I was in 6th grade, and I had a good friend named Stacey. We were not only in the same class but also shared a common love for learning and exploring. What’s more, Stacey and I even carried our own backpacks of the same style to spend our leisure time together, reading in the school library, singing under the tree and enjoying the beautiful sunshine in autumn.
One day, Stacey came to school with a new backpack, and I noticed three letters embroidered (刺绣) on it: SEK. I asked her what they meant.
“They are, of course, the first letters of my first name, my middle name, and my last name,” she explained proudly, “when I grow up, I might use my middle name instead of ‘Stacey’ and become ‘Elizabeth,’ or ‘Liz,’ or ‘Betsy’. The possibilities (可能性) made me very excited and each name seemed like a gateway to a different world.” I was a little jealous to hear that. Why didn’t I have a middle name.
For the first time, I thought about my own name: Claudine Gay. I thought about it for the rest of the day， and my confusion and resentment (怨恨) grew as I thought of the space between Claudine and Gay-the space where my parents had failed to give me a middle name. And I imagined all of the futures that were now out of reach as a consequence. I couldn’t see any possibility of myself.
Although I was just 11 years old at that time, I suddenly felt very painful that I was insufficient (缺失的). I felt as if everyone around me knew exactly what was going on.
I was not happy with my parents. When I faced them directly that evening, demanding to know why I did not have a middle name, they explained that each of them had given me half of my name. My mother, Claudette, gave me Claudine. My father, Sony, gave me Gay. They said calmly, “you are Claudine Gay. Your name is enough!”
注意：
1．续写词数应为150左右；
2．请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
Hearing what they said, I still thought it unacceptable.
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“Claudine, why are there only two letters CG?” asked Stacey, pointing at the embroidery on my backpack the next day.
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When I was little, I lived in a house with a beautiful garden full of all kinds of Bowers. There was nothing I enjoyed more than sitting in the garden with my mother reading stories to me. When I was old enough to read, I enjoyed reading stories aloud to her.
I would never forget one day when I was in the third grade. I bad been picked to be the princess in the school play, and for weeks my mother had rehearsed (排练) my lines so hard with me. But however easily I acted at home, the moment I stepped on stage, every word disappeared from my head. Finally, my teacher took me aside, explaining that she had written a narrator’s (解说员) part to the play, and asked me to change roles. Her word, kindly expressed, still hurt, especially when I saw my part go to another girl.
I didn’t tell my mother what had happened when I went home after school that day. But she sensed my pain. Instead of suggesting we practice my lines, she asked if I wanted to take a walk in the garden.
It was May and roses were blossoming and, under the trees, we could also see yellow dandelions (蒲公英) in the grass, as if a painter had painted our garden with red, yellow and green. I watched my mother casually bend down by one dandelion. ”I think I’m going to dig up all these weeds,” she said, pulling it up by its roots. ”From now on, we’ll have only roses in this garden. ”
“But I like dandelions,” I protested, “All flowers are beautiful-even dandelions.” “Yes, every flower is beautiful in its own way, isn’t it?” she asked thoughtfully. I nodded, pleased that I had won her over. “And that is true of people too,” she added. “Not everyone can be a princess, but there is no shame in that.” Relieved that she had guessed my pain, I started to cry as I told her what had happened. She listened and smiled to me gently.
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: “But you will be a beautiful narrator,” she said.
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Para 2: After the play, I took home the flower.
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When Cassandra Ridder picked up her son Brody from school, the boy wasn’t his usual happy-go-lucky self.
Cassandra said that the sixth graders didn’t want to talk about his day and only wanted to listen to music. To lighten his mood, she asked him about his yearbook (毕业纪念册). Earlier that day, the mom had received an email, informing parents that students would be bringing their class yearbooks home. She was curious if Brody got lots of signatures.
But when she brought it up, her son got really sad. He said, “No, Mom, no one really signed my yearbook. I asked people and they either told me no or that they would do it later, and that they were too busy for me.”
When Brody handed over his yearbook, Cassandra’s heart sank. The page was almost empty, except for a couple of messages from his teachers and two students’ names. To fill in the space, Brody had written a note to himself that read “Hope you make some more friends”, and had signed his own name.
“I tried to make him feel better,” said Cassandra. “I told him that it might have just been a busy day, and to give people the benefit of the doubt. I told him that things will get better and to stay positive, and that no matter what, I would always be his friend.”
Upon discovering what happened with Brody’s yearbook, Cassandra decided to do something. That night, she wrote a post on the Internet for parents. She wanted to let the other parents know this was happening at the school and remind them they should talk to their kids about being kind to one another.
“My poor son feel sad. Despite Brody’s asking all kinds of kids to sign it, two teachers and a total of two students wrote in his yearbook, her post read.” So Brody took it upon himself to write to himself. My heart is broken.
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。
Cassandra didn’t expect too much from the post.
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The headmaster Mr Rudd also knew of Brody’s story.
