"What? I can't believe what you're telling me," my mother said when my sister Helentold her of the arrangement that she would invite two strangers to stay with her in her Califurnin home. Actually, our entire family tried to discourage Helen from this undertaking.
This story began with Helen on a flight from Los Angeles to Phoenix. Although the flight was short, it provided enough time for my sister to get to know the Morrisons, an Arizona couple seated in her row. The plane was only in the air for a couple of minutes when the wife, Marcie, fell asleep, leaving her husband Daniel and my sister sitting next to each other in silence. Maybe it was a feeling of awkwardness that sparked（触发） it, or maybe it was the need to unload. Whatever the case, within minutes Daniel began to relate the couple's story.
He told my sister how he and Marcie had flown to Los Angeles that morning to meet with a doctor of alternative medicine about treating Marcie for her stage 4 breast cancer. Although they both felt good about what had been described to them that day, they were also depressed to learn that the alternative treatment would cost $34,000 and not be covered by insurance. Additionally, they'd have to pay for a place to stay while Marcie accepted the treatment.
"The money's not even a consideration," Daniel explained. "What's debt compared to keeping my wife alive?" At this point tears coursed their way down Daniel's face and my sister joined right in. Marcie was only thirty-five years old and they had five children between ages two and twelve.
When it was time to get off the plane, Daniel woke Marcie, and since she was unable to walk, they requested a wheelchair. It was while my sister was waiting with them for the chair that she made the decision that had our family so concerned. Helen gave the Morrisons her business card and explained that they could stay with her during their trips to Los Angeles.
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。
Helen received a call from Daniel the following week.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My family's feelings of concern changed to feelings of admiration!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One summer vacation, I allowed my husband and our three sons to take me to go horse-riding. I’d never been on a horse in my life. Horses scare me. “It will be fun,” my kids said. “What if I fall off?” I wanted to add more, but I kept my mouth shut. I was trying to be a good sport.
When we arrived, the coach gave me his gentlest horse. “Nothing to worry about. And kick your feet on the horse’s side to make him go,” he said. I hoped the horse had heard that, too. The horse may look gentle, but he was very big and tall. How on earth was I going to get on this horse using only one little stirrup (马镫) on the side? Well, it took my husband and three sons to do it, but they got me on that horse!
Since the coach knew I had the gentlest horse, he placed me at the very end of the road. I was happy. If I looked silly sitting on this horse, everyone else would be in front of me and couldn’t watch me. We started out just fine. As we got into the woods, my horse was still very gentle. By the time all the other horses were out of the woods, my horse and I were still in the woods! I saw our youngest son waving to me in the distance. This seemed to be the longest ride with this boring horse and me.
Slowly, we got out of the woods and were in a bean field. Suddenly, my horse stopped. Then I remembered one important thing the coach had told me. He said, “Don’t let the horse stop to eat the beans, because then the horse won’t want to go back to the barn (畜棚).” I looked down, and the horse was eating the beans.
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。
I tried to stop him, but he kept on eating.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Finally, the coach must have realized I was in trouble.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Ollie Simmons was good at maths, but Ruby Riley wasn’t. Well, Ruby didn’t think she was. She sat next to Ollie and so she just copied him. This was the best way she had found to do maths and she didn’t have to think at all.
One day the teacher said, “We will be having a maths test after lunch.” Ruby felt there were butterflies in the stomach. “Can I copy off you?” she whispered to Ollie. Ollie thought for a minute. “What will you give me?” he whispered back. Ruby showed Oilie a stone she had. It was round and smooth and the colour of the sea. “OK!” he said, “Give me the stone, and then you can copy my answers.” Ollie got full marks in the maths test and so did Ruby. Their names went on the top of the maths champion chart.
Every week there was a maths test and every week Ollie and Ruby got full marks together. Ollie had to share the top place with Ruby, but it was worth it. He had a torch, a key chain, a golf ball and a gift box!
One day, there was a maths test again. This time, Ruby picked a watch, thinking everything would go as usual—Ollie would let her copy and they would be on the top of the chart together again. But she was wrong. The headmaster came into Ruby’s class. “I want to see Ollie Simmons,” she said. Ollie was gone for a long time. Then the door opened. It was the headmaster again. “Ruby Riley, she said,” Come with me, please. “Ruby felt like a bird in a cage—there was no way to escape. The headmaster told Ruby that every lunchtime for five weeks she had to do maths. “You have to learn to think for yourself,” she said. “And Ollie has to learn a lesson, too. He’s going to teach you.”
