Christmas I Remember Best
I was 9 years old when Dad passed away and left Mom and me. Since Mom was disabled (残疾), we depended on kind-hearted neighbors.
During the first Christmas season without Dad, my expectations were high, but deep down in my heart there was an idea that the man in the red suit would not come to our little two-room house. He stopped only at houses that had fireplaces.
At the same time, there would be no gifts under the tree. In fact, there would be no tree. But that didn’t seem right. At least, a tree would help with the hurt. On Christmas Day I hurried to Petersen’s Market. A fresh layer of news now lay on the street unmarked bypassing cars; not a person was moving.
I thought that the store was closed and the unsold trees were usually thrown away. As I walked among the snow-dusted trees beside the store, old man Nels Petersen appeared out of nowhere. He drove me away.
Nels Petersen was a mean (吝啬) old man and lived alone. The following year, he setup a fence (篱笆) around the Christmas tree lot and locked the gate every night. I accepted the challenge.
On that night, I climbed the fire ladder that hugged the store wall. The next day, old Nels knew one tree was missing; he had counted them. The next year, the ladder was moved away.
Then came a Christmas that I shall always remember with warmth. My teacher at school asked our class to make Christmas cards for our favorite person, not counting our families, so I made a card for Nels Petersen. Why I included him as my favorite person, I didn’t know.
I made a beautifully decorated green tree on the card. I believed that it would be the only card he would get from anybody. I signed it and put it in his mailbox. Late Christmas Eve, when the stores were closed and everybody was home, I walked around the corner of the back of Petersen’s Market. It was in darkness. I moved along the fence secretly.
注意: 1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
To my great surprise, the gate was open!
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Just as I was about to run away, I saw the large lettered sign on the tree, which read: DON’T FORGET TO LOCK THE GATE — MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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Nancy was the special service representative at New York’s LaGuardia airport. One day when she was in the departure lounged (候机室), she spotted a boy in tears and obvious emotional pain, whose mother at his side also appeared upset. Being a clerk of the airport as well as a parent, she was curious if she could be of assistance.
As it turned out, their flight to O’Hare in Chicago was full, and they couldn’t sit together. The boy was terrified to be separated from his mother. Those were the days when the first-class cabins were not always full, so Nancy seated mother and son in first class.
In their later chat, Nancy also found out that the boy, who was called Miles, and his mom were returning to their home in Kansas City. Miles was suffering serious health problems with internal (内部的) organs. They had spent the last two weeks at Long Island Jewish Hospital. He would be back to the hospital through LaGuardia many more times.
During the numerous trips, the friendship and bond between Miles’s family and Nancy’s service staff grew closer. Miles began to enjoy his flights through LaGuardia because he was allowed to spend time in the VIP lounge, where an entire wall was filled with pictures of many celebrities (名人) who frequented the office. The picture of a country singer Garth Brooks, Miles’s hero, the person he most admired, also hung there. Soon Miles’s picture was also added to the wall of fame.
One day, Mr. Brooks was traveling for a performance from LaGuardia and relaxing in the lounge waiting for his flight to depart. He was interested in the picture of the youngster with the big smile on the wall. He was told about Miles, knowing how much Miles loved and admired him, Mr Brooks left his guitar and penned a few words of encouragement inside the guitar case.
He asked Nancy to deliver the guitar and his cowboy hat to Miles.
注意：
1．所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2．续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1:
That evening, Nancy took Garth’s guitar and hat to Miles.
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Paragraph 2:
More exciting news to Miles came about six months later.
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FOR SOME, putting up Christmas lights is yet another holiday activity. But in the Pascucci household, it was always a big day of celebration and it was a family affair. Every year on the day after Thanksgiving, Anthony Pascucci and his older sister, Connie Pascucci, would visit local stores to check out new decorations. Anthony’s son, Anthony Jr., and daughter, Sara, shared the home, and helped with the decoration every year.
In 2020, as in every year, Anthony Sr. Strung(悬挂) colorful lights all around their roof until it looked as if sparkles(火花) were dripping(滴). The whole house twinkled with lights, and gifts were piled under the tree.
Anthony Sr., 60, had outdone himself, as if the brightness of the lights could counter(抵消) some of the darkness of the past year with COVID-19. On Christmas Eve, everyone was looking forward to enjoying another Christmas together as a family.
Then Connie got a call: Someone she worked with had tested positive. Though Connie didn’t have any symptoms, she decided to get tested right away. Her rapid test came back positive.
Anthony Sr., Anthony Jr., and Sara decided they should all get tested too. When their results came back, they all learned that they also had COVID-19. Sadly, everyone agreed their Christmas celebration would have to be canceled.
Right after the new year, Anthony Sr. started having trouble breathing and was admitted to the hospital. Five days later, Connie began feeling weak and wouldn’t eat. She died before getting to the hospital. Less than a week later, Anthony Sr. passed away.
