Forty-three years seems like a long time to remember the name of someone you don’t know so well. I have forgotten the name of an old lady, who was a customer on the paper route in my home town when I was a twelve-year-old boy. Yet it dwells in my memory that not only she made delicious cookies but also she taught me a lesson in forgiveness that I shall never forget.
On a winter afternoon, a friend and I were throwing stones onto the slanted roof of the old lady’s house from a spot near her backyard. The object of our play was to observe how the stones changed to missiles as they rolled to the roof’s edge and shot out into the yard like comets (彗星) falling from the sky. I found myself a perfectly smooth rock and threw it out. The stone was too smooth, however, so it slipped from my hand as I let it go and headed straight not for the roof but for a small window on the old lady’s back porch. At the sound of fractured (断裂破裂的) glass, we knew we were in trouble. We turned tail and ran faster than any of our missiles flew off her roof.
I was too scared about getting caught that first night to be concerned about the old lady with the broken window in winter. However, a few days later, when I was sure that I hadn’t been discovered, I started to feel guilty for her misfortune. She still greeted me with a smile each day when I gave her the paper, but I was no longer able to act comfortable in her presence.
I made up my mind that I would save my paper delivery money, and in three weeks I had the seven dollars that I calculated would cover the cost of her window. I put the money in an envelope with a note explaining that I was sorry for breaking her window and hoped that the seven dollars would cover the cost for repairing it.
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 waited until it was dark, snuck (潜行) up to the old lady’s house, and put the letter I didn’t sign through the letter slot in her door.
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The next day, I handed the old lady her paper as usual.
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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. 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
3. 参考词汇：forget to do sth. lock window manage to do sth. (设法做某事) go out of (出去) police station (警察局) as soon as possible (尽快地) be caught (被抓) robber (盗贼) tell pretend to do sth (假装做某事) praise (赞扬) bravery (勇敢) back home (回家) thankful (感恩) get hurt (受伤) learn a lesson (吸取教训) safety and responsibility
The doors were all locked from the outside and what’s more, I did not have the keys.
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Just at the same time our parents come back home.
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Christmas was hanging around. Six-year-old David was thinking what presents he could get from Santa. He wanted slippers; he wanted a silk tie; he wanted some toys. And school starting soon, he also hoped to get something about schooling. In order to get Santa to know what he needed, he thought he would write a letter to Santa, which he believed would bring him those presents. He found a sheet and made a list of the items on it, and then bent down to post the letter up the chimney, waiting for the winds to take it up.
David got up very early on the Christmas morning. He searched his room carefully, but to his disappointment, he didn’t find the presents he hoped for. Hadn’t Santa received the letter? Was he too busy to send him the gifts? Although feeling a little upset, David was convinced that Santa would not forget him and he was bound to receive the items.
Many years had passed and 2019 came. In an old house, a young builder, Lewis Shaw was removing the fireplace with his colleagues when he suddenly found a small piece of paper, which was still in perfect condition even if it had turned yellow. He picked it up and unfolded it. It was a letter written to Santa. The touching hand-written note read:
Dear Father Christmas,
Please can you send me a drum, box of chalks, slippers, silk tie, pencil box, any little toys you have to spare?
Love David
It was then signed off with lots of kisses.
This was the very letter written by David and the house was where he had lived during his childhood! The letter struck Shaw so much. How simple Christmas once was! David didn’t ask for much, just the things he just needed. Nowadays kids always want expensive gifts and take it for granted.
Shaw decided to find out the author of the letter. He shared a photo of the note on Facebook.
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Peter, a 5-year-old boy, showed such great interest in sea shells that he would rush to pick them up with his 3-year-old sister, Shirley. They screamed out their joy as Peter collected his treasure into his pockets. For Peter, sea shells lay shining on the peaceful beach, waiting for him, just like stars twinkling (闪烁) in the sky. As waves touched them, they seemed to be flowers blooming (绽放) in gentle wind.
One day, Peter was wandering through market with Shirley, win some shells in his pocket. Suddenly Peter found his younger sister was lagging (落后) behind. He stopped and looked back, finding Shirley was standing in front of a toy shop and was staring at something with great interest. The boy went back to her and asked, “What do you want?” Shirley pointed at the doll, wearing a smile on her innocent face. Peter held his younger sister’s tiny hand, walking into the shop. He tiptoed (踮起脚尖) to reach for the doll, and like a responsible elder brother, gave the precious doll to Shirley. Holding tightly the doll, the sister was very very happy.
The shopkeeper was watching everything and getting amused to see the matured (成熟的) behavior of the boy. Now the boy came to the counter and asked the shopkeeper, “How much does this doll cost, Sir?” The shopkeeper was a cool man, who had suffered from something in his life. So he asked the boy with love and affection, “Well, what can you pay?” Peter reached into his clothes for money that was intended for these two little guys’ breakfast. Having counted the money, Peter put it carefully on the counter, asking again, “Sir, is it enough for my little sister’s doll?” The amusing scene just in front of the shopkeeper eventually brought a smile on his face. Shaking his head slightly, he replied, “My boy, I am afraid it seems not to be enough.”
