My father asked me to chat with him for a while. Actually, I was unwilling to listen to his talking endlessly as he always did. My father was a lawyer, but I never wanted to go to law school or follow his path through life.
As was expected, he cleared his throat and started to say, “Er... What... What do you really want to do in the gorgeous(灿烂的) future?”
I was silent for a moment playing with the cell phone. I kept thinking, “Should I tell him my true thoughts? What if he gets angry? What if I let him down?” later I replied, “Well, I want to be a writer.”
I guessed this may be not the answer he would expect. But surprisingly, “Interesting idea!” he answered. I was shocked, speaking in a low voice with hesitation.
“Are you serious, dad?”
“Well, you need confidence and good preparations, and you still have plenty of time. You need to find out what you really enjoy now. Look, it’s late. Let’s take the boat out tomorrow morning, just you and me. Maybe we can catch some crabs (螃蟹) for dinner, and we can talk more.”
Early next morning we packed up the equipment and set off for the coast. We didn’t talk much, but enjoyed the sound of the seabirds and the sight of the coastline.
There were no big waves and blinding sunlight at that time. “Let’s see if we are lucky,” he said, picked up a web basket with a rope tied and threw it into the sea. We waited a while, then my father stood up and said, “Give me a hand with this,” and we pulled up the crab cage onto the deck.
To our joy, the cage was filled with dozens of soft shell crabs. Squatting (蹲) down, we watched them for a moment. At first they fought against each other to climb out hard, trying to escape. Many were pulled back into the cage. Later, some gave up, but there were still some crabs trying to escape again and again.
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。
At that moment, my father pointed to the cage, “Look at that crab, there!”
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From that day on, I was determined to make my dream come true
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Three Fingers of Patience
Once there was a farmer with his wife and children living a happy life by earning from their own land in a village. The family planted in spring, and harvested the crops in autumn. They set aside enough for the whole year, and sold the extra in the market. With the money, the family could buy necessities and prepare seeds and fertilizer(肥料)for the next year. Look, the farmer was making his land ready for his next session of farming. The only issue faced by him was an in sufficient amount of water for the fields. After discussing with his family, the farmer came to a conclusion to dig a well nearby his land. This idea could not only solve the present problem of lacking water, but also improve the watering system once and for all.
After managing to get all the materials prepared, he went to visit an expert to ask for advice about where he should dig one. Under the guidance, he started the project at the edge of the land with great expectation. He worked very hard to dig day and night. Several days passed, and there was no water coming out, but he had confidence and further dug the well even without his lunch or dinner. Three days later, he became discouraged as nothing changed though he dug deeper and deeper. His hard work was not rewarded. The whole family boosted his confidence and advised him not to lose hope. He didn’t want to disappoint anyone, especially himself, and began his project again. Another two days went by, and there was not a single drop of water coming from the well. He was completely tired, lost patience and went home thinking that everything was a waste of time. Although his family still believed they were able to find water there, the result made them accept the failure. In case passers-by fell into the hole by mistake, they put a piece of wood which was the size of five fingers long near the unfinished well. Since then, the family didn’t talk about the well any more.
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。
One night, a villager walked beside the well and hit his leg on that wood by mistake.
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Water sprang up from the well as soon as the wood was hit down and rose to a certain level.
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My children were sitting at the kitchen table, playing a game. They had taken some cards and written a secret word on each one. Without looking at the word on the card, they had to put the card on their foreheads. Then they took turns asking yes-or-no questions until they were able to guess the secret word on their card. “In my secret word ‘fork’!” Jordan asked.
“Yes! You got it! You won!” both of his sisters yelled.
Minutes later, my youngest daughter Julia said, “Mommy, mine in really hard.” I nodded sympathetically (同情地). The poor girl didn’t stand a chance. The card on her forehead read “love”.
She’d already asked more than a dozen questions, and each answer seemed to confuse her even more. Then, she asked, “Is it invisible (看不见的)?”
Lea and Jordan looked at one another, unsure of how to answer. They asked me, “Mom, what do you think? Is the word on Julia’s card invisible?”
I paused. Is love invisible? In the game, it obviously was. “Well, yes, the word on Julia’s card is invisible,” I said. “We can’t see it in the same way we can see an object like a fork or a bird.”
