The Day Mother Cried
Coming home from school that dark winter’s day so long ago, I was filled with anticipation. I had a new issue of my favorite sports magazine under my arm. Dad was at work, my sister was away, and Mother wouldn’t be home from her new job for an hour.
I was shocked into stillness by what I saw . Mother pulled into a tight ball with her face in her hands. She was crying. I had never seen her cry.
I approached cautiously and touched her shoulder. “Mother?” I said. “What’s happened?”
She took a long breath and managed a weak smile. “It’s nothing, really. I’m going to lose this new job. I can’t type fast enough.”
“But you’ve only been there three for days,” I said. “You’ll catch on.” I was repeating a line she had spoken to me a hundred times when I was having trouble learning or doing something important to me. She sobbed in silence .
I felt helpless and out of place. At the age of 16 I still assumed Mother could do anything. To provide enough income for my college two years later, Mother was crazy for ways to save money.
A few months ago, Mother arrived home with an old typewriter. It skipped between certain letters. “That’s all we can afford,” Mother said. “It’s good enough to learn on.” And from that day on, immediately after dinner, Mother would disappear into her sewing room to practice. The slow tap, tap, tap went on some nights until midnight. On Monday, she got a job as a typewriter at a radio station. I was not the least bit surprised but she was excited. But on Tuesday Mother looked drawn. I didn’t care honestly.
My shock and embarrassment at finding Mother in tears on Wednesday showed how little I understood the pressures on her. Sitting beside her on the couch, I began very slowly to understand.
“I guess we all have to fail sometimes,” Mother said quietly. I could sense her pain. I reached out and put my arms around her.
A week later Mother took a job selling dry goods at half the salary the radio station had offered. “It’s a job I can do,” she said simply.
注意：续写词数应为150左右。
But the evening practice routine on the old green typewriter continued.
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The old green typewriter sits in my office now, unrepaired.
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1. What does the watch look like?
| A．The face of it is black. | B．The face of it is square. | C．It has a leather white band. |
| A．It tells the right time. |
| B．It is worth a lot of money. |
| C．It reminds her of her grandfather. |
| A．He is still alive. |
| B．He got the watch from his father. |
| C．He came to England with a little money. |
| A．Sell it. | B．Continue to keep it. | C．Give it to her father. |
| A．In 1973. | B．In 1975. | C．In 1977. |
1. How old is the speaker’s brother?
| A．15. | B．19. | C．20. |
| A．A police officer. | B．A nurse. | C．A firefighter. |
| A．Her brother has been infected with COVID-19. |
| B．Her brother is in isolation because of COVID-19. |
| C．Her brother is busy helping fight against COVID-19. |
| A．Help more people like her brother. |
| B．Spend more time with family. |
| C．Study in a police training school. |
I was born into a “running family”. I lost count of how many marathons(马拉松) my dad has participated in, and I'm pretty sure my mom travels by foot more than she does by vehicle. My brother. Mike, has followed in their footsteps by running when he can, and competes in at least 4 races throughout the year. Unlike him, I didn't naturally fall into the running life: I put up a fight.
“Running is the best thing for you, I don't know how people can dislike it,” my dad questioned during many dinner conversations in grade school.
“You would be a fool not to join the track team, Colleen,” my mom suggested in her serious voice.
“Of course I will,” I replied while rolling my eyes. “What could be funner than running?”
Then I began to spend the long winter months waking up each morning with the sun and birds. Each day began like the previous one: sneakers, headphones, and stretching. The fresh air filled my lungs as Iran out the front door, greeted by the empty streets and sidewalks. The world became my very own training ground. As my knees pounded against the track, I found peace in the growing sun.
Soon I found myself agreeing with my parents and laughing at the idea of once disagreeing with them. Actually, running in the morning has become my favorite part of day.
The time had come that my dad finally asked the big question. The question I had been nervous about for a while. “So, the marathon is in November. What are you thinking?”
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。
I was not sure if I was ready for this.
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The day of the marathon finally arrived.
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In a quiet suburb, there lived a high school student named Liam. He was the son of two chemistry. Naturally, everyone thought Liam would follow in his parents’ footsteps and chemistry. Naturally, everyone thought Liam would follow in his parents’ footsteps and pursue (致力于) a career in science and become a scientist. However, Liam’s heart was to put into something entirely different—he was passionate about literature and writing.
