When my husband Randy died in late fall, deciding what to do with his garden was way down on the list of necessary tasks. During the first few months, I cried with our daughters, planned a memorial, cried with my family, celebrated a quiet Thanksgiving, and panicked over not having bought Christmas presents.
As the calendar turned to a new year, the often rainy days and long nights deepened my sorrow. I found myself exhausted at the end of February, both physically and mentally.
Then the daffodils bloomed (开花) in the garden.
Years before, Randy had planted dozens of these lemon-yellow flowers. To him, they served as a reminder of hope, a promise that light and warmth would soon replace cold and dark. Looking at those dauffodils, I thought about how Randy had considered our garden a living work of art, carefully choosing plants so we’d see new blooms every month.
Then I noticed all the weeds that had taken root and spread everywhere. The neglect (疏于打理) showed, for Randy’s illness had lasted a couple of years, a time when he didn’t have energy for yard work the way he had before.
Faced with the neglected garden, I felt overwhelmed in the beginning. My daughters suggested I hire a service to clean everything up. I didn’t respond.
Every time I sat in the garden alone, the memories of the lively garden came flooding, like the numerous scenes in an unforgettable film. Many days Randy came home from work, changed into old clothes, and headed out the door to mow or prune (修剪). Orange dragonflies followed him around the yard as he worked. Honeybees buzzed among the flowers, birds sang beautiful songs, and gentle breezes carried the sweet smell of dirt. No matter how cold or wet it was, the fresh air and physical activity made him energized and refreshed. For Randy, the work was quiet and comforting, which was a relief, as well as a pleasure.
注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
The days grew warmer and lighter, and I started the work myself.
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Weeks later, my daughters returned to visit me.
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2 . I’m a single mom. Unluckily, I was
My sons knew we had
One day, we were at a grocery store(食品杂货店) and I was
They came over and asked me if we could get the man some hot coffee because it’s
I hugged both my kids, because they had
| A．hired | B．helped | C．supported | D．fired |
| A．easy | B．hard | C．wonderful | D．proper |
| A．school | B．home | C．hospital | D．church |
| A．money | B．health | C．housing | D．grade |
| A．sent | B．provided | C．argued | D．turned |
| A．worrying | B．asking | C．bringing | D．hearing |
| A．leaving off | B．setting aside | C．coming up | D．taking off |
| A．results | B．chances | C．rice | D．change |
| A．common | B．average | C．same | D．challenging |
| A．watched | B．heard | C．made | D．felt |
| A．warm | B．cold | C．sunny | D．cloudy |
| A．water | B．dishes | C．noodles | D．coffee |
| A．bills | B．families | C．sons | D．jobs |
| A．valuable | B．awkward | C．narrow | D．official |
| A．bought | B．paid | C．shown | D．sold |
A Mother’s Heartfelt Note of Love
Everything seemed to have changed for me when I entered high school. I never saw a single person I knew from middle school. At home I was just as lonely. “My brothers and sister all fit in.” I thought, coming in the door after another bad day at school. “Why can’t I?”
Mom was there waiting for me. “Karole, your bedroom’s a disaster. Why can’t you keep it clean?” The last thing I needed was criticism from my mother. What had happened to the mother who used to snuggle (依偎) with me on the sofa, loving me with complete acceptance? Who thought everything I did was wonderful? I didn’t bother trying to explain my unhappiness. It was easier to hide in my bedroom, without saying a word, like I did every afternoon.
Clearing off some space, I sat down at my desk. Yet another thing I wasn’t good at anymore. My grades had slipped along with my confidence. I turned to a new page in my notebook and started working out the first problem. Almost immediately, I saw I’d made a mistake. “Wrong again!” I thought. “You can’t do anything right!” I tore the paper out of my notebook, balled it up in my fist and threw it at the wastepaper basket. The ball landed on the floor. I heard my mother’s voice in my head, “Why can’t you keep your room clean?”
By the time I finished my homework, the floor was littered with crumpled (弄皱的) paper. It gave me a kind of satisfaction to see the mess I’d made. Like it was proof of all my shortcomings. Every time I looked at those crumpled balls, I reminded myself what a failure I was. But my unhappiness stayed hidden away, just like those mistakes. With my face a mask of indifference, no one knew what I was really feeling. Who would want to listen?
One day, I came home to an empty house. It was a relief not to be met with Mom’s latest complaint. “Nothing I do is right in her eyes.” I thought. “Or anyone else’s, including mine.”
