A dozen children ran around laughing and playing in my friend’s yard, while we parents sat chatting and sipping cool-summer drinks. The barbecue had been cleared away when our host announced a surprise. A huge truck backed up the long, narrow driveway, capturing everyone’s attention. Adults and children watched with curiosity as the driver got out, and slowly raised a huge, portable rock wall.
It was about twelve feet wide, made of gray plastic with indented (凹陷的) footholds that stretched straight up for what looked like at least a hundred feet. The enthusiastic kids swiftly lined up to give it a try, and scrambled to the top and rang the bell that hung at the highest point. There wasn’t really anything to be afraid of since they were belted into place. Three people could climb side by side and talk to each other, so gradually the adults tried it, too.
“Come on; let’s go get in line,” my husband Neil urged. “No, you go ahead without me.” I have a unique talent for seeing unthinkable danger in almost every situation. I watched everyone else having fun, though, and finally convinced myself to try it.
With all the nerve I could muster, I started the climb Concentrating on each foothold, I slowly made my way up. I avoided looking down to prevent any sudden panic, and within a few minutes I made it to the top and proudly rang the bell.
I enjoyed my success and the fabulous view of fields and farmland until I realized there was a line below me waiting for a turn. It was time to go down.
It was one thing to look out at the world in the distance, but it was a whole other thing to look straight down. I was paralyzed with fear. Taking another deep breath, I spotted a foothold about three feet away and slid my foot into it. Unfortunately, now I was spread out like a starfish across the wall. The children below recognized my fear and called up all sorts of recommendations.
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。
All well-intentioned advice, but the fact remained that I couldn’t move.
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By the time we got to the bottom, I felt great.
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“Hurry up you guys, or you’ll be late for school!” called Mom. We dashed downstairs and had a quick breakfast. I was eating my favorite — very sweet cereal, and Sara was having eggs. When I rose to have my bowl washed, Mom whispered, “You know you need to be cautious today when you’re walking Sara to school. It’s your job to assure me she gets there all right.” Then she cast me a very serious look. I thought to myself, wondering why Mom was making such a big deal out of this. I was Sara’s first day of kindergarten, but I could manage it. It wish Mom wouldn’t treat me like such a baby.
“Goodbye, Mom!” Sara yelled. She ran out the door, and I went behind her.
“Be careful!” my mom yelled.
“I will!” I said back and ran outside. Sara was skipping down the front walkway to the sidewalk.
I grabbed Sara’s hand. “Are you eager and excited for your first day of school?” I asked, trying to sound like a grown-up. Sara smiled and nodded her head yes. Meanwhile, my mom was staring at us through the window. “When will she stop treating me like a little kid?” I thought. “I’ll show you the way.” I said, I felt proud to be the elder sister. We walked past beautiful gardens and big, leafy trees. Suddenly, I heard a growl and saw a dog walking towards us. He was big and fierce looking with long sharp teeth. “GRRR!!!” the dog growled. I didn’t see its owner or anyone who could help us. My hand became sweaty and Sara stopped walking. “I’m scared, Julie,” she said. I didn’t want her to be scared. I wanted to seem brave. “Everything will be okay,” I said.
“GRRR!!!” The dog stepped closer and we could see it was the size of a small horse — with red eyes and sharp teeth.
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 was trying to make my voice sound calm.
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I told Mom what had happened.
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A cat wanders into our backyard during a thunderstorm. The cat stares at us through the kitchen window as we eat steak and garlic potatoes. She places a pa w against the window and makes a sad face.
We open the door and the cat comes right through the back door and makes herself at home on the beanbag.We give her the steak and garlic potatoes. She eats the steak but leaves the garlic potatoes.
The next evening, the cat returns. Dinner is salmon and green beans. Lucky for the cat, our children would rather eat their own shoes. The cat licks(舔) herself for an hour, making sure not to miss a single square inch of her body. She falls asleep with her paws in the air.
The children decide that the cat is ours. She has come now for seven nights, always around dinner time. No wonder, my wife says, she’s being fed like a queen. I remind my wife that the cat is eating what we are eating,which means that we too must be fed like queens.
