“Jordi! Wake up!” Father’s voice called from the hallway, and I sat up quickly. The day finally came! The day that I would be a casteller a tower builder. Mama had breakfast ready. “Are you prepared for your moment of fame?” Papa asked in excitement. My throat was suddenly very dry, and the bread’ got stuck as I swallowed. Taking a large mouthful of juice, I put on a smile. “I’m ready.”
Here in the eastern part of Spain, casteller groups were very popular. My city hosted the competition this year. Before that, I’d watched my parents compete. But never before had I been part of the tower. It was so high. And it sometimes fell. I was hesitant to be up there. But for the past year, I had been practicing the climb. I was twelve, and I must not be a coward. So for the first time in a competition, I would help build the tower!
In town, I saw that the center was packed with people and casteller teams from all over the country. Hands sweating, I was waiting for our turn to compete. Mom came, patted me on the shoulder and said, “Have focus. Have faith.” I nodded to show that I understood and would do my best to follow her suggestions.
Soon, too soon, it was our turn.
My father and three of the strongest men stood in a circle facing each other as they held each other’s. arms tightly Four more strong men stepped behind, each putting his arms firmly around the chest of a man and giving him a bear hug. Then fifty more men and women crowded behind and began pushing on their backs to keep them tightly together.
Our base was solid. Four smaller men climbed onto the backs of the base group and stood on their shoulders. They then grabbed each other’s arms tightly, creating a strong second tier. Another. group of men would form the chird tier Then, a group of women, including Mom, started climbing and began to form the fourth tier. Our tower was growing taller and taller.
Paragraph 1:Then suddenly it was kids’ turn to make the last tier.
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“Jordi. Easy!” My mother whispered.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A little boy selling magazines for school walked up to a house that people hardly visited. The house was very old and the owner hardly ever came out. When he did come out he would not say hello to neighbors or passers-by but simply just glare (瞪眼看) at them.
The boy knocked on the door and waited, sweating from fear of the old man. The boy’s parents told him to stay away from the house. A lot of the other neighborhood children were told the same from their parents.
As he was ready to walk away, the door slowly opened. “What do you want?” the old man said. The little boy was very afraid but he had a quota (份额) to meet for school with selling the magazines.
“Uh, sir, I uh am selling these magazines and uh I was wondering if you would like to buy one.” The old man just stared at the boy. The boy could see inside the old man’s house and saw that he had dog figurines (小狗雕像) on the wall. “Do you collect dogs?” the little boy asked. “Yes, I have many collections in my house. They are my family here. They are all I have.” The boy then felt sorry for the man, as it seemed that he was a very lonely soul. “Well, I do have a magazine here for collectors. It is perfect for you. I also have one about dogs since you like dogs so much.” The old man was ready to close the door on the boy and said, “No boy, I don’t need any magazines of any kind, now goodbye.”
The little boy was sad that he was not going to make his quota with the sale. He was also sad for the old man being so alone in the big house that he owned. The boy went home and then had an idea. He had a little dog figurine that he got some years ago from an aunt. The figurine did not mean nearly as much to him since he had a real live dog and a large family.
注意：
1、 所续写短文的词数应为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:
The boy headed back down to the old man’s house with the figurine.
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Paragraph 2:
From that day on something changed inside the old man.
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I had just poured my second cup of tea that morning and sat down to read the paper. From somewhere, an inner voice said, “Go see Jeff and bring him the chair to repair. Go right now.” it was such a strong need that I hurriedly dressed and carried a dinning-room chair to his door. Jeff was a neighbor who had lost his wife a while back, and he sometimes did minor repairs for me because he enjoyed working with his hands.
I knocked on his door and waited a while. I was about to walk away when he answered. He looked like he was far away in his thoughts. I felt awkward about upsetting him so early. I greeted him and then asked if he could repair my chair. He invited me inside. We sat in his living room. He looked very sad and not his usual self. He said he had had a stroke recently, and while he was home now, he still needed to attend physical treatment. He had to build his strength back up. I apologized for the chair and told him I would just bring it back home. He said to leave it.
