Ethan was a young man living in a small town. He was a bright soul with dreams, but he was also trapped by the chains of fear and doubt.
Ethan worked at a small bookshop, yet deep within, he had a strong desire to become a painter. Every evening, as the setting sun painted the sky in orange and pink, Ethan would sit by his window, a blank canvas (油画布) before him. Yet, no stroke (笔画) graced the canvas. The fear of failure and the whispers of doubt prevented him from painting. “What if I’m not good enough?” he often thought.
One cold autumn evening, an unexpected visitor came knocking at Ethan’s door-Mrs. Wilkins, an elderly well-known woman of wisdom. “Ethan,” she began gently, “I’ve noticed the light in your room night after night, and yet, I’ve seen no color grace the world from your hands. Why is that?”
Ethan sighed, the weight of his unspoken dreams heavy on his shoulders. He whispered, “I’m afraid that I’ll never be good enough and that my work will never touch the hearts of others.”
Mrs. Wilkins smiled, a kind, understanding smile. “Ethan,” she said, drawing closer, “let me tell you a story of a young bird, much like yourself, afraid to leave its nest. The little bird was always scared at the thought of flight. Day after day, it watched other birds fly into the sky, while it remained where it was, full of fear. The bird feared the unknown, feared failure, and most of all, feared that its wings were not strong enough to carry it. But then, one day, a storm approached, and the little bird had no choice but to jump into the storm. It was not an easy journey; the winds were very strong, and the rain blinded its eyes. Yet, with each flap (拍打) of its wings, the bird realized that it was able to fly.”
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 开头已给出。
Ethan felt a sense of warmth and hope wash over him as Mrs. Wilkins spoke.
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____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As we stepped off the plane in Pucón, the lively atmosphere of the town immediately lifted our spirits after the long flight from New York.
The contrast between the freezing Big Apple and the warmth of Pucón was striking. The climate was delightful, which was a welcome change from the busy New York City.
“Feel that?” my friend said proudly, bathed in the gentle sunshine. “This is what I call a vacation!”
Our guide, Herman, was waiting for us with a broad smile. His English was limited, but his enthusiasm was boundless. He greeted us with heartiness, “Welcome to Pucón! I have everything ready for you.”
We spent our first day settling into the luxurious house he had arranged for us. The unique design of the house deeply attracted us. The house was a combination of modern luxury and traditional charm, neat and tidy, with tall windows framing the greenery outside.
Herman insisted on taking care of our every need. He would not even let us lift a finger in the house, which was above and beyond his duties.
One evening, as we wandered along the beach, the sky transformed into a canvas (画布) of rich colors. We were placed in a world of wonder. My friend turned to me, eyes sparkling, and said,“This is why we travel, isn’t it? Moments like these make everything else fade away.”
As we planned to go to another town to admire the unique architecture, something unexpected happened. I got a fever.
Our explorations were cut short. Lying in bed, I could hear my friend pacing outside my room, worried. And our travel plans were put on hold as there was no choice but to rest in the hope that I would recover soon.
The next morning, my fever worsened. Being new to the area and struggling with the language barrier, we felt helpless.
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。
Just then, Herman appeared.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________With Herman’s help, I began to recover.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I had a trip to New Mexico last year, a trip I still remember very well to this day. I went to a place called Philmont and attended a summer camp. There were thirteen people including me. The entire 10-day hike we took through those mountains went well, except for the second day, because of the terrible weather.
It had been a nice sunny day up until we were halfway to the camp we were staying at that night. Then without a word it started raining gently. There was nothing too bad and certainly nothing we couldn’t handle. We put our raincoats on and continued on our way. It stayed raining slightly for a while, so I decided it would be a good idea to say, “Well, it can’t be much worse than this, right?” And in less than five seconds the thunder crashed around us. It almost sounded like a laugh, as if it was laughing at us. Then the rain started to come down harder, and then, the hail (冰雹) came.
Getting hit with balls of ice in the middle of the New Mexico mountains was not something I had ever thought would happen to us, but here we were. All thirteen of us were wishing at that moment that we could go home. But we quickly abandoned the idea. It was freezing, and my feet felt like they might fall off. Wet, cold, and carrying 40 pounds on our backs, we hiked on.
But soon enough we got lost for about a mile because of a mistake that our “Navi-guesser” made on getting us to our destination. At the same time, one of our boys got a minor case of hypothermia (低温症). We decided to stop for a while, unpacking our tents to get into a nice warm sleeping bag. I don’t know if you know this, but unpacking camping gear (装备) in the rain was not very fun, especially setting up a tent.
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 came up with a solution.
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The rain stopped just as we were about to start.
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As far as Justin knew, there was only one way out of his neighborhood: basketball. So he ran with the ball like the hounds (猎犬) were running after him. He could drop any of the older guys at the court and the younger guys didn’t stand a chance. Justin saw his way out and he ran for it.
One day when Justin was shooting around at the local court, some guys from another block ran up and asked to play. The big one in the middle said that he had heard that Justin was the best and he wanted to see if it was true. Justin refused him at once. But the big guy insisted, and Justin’s cousin was encouraging, “Come on, Justin, drop this guy.” So Justin figured that he’d just do what everyone wanted and play.
