Last Saturday David was taking a walk in the park near his home when he noticed a woman with a boy of about eight years old. When David passed them, he heard the woman yelling: “How stupid you are! You’re good at nothing.” David stopped and looked at the little boy. The boy said nothing. He just stood there, looking upset.
David was reminded of his English teacher Mrs. Brown in middle school. After he entered middle school, David lacked self-confidence because he was often made fun of by others. He was often told that he was good at nothing, which David believed.
But one day it all changed. That day, in an English writing class, Mrs. Brown asked them to read a novel. They were asked to write a new chapter of the novel after they finished reading it. A few days later, David handed in his story. He didn’t give it much thought. But the next day to his surprise, the comment “well done” from Brown came into view the moment he turned to the page where the story was written. When David read that, he almost burst into tears. He had never expected to be praised. He suddenly gained some self-confidence.
That day after he returned home, he wrote another short story and gave it to Mrs. Brown the next morning. And again he was praised. David became very interested in writing. He often wrote short dories and asked Mrs. Brown to read them and correct them for him. Mrs. Brown always gave him good advice to improve them. One year later, David joined the school newspaper and became an editor of it. He gained his confidence and was hopeful about his future.
He succeeded in entering college and kept writing. Several years after graduating from college, he had his first book published, becoming famous as a writer in his country. And he owed his success to Mrs. Brown’s encouragement. Without her encouragement, his life might be very different now.
注意：1. 续写的词数应为150左右。2. 请按照如下格式在答题卡相应位置作答。
Inspired by his own life story, David decided to do something for that boy.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The mother was ashamed when she heard that.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In 1994 an 8.2 earthquake hit America, killing over 30,000 people in less than four minutes. As soon as the earthquake was over, a father left his wife safely at home and rushed to the school where his son was supposed to be, only to discover that the building was as flat as a pancake.
After the unforgettably initial shock, he remembered the promise he had made to his son: “No matter what happens, I`ll always be there for you!” And tears began to fill his eyes. As he looked at the pile of ruins that once was the school, it looked hopeless, but he kept remembering his promise to his son.
He began to draw his attention towards where he walked his son to class at school each morning. Remembering his son’s classroom would be in the back right corner of the building, he rushed there and started digging through the ruins.
As he was digging, other helpless parents arrived, with a broken heart, shouting: “My son!” “My daughter!” Other well meaning parents tried to pull him off what was left of the school, saying: “It’s too late! They’re all dead! You can’t help! Go home! Come on, face reality, there’s nothing you can do!”
To each parent he responded with one line: “Are you going to help me now?” And then he continued to dig for his son, stone by stone. The firefighters showed up and tried to pull him off the school’s ruins, saying, “Fires are breaking out, explosions are happening everywhere. You’re in danger. We’ll take care of it. Go home.” However, the father asked, “Are you going to help me now?” The police came and said, “You’re anxious and it’s over. You’re endangering others. Go home. We’ll handle it!” Again, he replied, “Are you going to help me now?” No one helped.
Paragraph 1:
The father went on alone because he needed to know for himself: “Is my boy alive or is he dead?”
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Paragraph 2:
Everyone began to help him pull the kids out of the ruins.
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It was a cold winter evening, I was terrified that my mom would find out that I had lost the beautiful silver flute (长笛) she bought me. I felt very sad and I thought that she had given me a big lecture about how valuable it was and that I had to take good care of it. Now it was missing! And I felt very upset. I was only ten at the time, so it felt like a huge responsibility. So I didn’t dare tell my mum about it, I didn’t think my mum would pay attention to my flute.
Mum was a soft-spoken woman who never yelled at me, but she would surely have docked (扣除) my allowance (零花钱) for a year or two in order to pay for it if I couldn’t find it and she discovered that my flute was lost. The worst punishment, though, would have been disappointing her and being forever regarded as an unreliable person.
As I was in the band, I would take the flute to school twice and bring it home after practice. That day, I normally remembered collecting it after school and then I rushed through the school gate, I even said bye to the guard. But when I returned home and wanted to take my flute for practice, it was nowhere to be found.
Being afraid to tell anyone, I kept thinking to myself “I’d be in big trouble if I lost it. What should I do?”
Just then, I heard my mum’s calling, “Sweetie, dinner is ready!”
“Okay, wait a minute, I…am …coming…” I replied as I slowly stepped out of my bed-room, my mind was still back in the state of searching for my flute.
When having dinner, I could hardly focus with my eyes. Although I tried to pretend to be calm, my mum still noticed it.
“What is the matter with you, sweetie?” my mum asked.
Hearing what she said, I had to tell her the truth.
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。
To my surprise, my mum didn’t scold me but stood up to come to me.
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When we drove near the school gate, I could see a person standing from a distance.