We talked for a while. He said that, before I arrived, he was seriously sad. So, my visit stopped his darkness. I listened to how hard it had been since his wife passed and how much worse it was now since the stroke. The longer we talked, the more I saw his mood lighten.
After I left his home, I went to the supermarket and gathered ingredients. I made him a hot meal I thought he would like. Carefully, I cut up vegetables and prepared stew (炖菜) for him. I believe it was the best stew I ever made. I made homemade biscuits and prepared fresh fruit for dessert. I realize there might have been healthier food, but I thought a hot meal would lift his spirits. I dropped it off for him. He was glad that someone cared. Emotionally, he seemed in a better place.
注意：1. 续写词数应为100左右；
2. 续写一段，开头语已为你写好。
About a week later, he knocked on my door.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I used to work in a preschool for one and a half years, teaching the class for 2-year-olds. There was a head teacher and two assistant teachers(including me)in our class.
Maybe 8 months into my work, we had a new student named Jack, who was nearly 3 years old but hardly knew any words. In fact when he arrived, the only words he would say were “hi” and “no”. Based on our working experience, we suspected his parents just never interacted with him at home.
Every morning, Jack’s mom would drop him off with a totally blank expression. The moment they arrived, Jack would start crying, holding onto the hand or leg of his mother, who would just struggle to get the boy off her, saying “Let me go, Jack.” and then walk away without a look back. When she picked him up in the afternoon, Jack would run up to show her something but she would simply stare blankly at him and say “Let’s go, Jack.” If the teachers reported anything to her, she’d say “I see.” “Mhmm.”, giving us the same absent look.
Jack’s dad rarely came and he was just as bad. He obviously had an anger problem. Anytime he heard something negative had happened, he would turn red, stare angrily at his son and just say “HUH. Well. We will deal with it.” in such a cold voice.
As a result, the boy, who longed desperately for attention and love, was always bad-tempered (坏脾气). He would run, kick, hit, and even sometimes bite other kids. And when he did it he would laugh and turn to us to look for a reaction. We criticized and punished him again and again, but it didn’t work at all. After his second week, the lead teacher decided to talk to his mom about it. His mom just shrugged (耸肩), it off, gave that blank look and said, “Oh yeah, Jack is a handful (难管的人). I just can’t help it. ”The teachers were all shocked.
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。
Having handled Jack for two months, we adjusted our approach.
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To our great joy, Jack gradually changed.
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You know how when big things in your life aren’t going well and the little things bother you more? That happened to me last year. Like many people during the pandemic, my husband, Paul, was laid off. I was still working, but my job was only part-time and would likely be ending soon too. I was worried about money, pandemic and our future.
That’s when our mailboxes really started getting to me. I’d never liked our mailboxes much. They stood at the end of our long driveway, far enough away from our house. Fortunately, I didn’t see them often. The mailboxes had already been in rough shape when we moved in and the paint was faded.
At some point, someone had driven into the pole. It was now bent slightly, making the mailboxes bend, pointing in different directions. Still, because the boxes could hold the mail and the mail carrier wasn’t complaining, there really was no need to replace them.
“I wish we could have better mailboxes,” I found myself thinking as I pulled out of the driveway one day on my way to work. It was just a passing thought. I probably would have forgotten all about it if not for the news we got the next morning.
The next day, my neighbor Ailsa told me a girl drove her car right into the mailboxes and completely knocked them down. Ailsa saw the accident and gave her our number and information. “That certainly wasn’t in our budget,” I thought. Though I wanted new mailboxes, getting them would be expensive. With our income decreasing since Paul’s layoff, this was an expense we didn’t need. I sighed.
However, the next day where our old, rusted mailboxes had once stood were two new shiny mailboxes-one black, one white. Each one had large, neat numbers on the sides, the white mailbox with black numbers and the black one with white numbers. They were beautiful. I sat there, feeling surprised.
