Be yourself and always follow your heart. Never let anyone change who you are. This is the lesson I have learned from my childhood experience when I figured out I wasn’t invited to the party, Bridget’s party.
One morning, I got off the bus and saw my friends except me hugging under the tree where we used to stand. The circle seemed tighter as I approached；the white invitation cards being hastily stuffed into backpacks gave it away. I knew as well as the entire universe that Bridget’s party was this weekend. Bridget was the most popular girl in our class. She was thin and beautiful, always wearing fabulous clothes and fine makeup.
Why hadn’t she invited me? My feet were too big? No. Maybe. My face was broken out? Why did she invite every person in my group except me? I tried to think of any interactions I’d had with Bridget recently. A few days earlier, we’d been partners during a sixth period project. I was determined to get the project done and she was absorbed in looking at fashion magazines. She barely spoke to me except to say, “You’re so serious. You know, you should smile more."
Soon, I had overheard all the details about the party. They were going swimming. It was a sleepover. They were renting scary movies and were going to stay up all night. Each time someone mentioned the party, I smiled weakly and nodded, with my stomach in knots.
When having my favorite English class, I found myself just unable to concentrate on the short stories we were supposed to be reading in class. Maybe she didn’t invite me because of my coat. It is pretty ugly compared to some of the other girls’ coats. I should have bought another color. Maybe I should smile more but I just can’t get into smiling at people unless I know them really well. But I just couldn’t pretend to be the person I wasn’t. I felt sick.
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。
At lunch, my friend Kate who had been invited came over to me, trying to show off.
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I was about to let it go when Bridget invited me as a substitute for a girl who couldn’t come.
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“A usual boring day!” This would be the answer from Roman if somebody asked him how his day was. These days he found everything boring, and nothing excited him.
One day he was lying on the bed in his room as usual. Suddenly the light went off. His room was rather hot without an air conditioner. Though he did not want to leave his room, he had to. Unwillingly, he left his room and came to the living room. It was slightly cool there as the living room had two huge windows.
His young brother was playing with his friend. They were rolling on the floor. He was looking out for the TV remote, but couldn’t find it. He got up and searched for it everywhere, but the remote was nowhere to be seen. He looked at his brother who was still lying on the floor, playing.
He asked him, “where is the remote?”
“Under the sofa,” his brother yelled.
He tried to look through the remote, but it was dark. He put his hand under the sofa. He touched something, grabbed it and took his hand out. It was a snake in his hand!
Upon seeing that, his brother started to yell, “Snake! Snake!” Mom came as soon as she heard the shouting. She was too horrified to see a snake. She was so scared that she even couldn’t speak a word. Two kids were trying to hide behind each other’s back. “What an old trick!” Roman thought and threw it to the kids.
As the snake landed on the floor and neared the kids, it started moving from the left side to the right. Only then did Roman realize that the snake was real, and not a toy. He threw the snake to kids because he thought it was a fake snake and it was the kids who were playing some tricks.
This time Mom almost got a heart attack. Now Roman was scared, too. The snake was only 10 meters away from the kids and was staring at them. They even couldn’t call the rescue team. There might be some deadly damage before their arrival. There was not much time to think. It was the time for a quick action.
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As Roman was farther from the snake, he jumped onto the window and grabbed the curtains.
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After the rescue team caught and took the snake away, everyone went inside the home.
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When I worked as a nurse, I was on day duty while my workmates were on night duty. On one shift, I sensed something just before going off duty at 11 am. I put down the tray(托盘） on the table and suddenly it fell off the table. At first I thought I had accidentally knocked it over, but then I felt the whole building shaking and heard patients were screaming.
I realized that an earthquake was happening. I quickly caught hold of a nearby patient, who was terribly frightened and pushed her under a bed. And then, I got under another bed myself. As soon as the earthquake stopped, I decided to try and get the patient safely outside. I carried her out and helped her down to the grassland, where several other people had gathered.
