I had all the usual child fears. I couldn’t go to sleep unless the light in my bedroom was on. I dreaded that someday when my mother was distracted, Crazy Betty (our local small-town oddball) would grab me in the grocery store. On the hottest summer nights, my feet had to be wrapped tightly in my bed sheets; if one of them hung bare over the side of the bed, who knew what might grab it in its cold, slimy claw.
But all other frights paled in comparison with the Great Fear, the Titanic of my childhood terrors. That fear — and I admit, I feel a tightening in stomach typing the words even today — was that something would happen to Monk-Monk, my beloved toy monkey. That was the deepest fear of my childhood and I learned from it the lesson of cherishing what’s important in my life.
Looking at Monk-Monk today, you wouldn’t see what I see. You’d see a torn, discolored sock monkey, very much past his prime, stuffing leaking from his stumpy tail, holes on his sock-body inexpertly stitched up with thread that doesn’t match. I see my dearest childhood friend, my companion of a thousand nights. When I was only two and very ill, an aunt made him for me and delivered him to the hospital. I bonded with him fiercely and rarely let him out of my sight. When no one else was around, Monk-Monk played endless games with me, soaked up my tears, and listened to my secrets.
And then Uncle Ken came to visit. He lived in Ohio and occasionally he would come and stay with us for a couple of days. I didn’t know Uncle Ken well, and I didn’t like him very much. I had the feeling that he didn’t really like me, either. He clearly thought it was pretty silly that a big first-grader was dragging a sock monkey around, and he teased me by saying he thought he’d take Monk-Monk home to Ohio with him. His words almost scared me to death. I clutched Monk-Monk more tightly.
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。
I was at school a few days later when Uncle Ken left.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Finally Monk-Monk was found jammed behind the sofa.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Initially, I totally believed that Daddy wanted a boy. I could just imagine his disappointment when I was born. What always frustrated me was that he never tried hiding his feelings from me. He had hoped a boy who would help him with the farm and finally step into his shoes. But a girl…
I tried to do everything just to please Daddy. Not only did I get up early to help with the housework, but also some tidy work on the farm. What’s more, I went home straight from school, expecting that I was needed. But he didn’t seem to be moved by those at all, let alone putting on a smile.
The year I turned thirteen was the 100th birthday of our town. The town council decided to hold a parade(游行), and they wanted a young lady who could lead the parade. The families in the area were asked to send pictures of their children. Every parent in the area hoped that their daughter would be chosen, every parent except Daddy.
Mommy sent in a picture of me without telling me. I was always so busy being the boy Daddy wanted, and I never considered having the chance to lead the parade. So it was quite a surprise when the town council stopped by one evening to tell us I had been chosen. Mommy was excited. As I anticipated, Daddy showed no interest in the matter.
The day of the big parade finally arrived. I was dressed in a beautiful white dress. At first I felt shy-I’d hardly ever worn dresses. But soon I felt like a princess in a fairy tale.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式作答。
Paragraph 1:
As the parade passed down the main street of our town, I saw Mommy and Daddy on the side.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
As I went back from the parade, Daddy stood in front of the gate, smiling.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I’d been living in foster care (抚育院) since I was two. I was put in different foster homes. I felt lonely and confused.
Because I acted up, eventually my previous foster mom sent me back to the adoption agency, just as the mom before had. I thought I was the most unlovable girl in the world.
Then I met Kate. I was seven. When my foster mother told me that Kate was single and wanted to adopt a child, I didn’t think shed choose me. I couldn’t imagine anyone would want me to live with them forever. But, Kate asked me if I’d mind living with one parent instead of two.
“All I want is someone who loves me,” I said, feeling excited but afraid, too. I wondered if she’d change her mind once she got to know me. Kate sensed my fear. “I know you’ve been hurt,” she said, hugging me. “I know you’re scared. But I promise I’ll never send you away. We’re a family now.”
When I moved in with Mom Kate, I went to sleep that night feeling safe. I prayed I wouldn’t have to leave. Every day, she told me she loved me. But love wasn’t enough to heal the hurt inside me. I kept waiting for her to change her mind. I thought, “If I act badly enough, she’ll leave me like the others.”
So I tried to hurt her before she could hurt me. I picked fights over little things and threw tantrums (发脾气) when I didn’t get my way. I slammed the doors. If Mom tried to stop me, I’d hit her. But she never lost patience. She’d hug me and say she loved me anyway.
Mom was very strict about my homework, because I was failing in school when I came to live with her. One day, I kept watching TV before finishing my homework.
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：
She came in and turned it off.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2：
“I’ll never send you back,” she said, still peacefully but seriously.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tim’s heart raced as he drove to the lawyer’s office. He was bequeathed (遗赠) a mysterious box his dad had never allowed him and his sister to even go near. He signed papers, but was shocked to learn he didn’t get the key to open it and nothing about the key was mentioned in the will. “You’ll have to figure that out!” the lawyer said. Tim left the office, puzzled about what his late dad had left him.
