The telephone rang. Jack answered the call from his mother, “Mr. Richard died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel (新闻影片) as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days. It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son.
“Jack, did you hear me?”
“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It’s been so long since I thought of him.” Jack said.
“Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing. He’d reminisced (追忆) about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it,” Mom told him.
After Jack’s father died, Mr. Richard stepped in to make sure Jack had a man’s influence in his life and it was Mr. Richard who taught Jack many things. Jack wouldn’t have been in this business if it hadn’t been for Mr. Richard.
Busy as he was, he returned home and attended the funeral, which was small and uneventful. Mr. Richard had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.
The night before Jack had to return home, he and his mother stopped by to see the old house next door one more time. Standing in the middle of the room, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture... Jack stopped suddenly.
“What’s wrong, Jack?” Mom asked.
“Where is the watch, the thing he valued most?” he seemed to ask himself.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
“It was a gold pocket watch that he used to wear every day,” he told his mom.
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One day Jack received a package on his desk.
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注意：1.词数100左右；
2.适当增加细节以使行文连贯。
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I still remember how nervous I felt doing some things for the first time. You’d think that after a lot of first times the butterflies-in-stomach feeling would disappear. But here’s what happened a month ago.
“Please come to the chess club tomorrow,” Mareya said to me. “I know you’re going to love it!” “I’ve never even played chess(国际象棋),” I said. “It seems super hard.”
“I went last week, and it was extremely fun!” said Mareya. “Really?” I said, not convinced.
“Really. Also, the club needs more people to keep it going.” Mareya smiled.
“Listen. If you try it, I’ll do my silly rabbit dance in the middle of recess (课间休息).” I laughed. “In front of everyone? It’s a deal!”
When I arrived at home. I searched our game shelves. Finally, at the very bottom of the pile, I found a tattered (破旧的) box with a chessboard and plastic chess pieces. I read the instructions carefully. Knights, rooks, bishops, pawns, a king, and a queen — each piece had a special starting place and its own way of moving. My heart sank. I couldn’t possibly memorize all the rules in time. Everyone in the chess club was going to think I was inexperienced!
That night, I dreamed I was in a chess game, and the queens, kings, and knights were laughing at me. Even the knights’ horses were snickering (窃笑)! The next day, I told Mareya I was having second thoughts.
“Please don’t back out,” she said. “Remember our deal.”
“I would like to see your silly rabbit dance,” I said, smiling.
After school, I found the chess club’s meeting room and went inside. I looked around, but Mareya was nowhere in sight! To make matters worse, I didn’t know a single person in the room. Butterflies filled my stomach as I started to head toward the door.
“Hi!” said a friendly woman. “I’m Ms.Martinez.”
“I’m Arizona,” I said. “ I was supposed to meet a friend, but I don’t see her. I’d better get going.” “Well, as long as you ‘re here, why don’t you sit with Joe and Jess and watch their game?”
注意：
1. 续写短文的词数应为 150 左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1:
I didn’t want to be rude, so I sat down.
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The next day, at recess, Mareya ran up to me.
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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.
Paragraph 1:
I placed the bear in her gentle, skinny hands.
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Paragraph 2:
From that day on, amazingly, my great-grandmother started to heal.
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Ari was a lonely young man who lived on a large island called Iceland. Most of the villagers were fishermen. Ari often wondered what lay beyond the island. The days were long and cold, and he spent many hours in his small house thinking about what life would be like in a warm, sunny place.
“I shall find a true friend far away from here,” Ari thought, and he began writing a letter. He described himself as a loner who had few visitors, yet he had a warm heart. It was his hope to find true friendship with someone who understood his sadness.
Ari described the volcanos on his snowy island and the impressive glaciers (冰川). He wrote about the sky turning green, blue, yellow, and pink at night when the Northern Lights shined in the heavens like silk. For days, Ari poured his soul and innermost thoughts into the letter. Then he placed it into a bottle, and sealed (密封) it tightly.
Ari threw the bottle into the sea and wished upon the brightest star that a true friend would find the letter.
A year later, Ari received a letter. He had no idea who would be writing him, but with joy, he opened the envelope.
Dear Ari,
I found your simple but lovely letter. Imagine my surprise when your little bottle from so far away washed up on my shore. I; too, live on an island. It is called Sardinia. My island is warm and filled with mountains, beaches and waters. Most of the people I know are my family, and I, too, long for a true friend. Now that you have found a friend far away, I do hope that you will write and tell me more about your life and people.
Your new friend,
Renata
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
For three years, Ari and Renata exchanged letters.
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Without telling Renata, Ari started a long journey.
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When Mia was four years old, the doctors diagnosed(诊断) her with alopecia areata, which caused all her hair to fall out. Going bald(秃头的) at such a young age wasn’t easy for her. Her mother Meredith Bailey thought gifting a bald doll (玩偶) to her daughter would help her feel confident. Bailey knew her daughter wanted a doll, so she went to an American Girl store on Mia’s birthday in 2015. Inside the store, Bailey looked for a bald doll that Mia could relate to,but she couldn’t find any.
Curious, she asked the staff about bald dolls and learned buyers could place an order for them.The store did not display(展示) the bald dolls back then.
Bailey thought her daughter would love playing with a bald American Girl doll, so she placed an order and gifted it to Mia on her birthday.
While gifting the doll to her daughter,Bailey had no idea that Mia would soon ask her questions that would leave her speechless. She wasn’t expecting Mia to come up with such interesting questions.