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。
When I opened my bedroom door, I froze at the sight of a neat and orderly room.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I sat down at my desk, staring at those words.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4 . I sat staring out of the window, holding back tears, as the old red bus moved along one of the main highways in Guatemala City. For nine months I had been
Now I faced having to say goodbye to the children and workmates I had come to
As she
| A．working | B．studying | C．fighting | D．traveling |
| A．parents | B．children | C．farmers | D．visitors |
| A．rewarding | B．amusing | C．depressing | D．embarrassing |
| A．memory | B．health | C．confidence | D．performance |
| A．ask | B．worry | C．care | D．forget |
| A．calm | B．lucky | C．easy | D．alone |
| A．self-pity | B．self-help | C．self-respect | D．self-defence |
| A．showed | B．found | C．carried | D．bought |
| A．wrapped | B．covered | C．buried | D．hidden |
| A．joking | B．writing | C．arguing | D．chatting |
| A．planned | B．refused | C．rose | D．chose |
| A．car | B．bus | C．train | D．plane |
| A．angrily | B．eagerly | C．tightly | D．nervously |
| A．punishment | B．judgement | C．warning | D．reminder |
| A．trust | B．love | C．peace | D．knowledge |
Crash! The old black pickup truck in front of me stopped. I didn’t. I crashed into its back breaking the fender (挡泥板) and bending the driver’s door of my car. To make matters worse, it wasn’t my car. It was my father’s. I shouldn’t have been driving it, and now I had destroyed it.
A farmer jumped out of the truck, slowly and carefully, and looked at the damage. I sat sobbing (抽噎), my lip bleeding where I’d bitten it. He was in a hurry to leave, but we managed to exchange names and phone numbers before he pulled out onto the highway again. I followed, knowing I dared not go home. I’d be in big trouble.
It was my high school graduation day. I drove to school and climbed out through the passenger door. Surveying the broken fender and the door, tears flowed down my face, which was rapidly becoming swollen. I walked into the gym and joined my classmates to prepare for the graduation party. Bad news traveled fast, and soon a teacher came to me
“You’ll have to go home to get dressed for the graduation sooner or later,” she said. “Sooner would be much better and you have to tell your parents.”
I finally agreed and slowly drove home. The Death March sounded in my ears.
My mother took one look at my face when I got home and screamed, “What on earth happened?”
I hung my head and tears rolled down my face again. “I crashed Daddy’s car.”
She threw up her hands in panic and rushed to the backyard where Dad was making burgers. “Stop cooking, Ted. We’re not going to eat. Jean has destroyed your car.”
Dad looked at her and said quietly, “Is she hurt?”
“No, except for biting her lip.”
“Well, then, what does that have to do with eating dinner?” He put a burger on a plate with the others, then walked across the yard and put his arm around me. “Let’s go inside and hear all about this if you’re sure you’re all right.” I sobbed and nodded.
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。
The phone was ringing when we got to the back door.
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I graduated that evening with my family in attendance.
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When school was over, the day was fading and it started to drizzle(毛毛雨). I stood at the school gate, with a loaded backpack on my shoulders. It was Friday again: a weekend of joy with unlimited sleeping hours and dinner courses specially made to my taste, a weekend at home. I waved goodbye to my friends as they jumped into their fathers’ warm and comfortable cars. Curiously, this gave rise to a disturbing feeling in me. It was not exactly what they called jealousy, but something like dismay(沮丧). I knew all I could expect was an old bike Mom would ride along on, with the badly-oiled chain creaking(嘎吱作响) against the wheel to announce her arrival.
Every Friday when Mom came to pick me up for the weekend, it was a moment full of great expectation and great unease. I always felt my face burning as we rode our way in and out of the numerous cars and saw my friends’ faces sticking out of the car windows. It was like stepping into a ballroom with beautifully dressed ladies and finding yourself in a smelly T-shirt.
To tell you the truth, Mom is quite a headache once in a while. She just looks a homely middle-aged housewife. Being a practitioner of DIY, she knits most of my sweaters, chiefly in old styles. Whenever caught by some curious classmates asking what brand my sweaters are, I’d force a smile and reply in a half joking manner: homemade.
I couldn’t remember when I started to find her such an embarrassment. As a little boy, I relied on her so much. She had been working at home, cooking in the kitchen, knitting by the lamp or riding across town to buy me a book I badly needed. It had always been much fun riding with mom. But just now there seemed to be something standing between us, something that made her so strange to me and me to her.
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。
Today she showed up in a raincoat.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mom tried to cover me with the back of the raincoat again as a storm set in.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7 . When I was 14, I invited some friends for a party at our home out in the country.