Afraid that my other workmates were in danger, I went back inside the building again. When I met Lucy ,our ward sister(护士长），I found her patient couldn't walk. We made a seat for the patient by linking our hands and arms, and carried her outside together. We went back through the building to check no one was left behind in our ward(病房）.
Just then, we saw that a man doctor was calling for volunteers to go down to other wards with him to help more people. So we went together. The doctor went ahead of us and found one of the nurses partially covered with rubble（碎石），luckily still alive. Suddenly, the aftershock (余震）struck and the doctor ordered us to leave. The brave doctor intended to stay alone and risk his own life to save the nurse.
注意：续写字数应为150词左右。
Paragraph 1: However, without any hesitation, we made up our minds to stay with the doctor and save the nurse together.
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Paragraph 2: Later in the afternoon, I had time to look around and saw some destroyed buildings.
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Randy Heiss, 61, has lived in Bisbee, Arizona for more than three decades. Ten years ago, he and his wife lost their only child. They have no grandchildren.
The spot of red was what first caught Heiss’s attention on December 16, 2018. He was hiking the remote land behind his farm in a small town near the U. S.-Mexico border, and there lying on the grass was a balloon. He walked toward it with his dog, thinking he should pick it up and throw it away.
That’s when he noticed the balloon’s string was attached to a piece of paper. “Dayami,”it read on one side, in a child’s writing. Heiss flipped the paper over. On the back he saw a numbered list, all in Spanish. His Spanish wasn’t very good, but he could see it was a Christmas list!
Heiss was charmed. He suspected that a child had tried to send Santa Claus a Christmas wish list by balloon, something he used to do himself when he was a kid. Nobody had ever returned the letters Heiss had sent, but he wondered whether he could find the girl who had sent this one.
It would be difficult, but Heiss had a few clues. About 20 miles to the southwest, just across the border, was the city of Nogales, Mexico, with a population of about a quarter million. Based on the wind direction, he was almost sure that was where it came from. Heiss brought the note home to his wife, who is fluent in Spanish and helped him translate the list They determined that Dayami, probably a girl, had asked for a doll, a dollhouse.
They determined that Dayami, probably a girl, had asked for a doll, a dollhouse, doll clothes and art supplies. Heiss then posted his search about finding Dayami on Facebook, attaching photos, hoping some of his friends in Nogales might know the girl ’s family. A few days passed with no results. Heiss worried that time was running out before Christmas. On December 19, 2018, he decided to send a private Facebook message to Radio Xeny, an AM radio station based in Nogales. To his surprise, someone from the station called him back right away and promised him to post his search on the station’s Facebook page immediately.
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 next morning, Heiss awoke to a message from Radio Xeny.
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Dayami ’s eyes were wide open with wonder.
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In 1992 my father bought a 1968 Pontiac GTO from a local man and began to tear the car down to the frame in order to properly restore (恢复) it. Over the next 2 years and change, he built the car back up from the frame, replacing everything that needed to be replaced. He rebuilt the engine, and cleaned everything up, and put it all back together. In the summer of 1994, the car restoration was finally completed!
In the fall of 1999, after having kid number 5, my father decided to sell the car in order to better support the family. The day that he sold this car is the very first memory that I recalled as a child. I remember the very last ride that we took in the car, on the day that it was sold. I remember the mixed expression on my father’s face. Growing up, every time that my father and I went to a car show, I was always told to keep an eye out for the GTO. It never showed up.
In the spring-summer of 2019, 20 years after it had been sold, I decided to start looking for the car. I dug up a few pictures of the car showing the old license plates, and sent them to a few cop friends to see if anything would turn up, all in vain.
I finally posted to a few more Facebook pages, and after some searching, I was able to find One Facebook page that was titled in English “GTO club Denmark”. The page had 82 members. I shared the story again, hoping that somebody would recognize 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。
The next morning I woke up to a picture and a video of the car in my email-box from a man named Martin that said he knew the owner.