Justin was running all over the big guy and making his shots while he did it. But suddenly Justin was pushed hard by the big guy and went flying in just such a way that he unluckily tore up his right knee. The doctor said Justin might never play again. Justin almost broke down.
The first six weeks in hospital, Justin just lay in bed with his leg in a long cast (石膏). He watched three reruns (再播放) of The Simpsons every day and ate potato chips until the bag was empty, and then he’d dig the salt and grease out of the corner with his finger. It seemed as if he blew up like a balloon. Right when he reached the bottom of the pit of despair (绝望), Justin’s sister, Kiki, came home from the university.
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。
She came in the house like a whirl of sunshine.
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After spending those weeks with his sister, Justin realized he didn’t want to feel bad for himself any more.
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It was a cold winter evening, I was terrified that my mom would find out that I had lost the beautiful silver flute (长笛) she bought me. I felt very sad and I thought that she had given me a big lecture about how valuable it was and that I had to take good care of it. Now it was missing! And I felt very upset. I was only ten at the time, so it felt like a huge responsibility. So I didn’t dare tell my mum about it, I didn’t think my mum would pay attention to my flute.
Mum was a soft-spoken woman who never yelled at me, but she would surely have docked (扣除) my allowance (零花钱) for a year or two in order to pay for it if I couldn’t find it and she discovered that my flute was lost. The worst punishment, though, would have been disappointing her and being forever regarded as an unreliable person.
As I was in the band, I would take the flute to school twice and bring it home after practice. That day, I normally remembered collecting it after school and then I rushed through the school gate, I even said bye to the guard. But when I returned home and wanted to take my flute for practice, it was nowhere to be found.
Being afraid to tell anyone, I kept thinking to myself “I’d be in big trouble if I lost it. What should I do?”
Just then, I heard my mum’s calling, “Sweetie, dinner is ready!”
“Okay, wait a minute, I…am …coming…” I replied as I slowly stepped out of my bed-room, my mind was still back in the state of searching for my flute.
When having dinner, I could hardly focus with my eyes. Although I tried to pretend to be calm, my mum still noticed it.
“What is the matter with you, sweetie?” my mum asked.
Hearing what she said, I had to tell her the truth.
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。
To my surprise, my mum didn’t scold me but stood up to come to me.
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When we drove near the school gate, I could see a person standing from a distance.
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Once upon a time, there was a young athletic boy who is really hungry for success. For him, winning was everything and success was measured just by winning. He practised hard every day to win every race lying ahead of him.
One day, the boy was preparing himself for a running competition in his small village. A large crowd had gathered to witness the sporting event. A wise old man had travelled far to bear witness also. The race began. The boy with his determination, strength and power took the winning line and came to the first. The crowd were excited, cheering and waving at the boy. However, the wise man remained still and calm, expressing no excitement. The little boy, however, felt proud and important.
A second race was called and two new young fit challengers came forward to run with him. The race was started and sure enough the little boy came through and finished first. Once again the crowd was excited again, and cheered and waved at the boy. The wise man remained still and calm again, expressing no excitement. The little boy, however, felt proud and important.
Another race, the wise old man stepped forward and presented the little boy with two new challengers, an elderly weak lady and a blind man. “What is this?” the little boy was puzzled. “This is no race!” he claimed. “Race,” said the wise man.
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 race was started and the boy was the only finisher.
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“Race again,” replied the wise man, “this time finish together with all three of you.”
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Forgiveness is the most important tool humans have been blessed with. Because, with it, we can let go of unnecessary burdens and truly own our lives. And by doing that, you maybe make a friend. That was a lesson an eleven-year-old boy taught me when I was in my eighth grade.
When I was in the fifth grade, there was a boy in my class named Kyle. He was big and strong. Maybe he was kind inside. Maybe he was just good at pretending in face of adults. I said so because I happened to see him helping an old man who was so grateful that he couldn’t stop saying thanks to him.
However, to the children of his age, he was the meanest person I had ever met. For the first couple days of school, Kyle and I sat across from each other. Once, he secretly reached his legs across the table and slammed (猛踩) his shoe clown on mine, causing a rapid rush of pain. I stared at him angrily, but he just made faces to me. I chose to ignore him. I didn’t want to get involved into trouble because I was anxious to leave to see my brother. He suffered from a strange disease. Despite the fact that he was slow and had special needs, I loved him and couldn’t stand others laughing at him.
Kyle’s bullying (欺凌) went on. Eventually, I told a teacher, and my seat was moved. But Kyle’s abuse didn’t stop. He continued to call me names, such as “stupid”. His words were quite embarrassing to an eleven-year-old girl. He as continued to physically hurt me. In “morning meeting” he once stepped on my foot so hard that I burst into tears. This continued for most of the school year.
Kyle also bullied my friend Megan. At one point she ran out of the classroom because he copied her nonstop. Both of us were absolutely painful. And despite meetings with teachers and guidance counselors, nothing changed. We had a large class of noisy boys, and the teacher had a hard time keeping order.
