For years, putting up Christmas lights had been a family tradition for the Patrick’s household. It was an occasion when they would busily prepare for the celebration of Christmas.
Their Christmas light display was always a highlight of the neighborhood and brought much delight to the whole community. Typically, Anthony would invite the neighbors over as they decorated the Christmas tree in the front yard. Emily, who lived next door and had known Sara’s family for long, often came to admire their wonderland of Christmas lights.
In early December, Anthony would string colorful lights all around their roof until it looked dazzling. On the front lawn, he would blow up a large white Frosty the Snowman and a Rudolph with a glowing red nose. Sara always joined in, along with their warm-hearted neighbors, hanging gifts on the tree and playing “White Christmas” over and over to keep everyone in the spirit.
Yet the bad news came in the midst of the festive mood, before they could finish the Christmas decoration. Anthony fell desperately ill. The symptoms suggested acute heart failure and he was soon admitted to hospital. Sara spent days and nights in the ward, attending to Anthony and praying for his recovery, though the hope was slim. On Christmas Eve, Anthony passed away.
It came as a huge blow to Sara. In the following days, she had to manage the funeral while struggling to figure out a way to cover housing and household expenses, and tackling a seemingly endless list of difficult to-dos. Perhaps hardest of all, she had to persuade herself into accepting the loss of her father. It was too much to take.
When she pulled up to the house after a long day on the go, the only thing that could comfort her were the twinkling Christmas lights, which brought her a spark of hope-it felt as if the brightness of the lights could cancel out some of the darkness of the past days’ misfortune.
Wanting to help, Emily shared their story on a community website.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Touched by their kindness, Sara decided to fulfill the lighting decorations, though Christmas was gone.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It has been 26 years since my army friend Dan and I packed picnic food and T-shirts inside his blue car, and drove past the military police at McClellan’s main gate.
Armed with weekend passes and new dollars from our first week’s pay at our Army Reserve summer camp, we were on our way to Florida. We had thought a weekend at the beach would be just what we needed to recover from days of hard tasks.
The May weather was delightful. And with the music being played, we drove into Birmingham and decided to stop to phone our mothers and wish them happy Mother’s Day before continuing our journey south to Florida.
Picking up my phone and reaching my mother at home, I learned she had just returned from grocery shopping. I could tell by the tone in her voice that she was disappointed I wouldn’t be spending her special day with the family. “Have a nice trip and be careful. We’ll miss you,” she said.
When I hung up, I could tell by Dan’s face that he was suffering from the same guilt that was troubling me. To deal with our guilt, we discussed and then decided to buy our moms flowers and ask delivery men to send the flowers to them.
Pulling into the parking lot at a flower shop, we each scribbled (匆匆书写) a note to go with the flowers that would remove our guilt of spending our only free weekend on the beach rather than with dear old Mom.
We waited while the clerk assisted a little boy who was selecting flowers, obviously for his mother. We were anxious to pay for our flowers and be on our way. Finally, this little boy picked up many beautiful carnations (康乃馨) for his mother. At that time, we didn’t know his dear mom had already passed away.
The little boy smiled with pride as he turned to me and held up his selection while the clerk rang up his order.
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“I’m sure my mama would love these flowers,” he said.
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Then, we paid for our flowers and dropped our notes in the dustbin.
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Preparing for the upcoming Christmas season was truly annoying. Schedules to meet and deadlines to attend were pounding at the doorstep. The stores were jam-packed with people. The freeways, highways, main roads, and back roads seemed to fill as quickly as the opening of Disneyland’s theme park.
This was supposedly the season of giving and loving. Something needed to change — but what?
Suddenly, a request from the local radio station playing in the background caught my attention. “This year, they’re forecasting a record for cold temperatures. The local homeless shelter is in desperate need of clothing — hats, scarves, and gloves especially. A three-day window has been set up to receive donations into the late hours of the night. ”
Something pulled at my heartstrings that very moment — a tinge of a feeling almost forgotten. This is the answer! I immediately thought. Then, as if flying on wings, I packed up my three-year-old son and headed out to the local discount store.
