I pulled the car into the garage and got out, just like every night for the past 16 years. The difference was that I wouldn’t have to work in the morning.
I slammed the car door. I used to be a leader of a national bank until it was closed. I’d put my heart and soul into my job. Not only did I work long hours, but also I was on call 24 hours a day, on weekends and holidays. If someone had a technical problem, even at 2:00 a.m. on Christmas morning, I was on it.
My kids joked that even though they were teenagers, I was the one who was absorbed in my cell phone and had to be told not to text at the dinner table.
My wife, Michelle, had been able to go to work full-time as an office manager once we heard my job was threatened. But our son, TJ, was a high school senior, and the girls, Sarah and Tara, were in ninth grade. And I wanted to give them the education and opportunities they deserved. “If I can’t provide anything for my family,” I asked, “what good am I?”
I opened the garage door and stepped out into our yard. The lawn and flower beds that my mum had tended so carefully were overrun with weeds. There was a maple tree in the middle of the yard that my parents planted when I was a boy. It needed caring. But I’d put on a lot of weight—no time to exercise with my crazy hours. I went up to the house. Michelle greeted me at the door with a hug. “It’s going to be okay. We will get through it,” she said. “Maybe you should think of this time as a break. You deserve one.”
“I’m sorry, Dad,” TJ said. “I know how much your job meant to you.” His concern was mirrored in the girls’ faces.
“I’ll take care of this,” I told them. “I’m going to work round the clock to find a new job and make our lives go back to normal.”
注意：
(1) 续写词数应为150左右；
(2) 请按如下格式作答。
The next morning, I got up before everyone else.
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The new lawn I’d planned for so long began to take shape and so did I.
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Mary frowned as she helped her mother and father set out the cooking supplies in the shiny steel kitchen. Her family had just moved here from New York, having bought a small restaurant, which was set to open in the next few days.
“Moving here was a stupid idea. I have lost all my friends in New York. What should I do now?” Mary grumbled (抱怨), mostly to herself.
“What’s that?” Her mother asked, opening a box and lifting out several pots. “Nothing,” Mary mumbled (嘟哝). The girl had been complaining about the move, but her parents had made the decision and were then too busy to listen to her complaints.
The first few days at her new school hadn’t been easy, either. She found it hard to talk to people she didn’t know, and it seemed that the students hadn’t even noticed her. Mary sighed and got back to wash dishes.
On the day of the grand opening, Mary’s parents were busy the whole day, welcoming customers into the restaurant, which was brightly decorated in gold and red. Even Mary was in a good mood as she rushed around, seating guests, handing out menus, and pouring glasses of water. This was a big day for her family.
At one of the tables sat a family with two daughters who were about Mary’s age. As she filled their glasses, Mary realized the twins were in her class. Mary ducked her head down. Her long hair covered her face, and she turned away from the table.
A few minutes later, Mary’s mother found her in the kitchen. “Honey, what are you doing back here? We need you out front with the customers.”
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。
Para. 1
“Mom, I don’t want to be out there!”
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Para. 2
Mary put a handful of cookies into a small plate and left the kitchen.
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1. 对你很重要的人是谁;
2. 对你很重要的原因;
3. 你想如何回报他(她)
注意： 1. 词数100个左右
2. 文章的标题已经给出，不计入总词数
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There was once a troubled family. The parents spoiled their children. The son, John, loved to play video games all day long when summer vacation was around and he did not like to study. The daughter, Emily, on the other hand, loved studying without play. To her, video games were for foolish people who were unable to achieve anything useful. Life went on with parents complaining and not changing anything.
One day two new neighbors arrived in their neighborhood. One lived on the right side of John’s house while the other lived on the left side of John’s house. These two people were twins. They did not communicate with anyone other than themselves. John and his family felt uncomfortable living right between them. Strange sounds came from their houses every midnight until the afternoon. People heard and saw thunder and lightning coming from the house. After a couple of weeks of lightning flashing, machines roaring, this disturbed every household. Everyone could not help but wonder what their new neighbors were doing. It was whispered that they were inventing a time machine in secret.
People were beginning to dislike them. Every moment they heard these noises, they felt like something was going to explode soon. To deal with this problem John and Emily’s parents walked to both houses to speak with the owners. But on each door hung a sign that said, “DO NOT DISTURB!” They tried knocking the door and no one responded or came out from the house. The machine noise kept going but once in a while it did stop for a small break before it continued. They tried nearly every day to get the attention of their new neighbors. But in the end they gave up. They decided to send their kids to get their attention instead. So they made a plan and the kids successfully entered the neighbor’s houses.