Poor Julia shook her head. “I still don’t get it.”
I said, “Julia, when I want to show you your word, I make your favorite dinner.”
Julia thought for a minute, “Is my word ‘hungry’?”
I smiled. “No, but that was a good try. If you wanted to show me your word, you would give me a hug or a kiss.”
Julia’s eyes lit up. “Mom, my word is ‘love’!”
I nodded, and the kids clapped. Then, they chose new cards.
But later, when the kids finished playing the game, Julia came to me and said, “Mom, I think love should never be invisible.” I smiled and nodded my head. Then I thought about my day and how I spent my time. I had to admit that I was too busy cooking and cleaning to show actual love. But young children didn’t appreciate clean floors. They even didn’t notice those things, let alone feel loved by them. I decided to change.
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I gathered the kids together and asked what visible love they wanted.
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Over the next few weeks, I picked several suggestions from the list and had a try.
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“Do you forget to bring your homework to school!?” my math teacher asked. I nodded my head and said in a low voice, “Yes, sir.” What a mistake I had made! I had completed my math homework. But when I headed for school, I forgot to put it into my schoolbag. Now my homework is still lying on the desk at home.
“You will have to get a zero then,” my math teacher said. I was shocked. I had never received a zero in a math class before. But the school had rules, and the teacher had to let everyone follow them. I was immediately worried about my final math average, which was based on my homework and the tests. Would I get a C or even a D at the end of the term? If so, what should I do?
My next class was a gym class. As I walked down the hall with my classmates, all those feelings rushed out in hot tears. I wiped them away as quickly as I could. But when we entered the gym and sat down on the floor, it was clear to everyone around me that I had been crying.
My gym teacher, Ms. Brown, was an athletic teacher, often with a smile on her face. Ms. Brown was nice and compassionate (有同情心的). She loved her students and often came to help if the students were in trouble.
During that gym class, my mind was affected by the math homework and I was worried about my final math average. So I failed to devote my attention to Ms. Brown’s direction. And clearly, I was sad. I guessed that Ms. Brown found there was something wrong with me. When it was near the end of the gym class, she walked to me.
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。
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She sat down to comfort me.
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I felt relaxed and decided to work harder at math.
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Life is Good Clothing is a 100 million-dollar company run by brothers Bert and John Jacobs. Like any other businessmen, they went through a lot of failures. However, the idea
“Life is good” from their mother kept them going and inspired them to build a clothing company that is now very successful.
In 1988, Bert and Jacobs took a seven-week road trip from California to Boston. The brothers said this trip changed their lives forever as they looked back on their childhood. According to the Jacobs, their childhood was perfectly-imperfect. Their house did not have heating but they were taught to always see the good in things.
They remembered playing outside all day and when it was dinner time, they would gather around the dinner table. Their mother would say to them, “Tell me something good that happened today.” Their father had a near — death accident which caused severe damage to his right hand. The accident made their father develop a terrible temper （脾气），but their mother would always sing to them and read them children’s stories. “That optimism was something our family always had, even when we had little else,” the brothers said.
During the trip, they tried to figure out what they wanted to do with their lives and decided to run a clothing business. They started selling T-shirt designs in street fairs around Boston. Their design was just a simple drawing of a stick figure with the phrase “Life is good.”
Their small business didn’t turn out so well, but the two brothers did not give up. Then they changed their target audience. This time, they tried to sell their T-shirts to college students, going to different schools every night. Again it did not work. To figure out what they had been doing wrong, Bert and John held beer parties, where they asked their friends for their honest opinions. In return , they could enjoy free beer and amusing stories from the brothers. Again this did not seem to work and they were running out of money.
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。
However, they took the risk and held another party which they thought was the last.
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Finally, someone noticed their design and showed sincere appreciation.
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The other day, I was driving home, a little upset because I hated working at the weekend. On the way, I decided to grab some veggies in the nearby greengrocer's. Since there was still thin ice on the road, I took a glance at the rear mirror to make sure no pedestrians or vehicles came close, and slowly steered the wheel to the right. Then out of any of my expectancy my car bumped into an electric bike, giving out a harsh metallic clash. I collected myself and saw out of the window screen a teenager lean on one side of the bike, one foot off the ground.
All of a sudden, a familiar scene flashed across my mind.
