Nick was a 10-year-old boy. He was the only son to his parents. Nick’s father was a very busy businessman who could not spend time with his son. He came home after Nick slept, and was off to the office before Nick woke up in the morning. Nick longed for his father’s attention. He wanted to go outdoors and play with his father just like his friends did.
One day, Nick was surprised to see his father at home in the evening.
“Dad, it is a big surprise to see you at home,” Nick said.
“Yes, son, my meeting was cancelled. So I’m at home. But after two hours I have to catch a flight,” his father replied.
“When will you be back?”
“Tomorrow noon.”
Nick was in deep thought for a while. Then he asked, “Dad, how much do you earn in a year?”
Nick’s father was taken aback (震惊). He said, “My dear son, it’s a very big amount and you won’t be able to understand it.”
“OK, Dad, are you happy with the amount you earn? ”
“Yes, my dear. I’m very happy, and in fact I’m planning to launch our new branch and a new business in a few months. Isn’t that great?”
“Yes, Dad. I’m happy to hear that. Can I ask you one more question?”
“Yes, dear.”
“Dad, can you tell me how much you earn in a day or even half a day?”
“Nick, why are you asking this question? ”Nick’s father was perplexed.
But Nick was persistent. “Please answer me. Could you please tell me how much you earn in an hour?”
Nick’s father gave in and replied, “It will be around $25 per hour.”
Nick ran to his room upstairs, and came down with his piggy bank that contained his savings.
“Dad, I have $50 in my piggy bank. Could you spare two hours for me? I want to go to the beach and have dinner with you tomorrow evening. Could you please mark this in your schedule?”
注意：1．续写词数应为150词左右。2．请按格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1：
Nick’s father was speechless!
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Paragraph 2：
The appointed time with Dad was near.
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Grandfather was a wise and honorable man. His house was not far from ours, and I would visit him often going home after school.
No matter how rotten I had been, 1 could tell Grandpa anything. My secrets were safe. He always understood. He loved me.
I remember a time when a bunch of us were playing baseball in the field behind Mrs. Ferguson's house. I hit one pitch (投) just right and . . . slam! It was a home run that soared (急升) high and away, and ended up breaking Old Lady Ferguson's kitchen window! We all ran!
Walking home, my best friend, Tom, asked, “How will she ever know who did it? She's blinder than a bat!” I decided to stop by Grandpa's. He must have known something was up by the expression on my face. I felt ashamed. I wanted to hide. I wanted to bang my head against a tree a thousand times and make the world just go away- as if punishing myself could undo things. I told him about it.
He knew we had been warned many times about the dangers of playing where we shouldn't. But he just listened.
“I was wrong, I told him, with my head down. “I hate myself for what I did. I really blew it. Is there a way out? Will she call the police?”
“Well,” he said, “she has a problem, just like you. I'll bet if she knew you cared, she would be sad to know that you're afraid of her. I'll bet she wishes you would give her a chance... a chance to be understanding, It's your decision, ” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “Just so I don't say the wrong thing, is the plan to pretend nothing happened? Just keep quiet and carry your little secret around . . . hide what you're not proud of?”
“I don't know, ” I sighed. “Things might get worse. . . . ”
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。
Grandpa asked, “If you were Mrs. Ferguson, what would you do?”
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“Doing what's right is not always easy, ” Grandpa said, handing me the phone.
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The Summer I Learned to Really See
It was a muggy(闷热)end-of-summer dog day in Missouri. I was preparing to go after the mail—about a mile's distance, through fields and forests, across a river, from our farmhouse, in which three generations of my family lived.
“Take the bucket with you,” my grandmother said, handing me the very familiar bucket.
“What for?” I asked, petulantly(使小性子). The berries had been picked, and it was too early for wild grapes, too late for roasting ears(穗).
“You'll find something to fill it with,” she said, her blue eyes sparkling with anticipation.
I didn't want to take the bucket. It would be a burden to me. Twice a day I'd carried a bucket for milking. With it I'd carried feed to the chickens, salt to the cows, sugar to the neighbors. I'd had enough with carrying with the bucket!
Nevertheless, I took the bucket. Halfway to the mailbox, I set it down beneath a pokeberry bush(胡桃树). I needn't carry it the whole way, I reasoned. There was no mail. When I got back to the bucket, I saw that a few ripe pokeberries had fallen into it. With childish ill humor, I picked off enough clusters(花串) to fill the bucket, even though I thought they were good for nothing.
“Aren't they just lovely!” Grandma exclaimed admiringly when I set them on the kitchen table. She squeezed out the juice of the berries and we used the lovely red ink to paint rings on our fingers and pen letters to distant cousins.
When I went to mail the letters the next day, Grandma again told me to take the bucket along. This time I carried the bucket a little farther than the previous day before setting it down. There was only a sale catalogue in the mail. When I got back to the bucket, I dropped it in. But I felt vaguely uncomfortable, remembering the pokeberries. I caught sight of a bunch of peppermint(薄荷) growing close to the path. Funny, I had passed it every day and never noticed it before. Peppermint just doesn't spring up overnight. I picked a bucketful, its fragrance seeming to cool the day. Grandma was pleased with the peppermint. She liked to chew it and make tea with it.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150 左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡上的相应位置作答。
The daily routine to take the bucket along was repeated for weeks, and I began to see more.
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One day when I went home, I didn't have anything in the bucket.
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