注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式作答。
Paragraph 1:
I opened one of the mailboxes and found a note.
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Paragraph 2:
When we called, the girl’s mother answered.
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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。
It was a beautiful sunny day when Martin went out into the backyard. It would have been a perfect day to play. But Martin wasn’t out there to play.
Two months before, so interested had Martin been in playing the flute ( 长 笛 ) that he asked his mother to buy him the expensive flute and promised to practice at least thirty minutes every day. But it can be difficult to concentrate on a flute when your room is full of cool stuff like a TV, video games and the Internet. So Martin’s mother sent him to the backyard to practice, where there would be no distractions ( 分 心 的 事 物 ) .
Martin sat down on the grass and brought the flute to his lips. He began doing his fingering exercises with his eyes closed. You have to close your eyes when you want to concentrate on stuff. Anyway, he played for a good forty or fifty seconds before he heard a familiar sound: “Hey, Martin.”
He looked in the direction of the voice and saw the face of his friend, his next-door neighbor, Kris, who was smiling at him from the fence.
“I just got a new movie!” he said, “Want to come over and check it out?”
Well, that was exactly what Martin wanted to do. He loved movies but he shook his head and said sorry. Kris seemed disappointed that Martin had said no. But he also understood that Martin had to practice a lot when learning a musical instrument. So he left and watched the film by himself
Martin was alone with his flute. He closed his eyes and started his fingering exercises again. But he couldn’t concentrate. He wasn’t anything like his father, a biologist. Martin had been to his lab many times. He couldn’t understand why his father could concentrate on his researches for so long a time. When he was thinking, his father came over
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。
His father smiled when he noticed Martin’s absent-mindedness.
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Martin felt ashamed and then he nodded, saying he hoped to be a great flute player.
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When I was still a child, what I liked to do most at the weekend was to go to the local country fair with my mom and brothers, because we kids could find all that appealed to us, like toys, food and candies. We often waited by the food car for tacos while Mom picked fresh vegetables and fruits. People went there not only because they could buy fully-grown tomatoes and berries but also it was the very place that brought the community together. Neighbors exchanged greetings and the farmers seemed to know each other. Mom used to say smilingly, “People never bargained but always were satisfied.”
When I grew up, I left home and moved to big cities, where large fairs were rarely seen. However, deep inside, I always cherished the sweet childhood memories. My mom, in her call, often excitedly told me about certain farmers on the front-page winning big prizes for growing the biggest pumpkin or the best watermelon. How I missed such a grand occasion and wished to run into one at the corner of the street!
One early morning in a strange city on business, I had nothing to do. I left the hotel taking the camera to explore the small town a bit, wishing to take some really fantastic pictures. I walked past some pubs and cafes with cute tables and chairs leisurely scattered in the small yards and then turned into some beautiful alleys where I got myself lost in a residential complex with white walls and red-tiled roofs. The houses looked kind of old but were neatly arrayed. Once in a while, a person or two was seen taking a morning jog. I took a few pictures and went on. In its quietness, I heard some noise not far away. I made several wrong turns but finally got there.
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:
I was utterly surprised by what I saw.
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Paragraph 2:
When I returned to the hotel, I gave my mom a call.
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With new faces everywhere, the time in Grade 1 was really tough for me. Since I was an Indian girl, nobody wanted to talk to me. Every spare minute was spent alone, and no classmates would group with me for projects.
Feeling lonely and sad, I was in desperate need of close friends, with whom I hoped to share my happiness and sorrow. A girl named Fatin, who was cute, clever and talented, appealed to me deeply. However, she seemed to be avoiding me as well. Being only six years old, I didn’tunderstand why people treated me like that, I opened up to my mother about all this, almost crying my eyes out.
Mom smiled, patting me on the shoulder and comforting me until I calmed down. She looked into my eyes and encouraged me, “Honey, don’t worry. They’re just not familiar with you. Try to bring out the best in you. They’ll befriend you as long as they see your excellence.” At that time, I didn’t believe her, but Mom was right.