The crowds in the store didn’t change my determination. Four sets of hats, gloves, and scarves were found within a matter of minutes and purchased.
Back in the car, the same radio station was playing holiday music, but this time it seemed to capture my senses. My attention was again brought to the present as my patient three-year-old son finally asked where we were going. I explained that certain people needed warm gloves, hats, and scarves. They didn’t live in a house of their own and needed us to help. His face held a look of puzzlement. How does one explain such a thing to a three-year-old?
My son carefully took his very first dollar bill from his pocket. It had been given to him a few days earlier — a possession so precious that if anyone even looked at it, he immediately retreated out of sight with the dollar in hand. It had become his priceless treasure.
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。
An hour later, we reached the entrance to the drop-off center.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________With a wish of “Merry Christmas,” I turned to go back to the car.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The Day Mother Cried
Coming home from school that dark winter’s day so long ago, I was filled with anticipation. I had a new issue of my favorite sports magazine under my arm. Dad was at work, my sister was away, and Mother wouldn’t be home from her new job for an hour.
I was shocked into stillness by what I saw . Mother pulled into a tight ball with her face in her hands. She was crying. I had never seen her cry.
I approached cautiously and touched her shoulder. “Mother?” I said. “What’s happened?”
She took a long breath and managed a weak smile. “It’s nothing, really. I’m going to lose this new job. I can’t type fast enough.”
“But you’ve only been there three for days,” I said. “You’ll catch on.” I was repeating a line she had spoken to me a hundred times when I was having trouble learning or doing something important to me. She sobbed in silence .
I felt helpless and out of place. At the age of 16 I still assumed Mother could do anything. To provide enough income for my college two years later, Mother was crazy for ways to save money.
A few months ago, Mother arrived home with an old typewriter. It skipped between certain letters. “That’s all we can afford,” Mother said. “It’s good enough to learn on.” And from that day on, immediately after dinner, Mother would disappear into her sewing room to practice. The slow tap, tap, tap went on some nights until midnight. On Monday, she got a job as a typewriter at a radio station. I was not the least bit surprised but she was excited. But on Tuesday Mother looked drawn. I didn’t care honestly.
My shock and embarrassment at finding Mother in tears on Wednesday showed how little I understood the pressures on her. Sitting beside her on the couch, I began very slowly to understand.
“I guess we all have to fail sometimes,” Mother said quietly. I could sense her pain. I reached out and put my arms around her.
A week later Mother took a job selling dry goods at half the salary the radio station had offered. “It’s a job I can do,” she said simply.
注意：续写词数应为150左右。
But the evening practice routine on the old green typewriter continued.
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The old green typewriter sits in my office now, unrepaired.
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5 . “I don’t want to see that cat in our yard again,” my husband said as he shooed the beautiful cat back into the neighbor’s yard. “I don’t appreciate her cat
The following morning, John stood at the window in our bedroom. “You aren’t going to
That evening, we spotted the sweet yellow cat in our yard searching mice. The groundhogs were nowhere to be
| A．hunting | B．appearing | C．dashing | D．rolling |
| A．note | B．letter | C．mail | D．text |
| A．affection | B．dislike | C．fancy | D．choice |
| A．controlling | B．telling | C．ordering | D．persuading |
| A．forget | B．miss | C．believe | D．catch |
| A．in anger | B．in mess | C．in surprise | D．in caution |
| A．enormous | B．cute | C．fierce | D．elegant |
| A．curtain | B．glass | C．window | D．flag |
| A．leisurely | B．quietly | C．proudly | D．directly |
| A．damage | B．worry | C．disease | D．fault |
| A．died off | B．taken off | C．laid off | D．driven off |
| A．confusing | B．interesting | C．encouraging | D．disgusting |
| A．feel | B．taste | C．smell | D．sound |
