Once upon a time, there lived a young boy named Ethan in a small village. With a passion for music, Ethan was enthusiastic about playing the guitar. Every day after school, he would rush home, grab his guitar, and lose himself in the melodies (乐曲) he created.
One summer, the village was hosting a talent show, and Ethan decided to participate. However, doubts started to flood into his mind. He began comparing himself to other talented musicians and questioning his abilities. The fear of failure began to consume him.
But Ethan’s grandfather, who had always been his biggest supporter, noticed his grandson’s inner struggle. He sat down with Ethan and shared a story from his own youth.
“When I was your age, I had a dream of becoming a painter. But I was filled with self-doubt, just like you are now. I decided to seek guidance from a wise old artist in a nearby town.
The old artist listened to my worries and offered me a challenge. He asked me to paint a picture on a large canvas in front of a crowd. Overwhelmed by the challenge, I hesitated.
The wise artist smiled and told me not to focus on what others might think. He asked me to paint from my heart and pour my soul into every stroke. The beauty lies not in perfection, but in the authenticity (真实性) of one’s creation.
Encouraged by these words, I accepted the challenge. I painted with passion, letting my emotions guide my brush. Finally, a beautiful masterpiece appeared on the canvas.”
Finishing the story, Ethan’s grandfather said, “That day, I realized that success is not defined by how perfect we are or how we compare to others. It’s about embracing our unique talents, taking risks, and expressing ourselves with passion and authenticity.”
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。
Inspired by his grandfather’s story, Ethan decided to give the talent show his all.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ethan didn’t pay much attention to the surroundings until he heard the applause at the end of his performance.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Leo had gone nowhere during his two-week vacation. He had the money, but he hated to travel alone. He used to take vacations with Max, his younger brother, but they had a big argument at the end of their last vacation. Each of them had spent the last two months waiting for the other to apologize.
Leo did not feel good about being distant with his favorite brother. But he was not going to ask for forgiveness when, in his mind, he just broke Max’s cup by accident, but it was not a big deal at all. So Leo's summer vacation was spent in his own "back yard". As usual, he cleaned up his apartment , put away his books, trying to make his life busy and full.
However, he did do one thing new and different alone. He went to a new coffee shop at the corner. It served delicious coffee at reasonable prices, and the staff were quite friendly.
The vacation seemed endless. He always sat at a coffee table outside by himself and read the free daily paper. Each day he was there, reading most of the newspaper articles and drinking his coffee black with the question crossing his mind again and again: What was Max doing?
Leo was unhappy. Between articles, he took breaks by watching the nearby traffic and pedestrians(行人). The coffee shop was next to a huge park, the favorite place for both Max and him where they even spent a whole summer vacation battling for the same soccer team. They were champion of the town! The coffee shop, with its excellent location and coffee, had helped make his vacation a pleasant one. If his brother should be there to join him just one day, his vacation would be perfect, he imagined.
One morning, accidentally knowing from mom the cup he broke was a gift from their late grandma, Leo was deeply sorry. He tried to break the ice and smiled to Max at the breakfast table but got no response. Leo was still unhappy.
注意：1.所续写的短文的词数应为 150 左右；
2.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1：
Then Leo decided that he should do something more. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2：Leo got to the coffee shop early. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Joe worked as a night watchman in a factory after he graduated from high school. It was a lonely job, but he was content. He stopped by the beach every day on his way home to watch the sunrise.
One day, he was walking on the beach when he noticed a bottle in the surf. Joe picked it up and saw a roll of paper inside it. His heart beat fast. He removed the lid and opened the letter. “Hi! My name is Ritchie. I’m sending this message in the hope that somebody will find it and become my friend.”
It saddened Joe to think of this boy waiting and hoping somebody would answer his message. He took his cell phone from his pocket and dialed the number written near the bottom of the page.
However, the number didn’t exist anymore. Joe was determined to find Ritchie, so he went straight to the city library for help. A librarian took him to a section of the library that felt deserted. There, she pointed him to the shelves filled with old telephone books. She sat down with him, and they searched the telephone books for Ritchie’s phone number together. Two hours later, the librarian let out an excited scream. “I found him!”
“Thank you,” Joe said, quickly copying down the address. He immediately headed for the address from the phone book. He almost screamed when he saw that the house at the address had been transformed into a hair salon. Joe stared at the sign. He held the message from the bottle in one fist and the paper with the address in the other. He walked in and explained everything to the barber. “Ritchie was born with disabilities. He has been using a wheelchair since he was a kid. Well, he’s an old man now. If you still want to find him, I hear he’s at the Serenity nursing home.” Joe thanked the man and drove to the nursing home.
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。
After asking to see Ritchie, Joe was shown to a sunlit room.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
One day, Joe received a call, learning that Ritchie had passed away the previous night.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
