After watching my son Todd run in a race, I made my usual comment, “Todd, I can walk faster than those women run.” Todd laughed as he knew I wasn’t a runner. “Mom, how about you running with me next year in this race?” Without thinking, I quickly accepted this challenge. I felt this was going to be a piece of cake!
When it was almost time for the race to occur the next year, Todd had been in hospital for a long time because of a car accident. Todd and my friends started to encourage me to run the race. I decided I should keep my promise to Todd and run the race. The first thing I did was go out and buy some running clothes. I might as well look good even though I hadn’t trained at all.
The day of the race came. I wished Todd could be there with me, but I had to start off alone. It wasn’t long before some racers started to run next to me and talk to me. I wouldn’t like to talk because I wanted to focus on my running. However, one guy was very talkative. He kept saying how tired he was, and that I must be tired too. He talked on and on. The race was over and this guy’s wife won! I didn’t mind this result. I was just happy to finish the race and keep my promise to Todd.
Todd asked about the race when I went to the hospital. I told him what had happened and how this guy would not stop his negative talk. Todd laughed and set me straight, “Don’t you know what this guy was doing? He thought you were the competitor by the way you were dressed. He wanted his wife to win.” Only then did I figure out the truth, so I decided to continue taking part in the race the next year; I wanted to win this time.
The following year I did train. I even bought some tapes called “Win at Sports” and listened to them daily. These tapes gave ideas about staying behind and knowing when to make your move.
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When it was time for the race, I was all dressed and ready.
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I stayed behind this guy’s wife in almost the whole race.
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As a sixth grader, I began noticing how other kids were separating into groups. I wasn’t sure where I belonged. I found it hard to fit in.
Our teacher had assigned “secret friends” for the coming week. She wrote each kid’s name on a piece of paper and threw them into a glass; then we each closed our eyes and catch one piece of paper from the glass on which was the name of a classmate who we were to secretly befriend and support each other over the next five school days. By the middle of the week, everyone, including me, had turned this assignment into a competition to see whose secret friend could leave the best gift. We left cards, pens and even money. It seemed that everyone was getting cool presents from their friend except me.
On the last morning of our assignment, I walked into my classroom and noticed there was a package. I opened the wrapping paper and inside was a box of powder (胭脂). The girls sitting near me laughed at the gift I had received. To make matters worse, the powder had already been opened.
I tried to forget about the embarrassing gift, but when I was in the bathroom during the break, the girls who had seen me open the powder started speaking ill of my secret friend. I quickly joined in: “How terrible”. I heard myself saying “What could my friend be thinking by giving me such a stupid gift? My grandmother wouldn’t even want it.” The girls laughed at my remarks and rushed out of the bathroom. I stayed to wash my hands and let the water run through my fingers as I thought about what I had just said. It wasn’t normal like me to say mean things like that about someone.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式作答。
Then I saw my classmate Janet come out of a bathroom booth (厕所隔间), tears streaming down her face.
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___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I began to lose hope. It seemed that there was little chance that my great-grandmother was able to heal (康复). My blind, 94-year-old great-grandmother was sleeping soundly in the hospital bed. As l sat quietly with my family, I listened to the sounds of the machines that kept her alive. Her face was pale and empty. She was no longer the cheerful person I had always known.
It seemed that every day she got worse. She might not make it through Christmas. I tried to think of a present to give to her. Since she was blind, I would have to get her a gift that she didn’t have to see to appreciate, but that she could feel with her hands. I remembered that when she lived with us she always wanted to touch and play with my stuffed animals (填充动物玩具). Her favorites were my unique stuffed bears.
I knew right then what to get. She always wanted one for herself! I would have a teddy bear made especially for her. “Great-grandma’s Bear” is what I named the brown, stuffed animal — “Bear” for short. The bear was quite charming with his tiny black button nose and big chocolate eyes. I looked forward to visiting my great-grandmother on Christmas morning and seeing the look on her face when I gave Bear to her. The clay came more quickly than I thought. I carried Bear in my arms as I walked to Room 208 with my family.