注意：1. 续写词数应为150字左右;2. 请按如下格式在答题卡上相应位置作答。
Hanging her head down. Ruby felt so regretful for getting Ollie into trouble.
1. 露比低着头，很后悔让奥利惹上麻烦。2. 她意识到是她的过错使他们陷入了如此可耻的境地。
3. “我很抱歉，我想向你真诚地道歉。”露比泪流满面地对奥利说。
4. 听了这话，奥利羞得两颊发烫，说：“我也应该为这件事负责。”
5. 为了弥补这个错误，我将尽我最大的努力帮助你。”
6. 露比擦了擦眼泪，决心不遗余力地和奥利一起学习数学。
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ollie proved to be a good reacher for Ruby.
7. 不管什么时候露比遇见困难他总是乐于帮助。8. 随着时间的流转，在奥利的帮助下，露比慢慢地在数学上有进步了。
9. 最后，他们在期末考试中又一次都取得了满分。
10. 校长因为他们取得的进步表扬了他们。
11. 那一刻，他们对自己觉得很自豪。
12. 真是一次难忘又有意义的经历，这教了他们诚实和真正友谊的一课。
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mary was fond of outdoor activities, especially the beauty of nature. She would often spend her weekends hiking, biking, or simply taking long walks in the countryside. She had a group of close friends who shared the same enthusiasm for the outdoors.
One day, while enjoying a cup of coffee at a local cafe, Mary’s friend Jenny approached her with an exciting idea. “Mary, have you ever thought about stargazing (观星) in the wilderness?” Jenny asked, her eyes shining with excitement. Mary’s eyes widened, and a smile spread across her face. “Stargazing? That sounds incredible! Count me in,” she exclaimed, her voice filled with expectation.
The plan was set for a cool evening when the sky would be at its clearest. As the day turned into night, the two friends gathered their warmest clothes, packed some snacks and hot chocolate, and set off on their adventure. They began their journey from Mary’s house.
As they walked hand in hand, their breath turned into misty clouds in the cool night air. The moon was hidden behind thick clouds, casting a darkness on their path. But instead of feeling scared, they felt a rush of excitement washing over them. The stillness of the night, broken only by the soft whispers of the wind, brought a newfound peace to their mind.
They walked through the streets, little by little, the city lights faded, and the stars above became increasingly obvious. They couldn’t help but feel amazed by the countless stars that decorated the sky. They decided not to choose the well-known path and wandered deeper into the wilderness. Fireflies (萤火虫) danced gracefully, lighting up the night sky.
Mary’s eyes widened with childlike wonder as she watched the tiny creatures create their magical light show. Absorbed in chats and laughter, they failed to notice when the familiar sights started to disappear, slowly getting swallowed by the tall trees of the forest.
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。
Suddenly, Mary’s heart skipped a beat as she realized they had lost their way.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Determined, the two friends set off, guided by the light of the North Star.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________An Unforgivable Mistake
A few years ago, the company I work for sent my wife and me to live in New York for a year. I’ve always loved jogging, so I was really happy when I found the apartment they had rented for us was next to Central Park. This meant that every morning I could go for a run before I went to work.
Because a lot of people had told me to be careful of muggers (行凶抢劫者) in the park, I didn’t usually take anything with me. How could they rob me if I didn’t have anything? But one morning my wife asked me to buy some bread on the way home, so I put a $10 bill in my back pocket.
It was a beautiful morning and the park was quiet with very few people walking or jogging around. While I was running, another jogger bumped (撞) into me. He apologized and continued running. For a while, I didn’t think too much of it. However, when I noticed the wide path where I was running, I thought it was kind of strange. The warning of muggers in the park occurred to me. It could have been a mugger! I suddenly became alarmed, so I checked my pocket. The money was missing! I immediately started to run after the jogger. I finally caught up with and grabbed him firmly by the arm. I started shouting and demanding that he give me the $10 bill. I’m not usually a hot-headed person, but I really lost my temper at that moment. I couldn’t believe the robbery was actually happening to me. Filled with anger, I shook my fist at him. This seemed to frighten him. He quickly put his hand in his pocket and gave me the money. Then he ran away as fast as he could.