“I knew she wanted the doll, but I didn’t realize the happiness it would bring. She had a doll that was just like her -it was a piece of her," Bailey said.
The doll was Mia’s best gift,but looking at it made her wonder if other children also bought bald dolls so she asked her mother about it.
Bailey told Mia that other kids also liked such dolls by explaining that the doll might be similar to one of their friends or they buy it thinking it is pretty.Little did she know that Mia would come up with another thought-provoking(发人深省的) question.
Mia asked her mother why the bald dolls weren’t sold at the store if they were so popular. The question left Bailey speechless and made her wonder why buyers had to place an order to buy a bald doll.
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。
On Mia’s 8th birthday, Bailey took her to the American Girl store and a bald doll on display caught the pairs’ attention.
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Since Bailey thought sharing her fee lings with the manager wasn’t enough, she penned a heartfelt note and posted it on American Girl’s Facebook page.
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Long ago, there lived two brothers who were very poor. They lived in small houses at opposite sides of their wheat field. Each year the brothers divided the grain they had grown into two equal parts. Although they worked hard from sunup to sundown, they hardly had enough to eat. In spite of this, they were happy because of their great love for each other.
But one year, Simon, the younger brother felt a great sadness. He was worried about his older brother, Ruben. Ruben was alone in the world, with neither wife nor children. “Who will care for him when he gets old and can no longer work? If only he had some money to save for his old age! It isn’t fair that we share the harvest equally. But he will not accept gifts from me. What shall I do?” he thought.
At the same time, Ruben was sitting under a tree, thinking deeply. He thought his brother, Simon, needed to support a family. “I have no family. It isn’t fair that we share the harvest equally. Surely he deserves more than I! I must think of a plan to help him.”
That midnight, Ruben went quietly to his barn (粮仓) where he filled a sack (麻袋) with wheat and put it on his shoulder. Then he crossed the field to his brother’s house and secretly placed his wheat with Simon’s.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式作答。
The next morning Ruben was very surprised.
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But this time unexpectedly they chose the same moment to carry their sacks.
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Everything He Needs
Ethan poured the milk slowly so that his corn flakes (薄片,小碎片) rose above the rim (边缘) of the bowl, just like Nick’s. Mom didn’t fuss (唠叨) about it. Instead, she reached over and patted Nick’s hand. “It’s our last breakfast together before you start college,” she said.
“What will you eat for breakfast at college, Nick?” Ethan asked his big brother.
“I don’t know.” Nick hugged the corn flakes box. “I’d better take this.”
Mom smiled. “Nick is teasing. He’ ll have everything he needs at college.”
“Not everything.” Nick pointed at Ethan. “I won’t have my little brother!”
Mom looked at her watch. “Oops. We need to get going, boys.”
In the car, Ethan shared the backseat with Nick’s suitcases. “I wish I could go to the airport with you,” he said. But it was class photo day.
When they arrived at Ethan’s school, Nick reached over the seat and hugged Ethan goodbye. “Smile big for the camera,” Nick said.
“Good luck at college!” said Ethan. He got out of the car and waved at Nick until the car turned the corner.
Ethan missed seeing his brother at breakfast every day. Sometimes Nick sent photos. One was of him and his friends. They were all splattered (溅泼) with mud from playing soccer.
Mom said, “I hope he has figured out how to do laundry with detergent (洗涤剂).”
Nick sent another photo of himself in the library with a tall pile of books.
Mom said, “I hope Nick is finding time to get enough sleep.”
Ethan stared at the photo. Nick was smiling, but he looked tired. Maybe it was hard to get enough sleep at college.
A couple of months later, Mom said, “I bought plane tickets so we can visit Nick for his birthday.”
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。
Ethan pulled out his backpack, thinking that he should take something his brother may need.
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Hearing Mom’s words, he cleared his backpack of the things he had just collected.
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Mom poured herself a glass of orange juice. “I’m worried about your grandma,” she said. I asked, “Why?” “Well, before she moved to Florida, she was active. But now she sleeps most of the day or watches television. I can’t get her out of the house, and she won’t try to make friends,” Mom replied. My grandma wanted to go back to New York. But she couldn’t live alone anymore. That was why my mom let her come to live with us in Florida.
“I’ll find a way to make Grandma love Florida,” I thought for a minute and said. Mom smiled and said, “I wish you could.” After school, I saw Grandma watching television and figured she hadn’t moved all day. In my room, I took out my collection. I had found many beautiful and special seashells. My favourite one was called Baby’s Ear. It’s a beautiful white seashell. Looking at my seashells gave me an idea. I went into the living room and sat on the sofa.
“Did you ever go to the beach when you were little, Grandma?” I asked. “Once my mother took me there, but I didn’t enjoy it because I was afraid of the water and couldn’t swim. Even now, I’m a little afraid of the water,” she replied. I wished Grandma could feel the way I did about the beach. I loved to see seabirds and look for seashells. “Well, could you take me to the beach, Grandma? I need some new seashells for my collection. I’m not allowed to go by myself. Please!” I begged. Grandma finally agreed and took my hand as we left the house.
We walked to the beach. The sky was blue. I handed Grandma a plastic bag, and said, “This is for the seashells you find.” “Oh, you should take it,” she said. I shook my head. “No, Grandma. I need all the help I can get.” “All right,” she said.
注意：(1)续写词数应为150左右；(2)请按如下格式作答。
We walked side by side on the beach.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Wow! Look what I found!” Grandma shouted, standing in the sand and holding a pink seashell.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________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.
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Finally Monk-Monk was found jammed behind the sofa.
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