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In my childhood, my teacher Mrs. Hunter announced that our class would complete a pen-friend project. We would write letters to children in some African countries to make friends with them. So all of us needed to bring stationery (信纸) to school the next day.
Finding some beautiful stationery which was designed with lovely cartoon characters, such as Minnie Mouse and Snow White in the store, I asked my mother to buy it for me. At the store, we learned that a pack of ten pieces of such stationery cost close to seven dollars.
“You’ll have to use common paper,” my mother said. Then, she bought a pack of cheap common paper for me. Obviously, there weren’t any cartoon characters on the paper, so I was upset and disappointed. At that time, I didn’t know my mother was facing some financial (财政的) problems and was trying hard to support the family.
That night, my mother, a lover of schedules, sent me to the bed at the usual time of 9：30. But then instead of going to bed as she normally did, she remained in the living room. When I didn’t hear the voice of a news host through the TV, I wondered what exactly kept my mother up past her bedtime. Walking up to her I found she bent beneath our single lamp, sketching (画素描). When I asked what she was drawing, my mother just covered the page with her arms and ordered me to return to my bed. A week ago, I had begged her for a new box of crayons and she refused. Now I wanted beautiful stationery and she refused again. That night, I lay in bed looking at the moon, believing I was the unluckiest girl in the world.
The next morning, my mother’s eyes were black-ringed, and she looked so tired while preparing the breakfast of oatmeal (燕麦糊) in the kitchen. “Drink it before school,” she said, pointing at the food.
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：
“I don’t want any,” I said unhappily, still upset she didn’t buy beautiful stationery for me.
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Paragraph 2：
“Mom, the cartoon characters are so beautiful”I said, with a smile.“Thank you.”
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A Great Monday
Monday started out well. I woke up on time, ate breakfast and did some last minute studying for my math test later that morning. I was confident of getting good grades. I left my house and ten minutes later, I sat with my friends on the school bus. We were busy chatting about how we spent our weekend. At the next stop, a student named Ryan got on the bus. He was in a rush and tripped (绊倒) over someone’s foot. There was a loud noise as he fell to the floor.
Every one of us on the bus laughed. Ryan got up, brushed his jacket and went to an empty seat. He tried to laugh with us, but his face was red with embarrassment. The rest of the morning went by quickly. I did well in my math test. I read two more chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird in English class. Soon we heard the lunch bell. I met my friends from the cheerleading team in the dining hall. I noticed Ryan a few tables away, sitting by himself. He caught me looking at him. I smiled at him quickly and looked away.
When we finished eating, we went to the courtyard to practice a cheer we would do at that night’s football game. After much practice, we finally managed to do the cheer perfectly. We decided to practice it again one last time. Just like the rest of my day so far, the cheer was going great. I raised my leg for one last toe touch. That was when I felt my jeans (牛仔裤) split (裂开) down the middle of my backside.
I froze. I had no idea what to do. I heard people burst out laughing and I saw them pointing at my torn jeans. I tried to cover myself with my hands, I tried to laugh too, but I felt tears begin to well up in my eyes.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
Then I saw Ryan running towards me.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________That night, after the cheer at the football game, I found Ryan.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Ali and his younger sister, Zahra, lived with their parents in a poor neighborhood. Their mother was very sick and their father was struggling to find a job, and they had only a little money with which to buy food. As they had not paid the rent for several months, the landlord was breathing down their necks.
One day, Ali took Zahra's shoes to a shoe repairman to be fixed, but he lost them on the way home. It wasn’t until he got home that he realized he had lost the shoes. He was afraid that his parents would be angry and disappointed, so he begged his sister to keep it a secret. Zahra agreed and the two decided to share Ali’s running shoes. Zahra's school hours were in the morning, so she would wear them first. After school, she would rush back and give them to Ali. He could then run to his school, which began in the afternoon. Although he ran as fast as he could, Ali often arrived late and was warned by the school.
Ali heard about a long distance race that was held for the boys in the city.When he learned that the third prize was a new pair of shoes, he decided to take part. He ran home excitedly and promised his sister that he would win her the new shoes.
The day of race arrived. Ali had a strong start, but halfway through the race he began to get tired and his legs began to ache. Getting more and more exhausted he thought only of Zahra and his promise to her. Dreaming of the new shoes he would win for his sister gave him strength, and he stayed right behind the two fastest runners, determined to finish third. Suddenly, as the finish line drew near, another runner collided(碰撞) with Ali from behind and he crashed to the ground.
Ali looked up and saw the other boys rushing ahead.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Filled with delight, Ali walked home quickly.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________内容包括：
1. 所佩服的人的简介；
2. 所佩服的人的主要贡献或成就或你佩服的原因。
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A Bowl of Noodles
Jenny was the only child in her home. She had a quarrel with her mother that afternoon and she ran out of the house angrily. She couldn’t help crying sadly when she thought of he scolding from her mother. Having wandered aimlessly in the street for hours, she felt a little hungry and wished for something to eat, but it was not even possible for her, since she had nothing with her. She stood beside a stand for a while, watching the middle-aged seller busy doing his business. However, with no money in hand, she sighed and had to leave.
