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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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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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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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.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________We moved to a small seaside community in New Zealand 10 years ago, because my husband Phil worked as a biologist and he had to do research near the sea. I had seen seals (海豚) around Pilot Bay, which is near here. Sometimes you see them out on the rocks, sunning themselves or playing-but usually in their own territory. They never thought about disturbing their neighbors.
It was a dark winter morning in August this year when a seal came. At 5:50 a.m., I left the house to go fitness training. I went down to the car parked in the driveway and heard a growl (咆哮). I thought our cat, Coco, must have chased a dog under the car. I jumped into the car to avoid getting my ankles bitten, and moved slowly, but then I felt the car hit something. When I got out to have a look, I couldn’t see anything and thought it must have moved on. Then when I got back into my seat, I saw a baby seal in the headlights.
I thought, Oh, my God, “but didn’t panic—the ocean is just down the driveway and I thought it would find its way back. Off I went to the training center and gave everyone there a laugh when I said, “Sorry I’m late; there was a seal under the car.” I didn’t think about it again until I got home. As I walked through the garage (车库), I noticed our baskets had been moved. I wondered if it was the seal, but then I guessed it could not be the seal because I didn’t think it could fit through the cat door, which was the only way into the garage. But I was wrong. As I opened the door to the house, I brushed something and heard this flip-flip-flip-flip sound, and thought, “My God, that is the seal.”
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。
It was so cute like a lovely soft toy.
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We called Animal Protection Station, and a worker came over.
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Holidays are not necessarily for fun or rest. Doing something meaningful can also gain special pleasure. When the final bell rang, the students were reminded that there was no school on Monday—the Labor Day. “Enjoy your extra day off” said the teacher to her class.
An extra day off unsuited Kayla just fine. She loved breaks. She wanted to go out to play with her friends. When the school bus dropped Kayla off, she ran into the house happily.
“How was school, Kayla?” asked her mom.
“It was great, Mom. I am excited about no school on Monday.”
“You just started back to school two weeks ago. Already in need of a break, huh?” asked Kayla’s mom with a laugh.
Kayla slept in the next morning. Saturday was her favorite day of the week. I trained most of the day, so Kayla enjoyed playing videogames inside. On Sunday, her friends came over and they played basketball for several hours.
Then it was Labor Day, you know, the extra day off that Kayla was so looking forward to. But Kayla was awakened early that morning by her dad. He told Kayla that in honor of Labor Day, the family would be cleaning both inside and outside the house. Kayla couldn’t believe it. This was a holiday. A day when she was supposed to be enjoying freshly squeezed lemonade while playing in her tree house. As Kayla wiped here yes, she began to wonder if this was just a bad dream.
“Kayla, your breakfast is ready. We have a lot of work to do today. Let’s get a move on,” said Kayla’s mom. As she sat down at the kitchen table, Kayla asked her parents，
“Are you serious about working today? Isn’t Labor Day a holiday?”
“Yes, Kayla. It is,” replied her dad. “But your mom and I thought working hard today would make you appreciate why Labor Day was observed in the first place.”
注意：1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右;2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
At first Kayla felt disappointed at her parents’ plan for the holiday.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________But things began to change as she was doing the chores.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________For as long as her parents can remember, 11-year-old Breana Carsey has had this crazy dream. She has always wanted a mommy horse who would give birth to a baby horse, who would then grow up to become a racing champion.
“Absolutely, this was a fairy tale for her from day one. We put it off for five years because we don’t have a farm,” said her father, Brian Carsey, who explained that his daughter has “me wrapped around her finger”．
Her horse was born in the spring of 2013. Breana named it MJB Got Faith for the faith she instantly had in him.
“I really loved him. He’s super soft too,” she said.
But that quick bond posed a real problem for this Dad. See, for whatever reason, Brian thought once he explained to his daughter that her horse could never run in a race—that it was a runt from poor breeding stock—she would just agree to sell it.