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:
Unexpectedly, the kids both experienced a journey to their own future there.
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Paragraph 2:
After returning from the neighbor’s houses, the two kids changed totally.
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1. 我的爷爷是一所部队的杰出的指挥官。（troop, outstanding, commander）
2. 他在与敌人的一次激烈战斗中牺牲了。（violent）
3. 他们的目标是解放那座城市。（objective, liberate）
4. 今天是清明节，我和家人都表情严肃地参加了纪念仪式。（solemn, memorial）
5. 父亲回忆起和爷爷一起度过的美好岁月，眼中含着泪花。（recall, with的复合结构）
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It was somewhere between spring and summer, and my mom and I were driving through the countryside. Back then, I was 13 years old, and always felt unhappy with Mom. But I didn’t know that this trip was going to be a special one.
A pot of flowers sat in the back seat, whose heavenly fragrance(香味)filled the car. Suddenly, in the middle of nowhere, my mom stopped the car. “What are you doing?” I shouted, fearing that the car had broken down and we’d be trapped there, so far from home. But that wasn’t the case. My mom jumped out of the car, grabbing(抓)the flowers from the back seat. “It’ll just be a minute,” she called back through the open windows.
I impatiently looked at the side of the road before finding a little sign showing that it was a nursing home. I looked back to the building, a little annoyed, as my mom reappeared ——empty- handed.
Before she started the car, curiosity drove me to ask, “Do you know someone there?” She shook her head. “Then what did you do with the flowers?” She smiled slightly, “I gave them to the receptionist (前台接待员).” “What?” She laughed at my confusion. “I told the receptionist to give the flowers to whoever needed them, especially those who haven’t gotten any in a while.”
I kept silent for a moment. Not long after we continued our driving, I spoke again, “Did you leave your name?” To this, she answered instantly, “No. Leaving flowers there for someone who will appreciate them makes me feel good, which is enough of a thank for me.”
Suddenly, still thinking about Mom’s deeds, I heard something burst loudly. It was our car that broke down! Nothing could be worse, because neither my mom nor I understood how to repair it, and we didn’t know where the garage was. It also seemed impossible to wait for any passer-by, since we had seen so few people along the way.
注意：1. 续写的短文的词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式作答。
Paragraph 1
We were worrying about what could be done.
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Paragraph 2
As we drove along, a flower shop came into sight on the road.
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A couple of months before I started high school, my parents gave me the greatest gift any teenage boy could ask for: a cellphone. I lived on that phone all summer with my face buried in its screen. I texted with every friend who was lucky enough to have a texting plan. I ignored my family and my surroundings. Being connected was more important than being present.
So, you can imagine my displeasure when l learned what my dad had planned for our family vacation that year. “This year,” my dad said, “we’ll be doing something special. We’re going camping!” His excitement was met with a disappointed sigh. It wasn’t my dream vacation, but I remained unbothered throughout the packing and planning. My mind was on my phone. I was so buried in the screen, in fact, that the first time I can remember truly looking up was when we drove across a bridge on the way to our campsite.
I stared out the window and saw redwoods towering above us, their branches threatening to pierce (刺破) the blue sky. I saw a roaring river, with slivers of silky black water appearing between crashing white rapids. The air blowing into the car from the open windows was hot and smelled of pine. But none of that mattered to me. The reason I had looked up was for something far more serious. My phone no longer had service.
The last hour of the drive was increasingly tense. My dad announced that he had chosen a campsite that had no cell service, and that my phone would be useless until we returned home. I would be trapped in the forest for four days with no way to contact the outside world! I went through the full cycle of teenage emotions during the first day of the trip. I raged (发怒). I bargained. I begged. I flip-flopped (转变) from a depressive state to anger and back.
I went to bed angrily that night. But when I awoke in the morning, something had changed.
Paragraph 1:
Instead of burying myself in my phone, l focused on something else: my surroundings.
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Paragraph 2:
The next four days passed in a flash with many fun activities.
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I was in my room, unwilling to head to the community theatre with “my brother” Henry. He was just adopted by my parents recently. I was not in the mood for being onstage with him.
