My father never told me he loved me when I was a child. I always saw him as being a serious man who rarely had a smile. But my mom told me “I love you” everyday. So I really never thought about not hearing it from my dad. I never really thought about it much until I faced the reality of death.
On November 9th, 1990, I received word that my National Guard unit was going to the war zone. I had been in the Guard for 10 years and never dreamed that we would be activated for a war, even though I knew it was what we trained for. I went to my father and gave him the news. I could sense he was worried about me going but he said nothing, and eight days later I was gone.
On November 17th,1990, our military vehicles rolled out of rural Greenville, Michigan. The streets were filled with families and well-wishers to see us off. As we were close to the edge of town, I looked out the window of my truck and saw my wife, my children, and Mom and Dad. They were all waving and crying, except for my father. He just stood there, almost like a stone statue. He looked pretty old at that moment. I don’t know why, he just did.
I was gone for that Thanksgiving and missed our family’s dinner. A few days after Thanksgiving I was able to call my wife, and she told me something that has made me look at my father in a different way ever since. She told me that my father recited his usual Thanksgiving prayer. But this time he added one last sentence. As a tear ran down his cheek, he said, “Dear Lord, please watch over and guide my son, Rick, with your hand in his time of need as he serves his country, and bring him home to us safely.” At that point he burst into tears. I had never seen my father cry, and when I heard this, I guessed my father really did love me.
Eight months later, I returned home from the war.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Ever since that day, my relationship with my father was never the same.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My dad was more than a father to me; he was my friend and confidant (知己) and one of the most amazing people in my life. So when he passed away suddenly from a stroke at the age of 51, my world fell apart. I was lost, along with my mother who had been with my father since age 16, two brothers, and everyone who knew him. We were thrown into a thick fog of anger, sadness, and shock.
I cried every night and tried to hold onto all my memories of him. I replayed every moment I could remember — writing down thoughts, printing out old e-mails, reading old birthday cards — anything I could hang on to because I didn’t want to forget. As I was going through all these old memories, I began to wonder about all the things I had missed. My dad was a quiet man who was known for his listening skills, his patience, his humor, and his smile. He was often the one listening instead of telling stories. I wanted to know what stories I had missed by losing him so soon. So I decided to compile (编纂) a memory book as a surprise Christmas gift for my mom and brothers.
I started my project in November, contacting everyone I knew who was close to my dad or had been in the past. I sent e-mails and letters asking for friends and family of Gary Force to send me their thoughts and memories of him. I asked them specifically to share funny stories about my dad and the stories that maybe no one had ever heard or had long forgotten. I told them to respond no later than one week before Christmas. I waited and waited and got very few responses by December. I began to wonder if this was a horrible idea or if anyone even cared.
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And then the responses started pouring in.
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Teen Talk Call 5555 3131
Do you feel sad and lonely?
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He didn’t get an A in the exam as expected. He shook his head and looked upset.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Hudson is 8 years old now. He has a favorite little toy, a crocheted little ghost named Casper. The toy was given to him by his grandmother on his 5th birthday, and he has treasured it ever since, Hudson loves Casper so much that he often brings it with him wherever he goes. He even talks to Casper as if it’s his best friend.
One day, while playing with Casper, Hudson turned to his mother Ruthie with a worried look on his face. “Mommy, if I should get Casper lost, I would cry so much and be sad forever,” he confessed, tears welling up in his eyes.
Ruthie couldn’t help but smile at her son’s innocence and affection for his little toy. She gently reassured him, “You haven’t lost Casper yet, sweetheart. You take good care of it, and I’m sure you won’t lose it. But even if you do, remember that I’ll always be here to comfort you.”
Curiosity sparked in Hudson’s eyes as he listened to his mother’s words. He looked up at her with a serious expression and asked, “Mommy, have you ever lost a toy?”
Looking at her lovely kid, Ruthie shared her story with her son. When she was six years old, her world turned upside down when her father tragically passed away. Their family was in trouble, and they faced financial struggles. Ruthie’s mother had to take up odd jobs to make ends meet, and they had to move frequently to save money.
