“No matter how hard we try, some things are just not meant to be,” Andrew thought bitterly. He looked down at the hospital bills in his hands and tears filled his eyes. His poor mom had been so ill, and here he was complaining and feeling sorry for himself! He should be praying for her recovery, not crying over a lost, childish dream.
Andrew was nineteen, and as far back as he could remember, he’d wanted to become a software engineer. That dream had become harder to reach after his dad died when Andrew was twelve. His mom had been left to raise him on her own, and it was hard to make ends meet. So Andrew started doing part-time jobs.
Every cent he earned he put away for college. When he was sixteen, he got himself a summer job at a local IT company, where his insight and intelligence caught the owner’s eye. Mr. Lewis, the CEO, made Andrew the assistant of his best and most innovative developer, and the boy thrived (不断成长) on the challenge. He couldn’t wait to go to college!
Unfortunately, when Andrew was in his senior year in high school, his mother became very ill. The usually energetic woman was constantly tired and in pain. She went from doctor to doctor, but no one knew exactly what was wrong with her. They sent her off to do dozens of expensive tests, then shook their heads over the results. Andrew’s mom started getting weaker and weaker, and thinner and thinner until she could barely walk.
Andrew added up the medical bills and was shocked. They owed over $23,000! Andrew pulled out his bank book. He had close to $30,000 in his savings account. He’d painstakingly (艰苦地) saved up for YEARS, so he’d be able to go to college, but his mom’s health was more important.
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。The next day, Andrew went to see Mr. Lewis.
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That night, Mr. Lewis appeared on Andrew’s home with a great idea.
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Holidays are not necessarily for fun or rest. Doing something meaningful can also gain special pleasure. When the final bell rang, the students were reminded that there was no school on Monday—the Labor Day. “Enjoy your extra day off” said the teacher to her class.
An extra day off unsuited Kayla just fine. She loved breaks. She wanted to go out to play with her friends. When the school bus dropped Kayla off, she ran into the house happily.
“How was school, Kayla?” asked her mom.
“It was great, Mom. I am excited about no school on Monday.”
“You just started back to school two weeks ago. Already in need of a break, huh?” asked Kayla’s mom with a laugh.
Kayla slept in the next morning. Saturday was her favorite day of the week. I trained most of the day, so Kayla enjoyed playing videogames inside. On Sunday, her friends came over and they played basketball for several hours.
Then it was Labor Day, you know, the extra day off that Kayla was so looking forward to. But Kayla was awakened early that morning by her dad. He told Kayla that in honor of Labor Day, the family would be cleaning both inside and outside the house. Kayla couldn’t believe it. This was a holiday. A day when she was supposed to be enjoying freshly squeezed lemonade while playing in her tree house. As Kayla wiped here yes, she began to wonder if this was just a bad dream.
“Kayla, your breakfast is ready. We have a lot of work to do today. Let’s get a move on,” said Kayla’s mom. As she sat down at the kitchen table, Kayla asked her parents，
“Are you serious about working today? Isn’t Labor Day a holiday?”
“Yes, Kayla. It is,” replied her dad. “But your mom and I thought working hard today would make you appreciate why Labor Day was observed in the first place.”
注意：1.所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。
At first Kayla felt disappointed at her parents’ plan for the holiday.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________But things began to change as she was doing the chores.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I lost all my hair at age 2 due to alopecia (脱发). Though all I can do was fit in when growing up, I would look at all the beautiful girls I was surrounded by at schools and in the media and think if I had hair, I would be beautiful, too.
I wore a wig (假发) and was often laughed at for it. They called me “bald (光秃的)”. I had no choice but just to let them laugh at me, because I know it was the fact. I felt like I deserved it, as if losing my hair was somehow my fault.
When I came to the senior high school, I still wasn’t okay with my alopecia and avoided talking about it. I was expecting a huge change, and I extremely wanted to be like everyone else. I kept my alopecia a secret and was fearful of telling anyone about it.
I remembered one day I built up the courage to tell a girl about my alopecia. Hesitating for a long time, I finally stammered (结结巴巴地说), “I have no hair because of alopecia.” She was shocked because I hid it so well. “I can’t have a date with someone who doesn’t have hair,” she said in a low voice. Disappointed and heart-broken, I turned around and walked away. From then on, I shut down, never wanting to let anyone know my alopecia again. I continued to wear my wig no matter what the weather was and what I was doing. It was my security and way to hide from the world.
Sports became my escape, though. I was fortunate to have inborn athletic ability. I would race home and play basketball for hours every day. I would pretend to make the game-winning shot when I was playing. I had big dreams. I did not think about my alopecia during these moments, but think who I wanted to become and what I wanted to accomplish.
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 put all my time and energy into becoming the best player I could be.
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Then a marathon totally changed my life.
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The morning of June 30, 2014, was warm and fine. We sat on the cottage dock, relaxing on the chairs with our several dear friends. Our kids were playing on a big white paddleboard in the lake. As the children screamed in delight and swam, we adults joked about middle age, weight problems and so on. Everyone laughed. The mood was light.