| A．polished | B．removed | C．eased | D．resolved |
| A．caught | B．seen | C．held | D．touched |
6 . Last summer I talked with my daughter studying in her last year in high school about her graduation album. I asked which
After two
Yes. I could have picked a photo my daughter didn’t like and submitted it behind her back, but I knew it wouldn’t have
My daughter is
I had my senior year and did it the way I wanted. Now it’s my daughter’s
| A．reporter | B．photographer | C．volunteer | D．teacher |
| A．paid | B．imagined | C．declined | D．chose |
| A．buy | B．deliver | C．pick | D．borrow |
| A．keeps | B．expects | C．loses | D．dislikes |
| A．shame | B．joke | C．punishment | D．hit |
| A．helpful | B．sure | C．safe | D．happy |
| A．seconds | B．hours | C．months | D．decades |
| A．celebration | B．schedule | C．semester | D．deadline |
| A．drawing | B．design | C．picture | D．number |
| A．disappointing | B．positive | C．strange | D．unclear |
| A．worked | B．looked | C．covered | D．moved |
| A．great | B．old | C．calm | D．kind |
| A．laugh at | B．exchange for | C．hand in | D．care about |
| A．hope | B．explain | C．determine | D．mean |
| A．turn | B．result | C．action | D．answer |
7 . Matthew Cuthbert and his sister, Marilla, live on Green Gables farm, in Avonlea, Prince Edward Island. They want to adopt an orphan boy, but Matthew doesn’t find the boy at the train station. Instead, he is attracted by a sweet, talkative 11-year-old girl called Anne. Having heard about Anne’s poor childhood, they think Anne might not be the “useful boy” they’ve wanted to work on the farm, but she needs their sympathy. Anne is overjoyed to be allowed to stay.
On Anne’s second morning at home, however, Matthew abruptly suffers from a heart attack. Soon, Marilla sees a specialist and learns that unless she takes measures to prevent her eyesight, she will be blind within six months. Anne finds herself involved in a dilemma.
Anne, anyway, gradually gets familiar with the beauties of Green Gables, the household duties she will have to fulfill. Even though Marilla often scolds Anne for daydreaming and ignoring her chores, both she and Matthew find Anne’s imaginative talk amusing, and soon they can’t picture the farm without her.
In the fall, Anne starts off well at Avonlea School, but then she’s teased by Gilbert Blythe, a handsome boy in her grade, for her red hair. Anne hits Gilbert on the head, and she is punished by her teacher and refuses to attend school for a while. After Anne returns to school, she takes a renewed enthusiasm in her studies and a growing academic competition with Gilbert. Besides, Anne forms a story club to help her friends improve their imaginations.
When she is 16, Anne studies for the entrance exam to Queen’s Academy. With intense effort, Anne and Gilbert both get the highest exam scores in Prince Edward Island, broadening Anne’s ambitions for the future. The following September, Matthew and Marilla, both tearful over Anne’s growing up, say goodbye when Anne settles into Queen’s for the year. Anne earns teacher certificate, and though she’s defeated by Gilbert for the highest academic honor, she wins a scholarship.
1. What makes Matthew and Marilla decide to adopt Anne?| A．Anne’s pitiful childhood. | B．Anne’s attractive appearance. |
| C．Anne’s easy-going personality. | D．Anne’s familiarity with farm work. |
| A．She teases her classmate. | B．She hurts a handsome boy. |
| C．She fails to get good scores. | D．She refuses to attend school. |
| A．She defeats Gilbert academically. |
| B．She is full of hope for the future study. |
| C．She earns the highest academic honor. |
| D．She is discouraged not to be admitted into the college. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Amused. | C．Indifferent. | D．Content. |
Tomato Changed My Life
Doing things-without being planned was never my strength.
As a 14-year-old, I would refuse to go for walks around the block with my friends if I was the least bit behind in my schoolwork.
Unlike most teenagers, I lived not in my room, but in an unused kitchen upstairs where I spread my books and papers on a large round table. I spent considerable time there, working continuously for hours, and my mother worried. She would try to lure (引诱) me away. “Come and watch the parade!” she would call from downstairs. “All neighbors are out there!” She thought of all kinds of tricks-the swimming pool, ice cream, stray cats and turtles-to remove me from my -studies, but nothing ever worked.