During one of her moves, she found that every one of her favorite girl toys was missing including Molly, an American Girl doll. Everywhere she went, she would bring the doll and she was obsessed with it. After hearing his mother’s story, the boy hugged his mother tightly, without saying anything.
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Days turned into weeks, and soon it was New Year’s Day.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Ruthie carefully unwrapped the gift box.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One of my favorite possessions is a little red can. It sits among my collections, looking somewhat old and out of place. But this can is special. It has a history. It was dear to me when I was younger, but mean even more to me now.
I’ve always loved to visit my grandparents in Cleburne, Texas, and as anyone in the family can tell you, there is always a gathering around the dining room table for meals and conversations so that we can keep in touch closely. It is important to keep in touch with the family members since we are busy with our own business, so my family members keep the tradition to have the gathering every month. We enjoy the moment when all of us meet in a place and communication helps us to solve the problem of isolation. As the first grandbaby, though, I was at a slight disadvantage. When I sat in the dining chair, only my nose could reach the table. Cleburne is a small town with a small population, and the phone book could only lift me an inch. So, Grandma and Grandpa came up with the idea of the little red can.
It was about ten inches high, made of tin, and painted a glorious shiny red. It worked perfectly, enabling me to bang away on the table with my little spoon and cup as I tried to keep up with the joyful talks around the table. After I finished a meal, I was placed on the floor, and the can was opened, and all sorts of surprises kept me busy while the adults visited. The can was full of lovely dolls which attracted little girls like me greatly. Besides, there were fresh and novel items that were mysterious to me and left me to explore.
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Pretty soon, other grandbabies started to arrive, and each of them had their own turn on the little red can. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Decades later, Grandma proudly pulled out the little red can again when I traveled to Cleburne with my daughter. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I was a broke university student. I should have been going to university on a scholarship because I came from a low-income family, but a last-minute £100-a-year pay rise for my mum pushed my family over the threshold (门槛) for what defined “low-income” and I was suddenly no longer qualified for £15,000 a year in scholarship money. This news came after I’d been accepted by the university and signed the lease (租约) for my accommodation.
Despite my family not being labelled low-income anymore, I still wouldn’t receive any financial support from my family as all the income went toward taking care of my disabled brother and paying their own bills. It would be tight, but because I had savings from my part-time job, I decided to go to university anyway. After paying my rent, I had £10.20 a week for everything else including food, toiletries, and school supplies.
As I was in a new city, I really wanted to make friends, which was difficult when most of the social activities were expensive. Therefore, I jumped at the chance to do a relatively cheap coffee shop trip with my roommates who were pleasant to me.
I had £20 with me to get a cheap cup of coffee and my food shopping for a few weeks. So I headed for the coffee shop. While paying, I pulled out the note and a handful of change and realized I could pay without breaking the note, so I put it back in my pocket. It wasn’t until I arrived at the supermarket that I realized the note was gone. What should I do? I was desperate it was the equivalent (相等物) of two weeks of money. My roommates helped me look for the note. However, it was in vain. Finally, I went to school empty-handed.
注意：
(1) 续写词数应为150词左右；
(2) 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
P1: As a final attempt, I messaged the coffee shop’s Facebook page asking if they’d seen it.
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P2: I said, “Oh, ...This isn’t mine; my note was an old worn one.”
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I chewed on my pencil as I walked back and forth across my bedroom. What was I going to do? It was bad enough that I was the new kid. But now I was sure to get laughed right out of fifth grade. How could my first homework be such a disaster?
“My name is Anna, and this summer I——”I stopped. How could I stand in front of my class and say that I’d spent the entire summer handling something that most people don’t even like to talk about? Poop (粪便). I’d spent three months shoveling (铲), collecting, and analyzing co w poop on my grandparents’ farm. I tried to think of a different adventure I could share. Maybe I could say I’d spent the summer on the Weather Control Team preventing floods.
“Time for dinner,” my mom called.
I walked slowly down the stairs and slid into my chair.
“You’ve been in your room since you came home from school,” Mom said. “What are you working on?”
I sighed. “I have to tell the class what I did this summer.”
My younger brother, Seymour, began to laugh uncontrollably. “No one will want to sit next to you after they hear you were covered in cow poop all summer!”
“OK, that’s enough, Seymour,” Dad said.