One day, my teacher, Miss Bibiena, announced that there was to be a speech competition. My heart pounded wildly. I really enjoyed participating in speech competitions. Actually, I was quite good at them. The only problem was that the whole school would be watching me and I knew none of my audience.
However, I was determined to do it. I gathered all my courage, marched up to the teacher and said, “Miss Bibiena, I want to join in the speech competition.” She stared at me for such a long time that I started to feel uncomfortable, but then I saw a gentle smile spreading over her face. She handed me an application form.
The next day, I arrived at school early to submit my form to the teacher. Taking the form, Miss Bibiena said encouragingly to me, “For a new student, you have lots of courage. Do your best, Sneha!” Rarely did Miss Bibiena praise anyone. On my way to class, I smiled at her remark, which lifted up my spirits that day.
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。
Until the competition day, I practised my speech whenever possible.
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As I went off the stage, I heard someone call my name.
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Yesterday, I needed to withdraw 3000 dollars at the bank that I intended to use for home decorations. When I arrived at the bank, I saw that it was packed with people. I took a token and joined the queue.
As I was waiting, I noticed an old woman getting off a taxi. She entered the bank with a walking stick in hand. I could tell that she was having difficulty for her hands were shaking violently. So I approached her, took a receipt, and filled it out for her. After that, I also helped her get a token, so she could deposit her money. She thanked me and stood not far from me.
The queue was very long. After what seemed ten minutes, she looked anxious. I offered to exchange my token with her, but she refused politely. Having waited for nearly half an hour, it was my turn. I withdrew my money and waited to see if the old lady needed any more help. During the time, we chatted for a while. she told me she had intended to deposit three thousand dollars, which was all her savings.
After 20 minutes, it was her turn. However, it was at that time that she realized that she had lost the money she had intended to deposit! She searched around but found nothing. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to compose herself and call her son for help. She couldn’t find his number among her contacts because she was so discouraged. I helped her called her son but the problem at hand was still the lost money. She didn’t know what to do, and I could sense she was in desperate need of assistance. At the same time, her name was repeated in the hall. If she missed the turn, it meant she would wait another long time.
注意：所续写短文的词数应为150字左右。
After thinking for a moment, I had an idea.
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Ten minutes later, her son rushed into the bank with her taxi driver.
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Last Thursday, my husband Robin and I invited some of our friends for dinner.
Just before I left work, Robin called me and said that he had to stay late at work, which meant that I had to prepare everything for the night on my own. Realizng that I didn’t have too much time, I could feel my anger rising as I drove to pick up Jason and Michael from school. After they got into the car, I informed them that we would stop on the halfway to buy something, and that they needed to help me tidy the house when we got home.
Both of the boys started complaining. I warned them that I was not in the mood to listen. They crossed their arms and became angry. For the next hour, I dragged them from one place to the next. The more I needed them to hurry, the more distracted (分心的) and silly they became. My patience was wearing thin.
Just as we finished our last task, the boys reminded me that we needed to stop at the pet store to pick up crickets (蟋蟀) for their pet lizards (蜥蜴).“You promised that you would buy crickets for us, and you shouldn’t break your promise,” Jason said. “Fine! But we need to be fast,”I replied impatiently, and then we raced to the pet shop.
Fifteen minutes later, we were back in the car with some new passengers: one hundred live crickets in a plastic bag. I pulled the car into the driveway and there was only forty-five minutes left to unpack the car, clean the house, and set the table before my guests arrived. How would I make it?
After returning home, I started barking out orders, but the boys were pouring the crickets from the plastic bag into the box that they prepared and they obviously ignored my orders.
My anger swept over me, and I shouted at them to hurry up, but they didn’t listen.
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 moment I turned round, I found crickets were jumping all over my kitchen.
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Finally, I jumped off the chair and started catching crickets with my boys.
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