Then black clouds rolled in over the calm blue lake and blocked out the sun.
“Looks like rain,” said my husband, Ian.
“Let’s head up the hill before it starts to pour.”
The kids unwillingly pulled the paddleboard to shore and we hiked up the path to the cottage (小屋) that my parents built in 1969. The wind became stronger. Thunder boomed and echoed through the rolling hills. We were glad to be indoors and comfortable.
The rain kept pouring. Ian decided to see the situation outside. He stepped onto the cottage’s small covered porch (门廊). A moment later, he called me to join him.
“Come out here, Patricia,” he said.
“No, I’m good in here, honey,” I said. I felt sleepy in my chair. I was enjoying my rest time and the sound of the rain on the roof.
“Come, please,” he said. “NOW!”
I recognized the anxious tone in his voice; it meant trouble. When I stepped outside, I couldn’t believe the scene before me. Water poured down our driveway. Small streams formed, flooding the cottage and the land around.
Ten minutes later, our yard was filled with water like a swimming pool.
The water tore away the grass and gardens. It carved out a deep ditch (沟渠) along one side of the building, exposing the pier (支柱) that my dad had poured forty-five years ago when he and my mom built our cottage.
Ian stepped forward. “We need to get all the cars to the main road before the driveways wash completely away. I’ll get shovels (铲子).”
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。
Soon,every adult had a shovel in hand.
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The rain stopped and the dinner was ready.
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Puppies for sale
A shop owner placed a sign above his door that read, “Puppies for Sale.”
As we know, signs like this always have a way of appealing to young children, and to no surprise, a little boy appeared by the shop owner’s sign and approached the owner. “Excuse me, how much are you going to sell the puppies for?” he asked.
The store owner replied, “For anything between $30 and $50.”
The little boy reached in his pocket and pulled out some change from it. “I have $2.37 on me,” he said in a low voice. “Can I please look at them?”
The shop owner smiled and whistled. Out of the kennel (犬舍) came Lady, who ran down the passage of his shop, followed by five tiny balls of fur. One puppy was moving slowly and fell behind. In no time the little boy picked out the slow puppy and asked, “What’s wrong with that little dog?”
The shop owner explained that the vet (兽医) had examined the little puppy and had discovered that his back leg was injured. He would always walk slowly and with difficulty. He would be lame (瘸的).
Hearing what the shop owner had said, the little boy became excited, “That is the little puppy I want to buy.”
The shop owner said, “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.”
The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the shop owner’s eyes, pointing his finger at him, and said, “I don’t want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I’ll pay full price. As a matter of fact, I’ll give you $2.37 right now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for.”
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 shop owner objected.
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All of a sudden, the little boy reached down and rolled up one leg of his pants.
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It was summer, and my dad wanted to treat me to a vacation like never before. He decided to take me on a trip to the Wild West. We took a plane to Albuquerque, a big city in the state of New Mexico. We reached Albuquerque in the late afternoon. Upon Paul, my dad’s friend, picked us up from the airport and drove us up to his farm in Pecos.
His wife Tina cooked us a delicious dinner and we got to know his sons Ryan and Kyle. My dad and I spent the night in the guestroom of the farm house listening to the frogs and water rolling down the river nearby. Very early in the morning, Uncle Paul woke us up to have breakfast. “The day starts at dawn on my farm,” he said. After breakfast, I went to help Aunt Tina feed the chickens, while my dad went with Uncle Paul to take the sheep out to graze (吃草). I was impressed to see my dad and Uncle Paul riding horses. They looked really cool.
In the afternoon, I asked Uncle Paul if I could take a horse ride, and he said yes, as long as my dad went with me. I wasn’t going to take a horse ride by myself anyway. So, my dad and I put on our new cowboy hats, got on our horses, and headed slowly towards the mountains. “Don’t be late for supper,” Uncle Paul cried, “and keep to the track (足迹；踪迹) so that you don’t get lost!” “OK!” my dad cried back. After a while Uncle Paul and his farm house were out of sight. It was so peaceful and quiet and the colors of the brown rocks, the deep green pine (松树) trees, and the late afternoon sun mixed to create a magic scene. It looked like a beautiful woven (编织的) blanket spread out upon the ground just for us.
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
Suddenly a little rabbit jumped out in front of my horse.
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We had no idea where we were and it was getting dark.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________That night, I quarreled with my mother, then stormed out of the house. While on the road, I remembered that I did not have any money in my pocket, I did not even take my cell phone with me to make a call home.
At the same time, I went through a noodle shop, and I suddenly felt very hungry. I wished for a bowl of noodles, but I had no money!
The seller saw me standing before the counter and asked, “Hey little girl, you want to eat a bowl?”
“But … but I do not carry money …” I shyly replied.
“Okay, I’ll treat you.” the seller said, “come in, I will cook you a bowl.”
A few minutes later the owner brought me a steaming bowl of noodles. After eating some pieces, I cried.
“What is it?” He asked.