Just then, he remembered his childhood home where he and his twin sister Karen grew up. They had lost their mother just two months after they were born. They were raised by their dad Jonathan, and the two were the best friends! As they grew older, they were drawn to the mysterious box, but their dad warned them never to touch it, and even hung the key on a nail high above the fireplace so that they would never get their hands on its contents. Whatever he was hiding from his kids, he was on guard at all times.
As the years fleeted by, Tim and Karen moved on with their respective lives. And their brother-sister bond went downhill. The twins fought over who would inherit (继承) their dad’s house. Jonathan was heartbroken and whatever trick he tried to reconcile (和解) them, nothing worked. Meanwhile, Jonathan’s health began to decline, and even on his deathbed, he wished his kids would put aside their differences and get back together.
What would Tim do with the inherited box now? He went to his childhood home to find the key. The house no longer appeared like that loving home Tim remembered growing up in. When he reached to grab the key above the fireplace, he sensed someone behind him. “What are you doing here?” screamed Karen, casting the cell phone flashlight on Tim’s face.
“Dad bequeathed me his old chest, and I came here looking for the key. But what are you doing here?”
“Dad bequeathed me the key! So I came here to find the chest,” said Karen, puzzled about his father’s decision.
注意：1.写作词数应为150左右；
2.请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
“Something had to be wrong,” they thought and stared at each other.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Tears ran down their cheeks at seeing their childhood photos with their father and mother.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My daughter and I were fans of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, an educational children’s television series that was created and hosted by Fred Rogers, more commonly known as Mister Rogers.
Around my daughter’s second birthday, I had a Mister Rogers-inspired idea. Why not invite one key person in my daughter’s world to dinner each month? The local children’s librarian could visit one evening, and perhaps the borough mayor (区长) could drop by a few weeks later.
But I wanted to start at the top.
“Let’s invite Mister Rogers himself, ” I said to my wife. “After all, he lives just a few neighborhoods away. I bet he’d come.”
She looked at me as if I wanted to invite the President. “You really think Mister Rogers would come to our house for dinner? Fat chance.”
Undeterred (不气馁的), I sent a letter to Mister Rogers that fall, telling him of my newfound delight in his show and my idea for inviting neighborhood people over to talk about their lives, and asking him and Mrs. Rogers to be our guests.
I told my daughter about the letter. Her eyes glistened (发光). “Mister Rogers coming? Really, Daddy?”
One month later, no reply. My daughter hadn’t forgotten and periodically asked when Mister Rogers would be visiting. I always told her that he hadn’t called yet and that it was a good opportunity to learn about patience.
Two months later, no response. At the three-month mark, my wife simply rolled her eyes when I raised the topic. I was beginning to lose optimism. Mister Rogers had let me down.
Sadly, Mister Rogers passed away in late February of the following year. I was unaware of his illness and now understood why our invitation had gone unanswered. Mister Rogers would not be coming to dinner after all. Yet, even after his passing, Mister Rogers gave us a far greater gift than I ever could have imagined.
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。
A week later, I was surprised to find a letter in our mailbox from Mister Rogers.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The letter is a treasured gift and his kind words touched my life and my daughter.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
My three-year-old son, Charles, has loved watching trucks, cars and all types of vehicles (交通工具) since he could sit up and look around. Charles was a fan of fire trucks, ambulances, garbage (垃圾) trucks and other vehicles which have wheels.
Because of his deep love for anything with wheels, I always made it a point to take him outside to watch garbage trucks drive up and down. Charles loved watching the workers and would get so excited when the drivers beeped the horns (鸣喇叭) at him as they went by. Charles would wave and shyly say, “Thank you.”
There was a particular waste management employee who was extra friendly. Charles was attracted by him, and after we knew his name — Lonnie, Charles talked about him throughout the day. One day, Lonnie rode by and said, “Charles, I promise when this pandemic (流行病) is over, I’m going to let you ride in my truck.” However, we were going to move out of the state about a week later. I had to tell Lonnie the truth.
The next week, we waited for the garbage truck. Finally, late in the afternoon, I heard the loud noise of the truck. I raced to the door, carrying Charles. We did not want to miss seeing Lonnie on our last week in Birmingham. Lonnie stopped the truck and got out. He told me he had some things for Charles — a hat, a yellow safety vest, two toy garbage cans, coloring books and so on. Charles was absolutely excited, especially by the garbage cans, and I was so touched. The next day, Charles and I were playing in the front yard when a man approached me. He said, “I’m Lonnie’s manager, and he has something special planned for Charles. Are you going to be here around 11 am?” I said, “Of course we will.”