There was my great-grandmother, sitting in her bed. Her eyes were wide open. I think she was sensing that we were coming. A smile grew on her face as we sat on her bed, close to her weak body hidden under the covers. “Merry Christmas!” my dad said. We talked with my great-grandmother for a while until it was time to give her the gifts we had brought. My mother gave her fresh-smelling baby powder because she could never have enough of it. My father brought her favorite candies. Now it was my turn.
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I placed the bear in her gentle, skinny hands.
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From that day on, amazingly, my great-grandmother started to heal.
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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 a job to take in the morning. I used to be a VP in technology for 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 I was on call 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays. My kids joked that, though they were the teenagers, I was the one who was glued to the cellphone and had to be told not to text at the dinner table.
My wife, Michelle, went back to work fulltime once my job was threatened. But our kids would be going to college—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. God, if I can’t provide for my family, I asked, what good am I?
A ray of light streamed through the window, as if beckoning(召唤) me. I opened the door and stepped out into our yard. The lawn, the maple tree planted when I was young and the flower beds were overrun with weeds.They needed pruning(修剪)．
Treasure this time. The thought came out of nowhere. But clear, clear as it could be, I shook my head. I couldn’t get distracted by random thoughts. The clock was ticking. I needed to get busy finding a new job.
I went up to the house. “I’m sorry, Dad,” TJ said. “I know how much your job meant to you.” His concern was mirrored in the girls’ faces. Then Michelle added, “It’s going to be okay. We’ll get through this together. Maybe you should consider this time as a break.You deserve one.”
A break? Was she kidding? There was no time to rest. If anything, I needed to work even harder.
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The next morning I got up before everyone else and opened my laptop.
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Just a few hours here and there, the new lawn began to take shape and so did I．
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As your child progresses through life, he will make mistakes. As a parent, it’s your responsibility to correct those mistakes, but you should use the right way to correct your child’s mistakes or else you risk harming his self-esteem (自尊) or causing problems in your relationship. Using the right way to offer your child constructive criticism (建设性的批评) encourages healthy development.
Parents should be willing to teach their child proper behaviors when offering constructive criticism, according to an Everyday Health article. If your child’s leaving food particles on dishes that he’s washed, teach him your way of properly washing dishes, as opposed to shouting at him or thinking he’s lazy. You can say, “I know you work hard at washing the dishes every night. But for the past few weeks I’ve noticed that there’s been some food stuck on some of the dishes. I used to do this when I was about your age, too. May I show you the way I’ve learned to wash the dishes?”
Your child will probably not reply to your criticism if it is given in an angry tone (语气). Talk to your child when you’re calm and clear-headed. It’s difficult enough to receive criticism because no one really wants to hear about their mistakes, says psychiatrist Harry Croft, so it’s important that you use a loving tone when correcting your child’s mistakes. If the matter doesn’t need to be dealt with immediately, give yourself as much time as you need — even go for a walk — before correcting your child’s behaviors.
Comparison is never a good way of offering constructive criticism. When you compare your child with someone else, you are creating feelings of inadequacy (缺乏信心) in your child, which can have long-lasting bad influences. Instead, focus on your child, his behaviors, and the things he might be able to improve. Instead of saying, “I wish you could be respectful to your grandparents like your brother,” try saying, “I really want you to work on having more respect for your grandparents.”
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Long ago, there was a big apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it every day. He climbed to the top of the tree, ate the apples, and took a nap under the shadow. He loved the tree and the tree also enjoyed playing with him.
As time went by, the little boy grew up and he no longer played around the tree.
One day, the boy came back to the tree, appearing sad. “Come and play with me,” the tree asked the boy gently.
“I am no longer a kid; I won’t play around trees any more,” the boy replied. “I want toys. I need money to buy them.”
“Sorry, but I don’t have money. However, you can pick all my apples and sell them. Then, you will have money.” The boy was so excited that he picked all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy didn’t come back after that.
The tree was upset.
One day, the boy returned and the tree was so joyful. “Come and play with me,” the tree said.
