A young and successful manager was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out (窜出) from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick hit violently into the Jags side door! He stepped on the brakes and backed his Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.
The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, “What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That’s a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?”
The young boy was apologetic. “Please, mister... please, I’m sorry but I didn’t know what else to do,” he explained. “I threw the brick because no one else would stop…” With tears rolling down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. “It’s my brother,” he said. “He rolled off the sidewalk and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up.” Now sobbing, the boy asked the astonished manager, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”
Moved beyond words, the driver cooled his anger.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The driver watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“What do you think about my audition(试奏) yesterday？My trill(颤音) should have been better, don’t you think？” Abbie asked Mel and closed the lid of her violin case before school.
“It’s no big deal, Abbie, ” Mel said as they walked out the door. Mel didn’t have time to worry about her little sister’s mood. It turned out to be a busy day. She had a test in science class. She hit two home runs in softball. After school, she and her friends talked about their summer plans.
She forgot about the audition results until Abbie dragged her to the music room. Mel thought she’d probably be in the first violins.
Mel and Abbie found the list of names on the board. Abbie. Concertmaster. Abbie screamed, “I can’t believe it!” “I can’t wait to tell Mum and Dad!” Abbie rushed toward home. Mel kept reading. Mel. Second violins. What？There had to be some mistake. She’d figure out tomorrow.
When Mel got home, Abbie was playing her audition piece there. Music poured from Abbie’s bow like water from a teapot—pure and perfect. And the trill sounded like a bird singing. Abbie was good—really good—but that wasn’t the point. “Mr Benson must have made a mistake, ” Mel thought.
The next morning, Mel slipped into the music room. Gathering her courage, Mel said, “Mr Benson, I want to talk to you about the orchestra(管弦乐队) seats. ”
“Yes—you must be proud of your sister, ” Mr Benson smiled. “Abbie is a rare student. If she continues to practice hard and grow as a musician, she could become a professional. Then we’ll look back on our little orchestra and think about how lucky we are. ”
Paragraph 1：
Mel froze as there wasn’t any mixup.
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Paragraph 2：
After school, Mel found Abbie on a bench outside, playing the violin.
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Is the traditional family dinner a thing of the past? In today’s households where both parents go to work and kids have busy schedules with school, an array of afternoon activities and much homework, finding time for a gathering at the table seems impossible. Yet, studies have shown time and again that eating together has multiple benefits for family members, especially children.
According to a number of reports issued by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, children who eat at least five times a week with their family are at lower risk of developing poor eating habits, weight problems or alcohol dependencies, and tend to perform better academically than their peers who frequently eat alone or away from home.
Eating together as a family is not just about food and nutrition. “Food has become so easily and cheaply available that we no longer appreciate its significance,” says Professor Robin Fox, who teaches anthropology at Rutgers University in New Jersey. "We have to rediscover its importance and its value." Sharing a meal with loved ones should be considered a special event, which can almost take on the form of a ceremony, as it was practiced by our ancestors, for whom finding food was a constant struggle.
Besides appreciation for the value of food, there are also many social elements that come into play when families share meals, says Miriam Weinstein, author of The Surprising Power of Family Meals. The dinner table can be the perfect environment where kids learn how to conduct conversations, observe good manners, serve others, listen, solve conflicts and compromise.
Of course, there is no guarantee that the simple act of eating at home surrounded by family will save children from developing unhealthy lifestyles or making regrettable choices down the road. It may not make them more virtuous (品行端正的) or socially more responsible. But it can form a basis for a lot of things that point them in the right direction.
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4 . 阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
A Vacation with My Mother
I had an interesting childhood. It was filled with surprises and amusements, all because of my mother---loving, sweet, yet absent-minded and forgetful. One strange family trip we took when I was eleven tells a lot about her.
My two sets of grandparents lived in Colorado and North Dakota, and my parents decided to spend a few weeks driving to those states and seeing all the sights along the way. As the first day of our trip approached, David, my eight-year-old brother, and I unwillingly said good-bye to all of our friends. Who knew if we’d ever see them again? Finally, the moment of our departure arrived, and we loaded suitcases, books, games, camping equipment, and a tent into the car and bravely drove off. We bravely drove off again two hours later after we’d returned home to get the purse and traveler’s checks Mom had forgotten.
David and I were always a little nervous when using gas station bathrooms if Mom was driving while Dad slept: “You stand outside the door and play lookout(放哨) while I go, and I’ll stand outside the door and play lookout while you go.” I had terrible pictures in my mind: “Honey, where are the kids?” “What?! Oh, Gosh…I thought they were being awfully quiet.” We were never actually left behind in a strange city, but we weren’t about to take any chances.
On the fourth or fifth night, we had trouble finding a hotel with a vacancy. After driving in vain for some time, Mom suddenly got a great idea: Why didn’t we find a house with a likely-looking backyard and ask if we could set up tent there? David and I became nervous. To our great relief, Dad turned down the idea. Mom never could understand our objections(反对). If a strange family showed up on her front doorstep, Mom would have been delighted. She thinks everyone in the world is as nice as she is. We finally found a vacancy in the next town.
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:The next day we remembered the brand-new tent we had brought with us. ______________
Paragraph 2:
We drove through several states and saw lots of great sights along the way. ______________
The event that stands out in Tom’s memory happened one morning when Tom was only ten years old. He was at home with his elder sister Jane. Tom was doing his homework when he heard raised voices. At first he thought nothing of it since customers in the motorcycle shop directly below their flat often became loud, but he soon realized this time it was different.
“Quick! Quick! Remove the motorcycles from the shop.” someone yelled.
Then a thick burning smell filled the air. When Tom opened the front door of their flat to investigate, a thick cloud of smoke greeted him. The motorcycle shop had caught fire and people were running and crying.
Jane, who had been playing the violin in her room, hurried to the living room. They rushed out of the door and along the corridor（走廊）through the smoke.
They were heading towards the stairway at the far end of the corridor when Jane stopped in her track. She turned around and headed back the way they came. Tom had no idea what she was doing, but he followed suit.
Jane had suddenly remembered the lady in her 70s who lived next door to them, who they called Makcik, Malay for auntie. Jane began banging on Makcik’s door, but got no answer. As the smoke thickened around them, Tom could see many of their neighbors—some still in their pyjamas—running for safety. The thought of fear crossed his mind.
“She would have run for safety like everyone else!” Tom cried. However, Jane refused to give up. “I know Makcik’s still inside.” She said she was familiar with Makcik’s daily routine and was certain she would still be sleeping. She pounded the door. “Go downstairs. Go now! Go!”
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph1:Tom noticed the flame was reaching up.
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Luckily, some neighbors passing by stopped and offered help.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________注意：1．周记的开头已为你写好。2．词数不少于100。
Last Saturday was my grandfather’s birthday._________________________________
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