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Varatha Shanmuganathan is an 87-year-old woman in India. She has become the
This is not Shanmuganathan’s first Master’s degree. After earning her Bachelor’s degree, she returned to Sri Lanka
In 1990, she moved to London to teach English as a second language and received her first Master’s degree from the University of London.
When she found out the university offered free tuition
“She will act as a powerful role model for
Despite her achievements, Shanmuganathan said she is not quite finished yet in
“Find out what you really want to achieve and pursue it until the end. Think of something
“Is this allIgot?” asked my daughter, Allison. “I asked for a new cellphone!”
“What kind of birthday is this?” asked my son, Blake.
Blake and Allison are twins. Every year, I gave them birthday presents. But they always felt unhappy about not receiving something on their wish list.
I knew I had somewhat spoiled(宠坏)them, but I had no idea it was this bad . I was in shock. How self-centered and unappreciative could my children be?
I was determined to do something.
I found a family living on a farm that badly needed help. There were four children in the family aged from three to eight. I began to visit them every two months.
Soon, Allison and Blake’s birthday was drawing near. I decided to introduce them to the new friends. One day, I woke the kids early and drove them to the farm.
When we arrived, I told my children to take two bags off the car, of which one was filled with food and the other with many boxes full of presents my children would never be satisfied with.
We were welcomed inside with smiles and appreciation. Obviously, Alison and Blake were shocked by what they saw. I could guess they had never expected people would live such a difficult life.
“Look! Presents for you. ”Allison was trying to make the kids happier.
With their parents’ permission(允许), the kids began to pick the boxes up, shake them, and guess what was inside. They were so excited. Allison and Blake encouraged the kids to open the boxes. They did. And there were shouts of surprise and joy: a model car, chocolate …then laughter. Then grateful hugs(拥抱)and sincere “thank-yous” .
At first Alison and Blake looked confused but soon joined the children. Before long, they were laughing, too, proud that they brought happiness there.
On the way home, Alison and Blake were a little quiet. When it was time to go to bed that day, my kids hugged me and said, “Thank you, Mum. ”
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 next year, with their birthday nearing, I asked Alison and Blake what presents they wanted.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I agreed and offered to drive them to the farm.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lungs nearly bursting, I struggled to lift my head out of the water. Inch by inch, my tired body reached for the end of the pool.
The extent of my swimming career was purely recreational, while the competitive swimmers nearby thought nothing of the seemingly simple task of a 500-meter swim test. Pushing myself to finish what I had started, I could only think: why not take the easy way out?
Earlier that week, I had turned in my first job application at a local pool. Overqualified, I was hired on the spot. However, the tasks were boring: helping confused visitors and measuring the height of children before they went down the slide, those sorts of things. I was capable of more.
So a swim test was required, establishing the mere fact that I was not completely helpless in a pool. Midway through, the manager administering the test remarked, “This looks really easy for you. Why aren't you applying to become a guard?"
“The thought hadn't crossed my mind."
“Well, lifeguarding demands more responsibility, strength and respect. Thus the position pays $2 more per hour. Your swimming skills are strong enough. All you need to do is complete a certification class.”
Inside I was unsure of myself, but his words inspired me-You never know what you are capable of until you force yourself to do it.
Soon I passed the swim test. All left was to practice and learn first aid, CPR(心肺复苏), and procedures for different land and water-based emergencies.
Work started soon. A well- intentioned yet anxious feeling in me soon passed. Days, weeks, and months went by without incident; emergencies were rare. The skills and training I had so carefully studied and acquired seemed unnecessary.
Today appeared to be another uneventful day. However, shortly after the other guards signaled to the children to exit the pool, I noticed one boy was still in the middle while the others had climbed up.
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。
“Something must have gone wrong with him,” I thought to myself.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Having the boy on the floor, I put my ear to his mouth and my fingers at his neck.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7 . 71 years after starting college, a 90-year-old woman, Joyce Viola DeFauw, was graduating this year. She first entered college in 1951, studying early education, and later, home economics. She left school after three and a half years due to marriage.
The mom of nine, who is now also a grandmother to 17 and great-grandmother to 26, was busy through the years but never forgot about college.“I must have told the children that I wish I had finished back in the 1950s,” DeFauw recalled. “They suggested that I go back and I thought ‘Well, OK.’” Since the pandemic began in 2019, instead of walking to campus to attend classes, she did so behind a computer screen from her retirement home.“I needed a computer and they got one for me and so I’ve been able to use it and enjoy it.”
DeFauw re-entered Northern Illinois University (NIU) in August 2019 and began to take online courses toward a bachelor’s degree (学士学位) in general studies. Although there were times when she struggled with the courses and even thought about giving up, DeFauw kept doing schoolwork almost every day. “We get to exchange ideas and things through the computer and I’ve had wonderful instructors that guided me,” DeFauw said. “As far as the encouragement of everyone — my friends, my family and my teachers — I just can’t give up.”
