1 . Educators today are more and more often heard to say that computer literacy is absolutely necessary for college students. Many even argue that each incoming freshman should have his or her own microcomputer. What advantages do computers offer the college students?

A few years ago, I stood in a small classroom just outside of New York City, watching a high schooler named Serena Stevenson answer math questions. An instructor read out numbers — 74,470, 70,809, 98,402 — and Stevenson added them in her head. For each question, she closed her eyes, and then the fingers of her right hand began to move. She answered most of the problems correctly.

The key to her success was an ancient technology called the abacus (算盘). Stevenson used a practice called “mental abacus”, imagining the abacus in her mind and then using her fingers to work through the problems.

From watching Stevenson, I knew that gaining skill at the abacus was more than a matter of counting beads, so I decided to sign up for an abacus course with my two daughters to see if we could also improve our math skills. I was one of the many who had some math doubts and I felt a touch of fear. My typical solution was avoidance, and if I had to calculate something like a percentage change, I would go online.

Then after a few abacus classes and a good amount of practice, math seemed a little less frightening. I didn’t become Euclid, the founder of geometry. But the practice brought my numerical fears down. This is a time-tested power of the abacus. Confidence grows easily in the device, and abacus students are less likely to be nervous about an upcoming math test, according to one study. Part of the reason, it seems, is that practice and outcomes appear to move in step.

My kids gained much as well. My youngest daughter could work out those math problems that once baffled her, while my older child brought her abacus to school to show it to her classmates and teacher. These were just small successes for them, but that was how they finally developed confidence.

2 . 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。

A girl went to her mother and told her mother about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed that as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots (锅) with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the water came to the boil. She placed carrots into the first pot. Then she placed eggs into the second pot. Finally, she placed ground coffee beans into the last pot. She let them boil without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes, she turned off the burners. She took the carrots, the eggs and the coffee out with a scoop and placed each of them in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, the mother asked, “Tell me, what do you see?” “Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” the young woman replied. The mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked her to drink the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted it.

The daughter then asked, “What does it mean, Mom?” Her mother explained that these objects had faced the same adversity (逆境) —boiling water, but they reacted differently. The carrots had been hard. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, they softened and became weak. The eggs had been weak. Their thin outer shells had protected their liquid interior (内部). But after sitting through the boiling water, their inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. “Which are you?” the mother asked her daughter.

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 girl became silent and fell into thought.

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The girl changed completely from then on.

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3 . When I was little, I often helped my mother plant our family’s garden. In April, I would kneel by Mum’s side for hours, carefully digging holes and ______ seeds into the earth.

When I grew up, I was unwilling to do any planting. ______, my mother never said much about my decision until two years ago. I was leaving home when Mum ______ me.

“Would you please help me with the planting today?” she asked, I mumbled (咕哝) something along the ______ of, “Uh, maybe … I’ll see. By the time I left the house, Mum was already in the garden. She ______ for a moment as I walked past, and from the corner of my eye I saw a certain ______ in her stare. A few hours later, I decided to head back home to help her and felt very _____   for my selfless decision. But I was too late.

I ______ little about that day until nearly a year later, Mum unexpectedly ______ her friend Sara to cancer. She went to see how the two children were ______ the sudden loss. There Mum learned the answer. “Mummy made me my own garden,” Rachel said ______, leading her outdoors to see the masterpiece. Sara had decided to plant her children something that would ______ long after she was gone.

As I listened to my mother tearfully tell Sara’s story, I realized the true ______ of a garden. Our annual planting was about kneeling together, planting potential life and creating the best ______ together.

I won’t ever ______ the planting day again.

4 . Let me tell you about a young boy who made a model car all on his own. The boy is me, six years ago when I was just 11.

The car was small and simple, but in my imagination it was a high-speed racing car, speeding along the race road. It was during the school summer holidays and workmen were building a new driveway and garage (车库) beside our house. It meant to add something new to our home. When I watched the workmen, I came up with an idea — I would build a car to drive into the garage in celebration of it. I told my mother and began with my plans. But I couldn’t find the right things for making the car, so I gave up and sadly spent several days doing nothing. My mother noticed that I had stopped working and asked me why. I explained and she suggested that maybe I should change my plan to fit the things I had, rather than give up.

And that’s just what I did. I found small pieces of wood in my father’s workshop and made my car from anything that was lying around the house. When I found a small engine (发动机) from one of my old model planes, I added that. The power came from a battery (电池) I found in a box.

By the time the garage was finished, so was my car. I called my family together outside the house, started the engine and put the car on the driveway. It was fast and I had to run to the garage to prevent it from hitting the new door. My family began to cheer and I smiled proudly. Thanks to my mother I learned the value of continuing to do things, especially, something difficult. Soon I was making plans for my next project: a robot!

5 . I have dreamed of taking a trip to Hawaii since I graduated, but the best thing always needs waiting.

I took a trip with my friends to Haleakala National Park, which lies in Hawaii.

When we arrived at Haleakala National Park, we were advised to watch the early morning sunrise. I was lost in the sightseeing (观光) that afternoon, so I could hardly wait to see the sunrise. The next morning, we all got out of bed very early and got to the seaside at 3 o’clock. In the first half an hour, we imagined how wonderful it would be when the first light came out through the thick clouds and how soft it would be when the light touched our skin, so we waited and waited. However, another half an hour later, I gradually lost my patience since there was nothing but the chilly darkness, and I felt that I was frozen to death. (冻死) But my friends were still extremely cheerful.

Nearly another one hour later, “Amazing!” Judy burst out and we all shouted to welcome the light, which was really unbelievable. Until today, I dare say that it is the most impressive sunrise in my life. However, waiting in the morning darkness is also one memory I can’t forget forever.

Waiting sometimes is really a hard thing for most of us as it needs patience and strong-willed determination (决心) , but what about the result after that? It might turn out to be pleasing and unbelievable. So, it is really worth (值得的) waiting for the best.

10 . It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80s came to the hospital. I heard him saying to the nurse that he was in a hurry for all appointment(约会)at 9:30. The nurse had him take a _______ in the waiting area,_______ him it would be at least 40 minutes_________someone would be able to see him. I saw him_______his watch and decided, since I was_______busy—my patient didn’t_______ at the appointed hour, I would examine his wound. While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor’s appointment. The gentleman said no and told me that he_______to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his_________. He told me that she had been_________for a while and that she had a special disease. I asked if she would be____________if he was a bit late. He replied that she __________ knew who he was, that she had not been able to __________ him for five years now. I was____________, and asked him, “And you__________go every morning, even though she doesn’t know who you are?” He smiled and said. “She doesn’t know me but I know who she is”. I had to hold back __________ as he left.            

Now I __________ that in marriages, true love is____________of all that is. The happiest people don’t__________have the best of everything, they just__________the best of everything they have. ____________isn’t about how to live through the storm, but how to dance in the rain.