I was rubbing her belly, and she bit my finger. Blood is drawn. If she does it again, she’ll have to go. Five minutes later, she does it again, this time to my wife. The children beg for one last chance, but my wife puts the cat out and tells it to go home. Later on, we hear the cat mewing through the bedroom window. The rain is striking the roof like gunfire. My wife sighs and rolls out of bed. Without speaking, she goes to the kitchen and cooks chicken on a frying pan. She puts a cardboard box in the shed (小屋) and puts the cat in there with the chicken. She comes back to bed. I can feel the rain on her feet.
Almost everything goes around the cat in the family. We buy cat toys and cat treats and even a bed for 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。
I am anxious about going away for the wedding anniversary(纪念日) we have planned
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When we get back, the cat is gone
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I was eight years old and wasn’t aware of all the arrangements being made for our journey as a family to London in 1950. My mother was in great pain and wished to visit specialists in London. My father reluctantly had to sell our property in Queensland. The day before we boarded the ship, Father unwillingly said goodbye to his five-year-old cattle dog, Spider, who was loved by us all. Father’s friend Sandy was to be his guardian while we were overseas, as he had been getting to know Spider for many weeks.
Six weeks later, an airletter arrived from Sandy, giving my father the news that Spider had run away just two weeks after we had sailed. Sandy had advertised constantly on ABC and other regional newspapers. Despite many “sightings”, the dog was never found. It seems Spider just kept running and searching for us. As he was cattle dog, my father thought he would shoe or dingo-trapped, because of his appearance. But our family thought that Father held a secrets hope that Spider was still alive.
We sailed back to Australia two years later and re-established our home. My father immediately began his own search for Spider. One cold winter’s Saturday morning eight months after our return, my father had a call from an elderly lady living on her own on the outskirts of the town. As she told my father on the telephone, it was “just glimpses of a dingo-type dog in the shadows” of her disused tennis court. That was enough for my father to interrupt my homework.
We set off in his blue and black Jensen car which he had brought back from England. It was hardly the right vehicle for the rough roads we travelled that day. Five and a half hours later, we found the run-down old property. Sadly, she told my father that the “dingo dog” hadn’t been around for a few days. My father had a strange look in his eye. He put two fingers to his lips and did his special whistle for Spider.
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 there was a sound in the bush.
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Once home we had the task of getting all the prickles (刺) off him.
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When I was a child growing up in the Netherlands, I often begged my mother to tell me this story about an experience her family had at the end of World War II.
During the terrible last winter of the German occupation, food was scarce in the Netherlands. People were so hungry that they began to eat small animals and many things not normally considered edible (可食用的), including tulip bulbs (郁金香球茎), which could be cooked like potatoes.
For centuries, my mother’s family had owned a highly successful tulip business, which provided jobs for many in our village. But the war shut their business down, and during the winter of hunger, my grandfather, Albert, donated all his tulip bulbs to feed the hungriest villagers. For years, Albert had been trying to grow a black tulip. By careful selection, he was very close. So he guarded these few bulbs carefully to prevent people from stealing them for food.
One day, it was announced that the war was over. But there was much destruction and the Dutch people still faced dangers. My grandfather looked at his pale, thin children and realized that the hunger could continue for a long time, so he made his decision. He seized a shovel (铁铲) and went into the garden. There he found my mother, Vivian, who was just seven years old, looking nervous. Over her shoulder, Albert saw a band of Germans coming toward them down the street. He whispered to Vivian to run inside the house and began digging for his bulbs. But it was too late. Someone had already stolen them. Angry and desperate, Albert ran toward the street screaming, “They have stolen my tulip bulbs!” Vivian, watching from the doorway, cried out and ran to stop her father. Before she could reach him, Albert stumbled and fell, badly hurting his leg.
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。
Fortunately, Albert recovered slowly.
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It took some time for Albert to rebuild his business, starting with those few bulbs that were spared by the thieves.
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“Mom! I’m home!” John closed the door and dropped his books on a nearby chair. “Hi, John, home already?” His mom turned around.
“It’s spring. I was thinking more of our annual spring cleaning,” John’s mom suggested. “Tomorrow is Saturday. Let’s do some cleaning, okay?” “Okay,” John agreed unwillingly.
The next day, they cleaned upstairs, downstairs, inside, outside, until everything was spotless. Tired, they sank into the couch. Pointing to Grandpa’s chair, John’s mom exclaimed, “Oh my! That old chair has got to go. We’ll buy Grandpa a new one.” John’s grandpa lived with them since Grandma had died. “John, Let’s take the chair to the curb (马路边). Tomorrow the garbage truck is picking up on our block.”