With his eyes fixed on Peter’s pocket, he wondered what Peter would do.
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My first marathon. It’s pouring rain, my legs were cold, and I was wishing I hadn’t been too nervous to eat a bigger breakfast. “There were tables of chocolate bars every mile at my last marathon,” Dad says.
Suddenly everyone around us starts moving. Way up ahead I see smoke from the cannon. I can’t believe we hadn’t heard it. It took ages to reach the starting line. Our marathon started.
Soon Dad started to slow down. After only a mile, I overtook everyone in sight. And Dad was way behind with his left leg cramped(抽筋).
I soon reached mile 5, and I was feeling good. I still hadn’t seen a chocolate bar anywhere. Maybe they didn’t have them! Instead, the streets were lined with fast-food places. But there were lines of runners at every shop.
By mile 10, my legs felt good but I was starving. How I wish I hadn’t just had one piece of toast for breakfast! It’s raining so hard that it hurt. My hands stung from the cold. I took a power gel out of pocket and tried to open it, but my hands were so cold they felt as if they were frozen into fists. On the balconies people yelled and waved to me. That cheered me up a bit.
Then I ran past mile 13, the halfway checkpoint. Up ahead I could see my mum and my little brother cheering for me. Hearing my name from their cheers, I felt refreshed and kept on running.
Mile 15. I saw food at last! There were tables full of bananas. I grabbed a banana and scoffed it down. Then I ripped the power gel open. My hands had come unfroze. I squeezed the packet and filled my mouth with the gel. Chocolate would taste better.
When I reached mile 20, and I didn’t want to run another inch. Every step jarred my leg.
I started walking the next mile before Dad caught up running in an awkward way.
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Mile 25, we could hear the crowd at the finish line.
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I’d just returned from a beautiful autumn early-morning walk with my dog. At the front door, I dug around in my pockets for the keys. When I discovered I didn’t have them, I decided to return to the paths we’d taken. I would surely spot them in plain sight.
My little dog ran in circles of excitement that we would do a repeat of our just-finished outing. I spent an hour looking, brushing aside tall grasses, but the keys remained lost. I was beginning to get upset as I thought of the consequences of losing them, so I continued to retrace our steps, but without luck.
At home again, I pulled the backup key from its hiding place, let myself in the house, and fell on the couch tired. At my age, one hiking is usually plenty! I began to make a list of the keys. The house key wasn’t that important as I had an extra. The mail key was a big deal because getting a new one takes a lot of time. I had a spare car key, but it was sensitive, and the key chain would be expensive to replace. But the iron heart made by my grandfather was precious beyond measure. For some reason, thinking of it being gone forever made tears come to my eyes. I blamed myself for losing the keys and not being more careful. In my head, I retraced my steps again and again but finally gave up.
That night, it turned colder and we had a snow storm. I enjoyed a comfort-food dinner, played soft music, and settled into a peaceful evening. It was peaceful until I heard my car alarm coming from the garage. I rushed to the car, inserted the key in the door and finally opened it, and then moved it in the ignition (引擎) until the alarm stopped. I felt red-faced as I imagined my next door neighbors being annoyed. I went back in the house but it started again. I turned it off, went back inside, and the alarm sounded again. I repeated the process.
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。
Back in the house, I waited, but the next sound was the front doorbell.
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By keeping pressing the alarm button, they found my home.
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My uncle is a successful businessman. One day, he invited me to have a dinner with one of his clients (客户) to discuss about future cooperation between them, during which he received a call. Then to everyone’s shock, he asked the waiter to check out and put an end to the trade with the client. I felt very confused. After all, it was a deal of one billion. When we got home together, he solved my doubt and told me a story about an expensive “school fee” he had paid for his dishonesty.
It was 15 years ago when he decided to return to his homeland to start a company after having got a PhD degree. Before leaving the country where he had studied for 5 years, he bought himself a Rolex watch with the savings made through years of part-time jobs and the scholarships he had got. At the airport, as was often the case, he had to accept the custom check. Of course, the watch on his wrist was on the list of things to be checked. Remembering that carrying things like this should pay some tax and worried about paying for his watch, he lied to the custom officer, “My watch is only a worthless fake (假货).”
“OK. I see.” said the custom officer and at the same time, in the presence of my uncle, he began to hit the watch heavily. “No!” Before my uncle woke up from his “smart”, the watch which cost nearly ￥100,000 had changed into pieces. “Why?” Shocked and not knowing the reason, my uncle was taken to the office for further examination.
Without finding any suspicious items, the officer let him go but warned, “Never use or carry the fake again, or you will be fined according to the law.”
My uncle continued, “Now, you see, my secretary called me saying the client used the fake to trade with X company one month ago. Such a dishonest man doesn’t have the qualification to cooperate with me.”
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。
Hearing my uncle’s story, I was lost in thought.
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From the story, I know I was wrong.