“She thought her horse was priceless,” he said. “So I had a chat with my wife and we really got ourselves in a mess here. And I didn’t know how we were going to get out of this. So we took him to the races, the horse that I thought we should have got rid of already.”
Brian was stuck, committed to boarding and training this long shot to end all long shots. And this is not a wealthy family. Brian runs a small company. And Ohio racing, which is harness style racing, is a $900 millionayear industry.
MJB Got Faith was so slow that it was barely even qualified to compete but then somehow won his first race, then his second, third and fourth qualifying him for the state championship held in Columbus, Ohio.
“And I said to my daughter, ‘If you finish third, you should be so thankful,’” Brian remembered. “She said, ‘Daddy, if he finishes last, I’m going to be thankful. But he’s going to win.’”
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；2．请按如下格式作答。
This little horse won an important match.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Her dad now has a racehorse whose name is Steve Hartman.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“You’re fired!” Andrew Chilton wasn’t joking. At that moment, the high school junior wanted his personal care attendant, Christy Chachere, out of his life forever. He didn’t want her help any more. He thought he could write his own term papers. “You’re fired!” He said it again.
Christy Chachere, a retired PE teacher, didn’t take a step back. She believed she could do this job. “You know, I’ve taught middle schoolers,” she said. What about Andrew’s outcry? It was music to her ears. Progress was faster than expected.
When Andrew suffered from autism (自闭症) at age eight, people told his mom, Cindy, to get him on the list for an attendant to provide after-school care. Someone would drive him to places and see that he was safe. In New Orleans, Louisiana, the wait can be years, the need far outstrips (超过) the supply. Cindy had no choice but to turn to the program Volunteers of America for help.
Even so, it was eight years before they were matched with Christy. In the meantime. Andrew’s family did their best to help him get through life’s hardships. “I did worry about him,” said Cindy. There was a lot to worry about. Doctors and school teachers said that Andrew might not even graduate from high school. Other questions were around the corner as well. Would he ever have a job, or live independently?…Cindy would do anything for her son.
Christy saw the problem right away. “Andrew wouldn’t take a step without his mother’s permission (同意),”she recalled. “You have to let him fail,” she told the family. “It’s the only way he’s going to learn. He has to be able to do things on his own.”
No longer would Cindy help Andrew write papers. His younger brother wouldn’t help him with the computer, either. It was a little unacceptable to step back. Actually, everyone was on board but Andrew.
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。
Andrew was filled with anger, but things began to change.
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“She understood me, and it turned out she was really nice.” Andrew said.
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Freddie Forbes stared in awe (敬畏) at the platform in the packed school hall. The headmaster marched onto the stage, followed by the captains of the school soccer team and rugby side. Freddie watched enviously (羡慕地) as each was presented with an honors jacket for their contribution to the school’s sporting success over the previous year. When the next presentation of honors jacket would come around, Freddie knew there was little hope that he would be the receiver of one of these treasured items of clothing.
“I wish you all a happy summer holiday,” the headmaster announced. “Although most of you will be going away to sunnier parts, there are others who will be staying near their home. The local council has asked the school to undertake a project over the next six weeks to help clear up litter around the area and separate it for recycling. If anyone is interested, come to my office and you will be supplied with a litter picker, bags and heavy-duty gloves.”
Freddie knew he would be at a loose end over the holiday, so he went to the office along with four other boys to pick up the equipment needed to gather up the rubbish which littered the streets around the school. When he arrived home, his mother looked at him curiously as he placed the equipment on the kitchen table.
“What is this all about?” she asked with a smile on her face. “Mum, I’m an average pupil and I’m not very good at sports,” he replied. “This waste recycling is one way I can contribute to the good name of the school.”
“Just as long as you don’t get fed up and stop half way through,” said Mum.
“I have made up my mind to stick this out through thick and thin,” Freddie said confidently.
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。
Over the next few weeks, the other boys dropped out of the project.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Hearing his name called by the headmaster, Freddie nervously made his way to the platform.
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