I bought the bread and went home. As soon as I got home, I couldn’t wait to tell my wife the story. “You won’t believe what happened to me,” I started with pride. She immediately interrupted (插话), “I know, you left the money for the bread on the kitchen table.”
注意：续写词数应为150左右。Paragraph 1:
Looking at the money on the table, I stood there, shocked.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
For several days, I waited at the same place.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。
December 24 arrived along with a heavy snow. It was my first Christmas Eve without my mother, and the days with excitement had disappeared.
I was extremely sad and could not control my feeling of missing my mother when the telephone rang. I ignored it and went to my bedroom to bury the continuous sadness, knowing it must be my friend Jenny calling. How could I be joyful? I wanted to be left alone.
My heart felt as heavy as the falling snow. How can I stop missing my mother?
I looked through the window. Seeing Jenny’s car parked out front, I went back to my bed and drew the covers over my head.
“Lucy!” she shouted, “I know you’re there. Answer the door, please!”
“Leave me alone!” I shouted back. I heard paper rustling (沙沙响) as she put something under the door.
“Merry Christmas!” she called out.
Not answering the door made me feel even worse. It wasn’t fair to my best friend. Her father and sister died in a car accident when she was eight years old. As a result, her mother had to return to work and Jenny was left to look after herself.
After she left, I carried the small package, sat down and opened it. Inside was a golden pen and a journal. When I opened the journal’s front cover, out fell a bookmark with a message written on it:
Dear Lucy,
My words won’t heal (治愈) the pain. But your own words can.
Love,
Jenny
As I stared at the journal’s blank pages, a single tear fell on the page. After calming myself down, I picked up the phone and dialed her number.
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。
Jenny answered the phone quickly.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
When I opened the door, I saw Jenny smiling at me.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A young man was on his way to the office when a nurse called him and told him that his father was injured and in hospital. So he hurried to go to the hospital by taxi. After he went into the hospital, he found that he left his cell phone in the taxi, but the taxi had left. The worse thing was that he had forgotten to ask the nurse which ward his father was in. He had to scurry around in the hospital, looking for his father. Seeing a nurse, he asked her anxiously, ”My father is in hospital. He..”
The nurse interrupted him, “Oh, my God. It’s you. Come with me!” She led the anxious young man to the bed side of an elderly man. “Your son is here,” she whispered to the elderly patient. The old patient’s eyes opened only after she repeated the words several times.The old man was too weak so it was really hard for him to stay awake and he could vaguely (模糊地) see the young man standing beside him.
The old man reached out his hand with all his strength and the young man realized it and immediately held it.
The nurse brought a chair for the young man to sit beside the bed. The young man sat holding the old man’s hand and offering him words of love and strength, all through the night. The dying old man said nothing. The nurse suggested that the young man move away and rest for a while but he refused. He stayed.
As dawn approached, the old man peacefully died.The young man placed the lifeless hand on the bed and informed the nurse. While the nurse did what was necessary, the young man waited. When she finished her task, the nurse began to say words of sympathy the young man needed.
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。
But the young man shook his head.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
He replied, “I knew right away he was not my father.”
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Daniel got a job as a delivery man to work his way through college. His parents couldn’t save up all the money he needed to get into law school, so since he was 16, he has been taking summer jobs to earn extra money.
The boy usually wakes up at 5 am in summer or winter, riding his rusty (生锈的)old bike delivering packages. It isn’t an easy job, especially during winter. Besides that, his old bike is slow, making things harder. But that isn’t a problem for Daniel. ”Come on, boy! We can do this, “he says to himself.
Daniel’s route is always the same and people in the neighborhood have already known him. He calls them by their names, and they often wave and greet him as he passes.
One day, Daniel came to McReynolds’ house. He parked his bike at the doorstep. He rang the doorbell but no one answered. He tried again, still no answer. Then he left the parcel at the doorstep.
As Daniel jumped back on his bike, he noticed his bike broken down. ”Bad luck!“But as he turned around, he saw a strange man secretly looked around and placed a package under his jacket. Daniel shouted at the man, ”Hey there! What are you doing? That’s not yours!“
The man saw Daniel and started to run. Daniel looked at his broken bike helplessly and ran fast after the man, shouting, ”Stop!Thief!“When the man saw that Daniel was gaining on him, he threw the package at him. Daniel caught it, but he didn’t give up the chase. Then the man tripped over a stone and fell on the floor. Daniel came a few seconds later and got him.