As they attempted to move the chair, Grandpa walked by dragging his feet through the door and quickly blocked their way. “Oh, no!” he protested. “You can’t take my chair.”
“It’s old and worn. We’ll buy you a new one,” John’s mom argued.
“No,” John’s grandpa persisted, trying to push his chair back into place. “I don’t want a new one,” his voice trembled.
John’s mom had to give up and said she would discuss it with John’s dad, who was still at work. John’s mom left the living room to prepare the dinner. With a sigh of relief, the old man sank into his chair and closed his eyes.
“Grandpa, why won’t you let us get rid of the chair? It’s so old,” John asked his grandpa when his mom left the room.
“You don’t understand, John,” Grandpa shook his head from side to side. After a long pause he said, “I sat in this chair, with your grandma right here, when I asked her to marry me. When I sit in this chair and close my eyes I feel she is near.” Grandpa softly stroked (轻抚) the arm of the chair. “And the night your father was born, I sat in this chair. I was nervous and scared when they placed the tiny baby into my arms, yet I was never happier.” A smile flashed across his old face.
“I think I’m beginning to understand,” John said thoughtfully. “The chair gave you comfort and warmth. This is not just a chair. It is more like a friend.” However, that night when John and his grandpa were asleep, John’s mom and dad carried the chair to the curb.
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:
The next morning, when John came downstairs, his grandpa stood by the window and looked outside sadly.
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Seeing John rescue the chair from the garbage men, his mom turned and looked at John’s grandpa.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Opening presents carefully selected by our parents is our family tradition on Christmas morning, which always pushes the festive atmosphere to the climax. However, this year’s Christmas seemed not as happy as usual.
It was Christmas Eve when my sister and I decided to open our presents before our mom got home from work. Though worried about ruining my mom’s original plan, we still wanted to sneak a peek (偷看) at the gifts in advance, driven by a strong impulse of curiosity. Since my sister was older, and that put her in charge, she opened the first gift while I was ordered to stand guard at the big picture window in our front room. I was to report any suspicious activity or person, namely our mother, who can easily capture the details of life.
I was so excited that I could barely stand still. I also couldn’t keep my eyes on the window very long. My head moved from the window to my sister and back to the window again. I felt like I was watching a Ping-Pong match.
“All right!” my sister shouted. She pulled out a jewelry box. “You know what that means, don’t you?”
I jumped up and down. “Yeah, it’s my turn!”
“No,” she said. “It means that there must be some jewelry under here.” I watched my sister rummaging (翻寻) through the presents under the tree, trying to find one she thought was small enough to be a necklace or earrings.
“Hey, that’s not fair!” I complained, stomping my foot.
“Are you watching for Mom?” is all that she said. I couldn’t do anything except stand guard as she opened present after present. Finally, when my sister’s curiosity was satisfied and she had finished wrapping her last present back up, we traded places.
My heart hammered so hard that it felt like my chest was moving in and out. My sister reminded me to be careful so I wouldn’t tear the paper, and to wrap the present back up the same way that I had found it.
After unwrapping a few presents, I found it faster to open one end of a present and peek inside. “Headphones! How can my mom know what I want! Without any hesitation, I pulled the headphones out of the box.
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。Paragraph l:
I was about to put them on when my sister shouted, “Quick! Mom’s coming!”
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Christmas morning finally approached, and we were ready to open our presents again!_
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Henry finished rolling copies of The Gazette, filled his bag and took off to deliver the news.
It was 8:15 a.m. when he delivered the last newspaper. He had put the paper where Mr.Grady could get it without struggling to the sidewalk. Across the street, Henry’s delivery had landed perfectly too. Mrs. Burke, with twin babies, probably liked having her paper within easy reach.
Henry parked his bike near the office building and bounded up to the editor-in-chiefs door. Mr. Trotta said, “We’re closing shop, Henry. Advertising is down. Television is how people get their news today.”
“Um, no,” said Henry. “I’ve met so many people on my route. It’s sad. People won’t get their neighborhood news anymore.”
Mr. Trotta nodded and sighed. “We held out as long as we could," he said. “You were terrific, Henry — always dependable.”
A week after his last deliveries, Henry wondered if his customers missed The Gazette as much as he did. He thought of a way to find out. He started out on his old route with a notebook. First stop: Mr. Jonas, 17 Oak. Mr. Jonas said that he liked reading the week’s happenings and he had a pile of comics from old copies of The Gazette. He wondered if anyone would want them. Henry made a note in his notebook.
