Teachers are a gift, especially Troy’s teacher, Donna. She always goes above and beyond for her students, but what she did for Troy’s family is truly beyond selflessness but a miracle(奇迹).
Donna is one of those teachers who pay close attention to the students in their classroom. She began to notice something odd in one of her elementary students, Troy. He was not active in class like he had been. Troy used to be a passionate student in class, engaging with teachers and his friends. Being a helping hand to the teacher and classmates, Troy was always welcomed by everybody. However, he was all of a sudden so shut down and his behavior was simply not the same. He seemed to be silent all the time, and his eyes lost light of desire for knowledge and passion for any activities. Donna grew very concerned and wondered if there was something going on that affected his performance at school. So, she reached out to Troy’s mom to express her concerns.
And that was when she discovered something wrong. For the past year, his mom had been in stage-five kidney(肾)failure. She was in pain every day and desperately needed a new kidney. But she had a rare blood type, so finding a match for a kidney transplant was virtually impossible. Her condition had been a very long and anxious journey. It had been so painful for the family, and it had definitely made an impact on Troy. And in class, he had been silently carrying the pain his mom was going through at home.
The news broke Donna’s heart. She knew that she just had to do something. She was there as a loving friend to help Troy with his studies, but she was also there for his mom. Donna researched how to become a kidney donor and discovered that she had the same rare blood type as Troy’s mom. She got tested and, surprisingly, she was a match.
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2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
When Donna told the news to Troy’s family, everyone was surprised.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Soon the kidney transplant took place.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I was always afraid of water. This fear could not be explained, but I knew that the moment I stepped near any body of water, my legs would turn to jelly (果冻). I would imagine myself drowning in the water and thrashing around (乱扑腾) helplessly. That was why I had never gone into a swimming pool until swimming became a school requirement. My school wanted all pupils to pass a swimming test, and if they could not, then they would have to attend weekly swimming lessons in school, which made me tremble.
Thus, my parents signed me up for swimming lessons at the pool near my house. With great unwillingness, I attended those weekly lessons, and each one was great suffering for me. I was naturally clumsy, and my fear of water did not help at all. Every lesson, I would be spending my time thrashing about in the water, while my classmates would be swimming countless laps effortlessly and even turning over like dolphins in the water. How was I going to pass the test at this rate?
In my swimming class, there was an exceptionally athletic girl. Tall and muscular, her name was Kathy. She was the best swimmer in our class and always looked at me with disdain (鄙视), especially when I thrashed about hopelessly in the water.
Once, after a particularly long and hard swimming lesson, I spotted Kathy swimming gracefully in the pool. Gathering my courage, I asked gently, “Kathy, can you teach me to swim?” She stared at me coldly. It was as if I stood at the edge of an endless ocean of inadequacy, my fears appearing like dark storm clouds threatening to drown me. Yet, in that moment, a glimmer of hope flashed within me, a desperate longing for guidance and acceptance. Would Kathy’s icy exterior (外表) melt under the warmth of empathy, or would I remain forever thrashing in the sea of my own fears?
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, she nodded after a few moments of silence.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Congratulations!” Kathy said when she learnt I had passed the swimming test.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I was nominated (提名) for the Junior Honor Society. When I came back home that day, I sat in the family room and filled out the honor society application. I tried my best to prove that. I had all the characteristics required in a candidate: scholarship, leadership, service, character, and citizenship.
The next day, I turned the paperwork in to the advisor and waited patiently.
Months went by, and I received a letter from the school about the honor society. As soon as the school bus let me off that afternoon, I raced into the house. My mother was typing at the computer. “Mom,” I said, “I didn’t make the honor society.”
She smiled and held up her hand to give me a high five. “You jokester (捣蛋鬼).”
I felt tears well into my eyes. “No, really, they didn’t choose me,” I said and handed her the letter.
“Oh, honey, I’m sorry. I thought you were kidding,” my mother said. “There must be some mistake.” She grabbed the phone from the charger and dialed the honor society advisor.
He told her that no mistake was made, but he couldn’t disclose the reason for my non-selection. The decisions of the committee were final. There was no appeal process (申诉程序). She contacted the school headmaster. His answers were the same.
Not being a member of the honor society wasn’t going to ruin my future, but it did hurt me. Nearly all of my friends were chosen for the honor society. You could never imagine how difficult those weeks were for me!