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Shannon St. Onge, who is the director of finance at First Nations University of Canada, received a call about a check that needed her signature around 3 p.m. She rushed to the city of Regina, which is about 15 miles from her home in Pense, to get the job done. She finished her task quickly and began heading back home because she knew a huge snowstorm was coming.
However, the storm hit hours earlier than predicted, and before she knew it, she was driving straight through a snowstorm! The determined woman kept driving slowly. But eventually, as night fell, she was forced to stop the vehicle entirely.
“There was no visibility, and there was no way I was going any further, because it would have been far too dangerous,” she later said.
She called 911 for assistance, but the operator told her that because of the heavy snowstorm, many people needed help, and all the rescue workers had been sent out. What she could do was to wait on the spot. Hearing this, Shannon started to worry, “Would the gas tank last long? What if I fell asleep and the tailpipe was blocked?”
Looking around for clues about her location, Shannon made out a sign that said Bouvier Lane. She shared the location with her friends. As luck would have it, one of her friends recognized a farm near where Shannon was stuck, and said, “I know that family. I’ll contact them.”
While waiting for the rescue, Shannon saw two cars struggling on the road. She hurried forward and asked them to stop and wait.
Andre Bouvier Sr., an 80-year-old retired farmer, was enjoying a quiet evening with his 70-year-old wife when he got the call from Shannon’s friend. He didn’t hesitate before throwing on his bright yellow jacket and snow boots and headed out into the big storm, carrying an LED flashlight.
注意：
1.续写词数应为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:
Shannon breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Andre heading her way!
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Paragraph 2:
Once inside the house, the family welcomed their unexpected guests.
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Every comer of the small bedroom was filled with summer heat. Hot air snaked across my chest and made my already labored breathing more difficult. At nearly ten years old, I thought I was too old to have the croup(哮吼). The bad cough told a different story.
Earlier that morning, fever and congestion (鼻塞) had been my greatest enemies. I became angry because of the mix. As the excited voices of my sister and two cousins came upstairs, I squeezed deeper into the soft bed. The closing of the front door, followed by the noise of my uncle’s old car threw me further into disappointment. They went off on an afternoon adventure, while I was stuck in bed. Again.
I complained, which only served to fuel my anger. Worn out by the bad cough and the heat, I fell asleep. When I awoke, my grandmother was sitting in a chair next to my bed, shelling peas into a big pot.
She looked at me and smiled. “Good. Harriet, you’re awake.” She reached over and pressed her hand against my forehead. “Better. In a few days, you’ll be up and running around.”
“Not soon enough,” I said unhappily.
Her hands stilled for a moment, several peas held in her fingers. “Ah, the trip.”
I hit the bed hard with my fist (拳头). “They could have waited. I’m stuck here and they’re off having a good time. It’s not fair.” Tears welled up in my eyes as I spoke.
My grandmother remained silent. Her hands again moved smoothly, continuing to shell peas as if they had a life of their own. When she finally spoke, her voice had an edge to it. “So, who told you life was fair?”
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。
I straightened up, surprised at her words, and asked, “What do you mean?”
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Then my sister and cousins raced into the house and said, “We got these strawberries for you.”
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As Good As You
When Jenna’s taekwondo (跆拳道) instructor, Ms. Baroni, introduced Marti, Jenna’s best friend, to everyone, Jenna, was so excited that Marti would be taking lessons with her.
Class started with warm-up exercises, and then Ms. Baroni divided everyone into color-belt groups. Seeing Marti become red in face and play with the edge of her shirt, Ms. Baroni told the friends to work together, even though Jenna was a yellow belt and a level above Marti, making Marti less nervous on her first day. It suited Jenna fine. She couldn’t wait to demonstrate some basic kicks to Marti. Marti copied her kick as high as Jenna’s shoulder. “Great job, Marti!” said Ms. Baroni, who had walked up behind them. She then spent the next five minutes working with Marti, teaching her how to straighten her leg and snap her foot out to make the legs form a square. Jenna collapsed against the wall and watched Marti copy everything Ms. Baroni did.
The more Marti did, the more praise she earned from Ms. Baroni, and so the more half heartedly Jenna practiced. What if Marti became better than her? What if Marti became Ms. Baroni’s favorite student? “Watch your form!” Who is Ms. Baroni scolding? Jenna wondered. She turned and saw Ms. Baroni looking directly at her. Nothing could have been worse. “Jenna, your side kick could be better than that”, said Ms. Baroni with a slight frown, “You’ve memorized your form perfectly, but your moves are sloppy (马虎的). Make the legs fully extended, point the toes downward, and try again.”
At the end of the class, Jenna grabbed her bag and hurried outside to find her mom. She had planned to wait and say good-bye to Marti, but now she wanted to be alone. For the next several weeks, Marti continued to impress their teacher with her skills. And as Marti turned into a star student, Jenna became less and less excited about taekwondo.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右
One day, Marti excitedly told Jenna that Ms. Baroni wanted her to be tested for a new belt. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
When Marti finished her form, Jenna thought it looked perfect. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