Later, in college, the pattern continued. The library and my college dorm replaced the unused kitchen at home. When spring came along friends would stop by my dorm or peer into my library room to persuade me to play Frisbee on the lawn. “No, I would almost always say.” I have too much to do.
My college study days were gone, but not my need and love for schedules. My friends and sisters tried to keep me away from my plans, but they were hardly ever successful.
This summer, though, while house sitting for my parents, I was persuaded to change my plans in the most unexpected way. The sight of tomatoes growing in my mother’s garden lured me out of my tightly scheduled world. They drew me with the power of a lover’s gaze. Hundreds of them were turning ripe and red by the minute, decorating the garden like decorations on a Christmas tree.
“If I have time, I’ll make tomato sauce (番茄酱).” I told myself. But my long week in the house by myself was already filled with things to do: writing, and finishing a project that I brought home from the office.
Then, watching the fascinating tomatoes continuously falling to the ground in ever-greater numbers, again I mentally argued about all the things I had planned and needed to do.
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。
Finally, I gave in.
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A month later, my parents came back.
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For as long as I can remember. I have spent every Sunday afternoon until I was a teen, around the table at Grandma’s house. As soon as Grandma and I would return from Sunday Morning Mass at St Joseph’s Parish. Grandma got started on the meatball.
Ever since I was just two years old, Grandma would always allow me, her only granddaughter at the time, to sneak a meatball before dinner was served. There was something about that snuck meatball. For some reason, it tasted so much better than the one she placed beside my macaroni, once we all sat down. My Italian Gamma had a way of keeping an eye on all of her meatballs, to make sure no one snuck a meatball but me, who she gave that special VIP sneak. How did she do it? Well, she would make my “before dinner meatball” slightly bigger than the rest.
The meatball stealing games was all fun until Jeanine came along. Allow me to introduce you to my sister Jeanine, my Gramma’s second granddaughter born five years after me, just three years after I fell in love with Gramma’s yummy meatballs.
My younger sister Jeanine was quite the fussy eater. She did not care that her gramma made the world’s best meatballs, or that our mama made almost as yummy meatballs as her mother did. All Jeanine cared about was being done with dinner as fast as possible so she can go back to playing, and so she can get her evening snack, cocoa and popcorn. Jeanine knew the rules. She knew no snack unless you finish your dinner at least 90 percent. Jeanine was not giving up her favourite snack. She knew she had to develop a plan! She did indeed!
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, one day when she was given a meatball on her plate, she stole that meatball.
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One day my mother noticed that something smelt funny in our closet.
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December is certainly the time of Christmas spirit and with that comes a wave of kind acts — people are often much nicer and willing to be giving than any time of the year. While it seems like an expected sight, thankfully it still keeps surprising us. That’s just what I experienced while volunteering with Santa’s Secret Shop at a local school.
I volunteered to help with Santa’s Secret Shop at the school. Each child there paired up with a helper, mostly high school seniors. There was one guy with disabilities this afternoon and when he was helping a kid next to me, he found the kid was a little short of cash for Christmas gifts, so this senior opened up his wallet. I supposed they were brothers, and didn’t think much of it. However, I noticed he was always holding out his helping hand and allowing other children to choose gifts that were out of their budgets. I felt curious and reported my experience on Facebook and praised the mysterious young man called Timmy Sweeney.
What did people on the Internet think about his actions? Many people praised him, just as a post said, “This kid has a heart of gold. I so wish there were more kids like him! His parents definitely did an amazing job raising him.” Others expressed their gratitude.” This story brought tears to my eyes. Thank Timmy for being what this world needs: a kind person who is thoughtful and just happens to be watching out for others. The world is really becoming a better place because of such nice persons as Timmy.”
Deeply touched, I came up to Timmy to keep me informed of his motivation to do so, for I was really curious about his behavior. He responded. “I’m a senior at Susquehanna Community High School. I used to be very athletic until I was in an accident and I can’t play any more, which destroyed my faith in the future. That’s the reason why I need to do something meaningful to make a difference in the world.”
注意：1. 续写词语应为150个左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1:
He continued his story, describing his acts of kindness.
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Paragraph 2:
Eventually, his acts of kindness influenced others.
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