“Nothing. I am just touched by your kindness!” I said as I wiped my tears. “Even a stranger on the street gives me a bowl of noodles, and my mother, after a quarrel, chased me out of the house. She is cruel (残忍的)!!”
The seller sighed, “Girl, why did you think so? Think again. I only gave you a bowl of noodles and you felt that way. Your mother has been taking care of you since you were little, why were you not grateful and why did you hurt your mom?”
I was really surprised after hearing that.
Why did I not think of that? A bowl of noodles from a stranger made me feel grateful, and my mother has raised me since I was little and I have never felt so, not even a little.
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。
Just at that moment, many memories came back into my mind.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When arriving home, I saw my mother sitting at the dinner table, worried and tired.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was so heartbreaking for Devan Bonagura to see 81-year-old Nola Carpenter sitting in the break room of a supermarket where she works. In the short video he shared, the woman appears tired and stares at the floor as if thinking of something. The video finally went popular, earning over 30 million views and causing a movement that would change Carpenter’s life.
It is widely known that retail (零售) workers are heroes. They put up with long hours and angry customers, among a lot of other things. This work is challenging for young people and able-bodied people, so it can really be more difficult to the old. That’s why Bonagura posted the video.
He posted the short video of her with the message “Life shouldn’t be this hard. . . ”and the caption(字幕)“I feel bad”. At last, his followers asked him to find a way to support this woman, and it inspired him to open a GoFundMe campaign titled“Let’s help Carpenter retire (退休)”. The idea was to support Carpenter so that she could retire early.
Although the goal was just $10, 000, 24 hours later over $100, 000 had been collected. Two days later, Bonagura met up with Carpenter and told her how he had posted a video of her and how people had come together to help her. “They see that you’re a very hard worker,” the social media platform told the woman. “We are all super proud of you, and we want to offer you the $110, 000 that has been raised for you.” “T’d accept it, but I’d still have to work until I get the other $60, 000 to pay off the house,” she explained. “The house is what’s holding me at work. ”She then talked about her daily life and how she struggled to help those in need.
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。
Knowing why Carpenter worked so hard at this age, every one was moved
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Reaching her goal, Carpenter won’t retire until the New Year.
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As a teacher, my daily routine includes driving to a new school almost every day so I’m usually unable to predict the day’s events, good or bad!
needed coffee to even consider surviving the afternoon. So on my lunchtime, I drove to a nearby plaza to get a cup of On one particular day, I was teaching in a very difficult class. Some of the schoolboys didn’t finish their homework on time and that really annoyed me. I was managing behaviour all morning and by lunchtime I knew I coffee. There I had a wonderful time and forgot the unpleasant experience in the morning. Upon returning to the car, I realized I had locked my keys and my phone inside!
I had about 10 minutes to get back to the school which was a good 4-or-5-minute drive away. I considered rushing back, but it was winter, and I thought a dirty fall on ice would make the situation much worse. So I ran into a Mcdonald’s which was in the same plaza and asked the man at the counter to call me a cab. The man happened to be the manager of the restaurant. I briefly explained my situation to him, and I could tell by the look, that he empathized. He hurried to the back to use the phone while I paced in the restaurant. I had less than 10 minutes to get back to my school at this point.
The manager returned, only to tell me that the cab company had put him on hold and then the line got disconnected, and that he was now on hold again, but had not yet been able to request the cab yet. My expression, I am sure, began to resemble some combination of hopelessness and fear.
注意:续写词数应为 150 左右。
Paragraph 1:
Without a thought, the manager grabbed his coat and offered to drive me to the school.
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Paragraph 2:
The manager’s calm behaviour and kind nature made me think
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In 1989, fresh out of high school, I had the difficult task of choosing a career path before college started in three months. In those days in Pakistan, there were limited choices: becoming a doctor or an engineer, or entering the financial world after getting a business degree. I wasn’t interested in engineering, so that I was left with medicine or business. I couldn’t decide.
My uncle suggested that I do a work placement(实习) to experience it for a month in an international company followed by a month in a hospital. After that, I could make a decision. It seemed like a good idea.
I was accepted for a month’s placement at a foreign bank in Karachi. I got a feel of how the world of finance functioned, made new friends, and generally enjoyed the mostly easygoing work surroundings.
The month passed rapidly, and soon I began working at a leading hospital in Karachi. The experience couldn’t have been more different. The hospital had a stressful environment. The days started early (at 7 am, compared to 9 am at the bank), and were filled with endless duties. And the night calls! This was crazy, working all day, through the night, and again the next day.
I began thinking about my two experiences. The bank had offered a more relaxing atmosphere, better working hours and less stress. The hospital was full of excitement, but studying and training were difficult. It seemed that the business choice was going to win out.
Near the end of my month at the hospital, I was driving home after an especially busy night call. In front of me was a public bus, with college students sitting on the top. As the driver weaved through (穿梭) traffic, I could see the boys shaking from side to side.
注意：1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2．至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3．续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4．续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1：
Suddenly, a boy fell off the back of the bus.
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Paragraph 2：
The next day, when I went to the hospital to see the boy, all his family got up, with grateful smiles on their faces.
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