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 noon, something surprising happened.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Even though we moved out of the state, Charles still misses Lonnie.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
As a child, I clearly remembered watching the PBS cartoon character Arthur get glasses. The poor guy felt ashamed and was laughed at by other kids due to his glasses. So I was thankful that I had good eyesight.
However, when I entered the eighth grade, I could no longer see very clearly the writing on the blackboard. Luckily, I was usually seated in the front of the classroom, and my study was not affected. So I didn't turn to glasses.
During my first year in high school, my eyesight became poorer. My eyes were examined, and the doctor determined that my eyesight was quite bad. I would either have to wear glasses full time, or try contact lenses (隐形眼镜). Since I had watched the cartoon character Arthur before, I was afraid to be judged by others due to my glasses — it made me believe the glasses would affect a person’s beauty. And being a teenage girl, I cared much about my self-image. Besides, at that time, there were few students around me wearing glasses. So I chose to wear contact lenses. I felt they would not affect my appearance. On the contrary, they would make me more attractive. And after wearing contact lenses, my entire world was transformed. Trees actually had leaves. People around me showed clear expressions. I was overjoyed at my new-found sight and appearance, and I had more self-confidence.
But when my junior year came along, I began to have trouble with my eyes. Once in a while, the contact lenses would irritate (刺激) my eyes, almost to the point where the pain was unbearable. It would take me thirty minutes just to get the lenses in comfortably every day, which made me so upset. With time going by, the pain only got worse.
In spite of endless visits to the hospital, my doctor found nothing wrong with my eyes. He tried countless mediations to ease my pain, However, none of them worked, and there was nothing left to try.
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。
Paragraph 1:
He suggested that I wear my glasses full-time. __________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Later in my summer camp, I met a very outgoing girl who also wore glasses.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Are you ready for our walk?” Grandma asked the usual question every Friday evening.
“Of course, we are!" We shouted excitedly, ready to talk about the end of the week and fill Grandma in about our week.
Growing up, my sisters and I always knew Grandma had heart problems and couldn't do anything hard, but we did know she would do anything to spend more time with us. Whether it was wanders around the block or walks to the library, Grandma was there by our side.
When I was going into sixth grade, we were told that Grandma only had 2% heart function. Her heart wasn't benefiting her anymore, but she found out that there was a way to live longer: an IVAD. It is a heart pump （起搏器）that replaces the heart, basically, a battery instead of a heart and it's connected to a battery pack by a tube that conies out of the side. Grandma would become a robot with no heart! The Toledo Hospital, the only hospital near us that could do this surgery, offered to do it for Grandma. She, obviously, agreed.
The grey morning of the surgery was rough for our family, as we woke up bright and early to drive to the hospital. That car ride left me with worried thoughts racing through my mind: Will Grandma be okay? Will we ever take another walk around the block?
When we arrived at the hospital, we knew exactly where to go, as we'd been there many times before. After going through those familiar doors and up the stairs, my mom and I walked up to the nurses' desk and asked for Grandma.
“Oh, Mary?” A nurse answered. "She's one of the nicest patients we've had." Then she directed us to the waiting room and told us that only two of us were permitted to go into the ward （病房）at a time to say goodbye to Grandma before she went in for surgery.
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 last two people were Grandpa and me.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Finally, after the longest morning of my life, the doctor entered the waiting room, smiling.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
When I was ten years old, I was a grade four primary school student in a small town. I had a happy time at school because I had a few good friends there. We usually spent our spare time together, doing our homework, going to the amusement park, playing with our pets, and sharing our happiness and sorrows together. But everything changed when my parents decided to change their jobs and moved to a bigger city. I even had no time to say good-bye to my old friends and teachers.
As I moved to the new city, I began my school life in a totally new school with new surroundings, new teachers and new classmates. During the first week, I felt lonely when I was at school. My classmates knew each other, but they didn’t know me, which added to my loneliness and sadness. That week day after day, I was sitting on my seat, pretending to be reading. How I secretly wished that someone would come to me and introduce himself to me or even play a trick on me, but disappointingly, nobody came.
Then one day, when my parents sent me to the bus station and said good bye to me, I didn’t get on the bus to school as usual. Instead, I walked and walked on the street, looking at the beautiful window displays and forgetting everything, with no worry about the new school, new teachers and new classmates. Then my empty stomach stopped me and I used my pocket money to have a bowl of noodles in a small restaurant. It was noon at the time, but still I didn’t want to go to school or go home. So I went to a park and sat on the bench, staring at the sky. And then I had a nap. When I woke up, I decided to go back to my hometown, where my former teachers and friends lived. So I went to the railway station. There I was stopped by a policeman, who asked for my ID card, which I didn’t have at the time. Then the policeman called someone and I was asked to stay with him.
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。
An hour later, I found my parents running towards me .
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The next day, when I was sent to school by my parents, I was afraid I would be punished.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