“I don’t have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?” “Sorry, I don’t have a house. But you can cut off my branches to build your house.” So the boy cut all the branches of the tree and left with delight.
The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy didn’t appear since then. The tree was again lonely and sad.
One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was delighted. “Come and play with me!” the tree requested.
“I am sad and becoming old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?”“Use my trunk to build the boat. You can sail and be happy.” So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and did not show up for a long time.
注意：续写词数应为150左右。
Many years later, the boy finally returned.
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The apple tree is our mother.
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My mother always told me it was better to be smart than to be beautiful. “If you are smart, finally you will afford to be beautiful.” All I needed were the brains, and someday, I would be a really beautiful lawyer.
My mother worked at a TV station and I would come along and watch the magic of filming TV shows. But all the same, I was learning.
When my father’s business failed, I was able to continue to attend one of the best bilingual (双语的) schools in Mexico City thanks to scholarship. Scholarship followed me into middle school and high school.
However, during my senior year in high school my family moved to my dad’s country, the United States. For the first time in my life, I had optional (可选择的) classes. So I decided to take psychology class. While I found the public school system to be a joke, I did find my psychology class attractive. My mother, in her dreams for my life, did not see psychology as a good choice, but I was like her, strong-willed to the subject.
I married young, even before I had a degree under my belt. Worst of all, I married a kid who wanted to be poster (牧师). My mother loved Andy dearly but she would ask him occasionally, “When will you have a real job?” I did finish my degree and I became a social worker, but when I had my first child at age 24, I quit my job. Then at 26, another baby girl joined our family. Unfortunately, this baby girl had Down syndrome (唐氏综合征).
How would I be able to break the news to my mother? “It is better to be smart than to be beautiful.” I knew what “smart” meant in the statement, and I doubted if my baby with an extra chromosome (染色体) would meet those expectations. My mom was coming to the hospital to meet her new grandbaby. I would tell her then. I needed time to gather my thoughts. I was afraid, afraid that she would see Nichole as one that would never be smart...or beautiful.
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My mother arrived at the hospital midmorning, ready to meet her new granddaughter.
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Six years later, Nichole runs to mom whenever we see each other.
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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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9 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写的词数应为150左右。
Miguel opened the door to his grandpa’s shoe shop. Grandpa was drawing a customer’s foot onto a piece of paper. He didn’t look up. Miguel sat down. He looked at the cut leather, hammer (锤子) and pliers (钳子).
The tools reminded Miguel of something else he loved. Grandpa always gave him a piece of candy whenever Miguel helped clean up. Miguel knew he wasn’t supposed to take candy without asking. But he was hungry then. It looked like Grandpa would be busy for a while. “Maybe I don’t need to wait,” Miguel thought.
Miguel reached secretly for the candy box. He hurried and put it in his mouth. Pretty soon the customer left. Grandpa was busy picking up a piece of leather and putting it in some water. Miguel ate the rest of the candy as fast as he could. Then he walked over to Grandpa.
Grandpa looked up from his work. “Hello!” he said with a smile. Miguel hugged Grandpa. He hoped Grandpa couldn’t tell he’d eaten a piece of candy. “It looks like you’re busy today,” Miguel said. “Do you need any help?” “Sure! Could you pass me that thread (线)?” Miguel nodded. He pulled it between his hands. “Wow, that’s strong.” Miguel said. Grandpa laughed, “It has to be, to last through the wear and tear of life.” Grandpa pulled the thread through the leather.
“You know, we need to be more like this shoe,” Grandpa said. Miguel looked at the leather, “Um. We do?” “Yes, indeed. We need to stay strong. That way temptations (诱惑) won’t make us fall apart,” Grandpa said with a nod.
Miguel suddenly thought of the candy. He knew he should tell Grandpa about it. Grandpa took an old shoe off the shelf, “See this big hole?” Miguel nodded. “This was once a small hole that could have been fixed easily. But the owner waited, and now it’s going to be much harder to fix. Bad habits and bad choices are like that hole. It is best to fix them early.”
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They kept talking as Grandpa worked.
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Miguel told him all about taking the candy. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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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