It was the worst of Sara’s life. She felt as if she was in a fog. Grief left her doubled over in pain. Every day she went back after a long day, the twinkling Christmas lights brought her a spark of joy. “It made us happy to see them,” she says. “I couldn’t bring myself to put them away.” Taking the lights down felt like a final act of closure(结束), but she and her brother weren’t ready to take. So they just kept them up.
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
Paragraph 1
One day in February, Sara received an annoying envelope in the mail.
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Paragraph 2
Days later she found her inbox quickly filled with messages showing support as well as criticizing the mean mail.
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Asad was a 13-year-old boy who was very honest and hardworking. Recently, he had entered a new school, so he had no friends yet. On Monday morning, he was nearly late for school. The night before, his family attended his cousin’s wedding and reached home late, which was why he couldn’t get up on time as usual.
At school, Asad could not pay attention to anything and wanted the bell to ring so that he could buy something to eat. After a few hours, when the bell rang, Asad quickly opened his schoolbag to find his money, but just then he remembered that he had left for school in a hurry in the morning and forgotten to take money. He looked under his books, hoping to find some money but there was nothing.
Not knowing what to do, he walked out of the classroom and sat on a bench in front of the canteen. He saw a few of his classmates there, among them was Fahad. He was one of the richest kids in his class, but he was a very arrogant(傲慢的)boy who thought everyone else was a loser. But as Asad was new, he didn’t know much about Fahad.
When he went towards Fahad and asked if he could borrow some money for his lunch, Fahad laughed a lot and said, “I knew you were a loser, maybe a beggar?” Fahad laughed out so loud that other kids also heard and made fun of the situation. He didn’t answer Fahad, and slowly walked back towards an empty bench.
When he reached the bench, he noticed something lying near it. It was a wallet. He picked it up and recognized it as Fahad’s, as he remembered Fahad showing it to his friends and telling that his uncle bought it for him from the UK. There was quite a lot of money inside for a kid.
At first, Asad wanted to keep it a secret and punished Fahad.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Then Fahad said, “Why are you giving back?”
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was a peaceful night. I was sleeping with my brothers, feeling warm and comfortable. Mama was sleeping nearby, covered by snow. Papa was somewhere nearby, watching over us. There was a bright moon and we all had had a good meal of venison (鹿肉)．
“Uncle Louis is coming, ” Papa said. We loved Uncle Louis. He was a funny wolf, and always had interesting things to tell us and show us.
A little while later, Uncle Louis appeared. We did not approach him with respect the way we approached Papa. We flew at him, jumped all over him, and rolled him in the snow. Uncle Louis laughed and patted us with his paws. He is black all over, with yellow eyes, and he is very tall.
“It’s the longest night of the year, ” Uncle Louis said.“Does everyone feel like taking a run through the woods? I want to show you something unusual.”
Hearing that, Papa warned that it was dangerous to go near that pack of humans who lived in the woods.
“They are hardly dangerous,” Uncle Louis laughed. “They are so clumsy and make so much noise. They are not able to get near us — or even see us if we don’t want them to.Besides, this is their special night. They are quite peaceful and won't be bothering wolves.”
“Oh, please, Papa, let us run through the woods with Uncle Louis and see something unusual！” we all begged.
“It is a fine night,” Papa smiled. “I must admit. I do feel like running.”
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式作答。
And we were off, all of us, heading towards the woods.
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We stopped and sat on a hillside and below us was the humans' place.
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His father said, “All set, boy?” and Jeremy nodded quickly, picking up his gun. Finally, they arrived at the marsh. Normally, Jeremy would ask his father to wait while he tried to record the beautiful place with his camera, but not this morning. This was the morning when 14-year old Jeremy was to have duck shooting.
Actually, he hated duck shooting since his father bought him a gun, taught him to shoot and promised him this trip. But he loved his father, and wanted to make his father pleased.
Jeremy put down the camera, sat down and waited anxiously.
“Better get ready. Sometimes ducks are on top of you before you know it,” his father said. He watched Jeremy break his gun, put in the bullets and close it again. “I’ll let you shoot first,” he said. He stopped suddenly, eyes narrowed. “There is a small group of ducks heading this way now. Keep your head down. I’ll give you the order.”
Jeremy’s heart was beating wildly. He prayed, “Don’t let the ducks come, please.”
But they kept coming. “Four black ducks and one mallard (绿头鸭),” said his father.
High above, Jeremy heard the sound of wings as the ducks went over and began to circle. The mallard was leading; his bright orange feet dropped down, reaching for the water. Closer, closer...
“Get set,” his father whispered.
“Now, shoot!” cried his father in a loud voice.
Jeremy felt his body obey. He stood up, his hands holding the gun the way his father had taught him.
At the same time, the wild ducks saw the gunners and flew. “Shoot!” said something sharply in Jeremy’s brain, but the expected sound didn’t come. Up went the mallard, until it flew away.
