on her bills. Still, she would find time to read with Bruce and his sister, Alice. Their mother taught them the value of perseverance, education, and moral fibre. Despite lack of their father’s company, they were loved and nurtured just as much.
However, not all of life’s milestones were easy. Some, like moving and being helpless, left Bruce with an endless bitter taste. He had to deal with many problems when they moved into Maryland, several states away from their roots in Georgia, to make a living. The first few months were great: baseball games, family trips to the mall, dinners, movies, etc. It felt like they were the perfect family. Then things changed. Baseball games were too expensive, and trips to the mall were replaced with days Bruce and Alice spent isolated in the study.
As the brother and sister grew up, money was even tighter. They spent many years living in a very poor family setting. Even so, their mother inspired them to keep trying and working academically. They even cooperated with each other and developed a computer system. Alice was joking about patenting it someday. But as the saying goes, “Good things never come easy”, and success requires setbacks.
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。
One day, Bruce’s mother opened their study door and told them to pack.
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They eventually settled in Texas, and Bruce and Alice continued their academic efforts.
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Owing to the spread of COVID-19, visiting loved ones has become something seemingly impossible.
Even so, when 9-year-old Romeo Cox decided what he wanted more than anything else was a hug from his 77-year-old grandmother, he didn’t let any small things, like separation, or that she was 1,700 miles away and there were no flights from his new home in Sicily to his native UK, stop him from making the trip.
“I hadn’t seen Granny for ages, so I planned secretly to go see her,” Romeo said in an interview with the Times. His parents disagreed at first, but Romeo finally talked them into letting him make the trip.
With his folks’ blessing, Romeo turned his plans into action. “I drew a map. I would walk and take boats,” he told the Times. “And I’d take Dad. It would be handy to have an adult.”
Handy indeed, since Romeo’s father, 46-year-old Phil Cox, is a retired journalist and filmmaker whose rich experiences gave him invaluable knowledge about making the way in less than ideal conditions.
Romeo and Phil set off on their journey on June 20. The pair trekked (跋涉) across Italy, Switzerland, and France.
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:
While travelling, the two did meet some hardships or danger.
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Paragraph 2:
On September 21, father and son finally made it to Grandma Rosemary’s home in London.
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Jack tossed(抛，扔)the papers on my desk—his eyebrows knit(皱眉)into a straight line as he glared at me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
He pointed at the proposal. “Next time you want to change anything, ask me first,” He said, turning on his heels and leaving me in anger.
How dare he treat me like that, I thought. I had changed one long sentence, and corrected grammar, something I thought I was paid to do.
It’s not that I hadn’t been warned. Other women who had worked my job before me called Jack names I couldn’t repeat. One coworker took me aside the first day. “He’s personally responsible for two different secretaries leaving the firm,” she whispered.
As the weeks went by, I grew to hate Jack. His actions made me question much that I believed in, such as turning the other cheek and loving your enemies. I prayed about the situation, but to be honest, I wanted to put Jack in his place, not like him.
One day another of his episodes left me in tears. I stormed into his office, prepared to lose my job if needed, but not before I let the man know how I felt. I opened the door and Jack glanced up. “What?” he asked abruptly.
Suddenly I knew what I had to do. After all, he deserved it.
I sat across from him and said calmly, “Jack, the way you’ve been treating me is wrong. I’ve never had anyone speak to me that way. As a professional, it’s wrong, and I can’t allow it to continue.”
Jack snickered(暗笑)nervously and leaned back in his chair. I closed my eyes briefly. God help me, I prayed.
“I want to make you a promise. I will be a friend,” I said. “I will treat you as you deserve to be treated, with respect and kindness. You deserve that. Everybody does. That’s what friends do.” I slipped out of the chair and closed the door behind me.
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。
Jack avoided me the rest of the week.
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One year later, one day after my surgery for breast cancer, Jack stood awkwardly in the doorway of my small, darkened hospital room.
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One day, father, mother and I were on our way to Hubble's store on the Main Street to get those things needed for the upcoming Christmas. As we passed Eaton's department store, we stopped as usual to do a bit of window shopping.
“What a silly dress!” mother suddenly pointed to a dress in the fancy window. “Who would need such a big red dress?”
Then, totally out of character, father went to mother and started dancing on the sidewalk as if they were at a dancing party.
“Dear, it is for dancing parties,” father laughed. “I hope I could buy it for you as a Christmas gift.”
“Oh, stop that!” she ordered and her cheeks became redder than usual. Mother, of all people, was not one to spend money on things that were not practical. “There are things we need more than this.”
As we continued down the street, mother turned back many times. “My goodness! They should show something a person really needs!”
But father liked buying something that mother might not really need, whenever the budget allowed. Of course, he'd get a scolding, but it was all done with the best intention.
Like the time he brought home the electric stove years ago. In our old kitchen, mother was still cooking year-round on a wooden stove. In summer, the kitchen would be so hot that even the houseflies wouldn't come inside. One day, Dad surprised her with a fancy new electric stove. She protested, saying that the wooden stove cooked just fine, that the electric stove was too dear and that it would cost too much to run it. Since then she only used it on special occasions.
On Christmas Eve, we drove past the store again and found that the big red dress was gone!
“Who’d be fool enough to buy such a big red dress?” mother whispered in disbelief as we drove away.
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 quickly stole a look at Dad.
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I’ll never forget what I saw the next morning.
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