The seller behind the stand noticed the young girl and asked, “Hey, girl, you want to have the noodles?”
“Oh, yes... but I don’t have money on me...” she replied.
“That’s nothing. I’ll treat you today,” said the man,
“Come in.”
The seller brought her a bowl of noodles, whose smell was so attractive. Jenny thanked the man and started to gobblle (狼吞虎咽) up the delicious food...then cried silently.
“What is it?” asked the man kindly.
“Nothing, actually I was moved by your kindness!” said Jenny as she wiped her tears, “Even a stranger on the street will give me a bowl of noodles, while my mother drove me out of the house. She showed no care for me. She is so mean and cruel!”
Hearing the words, the seller smiled “Girl, do you really think so? I only gave you a bowl of noodles and you thanked me a lot. But it is your mother who has raised you since you were a baby. Can you number the times that she has cooked for you? Have you expressed your thanks to her?”
Jenny sat there, speechless and numb with shock; she remembered her mother’s familiar face and weathered hands. “Why did I not think of that? A bowl of noodles from a stranger made me feel grateful, but I have never thanked my mum for what she has done for me.”
On the way home, Jenny made up her mind to make an apology to her mother for her rudeness as soon as she arrived home.
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:
Approaching the doorway, Jenny took a deep breath.
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Paragraph 2:
Her mother came back home, which called her mind back.
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Leo had gone nowhere during his two-week vacation. He had the money, but he hated to travel alone. He used to take vacations with Max, his younger brother, but they had a big argument at the end of their last vacation. Each of them had spent the last two months waiting for the other to apologize.
Leo did not feel good about being distant with his favorite brother. But he was not going to ask for forgiveness when, in his mind, he just broke Max’s cup by accident, but it was not a big deal at all. So Leo's summer vacation was spent in his own "back yard". As usual, he cleaned up his apartment , put away his books, trying to make his life busy and full.
However, he did do one thing new and different alone. He went to a new coffee shop at the corner. It served delicious coffee at reasonable prices, and the staff were quite friendly.
The vacation seemed endless. He always sat at a coffee table outside by himself and read the free daily paper. Each day he was there, reading most of the newspaper articles and drinking his coffee black with the question crossing his mind again and again: What was Max doing?
Leo was unhappy. Between articles, he took breaks by watching the nearby traffic and pedestrians(行人). The coffee shop was next to a huge park, the favorite place for both Max and him where they even spent a whole summer vacation battling for the same soccer team. They were champion of the town! The coffee shop, with its excellent location and coffee, had helped make his vacation a pleasant one. If his brother should be there to join him just one day, his vacation would be perfect, he imagined.
One morning, accidentally knowing from mom the cup he broke was a gift from their late grandma, Leo was deeply sorry. He tried to break the ice and smiled to Max at the breakfast table but got no response. Leo was still unhappy.
注意：1.所续写的短文的词数应为 150 左右；
2.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1：
Then Leo decided that he should do something more. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2：Leo got to the coffee shop early. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Molly was a single mother of two. She was new here so she didn’t interact much with her neighbors. However, she’d heard a lot of rumors (谣言) about her 82-year-old neighbor, Mr. Palmer. Some neighbors said he was spiritually sick. However, when she first saw Mr. Palmer, she did feel he was strange with his lonely lifestyle.
One day, Molly ran into Mr. Palmer. He was standing by a signal light and glancing around even after the light went green. Molly realized he needed help to cross the street, so she approached him. “Mr. Palmer. I’m Molly. I’ve only lately moved here. Can I help you?” she asked gently. The old man smiled at her. “Oh, Molly! Yes! Would you mind helping me cross the street?” “Of course not, Mr. Palmer,” she smiled. As they reached the other end of the street, Mr. Palmer thanked her over and over again. After that, Molly realized he wasn’t a strange man but just a lonely soul misjudged by everyone.
Days later, Molly got a new job and was just on a trial period, so she was too busy to babysit her kids, Ben aged 6, who had got epilepsy (癫痫) and Adam aged 4, when she was sometimes on the night shift.
One day, when she was returning home, she noticed Mr. Palmer sitting on a resting chair on his doorway. She stopped by and greeted him. During the chat, Mr. Palmer said he suffered from insomnia (失眠症), and only slept late in the morning for 5 to 6 hours at a time. Molly figured she could ask Mr. Palmer for help to babysit her kids while she was on her night shifts. When she asked him about it, he was happy to help.
When Mr. Palmer arrived at Molly’s house to babysit the kids, they got along well with him. Molly was relieved to see her children happy around Mr. Palmer each time and thought her kids were in safe hands while she left for work.
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。
However, one day, when Molly got home from work early in the morning, her children and Mr. Palmer were nowhere to be seen.
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The call was from an unknown number, and she was informed that her son Ben was in hospital.
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