The ruckus (喧闹) alarmed all the neighbors. Then the police were called. McReynolds came out from the house, ”I couldn’t get the door when you rang because I was taking a shower. Thank you for stopping him!“ Daniel smiled back at her and was turning around to leave.
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。
When Daniel was to pick up his bike, he heard a voice behind him, “Wait!”
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Minutes later, McReynolds returned, with a beautiful blue bike.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Hey, Adam, I’m sorry I’m not there with you right now. Happy birthday.”
“Thanks, Dad. Are you coming home later for the party?”
“Um, well, something’s come up, darling. I might not be able to make it, but I’ll have Rose get you the best cake. Just tell her what you need, OK? Sorry, I really want to be there, but you know how busy my work is right now... I’m really busy.”
The call went silent. “Hey, Adam, You there? I’ll try to make time, OK? Hello? ...”
Jaden removed the phone from his ear and realized the call was disconnected. Adam had hung up.
Jaden let out a sigh. “I’m sorry, this is something I’m doing for you.”
Jaden owned a million-dollar farm business, and he was planning on expanding it. For that very reason, he was several miles away from his son, traveling to a village.
He pulled the car near the roadside and dialed his son immediately. But clearly, the call didn’t go well, Like several other times, Adam was disappointed that Jaden wasn’t there for him.
When Adam was a child, Jaden could easily ask him for forgiveness by getting him toys, chocolates and anything the boy loved.
But as an 11-year-old boy, Adam had started comprehending things. He was becoming curious and knew his dad was putting work before him. That hurt the youngster in many ways, and since Jaden’s wife passed away and he wasn’t always there for Adam, the boy was being looked after by his aunt, Rose.
As Jaden was driving along the rough road, suddenly he found a car stopped there and the driver was waving to him. Jaden stepped out of his car and approached the driver, “What’s up, sir?”
“I’m Paul, sorry to interrupt you. I’m driving a long way here to meet a client, but the battery of my smartphone runs out and my GPS doesn’t work, so I can’t figure out the route. I regret not bringing my driver for his wife was ill and I think he needs more time to accompany his wife,” the man said anxiously, After guiding Paul to his client, Jaden was lost in thought.
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。
Jaden changed his idea, thinking it was the most important to celebrate his son’s birthday.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
After running for fifteen minutes, Jaden was out of breath when he reached home.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Since Benjamin lost his sight during his service in the army, he had seldom gone out, but his friends always encouraged him and bought him a guide dog named Cooper. Benjamin had to admit the dog made all the difference. He regained some independence such as walking through the park.
Benjamin’s friend, Natalie, was singing in a performance at the local concert hall. Benjamin hadn’t expected to go and hear her sing, but Natalie wanted him to be there and told him some of their friends would be present too. So he put on his nice suit, grabbed Cooper, and set out.
Benjamin reached the hall a bit late. He decided to go to his friends later and sat with his dog in the closest row he could sense. He knew at least two people were sitting in the same row. “Oh! Who brings a dog to the nice concert hall?” Benjamin heard a woman complain. Maybe she didn’t notice his really black glasses and didn’t understand why he needed a dog. “Ada, he’s blind. It’s his service dog,” her husband replied.
Natalie took the stage. Although Benjamin couldn’t see her, he knew she looked beautiful. Meanwhile, the woman named Ada continued complaining about Cooper. Benjamin was about to be angry. She had known he was blind. Worst of all, she was interrupting his friend’s concert. Benjamin decided he would leave as soon as Natalie finished this song. However, as the song ended, Natalie began to address the audience.
“Thank you, everyone. The next song is for one special friend in particular, Benjamin,” Natalie said, looking in Benjamin’s direction and Benjamin could hear the emotions in her voice. “You sacrificed (牺牲) so much for our country, and I do hope the next song brings you happiness and shows you the wonderful world.” Benjamin felt tears falling from his eyes. Cooper rested its head on his knee, comforting him as Natalie sang out a beautiful song.
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。
Paragraph 1:
To Benjamin’s shock, the woman kept quiet the entire time.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Ada, with her husband, approached when Benjamin and his friends chatted.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