“Kristie, come here,” my mom called. Following her voice, I found her outside the bathroom, holding a wet book. She gave the book a shake. “Henry’s book was in the bathtub. Did you put it there?” She glared at me—something she never did before Henry came to our home. I didn’t wet his book on purpose. Tears of hurt clouded my eyes. Worse still, she promised to buy him a new copy. My heart ached. Henry was stealing my mother’s love. He was ruining my life.
Meanwhile, Henry was just nearby, absorbed in working on a complicated rope knot (绳结) as usual. Why did a boy like him do the girly work? Far from manly!
Soon, it was time to have to set off for the community theatre. As Henry walked ahead of us to the car, my mom took me aside and said in a low voice, “It’s the first time for Henry to be onstage. Be kind to him, Honey.” I nodded but sighed. Being kind didn’t use to be hard. But after Henry moved in, everything felt different. The theatre used to be a special place for my parents and me. With Henry involved, it didn’t seem so special any more.
Finally, it was our stage time. My heart beat wildly. I forgot my annoyance at Henry for a while. As we kids lined up, ready to act out our short play, I realized how loosely I had tied the drawstring (束带) on my skirt. Sure enough, my skirt began to drop. Laughter from the audience could be heard, and even though I was wearing shorts under my skirt, I could feel my face burst into flames. However, my hands were full. If only someone could help me out!
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。
Right then, Henry sensed my embarrassment.
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________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Alex was very excited because the New Year Eve’s party was coming and as usual it was going to be held in his Uncle Peter’s home. Suddenly, he saw his grandfather sitting alone looking very unhappy.
Alex went to him and asked, “Grandpa, why are you sitting alone? Is there anything wrong with you?”
His grandfather replied, “No, I am fine. I just feel like sitting alone.”
“Grandpa, you know the New Year party is near, so are you preparing for it?” asked Alex excitedly.
“No dear, I am not. With the passage of time, the world has completely changed and I don’t see any point in celebrating the world I see today,” answered his grandpa disappointedly.
“I know something is wrong with you and you are not telling me. Please tell me what the problem is.” Alex said.
“I feel I am a stranger in the world I am living in. It is not the same as I have known. Now everyone is busy with their own work. Your father is busy with business, your brother is busy on the computer, your sisters are busy watching dramas and your mum is busy with housework. I don’t know how to pass my days,” said his grandfather sadly.
“Grandpa, you have me!”said Alex.
His grandfather smiled and said, “Yeah, you are here, but what about others? In our days, we had a fixed (固定的) time each day when the whole family sat together and talked, shared problems and laughed together.”
That night Alex thought about what his grandfather had said and an idea flashed his mind. He decided to have a surprise. New Year party at his own home and make everyone come together that day. As New Year’s Eve got nearer, Alex got busy preparing for the party. He kept it a secret from his grandfather and asked everyone not to let him know about it in order to surprise him.
注意：
1.续写词数应为 150 左右；
2.请按如下格式作答。
It was December 31 and everyone was busy with their own work.
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Alex saw his grandfather looking very happy while talking with the family members.
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“I wish my mother had a ring like those the ladies wear at the hotel,” said Hiram Green to himself one day. Hiram was the son of a fisherman, but the fisherman had died when Hiram was a little boy. Hiram’s mother took on sewing work to earn money to support herself and her son. He helped her when he could re out of school hours, and during vacation time. He had two uncles who had taught him how to catch shrimps. With the money he earned by selling them he could buy things for his own use or pleasure. He had a “bank” almost full of what he called his “shrimp money.”
The sight of the flashing diamonds on the hands of some of the summer visitors at the fishing village in which he lived had added a new article to the list of beautiful things his mother would own someday. He had heard that just one single diamond was sometimes worth five hundred dollars or more. This had discouraged him very much.
But one day, he happened to pass a shop in the neighboring town and saw a number of diamond rings displayed in the window. He stopped fascinated, and pressed his face against the glass eagerly to see if any prices were marked upon them. Imagine his surprise when he saw upon the largest one a tag marked $4.75. He looked again to see if he had made a mistake. Perhaps it was $475. But no, he knew enough about figures to see that he was right the first time.
He went home as fast as he could, and ran up into his bedroom. Then, he opened his “bank” and counted its contents. “Three dollars and twenty-two cents!” he cried. “I’ll have that ring before another week.” Hiram worked early and late for the next few days. He caught more shrimps than he had ever caught in the same length of time, and sold them readily.
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。
At the end of the week he had the sum he desired.
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Years after, Hiram learned what he had bought was in fact only glass, and he decided to tell his mother.
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