When I was in high school, I had fun riding my bike along the country road on sweltering and boring afternoons during summer holidays. Sometimes I carried my little brother to the only grocery store in the neighborhood where we could buy our favorite ice cream. Once we had an argument about what to buy. Seeing him leave the store in a temper, I jumped on the bike and tried to talk him into going back. Suddenly, he gave me a push and I inclined towards the middle of the road when a motorbike came in my face. I fell on the ground before I could see anything clearly. Luckily, I didn't get hurt but still couldn’t rise to my feet. The motorist, a middle-aged man, ignoring his torn jeans, shed to check on me, “Are you okay? Your leg? Your foot?"
“I am all right, but..."I stared at him, terrified because I was sure he would ask for "big" sum of money for compensation. Instead, he just let me go despite his wife's protests. Guilty as I was, I was happy that I was spared. I was really grateful to the man for pardoning a silly kid who had made such a big mistake involuntarily.
注意：1,续写的词数应为150左右；2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1
Seeing the same fright in the boy's eyes, I quickly got out of my car.
Paragraph 2
The boy offered to give me some money for the damage.
Goal!
Seconds later, the referee blew the whistle. Came over.
“We won!” Jordan shouted out, leaping into the air.
“Championship game, here we come!” said Tara, slapping hands with Devin. “Can't wait till Thursday.”
Devin grinned. Thursday would be huge-the big soccer game in the afternoon, and the school's autumn concert in the evening. Ms. Poltis had chosen Devin to sing brief solo (独唱).
“Great work,” Coach said as the team gathered. “Be here by 6: 30 on Thursday to warm up.”
“Six thirty?” Devin said. That didn't sound right.
“It's a night game,” Coach explained. “Under the lights.”
“Playing at night will be so cool,” Tara said. “Under the bright stadium lights.”
Devin's heart sank. The concert was at 7: 00. Same time as the game. He couldn't possibly do both.
Devin's teammates were super excited. They were on the edge of a title, and Devin was a big reason why. He led the league in scoring, and his soccer knowledge made him like a coach on the field. He couldn't let his team down by skipping the game.
That night, Devin lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Finally, he turned on his light. He picked up a sheet of paper from his desk. After reading the words, he shut his eyes and sang them:
“No matter how hard the struggle, I will never let you down...”
The solo was only four lines in the middle of a song the entire choir(合唱团) would sing. Devin knew the words by heart, but the thought of singing alone made him shivers(颤抖). Sometimes he was nervous about taking part in sports, too, but that always went away as soon as a game started. He'd never sung a solo before. It was a relief to know he didn't have to now. The soccer game was perfect excuse. His team was perfect excuse. His team was counting on him.
But so was Ms. Poltis.
Devin crawled back into bed. It was a long time before he fell asleep.
In the morning, Devin hardly ate any breakfast.
At school, he went straight to the music room.
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。
He felt sorry to tell Ms. Poltis that he'd miss the concert.
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On Thursday evening, Devin warmed up slowly.
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Love Will Melt Your Heart
The day before my daughter Norah’s fourth birthday, something she said forecast remarkable event.I’d just picked her up from preschool when she cautioned me to mind the elderly person walking across the parking lot at a glacier’s pace. She went on to explain that she has a soft spot for mature folks: “I like old people the best because they walk slowly like I do and they have soft skin like me. They’re all going to die soon, so I’ll love them before they die.” I was struck by her thoughtfulness and empathy.
The following day — her birthday — again on the way home from school, she asked if we could stop at the grocery store to buy cupcakes. How do you say no to a birthday girl? So we headed toward the bakery and picked up the cupcakes. As I was distracted by a clearance shelf, Norah was busy standing up in the cart, excitedly waving and joyfully proclaiming, “Hi, old person! It’s my birthday today!”