“It’s not fair,” I said one night at supper. “It bothers me that I don’t know why I wasn’t chosen,” I said. “The committee should give a reason, so the student can do better.”
My parents agreed. We discussed ways that the selection process might be improved.
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 managed to have a meeting arranged with our headmaster to share the ideas.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Unexpectedly, I received a special award for my ideas at the Junior Honor Society ceremony.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mama was weaving a mat (织垫子) with wild-grass stalks (茎秆) when she called to Achenyo, “Will you do me a favor and fetch me some water for the paints, Achenyo?” In the corner were pots of coloring matter she’d use to paint the finished mats. “Of course, Mama!” Achenyo picked up a clay pot as she slipped outside.
She didn’t like mat-weaving, although it was a tradition for a mother to pass on the skills to her daughter. Achenyo would rather be playing outdoors with her friends. Outside, Achenyo called to Ajuma, whose house was across from hers.
Both girls, with clay pots balanced on their heads, made their way to the Niger River. When they arrived at the water’s edge, what they found was shocking. The river was gone! In its place was a blanket of dark green leaves dotted by colored flowers.
“Oh no!” Achenyo cried. “The river is gone! There’s no water for drinking, cooking, or bathing! Mama won’t have water to mix the paints for her mats.
Last year, the rainy season brought an invasion of water hyacinths (水葫芦).The plants covered the river and left no room to put in a pot to fetch water. There was no room to bathe or swim. Fishermen couldn’t cast their nets for fish. And now the water hyacinths were back
“How could such a pretty plant cause such harm?” Achenyo wondered
The adults jumped into the water among the broad, green leaves, They began throwing them onto the riverbank. Achenyo and Ajuma joined them. When they’d cleared enough plants, the girls filled their pots with water. A pile of water hyacinths lay on the riverbank What a pity to waste such pretty flowers, Achenyo thought. She picked some for Mama, and then the girls headed home.
Each day, they found the river covered by water hyacinths as if no one had cleared the waterfront the day before. One day, as Achenyo moved an armful of dried water hyacinths out of her way, she had an idea. Carrying the plants under her arm, she ran home. “Mama, will you teach me to weave?
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。
Mama was too glad to pass on the mat-weaving skills to her daughter.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mama and Achenyo then taught their neighbors.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In the busy city of Evercrest lived a young woman named Lily. She was a recent transplant from a small town, chasing her dreams of becoming a successful graphic designer (平面设计师). With stars in her eyes and a heart full of hope, Lily had moved into a tiny apartment in the city, ready to begin her new journey.
One chilly autumn evening, Lily got into an unexpected, tough situation. She had just left the local library, her arms laden (装满的) with books on design theory and software guides, eager to dive into her studies. As she walked towards the bus stop, her phone buzzed with a notification—her last email informed her that the deadline for a crucial design competition had been brought forward unexpectedly. Panic set in, she needed to submit her entry tonight.
With a growing sense of urgency, Lily quickened her pace, her heels clicking against the pavement. But fate, it seemed, had other plans. Just as she turned the corner, one of her worn-out shoes broke, leaving her walking awkwardly on one foot. The bus stop was still a good ten minutes away, and there was no way she could make it in time like this.
Feeling a mix of frustration and despair, Lily leaned against a nearby lamppost, thinking about what to do. It was then that a gentle voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Are you alright there, miss?” asked a tall, middle-aged man with kind eyes and a warm smile. He was dressed casually, wearing a faded jacket and holding a leather bag. Lily looked up, surprised by the stranger’s concern. “I…I’m okay, just my shoe broke, and I have to get home urgently,” she explained, gesturing towards her useless footwear.
Without hesitation, the stranger introduced himself as Mr. Thompson. “Please, let me help,” he offered, pulling out a small roll of tape from his bag. “It won’t be pretty, but it’ll hold until you can get a proper fix.” Grateful for the unexpected assistance, Lily watched as Mr. Thompson skillfully repaired her shoe.
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。
They chatted like friends while he worked.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Putting on the shoe, she felt warm and inspired to join in the design competition.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My wife and I live in an apartment. Because of the circumstances, we allow our elderly widowed (丧偶的) neighbour Mary to use our Wi-Fi connection. We’ve always gotten along really well with Mary, and her kids and grandkids live on the other side of the country because of work or other pursuits, so we’ve become a sort of “apartment family” together.