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In January of 2021, Martin reached out to me and informed me that the owner of the car was willing to sell the car.
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A Girl with Stage Fright
It was obviously going to be one of those days. Students were preparing for a singing contest actively. Paul, a music teacher, made comments on the students' performance at the end of a rehearsal（彩排）. A girl named Lisa did the poorest preparation. Paul was very annoyed and entirely frustrated with her. He doesn't recall how he closed the rehearsal, but he's sure the words he chose were not words that would lift the girl's spirits but rather satisfy his selfish need to punish her for the poor performance.
The moment Paul dismissed the students, Lisa, the very reserved freshman girl, made a path straight toward him. She looked him right in the eye and said, "I hate you!" Paul was taken aback and frightened by the passion and honesty in her voice. Though entirely shocked, he was somehow able to collect himself and stay calm. He looked her right in the eye and said, "Well, that's a shame, but it's my duty to remind you and inspire you. " She didn't react, but rather stormed away, her anger unchanged.
Several days later, they had the occasion to speak in private. Lisa asked if Paul remembered the time she told him that she hated him. How could he forget? She went on to admit quite openly and honestly that it was herself, not him, who she hated. The moment got heavy and she began to tell him of her fear and pressure when standing on the stage. She believed that no matter how well she prepared, she would perform terribly on the stage. Paul became aware that she had serious stage fright and also realized that maybe he had done something improper several days ago. Then he talked to her patiently and sincerely, hoping to help her build the confidence.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 开头已给出。
The day before the contest, she was practising for the singing competition alone.
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However, the next morning, when she stood on the stage, her face turned pale.
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Nick was a 10-year-old boy. He was the only son to his parents. Nick’s father was a very busy businessman who could not spend time with his son. He came home after Nick slept, and was off to the office before Nick woke up in the morning. Nick longed for his father’s attention. He wanted to go outdoors and play with his father just like his friends did.
One day, Nick was surprised to see his father at home in the evening.
“Dad, it is a big surprise to see you at home,” Nick said.
“Yes, son, my meeting was cancelled. So I’m at home. But after two hours I have to catch a flight,” his father replied.
“When will you be back?”
“Tomorrow noon.”
Nick was in deep thought for a while. Then he asked, “Dad, how much do you earn in a year?”
Nick’s father was taken aback (震惊). He said, “My dear son, it’s a very big amount and you won’t be able to understand it.”
“OK, Dad, are you happy with the amount you earn? ”
“Yes, my dear. I’m very happy, and in fact I’m planning to launch our new branch and a new business in a few months. Isn’t that great?”
“Yes, Dad. I’m happy to hear that. Can I ask you one more question?”
“Yes, dear.”
“Dad, can you tell me how much you earn in a day or even half a day?”
“Nick, why are you asking this question? ”Nick’s father was perplexed.
But Nick was persistent. “Please answer me. Could you please tell me how much you earn in an hour?”
Nick’s father gave in and replied, “It will be around $25 per hour.”
Nick ran to his room upstairs, and came down with his piggy bank that contained his savings.
“Dad, I have $50 in my piggy bank. Could you spare two hours for me? I want to go to the beach and have dinner with you tomorrow evening. Could you please mark this in your schedule?”
注意：1．续写词数应为150词左右。2．请按格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
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Nick’s father was speechless!
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The appointed time with Dad was near.
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Anxiously and hurriedly, two young firemen，Adam and Ben arrived at the apartment of a single mother with two children after they answered a 911 call. To their surprise, they discovered that there was no emergency at all, only to find that the younger child, about three years old, was playing with the phone. Adam told the mother that she should let the kids play their own toys instead of the telephone. The mother said sorry to them, promising that she would make the kid far away from the telephone. The similar things would happen many times a year. All the firemen were not angry about it, especially with a three-year old kid. Adam and Ben looked around their house again and made sure there was really not any danger before they left their house. After they go on their fire engine (消防 车), Adam asked curiously, “Have you noticed something strange in their house?” Ben thought for a while and answered, “All of them weren't smiling. It seemed like they weren’t happy at all.” “Yes, you are right! But anything else? I still felt there was something wrong in their house." The two young men looked at each other, and cried almost at the same time, “There was no Christmas tree!”