Three years later, she put on the cap and gown and received a Bachelor of General Studies degree from the university. DeFauw felt very happy and thankful for being able to achieve her big milestone. NIU President Dr. Lisa Freeman praised DeFauw as an “inspiration” to others. “DeFauw is a pioneer and now a Northern Illinois University graduate,” Freeman said. “She has beautifully shown that earning a degree is never late at any age. For anyone still looking to realize your dreams, just go for it. There’s so much that life offers, and you will miss out on if you don’t take advantage of it.”
1. How many majors has DeFauw studied at college?| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four, |
| A．She was too weak to go back to study at college. |
| B．She was a little regretful for restarting her college. |
| C．She was forced to continue college by her family. |
| D．She was supported by her family to continue studying. |
| A．Caring and patient. | B．Determined and hard-working. |
| C．Selfless and independent. | D．Friendly and easy-going. |
| A．All roads lead to Rome. | B．Great minds think alike. |
| C．There is no end to learning. | D．Experience is the best teacher. |
When I was in middle school, I became blind. Suddenly thrown into a world of darkness. I was troubled by frustration and self-pity. Depression consumed me and I was frightened to try anything challenging.
Imagine my surprise when my teacher asked me to enter a speaking contest. I rejected it out of hand. Among so many students, why did she pick me? I was an average student. blind and plain-looking. Anyhow. she insisted that I go for it. Her reply:“Because I believe you can deliver a good speech. You are more capable than you imagine!” Encouraged by her words,1agreed to give it a shot
I decided on a fictional mole (鼹鼠) as my topic. It was a cute creature with poor eyesight mostly living underground, digging holes and helping get rid of pests. Not a brilliant idea, but unique; and undoubtedly a relatable tale.
What did the mole think, as he fought his way in the darkness? Would he get scared? Have second thoughts? Want to quit? It struck a chord immediately. I got exhausted from preparing the speech. I had doubts about my choice. I wanted to escape from reality. But, like the blind mole. I kept it up. I doubled my efforts. I checked out books from the school library. I referred to some great speeches. I turned to my father for guidance.
A week before the competition, I presented my speech to my teacher. She smiled, saying “Good. Now, polish your writing and practice your delivery.” I couldn’t remember how many times I made adjustments to my writing. Nor could I recall how I practiced it over and over again, with mixed feelings. “Could my message get across to the audience?” “How would they react?” Tons of questions crowded into my mind.
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。
The big day finally arrived
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I went up to my teacher after the award ceremony.
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A Girl with Stage Fright
It was obviously going to be one of those days. Students were preparing for a singing contest actively. Paul, a music teacher, made comments on the students' performance at the end of a rehearsal（彩排）. A girl named Lisa did the poorest preparation. Paul was very annoyed and entirely frustrated with her. He doesn't recall how he closed the rehearsal, but he's sure the words he chose were not words that would lift the girl's spirits but rather satisfy his selfish need to punish her for the poor performance.
The moment Paul dismissed the students, Lisa, the very reserved freshman girl, made a path straight toward him. She looked him right in the eye and said, "I hate you!" Paul was taken aback and frightened by the passion and honesty in her voice. Though entirely shocked, he was somehow able to collect himself and stay calm. He looked her right in the eye and said, "Well, that's a shame, but it's my duty to remind you and inspire you. " She didn't react, but rather stormed away, her anger unchanged.
Several days later, they had the occasion to speak in private. Lisa asked if Paul remembered the time she told him that she hated him. How could he forget? She went on to admit quite openly and honestly that it was herself, not him, who she hated. The moment got heavy and she began to tell him of her fear and pressure when standing on the stage. She believed that no matter how well she prepared, she would perform terribly on the stage. Paul became aware that she had serious stage fright and also realized that maybe he had done something improper several days ago. Then he talked to her patiently and sincerely, hoping to help her build the confidence.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 开头已给出。
The day before the contest, she was practising for the singing competition alone.
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However, the next morning, when she stood on the stage, her face turned pale.
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One day, when I was a first-year student in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home from school. His name was Kris. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, “Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd (书呆子).”
I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a gang of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up, and I saw terrible sadness in his eyes.
My heart went out to him. So I jogged over to him, and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, I saw tears in his eyes. As I handed him his glasses, I said, “They are bad guys! They really should be punished.” He looked at me and said, “Hey, thanks!” There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.
I helped him pick up his books and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to a private school before. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before, but we talked all the way home, and I carried his books.
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。
He turned out to be a pretty cool kid.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________We always hung out on weekends, and the more I got to know Kris, the more I liked him.
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