My wife just bought a new phone after her old phone crashed. After getting her new phone connected to the Internet, I went into our account to remove her old phone. When I saw the list of connected devices, there were four devices I didn’t recognize. I immediately changed the password to our connection and removed all of the devices except my own computer.
My wife and I got our devices set up, and since Mary was out shopping, we set a reminder to go over and help her reconnect when she got home. About ten minutes after I changed the password, I started hearing a lot of banging and shouting from the hallway. I opened the door and saw the man who lived across the hall from Mary pounding on her door.
I told him Mary was out right now. Then he said, “My kids were surfing online, and Mary’s Internet just went out. I’m trying to get it fixed before my kids throw an even bigger tantrum (发脾气).” I was surprised, “What do you mean, Mary’s Internet?” He replied, “She said I could use her Internet when my kids come over.”
“Mary doesn’t have her own Wi-Fi.”
“Sure, she does. I saw her password for it when I dropped off her mail yesterday.”
I knew that was not true. Mary didn’t ask him to collect her mail because if it was big enough that she couldn’t carry it up herself, she would have asked my wife or me to help her. That was mail theft. Finally, Mary didn’t have her own Wi-Fi; she used our Wi-Fi. And since my wife and I did not give him permission, and Mary would never give him permission without our permission. He was stealing our Wi-Fi.
I told him I’d be going to the building manager on Monday to let him know about all this.
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 man screamed at me.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The building manager thanked me for the information.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As the warm summer sun shone down on us, my dad and I stood in front of our house. “Would you like to go see Rhys and take him for ice cream?” my dad asked. I froze on the spot. I love my younger brother dearly, but it had been well over a year and a half since I had been in public with Rhys. The thought made me feel anxious.
Rhys is 14 and severely cognitively impaired (认知能力受损的). He was diagnosed with a rare genetic mutation (突变) at birth. When I was young, I accompanied my mom or dad to pick him up from his new long-term care home at the end of our busy weekends to spend some time with him, normally at our home.
After picking Rhys up and taking the short car trip, we arrived at the ice cream store. I held onto Rhys in his chair while Dad placed our order. Rhys loves to grab things. He grabbed a woman walking by. I apologized immediately, full of embarrassment.
After getting our ice cream, we sat outside. At this point, I was upset and just wanted to go home. Dad could tell that I was upset. He silently understood and let me be. But then I saw a father and a daughter walking along the road toward the ice cream store. The girl’s movements seemed strangely familiar. I noticed she was excited, behaving similarly to Rhys.
Watching those two changed my thinking completely. I realized I wasn’t the only one in this situation: out in public with a family member with special needs. I smiled as I watched the father and the daughter just enjoying their day and not focusing on what others’ thought. They acted just like every other “typical” family. It occurred to me that I shouldn’t let what others think about Rhys ruin our time together. My days of being embarrassed by his actions had to come to an end.
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 grabbed some ice cream with a spoon and playfully held it in front of Rhys.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Seeing Rhys’s smiling face, I decided to take Rhys out more often.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The peaceful little town Cherrywood Dale was made up of colorful houses, each one home to a warm-hearted family. The neighbors were the salt of the earth, always ready to lend a helping hand to one another. However, among them was an exception, an old man named Mr. Johnson, who lived alone in a small cottage.
Mr. Johnson was known for his excellent gardening skills. His gift for gardening had turned his backyard into a beautiful rose garden. However, his passionate devotion to gardening had left him with little time for personal life. His only company was his beloved roses.
Not far from Mr. Johnson’s cottage lived a young couple, Tom and Emily. They were the complete opposite of Mr. Johnson—lively and sociable, always up to something new and exciting. Their home was always filled with the sound of laughter and good cheer. They had a young son named Charlie, who was Mr. Johnson’s favorite neighbor. Charlie’s infectious laughter and boundless energy brought some life to Mr. Johnson’s quiet existence.
One day, Charlie decided to surprise Mr. Johnson by decorating his front yard for the upcoming Harvest Festival. He knew how much Mr. Johnson loved autumn and the changing of the leaves. Charlie enlisted the help of his parents and set to work, painting pumpkins(南瓜)and hanging decorations. They were so caught up in their creation that they ended up accidentally stepping on Mr. Johnson’s prize-winning roses.