It was December 23rd. It was a day when all families were preparing their Christmas buying gifts, making the delicious food, decorating their Christmas trees and so on, busy but happy. But the family they just met didn't have a Christmas tree in their house! It was pretty obvious that the family was having a poor life and they couldn't afford to buy a single Christmas tree! “Maybe they weren't going to have a Christmas this year. It was terrible!” Ben murmured (低声说) to himself.
注意：续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1:Two young firemen left the house with a plan.
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“We are not firemen this time!" Adam said.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I’m 16. The other night while I was busy thinking about important social issues, like what to do over the weekend and who to do it with, I overheard my parents talking about my future. My dad was upset-not about the usual things that a lot of parents worried about, like which college I was going to, how far away it was from home and how much it was going to cost. Instead, he was upset about the world his generation was turning over to mine-a world had, a dark and difficult future, if it had a future.
He sounded like this, “There will be a pandemic (流行病) that kills millions, a devastating energy crisis, a horrible worldwide depression and a nuclear explosion set off in anger.”
As I lay on the couch in the living room, spying on their conversation and starting to worry about the future my father was describing, I found myself looking at some old family photos. There was a picture of my grandfather in his uniform. He was a member of the class of 1942, the war class. Next to his picture were photos of my great-grandparents, Ellis Island immigrants. Seeing those pictures made me feel a lot better. I believe tomorrow will be better than today-that the world my generation grows into is going to get better, not worse. Those pictures helped me understand why.
I considered some of the awful things my grandparents and great-grandparents had seen in their lifetimes: two world wars, killer flu, segregation, a nuclear bomb. But they saw other things, too-better things: the end of two world wars, the polio vaccine, and the passage of the civil rights laws.
I believe that my generation will see better things, too-that we will witness the time when AIDS is cured and cancer is defeated and when the Middle East will find peace. I will see things as inconceivable to me today as a moon shot was to my grandfather when he was 16 or the Internet to my father when he was 16.
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Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve had an awful day, and my dad would put his arm around me and promise me that “Tomorrow will be better day.”
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After listening to my dad talking that night, I know what he is concerning about.
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It was eight o'clock on a May morning, and Micah, my 17-year-old daughter, was in our bonus room upstairs. It had been her temporary eleventh-grade classroom ever since schools had moved to remote learning due to the pandemic （疫情）.
From the kitchen, I listened for the sound of her tapping on her laptop. I resisted the urge to check on her. Way too often, Micah was texting friends and commenting on their posts about the fun they were having together. We'd barely left the house for 10 weeks straight.
"Mom, everyone is hanging out today!" Micah's voice came from upstairs. "Why can't I?"
I went up the stairs. Micah was lying on the floor wearing pajamas（睡衣）, her laptop, school iPad and cell phone in front of her. "It's not fair," she said. I have no one I can be with. I can't wait until I'm 18 and can do what I want."
We'd had this conversation before. Still, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. I was sick of having to stay at home too. Even though Micah and I were home together more than we had been in years, we might as well have been living in separate worlds. "Wanna watch TV later?" I asked. "No, thanks." Micah shook her head.
"In a few weeks you'll be going to sports camp,'' I added "That's something you can look forward to." I closed the door. I was used to Micah's rejection, but it still hurt. Teenage independence is heathy, but I worried if I didn't find a way to bond with my girl soon, I might never be close with her again. She'd be 18 in the fall and had already convinced herself she didn't need me anymore. Maybe she was right. No matter what I did, I couldn't seem to reach her.
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。
That evening, I was surfing online and saw a friend's children playing with their new cat.
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"This is the one I want," she said, smiling.
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