You can never do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late. How many times have we said “Oh, I’ll do that tomorrow.”? Sometimes tomorrow never comes, and we find ourselves saying, “Boy, I wish I hadn’t put that off.”
I’m the mother of three children and grandmother of two. My oldest son Todd was killed instantly in a car accident when he was 16. It was shortly after Todd’s death that I entered into a personal relationship with Betty. From that day on, my life has taken a radical change for the better. Our family has been friends with Betty for many years. Over the years, we shared phone calls and birthday cards. Betty sent our youngest son Brandon a birthday card with $5 in it until he graduated from high school.
Shortly after Betty’s birthday, I called to see how she was and what she had done on her birthday. I was pretty surprised when Betty didn’t answer the phone；instead, her daughter Carol did. Carol told me that her mom had gone downhill fast, and she was now in Hospice care. Carol handed the phone to Betty. I talked briefly to her and let her know we loved her.
As soon as I got off the phone, I sent a text to Brandon to let him know Betty wasn’t doing well. Little did I know that Brandon stopped what he was doing and immediately sent flowers to Betty.
You can imagine how proud I was of Brandon when Carol called the next day, letting me know how much Betty loved the flowers Brandon had sent. A few days later, Betty died.
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 sat quietly on the sofa, feeling heavy.
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I hurried to clean up the house and welcome Carol.
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My granddaughter Elizabeth lives in Washington state. When she was a rather naive 12 year old,she had spent the summer visiting her father near Atlanta,Georgia. Elizabeth's school was to start in about three weeks,so it was decided that she could stop and visit with us in Texas before returning to Washington just in time to start school.
Our visit would be rather short,but Elizabeth is such a joy that we enjoy every moment that we can share with her.
I can't imagine what the travel agent in Georgia was thinking when she scheduled 12-year-old Lizzy's flights. First,she was to fly from Atlanta to Houston William Hobby Airport, arriving about 9:00 p.m. Then she was to depart for San Antonio about 11:00 p.m. from Houston's George H.W. Bush Inter. Continental Airport. However,Bush is some 25 miles across town from Houston Hobby Airport,and there was no ground transportation available between the two.
The lady who sat next to Liz on the plane learned of the situation and,sensing Liz's worry,gave her a phone card and $10. 00. When Elizabeth called us and explained her situation,we advised her to contact a police officer there at the terminal.
She did. He put her in touch with Ms Joy Fears,a Continental gate agent. Initially,Ms Fears was going to put Elizabeth in a taxi to make the cross-town trip. Liz had $20. 00 or so that her dad had given her upon leaving Atlanta Hartsfield Airport,plus the $10. 00 that her seatmate had given her—enough for the taxi fare to Bush Airport. However,no doubt considering Liz's age and the late hour,Ms Fears decided to show her kindness by taking an enjoyable“do it yourself”approach.
First Ms Fears got a meal voucher(代金券) and got Lizzy fed. Then she proceeded to round up Liz's baggage,then put both the luggage and our granddaughter in her private vehicle. She went so far as to personally deliver Liz to the Continental gate at Bush,and saw to it that she was properly checked in and on her way for the 55 minute flight from Houston to San Antonio.
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。
We feel very grateful to Liz's seat-mate, the Houston police officer.
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There are many helpful folks who don't get recognition for their kindness.
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My parents love the saying “If at first you don't succeed, try, try again" so much that they even bought a pillow with those words on it. But I was recently in a situation where I was SO ready to give up.
It started last week when my friend Ollie and I were helping his grandmother Mary to carry boxes from her garage to her car for the homeless shelter rummage sale (义卖).
At the sight of a big old trunk (行李箱)，we asked Mary what was inside. But she told us that as she had lost the key, she had to find a master locksmith to figure it out. "Let me have a try!" said Ollie. “I bet I can open that lock in two minutes flat! Maybe there's a treasure inside, like gold or diamonds or an ancient map!"
Mary smiled. "I'll tell you what. If you two treasure hunters can open this trunk, you can have it, along with whatever is inside."
Ollie got a tool kit and we set out to open the lock. But he definitely lost that bet. Those two minutes turned into two hours, with no luck at all. We had tried every tool in the kit, but the lock wouldn't move slightly.
“It's no use." Ollie sighed. "I guess we have to give up."
“But we can't give up!" I said. "What about 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again"?"
Ollie shook his head. "Unless you know a magical key fairy, we're never getting this unlocked."
Just then, my little brother Tex showed up. He showed great interest in the trunk. "It looks like an upside-down boat! Can I turn it over and pretend I'm sailing in the ocean?"
"Sure," Ollie replied. "It's no good for anything else."
“Ahoy!" Tex said, climbing on top after Ollie and I turned it over. “I’m the captain!” He giggled as he jumped up and down. And right then, a screw (螺丝) from a hinge (铰链) came loose and rolled to the floor.
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。
“That's it! I know how to open it!" said Ollie.
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Oh! There were only lots of shoes in the trunk!
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There was a rich couple who was holding a big new year party at their house. So they went shopping at the market where everything was expensive, but they didn’t mind paying a lot for it. After buying everything they needed, they called a porter(搬运工) to carry it and drop it off at their home. The porter who came was of an old age, not very healthy looking. His clothes were torn and he looked as if he wasn’t even able to meet his daily needs.
They asked the porter about the charges for sending their goods at their home. The old porter quoted(报价) $20, a price well below the market rate. Yet, the couple argued and bargained(讨价还价) with the porter and finally settled for $15. The porter was trying to make money for every meal so he needed anything he could earn.