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。
His father asked in a controlled voice, “Why didn’t you shoot?”
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His father was handing the camera to him and said softly, “Here comes another duck.”
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One evening, a workman was exhaustedly making his way home after work. When he stopped to rest by the side of the road, a woman came by, pushing a cart full of flowers. The smell of her blossoms filled the air with sweetness, and it seemed to take away the tiredness in his bones and lift his spirits. He had never experienced such wonder from the many blooms of his own garden. “How much must I pay, or what must I do, to have some of your wonderful flowers?” he asked the woman.
“Oh, sir,” she said, “take what you wish for.”
“What return must I make for them?” he asked again.
“Your gratitude is enough,” she said, “and it’s a pleasure to share the beauty of flowers with you.”
So the man filled his arms with blossoms and hurried joyfully home. His wife and his children were also glad about the remarkable flowers. They also discovered that the sight of them was a delight and the smell of them refreshed the soul.
In order not to lose his valuable possession, the man planted the blossoms in a small plot of land behind his house. Sunlight and water kept them amazingly beautiful—they still performed their fantastic magic.
Every day, his children took delight in playing in the yard and always sang and danced around the flowers. They all liked the lovely gift their father had received and even invited many of their friends to share this fantastic magic together. When children came to play near the flowers, the man over and over warned them against carelessness and wild play for fear that they would walk on the flowers and damage them. But the flowers remained strong as long as there was enough sun and water to nourish(滋养) them. Nowhere else could the man or his wife or children find such remarkable relaxation from tiredness, such comfort in sadness, such spiritual nourishment as those remarkable flowers provided.
With the news spreading and more people coming to appreciate his treasure, the man became even more concerned about his remarkable flowers.
注意：续写词数应为150左右。
He was determined to protect the flowers.
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However, the flowers seemed to fade day by day, so the man went everywhere for help.
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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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One day, my brother and I were in our apartment. My parents had both gone for a party and had left me in charge of everything. I was doing my homework while my younger brother was watching TV. All of a sudden, the doorbell rang. Dingdong! Dingdong! My younger brother had rushed to the door before I decided to answer the door. We both thought that our parents had come home. As a result, he unlocked the door and opened it.
Outside of the house stood a man who wore a black raincoat and black rubber boots. He looked no different from other people and said that he was a salesman and asked politely if our mother or father was at home so he could talk with them.
Without thinking, my brother said，“No.” He asked if we would like to buy some comic books (漫画书), which he was selling. I quickly explained to him that we were not supposed to buy anything without our parents’ permission. However, it seemed that he was not willing to follow my advice and he had an intention to enter our house.
Then, I realized something terrible would happen. As I was about to close the door, he forced his way into our house. He forced me to tie up my brother’s hands with the rope which he took out from his pocket. I tied up his hands but tied it in a special way so my brother could untie (解开) it himself as we often did. The man then tied my hands up and locked both of us in the kitchen.
Soon, he went upstairs to search the bedroom for something valuable. I managed to teach my brother to untie the rope on his hands. He then untied it for me. I rushed to the telephone to call the police, but the line was dead.
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:
The doors were all locked from the outside and what’s more, I did not have the keys.
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Paragraph 2:
Just at the same time our parents came back home.
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David is a 22-year-old man. Not having received a college education, he found it difficult to find a job. He worked at a small company and wasn’t paid well. He thought life was unfair and often complained.
One day, his boss asked him to go to his office. To his sadness, he was told he didn’t need to come to work again.
That day, David didn’t go straight back to the small apartment he shared with another man. He wanted to find a quiet place and sit there quietly for some time. Having lost his job, he had no idea what to do.
He walked and walked. Finally he stopped in front of a beautiful house. The house had a very big garden behind it. He saw an old man sitting in the garden.
“The old man must be a millionaire,” thought David. “How I wish I were him! If I were him, I wouldn’t have to work and I’d have a large amount of money. I would be the happiest man in the whole world.
Thinking how poor he was, David was even sadder. He hurriedly walked forward and found a place and sat there quietly.
Finally, he became hungry and decided to go back home. On his way back home, he passed the old man’s house again. This time the man was sitting in his front yard. When David passed by him, he noticed that the old man was looking at him. The old man looked as if he admired him very much. David was confused. Why would such a rich man admire him? He was so poor while he was so rich.
Finally, David decided to have a talk with the old man. So he stopped and walked to the old man.
”Hello,“ he said.
”Hello,“ said the old man.
Then they started talking. David told the old man he really admired him.
”You have such a beautiful house. You’re so rich! How I wish I were you!“ said David.
Hearing that, the old man smiled and said, ” And I admire you, too! I wish I were you! If I were you, I’d still enjoy my youth. Now I’m so old. Wealth doesn’t mean much to me!“
Paragraph 1 :
What the old man said struck David.
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Paragraph 2:
David stopped complaining about his life.
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