“Anna,” said Mom, putting green beans in a bowl, “be proud of the work we did this summer. Our planet would be in sad shape without scientists like your grandfather.”
It’s true that my grandfather does important work. He developed an easy way to use poop as a source of fuel. Using the poop is now easy, economical, and environmentally safe.
“I know, Mom,” I said, staring at my meatloaf. “But it’s not exactly something people want to hear about before lunch.”
That night I dreamed about more splendid adventures: cave diving in Mexico; hiking through the Amazon rainforest.
At school the next day, I bent over my desk, listening to each kid speak. My palms were sweaty, and the knot (结) in my stomach grew tighter.
“And that was my journey to Mount Everest,” Ember Adams said, finishing her report. She bowed and took her seat.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为 150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
“It’s your turn, Anna,” Ms. Hammond said.
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The class cheered as I returned to my desk, and some of my classmates approached me with admiration in their eyes.
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“I’m sorry, but visiting hours are over,” the nurse said apologetically. “You can come back in the morning.”
My husband Eric had just got out of the operating room and was still struggling with being sick from the anesthesia (麻醉). I really wanted to stay with him until he was more comfortable, but I knew that the hospital’s visiting policies must be followed.
“I’ll take care of him before you get back, I promise.” The nurse handed me a piece of paper. “That’s my cell number. You can call or text me anytime tonight if you’re worried or just want an update.”
I thanked her and then turned to Eric. “Can I do anything for you before I leave?” He shook his head slightly without opening his eyes, and I could tell he was uncomfortable. “I can’t believe I have to leave while you’re like this,” I said, tears filling my eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
He patted my hand and signaled to me to leave. “I’ll be right here in the morning.” I said and headed to my car, still fighting tears. In my head, I knew that Eric wasn’t in danger, and he would be physically okay when I returned in the morning, but it still broke my heart that I couldn’t be with him when he needed me.
The hospital was a few hours from our house, so I was spending the night in a hotel. When I got to my room, I texted Eric’s nurse. She texted back, saying he was still sick to his stomach.
I sighed, feeling the worry rush in. What if getting sick caused his stitches (缝线) to break open? How much of the pain medicine was still in his system? What if he was in pain from his incision (切口)?
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。
I turned on the TV to shift my focus, but it didn’t work.
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Around midnight, I heard my phone receive a message.
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What Color Is a Hug?
When my daughter Bernadette was 10 years old, I found myself very worried about her. Her mother had passed away before she turned one, and I, needing to provide for our livelihood, had to work long hours, leaving little time for her. Although she was close to her grandparents, unfortunate circumstances took them away as well. The series of losses implanted unbearable pain on her young soul.
A merciless series of losses like that is hard on anyone, especially a child. But it was particularly hard on Bernadette because of her sensitive and loving nature. Prolonged periods of isolation and silence led her into a deep depression. The sparkle in her eyes faded, and her face lost the once-present smiles. She lost interest in playing, learning, and even declined invitations from friends. She often lost in her own thoughts without uttering a word for a long time.
Witnessing my daughter’s suffering, I felt a deep sense of guilt and helplessness. I knew she needed more than just companionship; she needed a healing of the soul. I began reading more about child psychology, attempting to understand how to guide her out of this situation.
Over the next few months, I adjusted my work schedule to spend more time by her side. I tried to communicate with her, stepping into her inner world. I encouraged her to join some extracurricular classes, developing new friendships. Slowly but surely, Bernadette began to regain her interest in certain things, and smiles started to reappear on her face.
Meanwhile, I started using hugs to comfort her. Each embrace conveyed my love and support, providing her with warmth and a sense of security. Gradually, she became more cheerful and confident. She initiated social interactions, sharing her thoughts with friends. Her mood gradually lifted, and life regained its brilliance.
After years of effort, Bernadette finally stepped out of depression. Our habit of hugging has persisted to this day, becoming the most sincere bond between us. Now, as my daughter is about to enter university, and I am approaching my fiftieth birthday, she has promised me a special gift.
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。
Paragraph1:
As her summer vacation began, she seemed even busier than before.
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Before us was a warmly decorated studio, with a sign reading “Heartwarming Embrace Association.”
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