The couple was very happy thinking how well they bargained with the poor porter and paid him $15 in advance and left after giving the porter their home address. They reached their home and two hours passed, the porter still hadn’t delivered their stuff.
The wife started to get angry at her husband, “I always tell you not to trust such person but you never listen to me. Such a person is not even able to earn to feed himself for one time in a day, and you handed him everything we bought for our big party. I am sure he must have disappeared with everything. We must immediately go back to the market to inquire(询问) and then to the police station to file the complaint against him(报案).”
They both went to the market. On their way, near the market, they saw another porter. They stopped him to inquire about the old porter and noticed that he was carrying their stuff(东西) in his cart!
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The angry wife asked him, “Where is that old thief? This is our stuff.”
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Upon hearing this, the husband had tears in his eyes and turned to his wife.
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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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My husband and I got to experience a total stranger's kindness and generosity first-hand during a 10-day trip across the High Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert.
On our second-to-last day in Morocco, we happily took a trip to Essaouira, an old and beautiful seaside town on the Atlantic. During the journey there, we stopped at an Argan co-operative（合作社）, where we got to taste some Argan oil and honey. After that, we headed where we stayed. We arrived at our small guesthouse in Essaouira at around dinnertime, and on our way to a local restaurants my husband started to feel unwell. He went back to our guesthouse while I had dinner with some friends.
When I got back to our guesthouse after dinner, I found my husband sitting on the bathroom floor, looking very pale. He had been sick about six times in an hour. He spent the rest of the night in the bathroom, getting very familiar with the house's pipe. Our main suspect was the Argan honey—it probably didn't agree with him.
At about 6 a. m., my husband finally managed to leave the bathroom and crawl into bed. He was very weak and dehydrated（脱水的），so I went down to the reception to buy a bottle of water. When I got to the lobby（门厅）,I found a young man behind the desk, who didn't look older than 18, and explained to him that my husband was sick and I needed to buy some bottled water for him.
Our house was very small and basic and didn't have a restaurant or cafe. The young man informed me that they didn't sell any drinks at the house, so I asked him where the nearest shop was.
I looked out the window and my heart started to race. I didn't fancy risking going into the unfamiliar streets of the Medina in the dark, all by myself. In fact, I was afraid of 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。
Instead of giving me directions to the nearest shop, the young man asked me to wait for him there.
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I handed him a 50 Dirham note （about 5 EUR） for the water.
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1.图片的内容；
2.图片表达的含义。
注意:1.写作词数应为80左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
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Long ago there was a king who had twin sons. There was some confusion about which one was born first. As they grew up, the king found a fair way to decide one of them as crown (皇冠) prince.
Calling them together, he said seriously, “My sons, the day will come when one of you must be the future king. The burdens (负担) of being a king are very heavy. To find out which of you is better able to bear (承担) them cheerfully, I am sending you together to a far corner of the kingdom. One of my advisors there will place equal burdens on your shoulders (肩膀). My crown will one day go to the one who returns first bearing his burden like a king should.”
In a spirit of the friendly competition, the brothers set out together. Soon they met a weak and old woman struggling under a heavy weight. One of the boys suggested that they stop to help her. The other protested: “We have a burden of our own to worry about. Let us be on our way.”
So the second son hurried on while the other stayed behind to help the woman with her load. On his journey to the kingdom, the same young man found others who needed help. A blind man who needed help to get home; a lost child whom he carried back to her worried parents; a farmer whose wagon (马车) needed a strong shoulder to push it out of the mud.
Eventually he did reach his father’s advisor. There he gained his own burden and started home with it safely on his shoulders.
注意：
1.续写词汇应为 150左右；
2.请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
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When he arrived back at the palace, his father and brother met him at the gate.
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The future king replied thoughtfully.
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Wrinkles of confusion rippled across Holly’s forehead as she opened the gift from her best friend, Susan.
“I...I thought you could use it for something.” Susan’s stammered explanation did nothing to help us understand why a twelve-by-eighteen-inch dark blue carpet remnant(残余物) was being presented as a birthday gift.
Holly, my daughter, tried bravely not to allow her disappointment to show. She laid the carpet on the kitchen counter, and the two girls headed outside to play.
The next morning, I carried a kitchen bag outside. My heart ached as I saw Susan’s carpet lying in the trash can. Hesitating only a moment, I reached in and picked it up. After giving it a light brushing, I brought it into the house and placed it in the hall closet. Occupied with the business of daily living, the carpet was soon forgotten.
Prior to Holly’s birthday, Susan had been a regular visitor in our home. On several occasions, she rode the bus home with Holly and was one of the few friends ever permitted to stay over on a school night. But now I realized it had been nearly three weeks since we’d even heard mention of Susan’s name. I missed her warm smile and eager-to-please ways.
One day, Holly had arrived home from school. “Susan invited me to come over to her house after school tomorrow,” she announced as she took her books down on the kitchen table. Although her voice carried a so-what attitude, I sensed she was pleased by the invitation.
Arrangements were made, and the girls rode home together on the school bus the following day. As I negotiated the winding country road that led to her house, Susan chatted nervously about her foster mom and the seventeen cats she had taken in and cared for. Soon we arrived at Susan’s house.
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A woman wearing a shapeless sweater stood in the doorway to greet us as we approached the small shabby farmhouse.
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Hearing my words about everything of Susan, Holly sat silently in the car, with her head stretching forward(前伸) as if willing the car to move faster.
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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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