Before I could hush her, he stopped and turned to her. His expression softened as he replied, “Well, hello, little lady! Happy birthday!” They chatted for a few minutes. Then, Norah turned to me and asked, “Can I take a picture with him?” I told her we’d certainly ask. I approached him and asked if he’d take a photo with my daughter for her birthday. His expression changed from confused to stunned to delighted, “A photo? With me?” he asked. “Yes, sure, for my birthday!” Norah answered. And so he did, I pulled out my iPhone, and they posed together. She placed her soft hand on top of his. He wordlessly stared at her with twinkling eyes as she kept his hand in hers, kissed the top of his hand and then placed it on her cheek. They were chatting like long-lost friends. I asked his name, and he told us to call him Dan. We were blocking other shoppers, but they didn’t care. There was magic happening in the grocery store that day, and we could all feel 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。
Paragraph 1:
After a few minutes, I thanked Mr. Dan for spending a bit of his day with us.
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A few days later, we visited Mr. Dan’s tidy house.
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A warm and sunny afternoon on a holiday, birds were singing and flowers were waving in the breeze. The sunshine cast beautiful shadows among the leaves. Susan was sitting in the room and doing the weaving(编织)task her grandmother had set, absent-minded.
A group of little girls came up to Susan from outside,jumping and talking happily. Rose,her best friend，asked Susan if she would like to play in the woods with them. Susan sighed and refused. After all，she had to finish the job first. The girls argued it must be rather tiresome to stay at home on such a good day. They commented that Susan’s grandmother was too strict. After hearing this,Susan bent her head.
As they disappeared in the distance,she could picture what would happen to these little crazy creatures. However，her heart sank,thinking of the crown(皇冠)game—the girls’favorite. She was sure that she would be the queen if she were there. Suddenly,an idea flashed into her mind. Perhaps there might be no harm if she moved the mark Grandmother had put in the stocking(长筒袜). After a while,she told her grandmother that she had made it,her heart beating wildly. Grandmother was shocked，but took the work,surveying it very closely. Then laying great stress on each word,she told Susan it was true，because she had counted twenty turns from the mark. Besides,she believed Susan had never cheated her. “Susan，go and amuse yourself as you like”. Grandma said,gently patting her on the head. Susan’s cheeks turned red,but she rushed out and even forgot to say thanks.
The girls were excited and surprised to see Susan join their company. Soon,the woods were bursting with the elves’(小精灵)laughter. Not a moment later,Susan sat on the grass,feeling guilty. She did cheat. When her companions ran about enjoying themselves,Susan wished she were at home admitting her fault.
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：
Finally,the exciting moment came and all girls decided to make a crown of flowers.
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The girls looked at her with surprise.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“The mall? Really, Mom?” 13-year-old Michelle asks her mother as her sister Nicole, three, looks on. “Absolutely.” Patty smiles. “You girls deserve some fun, and I need to get out of the house.” With dialysis (透析) treatments every five hours, Patty rarely ventures (冒险) from her Raymond, New Hampshire, home. She’s also been waiting four years to receive a call—the call that would call her for the double organ transplant (移植) she so desperately needs to live—the call that could come at any time. “There,” Patty smiles. “Let’s go have an adventure!”
Before leaving, Patty phones her firefighter husband Gary. But there’s no answer. Patty and her children arrive at the mall. “Whoa!” Patty laughs, forgetting in the excitement to call Gary.
At 3:05 Gary returns to the fire house. Just as he’s about to phone home to check on Patty, the phone is ringing! “We’ve got a match!” Patty’s doctor says. “But she’s got to Charlotte, North Carolina, by midnight.” Gary’s heart beats fast as he calls home. “Why doesn’t she answer?” Gary dials again and again.
Gary worries at the fire station. He’s booked four tickets on both of the two flights to North Carolina, a 6 pm from nearby Manchester or a 7:25 pm from Boston. Where are you Patty? With still no answer, Gary hangs up and dials the police department. He and his firefighter colleagues phone local stores and malls.
Now as Patty and her daughters go shopping, the mall loudspeakers are making an announcement. But in the crowded mall, Patty doesn’t hear it.
At 5:45 Gary realizes it’s too late to make the Manchester flight. And if he doesn’t find Patty soon, they won’t make the Boston flight either. Patty still hasn’t returned at 6:40. “Come home, Patty!” he begs, looking at the driveway. 7:00. It’s too late! Gary panics. Suddenly, he hears the sound of a car! “Patty!” he cries. Spotting her car pulling into the driveway, he calls the fire department. “Get that helicopter here!” he shouts. “She’s home!”
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Patty spots Gary racing toward her, a nervous look on his face and suitcases in his hands!
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At 7:37 the plane takes off.
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