The next morning, Mr. Johnson came out of his cottage and saw the beautiful display, his face shining with delight. But his smile quickly turned into a frown(皱眉)when he saw the destroyed roses. He called over Tom and Emily, who were equally displeased by what had happened. They apologized sincerely, promising to replace the roses, but Mr. Johnson was unmoved. The once friendly neighbors became locked in an uneasy standoff. Charlie was heartbroken, not understanding why Mr. Johnson wouldn’t accept their apology.
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。
Then one afternoon, Emily decided to make the first move.
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Mr. Johnson was moved by the three’s sincere understanding.
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My two-year-old daughter was lovingly squished(挤) between a stack of groceries in one of my two shopping carts. Shopping once a month was a well-planned process. My list was organized so that I wouldn’t miss even one item. I knew the aisle, order, and cost of each item.
A gentleman in a suit stood behind me with three items in his hads. He looked up at his watch, then at me and smiled. I’d already let a person ahead of me with a single item. While my daughter was behaving well, I knew I’d pushed her longer than her endurance promised to last. Still, I felt for the man; he obviously had to be somewhere, and he’d be behind me a good long time.
“Why don’t you go ahead of me?” I said shifting the cart backwards. “You only have a couple of items.
“Thank you,” he replied appreciatively, stepping ahead of me.
My daughter gave him a broad smile. “Heh wo,” she said in her sweetest voice.
“Hello,” he replied, taken off guard by her friendliness. His face lit with pleasure.
As the belt moved forward, I started unloading my cart. His few items were ahead of mine separated by a red marker with the store name on it. I was only halfway finished unloading the first cart when a realization hit me. My husband had borrowed my bank card the night before and I couldn’t recall him putting it back in my wallet. I hurriedly dug out my purse and opened my wallet. My heart dropped. He hadn’t returned it.
The gentleman in front of me had paid and was picking up his groceries.
“I’ve forgotten my bank card. Could I pay with my phone?” I asked the cashier hopefully.
“I’m sorry. We only accept credit card or cash. The cashier looked down the lane, disgusted at the amount of groceries. I’m sure she was predicting she’d have to put items back on the shelves.
“It will take me an hour to run home and an hour back. Can you just put my stuff on the side please?“I was discouraged. All my careful planning hadn’t helped. The hour and a half of shopping left me exhausted and I wasn’t sure how my daughter would handle another two hours in the car.
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。
Just then, the gentleman in front of me smiled at me.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The next morning, my family knocked at the gentleman’s door.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I’d set off, with my friend Matthew Price, to sail down a little-known river in the rainforest, in a home-made boat. Our original idea was to go all the way by boat, carrying it past any rough bits, but the river was much rockier and faster-flowing than we’d thought, which meant we were only covering a few kilometers each day. Then, suddenly, we realized that, as the river was about to go over a waterfall, we could go no further by boat.
As it was only a home-made thing, we decided to abandon it and walk to the nearest road. As far as we knew, there were no villages or trading posts along the way and, on our map, it looked like a 100-kilometer walk.
And that walk, through thick rainforest with 25 kilos on our backs, was difficult. We walked for six days. It was hot and we were permanently wet through, before we came to any sign of civilization. There were times when we really wondered if we’d ever get out of that jungle alive.
Then, on the seventh day, we suddenly came across a path — not an animal trail, but a man-made one, so we knew there must be people living there. It was going roughly in the right direction, so we followed it and, at dusk, we came to a deserted camp in a hollow. Deserted, but not uninhabited. There was digging equipment wrapped in plastic, alongside two water-filled holes. Obviously someone had been digging in search of gold at some time or another.
Nearby, on a rough wooden table, were some cookers and a few other supplies, and whoever was camping there must have been intending to return soon because there was a large pot full of thick soup. We couldn’t identify either the strange looking pieces of meat or the unfamiliar vegetables it seemed to be made from, but we were in a desperate state. Over the previous seven days, we’d only had flour and rice to eat and, although we had plenty left, we were low on energy. This was our greatest problem.
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。
So, we cooked up some of our rice.
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But before leaving, we had to take some measures to make up for what we had done.
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