I planned it well, but something
When it was time for us to ride the bus, Nora, one of my friends, didn’t
Nora
Years later, I began to reflect on that ugly phone conversation. Now, I
| A．unexpected | B．unproven | C．unfair | D．unsure |
| A．take over | B．show off | C．turn up | D．set out |
| A．guilty | B．mad | C．embarrassed | D．skeptical |
| A．reach out | B．step forward | C．look away | D．back out |
| A．answers | B．comfort | C．expectations | D．company |
| A．explained | B．announced | C．predicted | D．complained |
| A．attempted | B．intended | C．refused | D．pretended |
| A．merely | B．barely | C．regularly | D．frequently |
| A．urgent | B．formal | C．random | D．hurtful |
| A．Quarrel | B．Friendship | C．Tolerance | D．Disagreement |
| A．regretted | B．ignored | C．remembered | D．honored |
| A．self-disciplined | B．self-centered | C．self-respected | D．self-contained |
| A．accessible | B．easy | C．right | D．valuable |
| A．decision | B．sympathy | C．information | D．forgiveness |
| A．serious | B．strange | C．healthy | D．natural |
8 . About 35 years ago, my mother started a family tradition. For the
When one of my cousins had his first child, Mom got
But when she was
But the
Mom passed away last year. And still I continue to knit Christmas stockings.
| A．arrival | B．happiness | C．benefit | D．success |
| A．content | B．occupied | C．patient | D．familiar |
| A．arranged | B．joined | C．saw | D．held |
| A．appearances | B．pupils | C．members | D．drawers |
| A．attacked | B．heated | C．judged | D．reduced |
| A．noticed | B．lost | C．asked | D．did |
| A．awkward | B．genuine | C．humble | D．fine |
| A．Impressively | B．Unfortunately | C．Respectively | D．Formally |
| A．disease | B．activity | C．gifts | D．deliveries |
| A．blow up | B．bring up | C．pick up | D．pull up |
| A．patterns | B．needles | C．festivals | D．babies |
| A．theory | B．privilege | C．example | D．tradition |
| A．hope | B．afford | C．agree | D．manage |
| A．In addition | B．On the whole | C．After all | D．As a result |
| A．producing | B．preserving | C．spreading | D．promoting |
My teenage son, Jordan, always complained about having to be home earlier than all his friends. He would tell me that he was already seventeen, but still had a curfew (宵禁). He believed he was practically an adult. I pointed out that he was not an adult as he was still in high school.
“You don’t trust me!” he yelled. Before I continued, he rolled his eyes, slammed the door and walked away. I sighed. How could I make Jordan see that I only wanted to keep him safe?
I decided to go for a walk, hoping the December air would clear my head. I opened the front door and nearly stepped on her: a small black cat, just like a meatball. “Hi, Meatball,” I said, bringing her into my arms. I walked back in, touching her neck gently. Meatball seemed happy enough to come in the house, but after an hour or two, she sat by the door, meowing to go back outside.
“Why won’t she just stay in with us all the time?” Nathan, my youngest son asked.
I explained to him that she was happy here but she liked being able to come and go as she pleased.
“That must be nice,” Jordan muttered from the other room, complaining why the cat, not him, could come and go. He even asked me to give Meatball a curfew.
Meatball became a regular.
One night, temperatures were unusually low. Meatball stood at the door, meowing to go outside.
I shook my head at her, afraid that she might freeze to death. She stared at me and meowed again. I patted her head, “I know you’re not happy, but it’s for your own good.”
“Mom’s not being mean to you,” Nathan told the cat. “She’s just trying to keep you from turning into a frozen meatball.” We both laughed at his joke.
The next morning, I couldn’t find Meatball. I asked the kids if anyone had seen her.
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。
Jordan nodded, “I let her out last night.”
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As I drove to the animal hospital, Jordan sat in the back, holding Meatball inside his coat.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________10 . An important part of raising your children is teaching them good manners as it helps them be more successful in life.
Saying “thank you” to service workers
Saying “thank you” is the base of all good manners but these days many children overlook thanking the people that help them in many little ways each day, like wait staff, store clerks, and bus drivers. It’s not just about politeness but about teaching children to recognize and acknowledge others’ contributions as valuable.
Taking turns talking
Teach your children to touch your arm and then wait patiently for you to acknowledge(理会)them before speaking. If they do interrupt, calmly tell them it’s rude to interrupt and let them know you’ll acknowledge them shortly.
Using their indoor voices
Covering a cough or sneeze
These days it’s more important than ever to teach children to cough or sneeze into a tissue or their elbow. It’s not just a matter of hygiene(卫生)——no one enjoys getting sprayed.
| A．Remember it goes both ways. |
| B．Therefore it makes others feel cared about. |
| C．Games are very important for children’s good manners. |
| D．Crying, laughing, or just talking, children can be very loud. |
| E．Lacking basic manners will affect kids in all areas of their lives. |
| F．It is also a way to help others feel safe and comfortable around you. |
| G．Eventually it’s about teaching them not to treat others as their servants. |