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 climax (高潮) of Kyle’s bad behavior occurred in mid-May.
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He apologized to me, promising he would never laugh at my brother.
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Ariana Porter was very excited. Tomorrow will be a new day and a new beginning, well, kind of. Tomorrow Ariana will go to a boarding school! No little sister to share a room with, peace and quiet. She ate her favourite homemade curry for the last time that year. Then, she curled up in her clean bed and shut her eyes. Excited.
The next day, Ariana woke up, jumped into her best clothes and flew downstairs. After a quick breakfast, the whole family lined up and said their goodbyes. Ariana’s little sister tried to hug her, but she shrugged Liliana off. And off she went to boarding school. Happy.
However, when Ariana got there, everyone looked unwelcoming. A teacher showed her to her dorm. It was cold and dark! A few days later, Ariana got several letters. The rainbow one was from her little sister and another from her parents. Ariana couldn’t even be bothered to open them. She just threw them into the main hall’s fireplace when nobody was around.
Every day, Ariana tried to make friends. It was an allgirls school. Unfortunately, she had no luck. She tried to give girls gifts, she tried to be friendly, but they shrugged her off just like she did to her sister. Two months passed trying to find new friends, but without success. Ariana felt more and more lonely. Something was missing in her life. Something indescribable. Something, or maybe someone.
Week after week went by and then, one day, holding yet another batch of mail, Ariana’s heart trembled. She realized what she was painfully missing, her FAMILY. Whenever she was down, whenever she needed help or comfort, they were there for her. Always. This time she opened the little rainbow envelope and smiled. Reading it filled her heart with joy. Ariana couldn’t reply, for the school didn’t allow that, so she decided to hide the letters under her pillow. The pile grew larger and they were so important to her, for the letters gave her the greatest comfort when she was away from home.
Months passed eagerly waiting for the day when the school year ends. No more dorm life and unfriendly girls. Ariana skipped to math class excitedly, but couldn’t concentrate, she dreamed about going home.
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。
Finally it was the day to go home and Ariana started to pack.
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Ariana was leaving the dorm when she realized she forgot something important.
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To me, the world's greatest satisfaction is reaching down and lifting someone up. I believe in helping others in times of need. If we all help others, we can make a great impact in society. By joining hands, we can reunite the world.
You never know how big an impact you are making in someone's life. At 1 am, on Saturday, August 25, 2017，Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Houston, Texas. Before this, my family was preparing for flooding, packing food, first aid kits, and planning for the worst. While taking our cats and rabbits upstairs, my friend Tom called and explained their dilemma(窘境). Their area was issued a mandatory evacuation ( 强制疏散) and they had to leave.
With no place to stay, they were on the way to our house. All seven of them, 5 kids, including a newborn came in. Together we prepared their rooms and let them settle in.
After dinner, we turned on the news and saw Harvey coming in. That night none of us could sleep, listening to the wind blowing and rain thundering down. The four year -old told me, carrying the cat,“Saira, the kitty is scared. Can you make the rain stop, please?” With a forced smile, I helped her to bed and let the cat sleep with her. When we stepped out the next morning, we saw the nearby lake completely full of water， which was an amazing yet scary sight. Tom went a lttle further down and came back wet and explained that there was no way they could return home. They ended up staying that day and planned on leaving the next morning.
The next morning, the news reported how jammed (堵塞的) and flooded the roads were in his community. With tears and worried faces, they stayed for a week. Even my cat seemed to understand the terrible situation. Finally , when the roads were cleared, we all went to send them back. On the way, I saw the damage that the hurricane did.
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。
After reaching their house, I realized they couldn't live in it,
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In the next week, we helped them to fix the house up.
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Allan, my husband, had recently moved up the tennis league's ladder（晋级赛）and would compete against someone at a similar skill level. "Do you know who your opponent is?” I asked him. My husband explained that although he knew his opponent's name, he had never met him. That's when I saw a young man—about twenty years old—at the other end of the reception area.
The young man had large muscular arms and a well-built body. He was using a skip rope at quite a fast pace； I thought he might be warming up for a tennis match. I smiled at my husband and said that might be his opponent. Allan gave me a frustrated（沮丧的）look on his face, remarking it was an unusual way to prepare for a tennis match, as he continued completing his usual warm-up routine.
The league coordinator（统筹者）called out my husband's name, and then she called the young man. I gave my husband a kind of smile that wives give their husbands when they are encouraging them. The coordinator gave them their court number. They introduced themselves to each other, shook hands, and headed off.
The young man was dressed in the latest trendy tennis clothes and looked great. With his muscular body, he could have easily be a star athlete. Allan was at least thirty years older, much less muscular, and dressed in an ordinary tennis shirt and untrendy tennis shorts. Allan's focus had always been on good tennis shoes, socks, and, of course, the tennis racket.
When they walked onto their court, the pre-game warm-up began The young man played with confidence. It was almost as if he was showing his ability. Allan closely observed his various strokes and powerful serves, while casually returning each shot. Then began the game.
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 young man quickly won the first round.
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The young man was visibly frustrated by the end of the match.
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