Mrs. Burke said she needed a babysitter. She was going to put an ad in The Gazette, but…
As Henry made more notes, an idea started forming in his head. Maybe he could create a newsy page for the neighbors. But how would he print it? He went to the library and explained everything to Miss Ginger, the librarian. “Follow me,” she said. Seconds later, in front of a machine, Miss Ginger turned a handle and a purple-printed sheet rolled out. “ Will mimeographed (油印的) copies work?” she asked.
“Perfect.”
Henry had a plan.
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。
Customers cheered Henry’s idea.
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Henry typed the news, mimeographed purple copies, and delivered the first Tree Streets News on Saturday.
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The New York Marathon (马拉松) is my goal for this year. I know I am never going to win a race but now, when I get anything negative, I will think of the kind gentleman who really believed, “You very good… you very fast.”
At the time, I was living in the Bay Area, and my mother had come to visit for a few days. On the last day of her stay, I was preparing to go out for a run. I picked up a T-shirt I just bought the other day from a Chinese clothing shop — it had some Chinese characters on the front, and a scene of Honolulu Chinatown on the back. I didn’t speak Chinese, but somehow this special T-shirt was quite soft and good for exercise.Working in a very negative environment, I found morning runs very beneficial — body tired but mind awake.
And I had always met an elderly Chinese gentleman walking on the opposite side of the trail (道路) when I was running on other mornings. I had always said, “Good morning,” and he had always smiled warmly and nodded his head slightly.
As I was going out the door, my mother suddenly said, “I don’t think running is so hot — that famous runner died.” I started to recount what I had read about Jim Fixx, and how running had probably been the contributing factor to his living far longer than most of the other members of his family, but I knew there was absolutely no point.
As I started running on my favorite trail, I found I couldn’t shake my mother’s statement. I was so discouraged that I could hardly run. I began thinking, “Why do I run at all? Serious runners probably think I look silly! I might have a heart attack on the trail — my dad had a fatal (致命的) heart attack at 50 years old, and he was seemingly in better shape than I am.”
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。
My mother’s statement remained in my mind like a giant blanket.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Upon hearing the man’s words, I felt more unexplained strength in my step.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________10 . 阅读下面的材料，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。
“Mom, I’m ready to go,” called Jason.
Every Saturday, Jason looked forward to going to Chinatown to shop for food because his mom let him pick his favorite snacks: roast pork buns and bubble tea.
The streets in Chinatown were crowded with cars and pedestrians. His mother could not find the same exotic vegetables in the local supermarkets, so they always came here to shop. What fascinated Jason was tasty roast pork, even the whole pigs hanging on big hooks in the windows, their skins roasted to a glistening brown. Jason’s mouth would water just looking at them.
As they passed the newsstand carrying Chinese newspapers and magazines, Jason spotted an old man sitting on the sidewalk. His hair was long, white, and messy. The face beneath was lined, dirty, and unshaven. Frayed and torn clothing wrapped around his thin frame, and in this kind of cold weather, he even wore sandals, his feet blue with cold. He banged an empty can against the sidewalk. As Jason walked by, he could smell a musty odor and pinched his nostrils together. The old man reached out and touched Jason’s left leg. Instinctively, Jason gathered all his strength to jerk(猛拉) his leg away and kick the old man’s hand heavily. Frightened, he hurried to catch up with his mother without looking back.
“Mom, the old man touched me,” he cried, “He touched me with his dirty hands. It’s disgusting! And he smelled too.”
Jason’s mother glanced back at the man with a look of understanding and said gently, “Jason, he can’t help it. He’s homeless. He didn’t mean any harm.”
Mom’s words made Jason look back at the old man with regret, who now was looking up at other passersby, still banging his can.
On their way home, Jason asked, his voice filled with concern. “Why is that old man homeless? Where does he sleep?”
“I don’t know. It’s tough to be homeless, especially in this cold weather. He did look quite weak,” his mother replied.
Mom’s words made Jason’s regret deepened. He confessed his heavy kick to his mother, who reminded him that it was crucial to acknowledge his mistake and try to make up for it.
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 day, with his mother’s help, Jason decided to do something.
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Hearing this, the old man looked at them with watery eyes.
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