Each morning, Liam would wake up to hear his parents discuss the latest scientific discoveries and development over breakfast. One particular morning, Liam was upset, as the task of selecting his high school courses weighed heavily on him. He knew his parents would expect him to fill his schedule with science and math classes and engage in work related to science. At breakfast, Liam’s mother noticed his sadness and asked, “Is everything alright, Liam?” Liam hesitated (犹豫) but then replied, “I’m just thinking about my course selection for next semester.” His father cut in, “You should consider more science courses. They will prepare you for a great career in science, just like us.”
Throughout the day, the thought of disappointing his parents troubled Liam. He loved and respected them but felt hesitated between their expectations and his own ambition. That afternoon, Liam met his best friend, Sam, at their favorite cafe. “Liam, you seem worried. What’s on your mind?” Sam asked. Liam admitted, “I’m struggling with course selection. My parents want me to focus on science, but I really want to take more literature and writing classes.” Sam listened carefully and comforted him, “Liam, it’s important to follow your passion. Maybe you should talk to your parents about what you really want. They might be more understanding than you think.”
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。
Encouraged by Sam’s words, Liam decided to have an honest conversation with his parents that night.
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Liam’s parents listened intently, their expressions softening as they began to understand the depth of his passion.
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7 . My father never kept anything for nostalgia (怀旧)—except once.
As the only sports fan in our family, I usually listened to Yankee games on the radio, dreaming of watching my heroes in person at Yankee Stadium (体育馆).
One winter, my father surprised me by suggesting we save up to go to Yankee Stadium.
I immediately washed out a jar (罐子) and stuck a label: YANKEE STADIUM FUND, 1960.
We contributed to the jar weekly, and by midsummer it was filled with money. By the end of August, however, we still hadn’t gone to a game because my father had had to work every Saturday and even some Sundays.
With only two weekends left in the season, I began to lose hope. He comforted me, “Well, don’t worry, Edwin. Things are sure to slow down and we’ll have a free Saturday.”
On the morning of the last game, I sat waiting hopelessly with no sign of my father when the door crashed open and my father yelled, “I’ve got tickets. We’re going!”
I could hardly breathe when we finally sat together, father and son, watching my New York Yankees. I sat cheering, but for my father it must have been a long afternoon trying to follow a game he didn’t understand. Several times I turned to look at him, All I could see was a face lined with tiredness from working all Saturday morning after working all week.
After the game, we kept saving money and went to two more games together.
On the second day of 1963, my father died suddenly while working. I threw away the jar.
After the funeral (葬礼), our house was filled with neighbours and relatives, but I didn’t want to talk to anybody. I walked upstairs to my parents’ bedroom, hoping, I suppose, to find some comfort from seeing what was his. As I looked through my father’s prayer (祈祷) book, something fell out. I picked it up. It was a yellowed ticket, which read, October 1, 1960, YANKEE STADIUM. My father, who saved nothing for nostalgia (怀旧) reasons, had decided to keep this, a memory of our afternoon at the ballpark. Carefully, I placed the ticket back into his prayer book, and slowly walked downstairs to begin the rest of my life without him.
1. The writer’s father kept the ticket to ________.| A．remind his son of his love after his death |
| B．use it just as a bookmark in his prayer book |
| C．keep a memory of the special moment with his son |
| D．show off to his friends that he went to a baseball game |
| A．Empty→Encouraged. | B．Sad→Serious. |
| C．Scared→Calm. | D．Lonely→Excited. |
| A．He was excited every time at the stadium. |
| B．He began to keep old things after the game. |
| C．He didn’t have enough money until the last game. |
| D．He worked long hours to support his family. |
| A．Worried. | B．Shouted. | C．Slept. | D．Sang. |
My little sister, Meg, said that she wasn’t afraid of the dark anymore and she’d be OK staying with Aunt Lily in the country. “As long as you’re there, Mike,” she had said. Still, Mum was worried. Meg had never slept away from home, away from the city. So I told Mum I could handle everything.
Even though we were only staying overnight, Meg had brought six books-all about fairies (仙女). After we unpacked, Aunt Lily invited us to pick some flowers. As we followed her through the forest, Meg held my hand tightly. But once we reached the sunlit grassland, she let go. “Butterflies!” whispered Meg. She screamed with delight when one flew near her.
Maybe I had nothing to worry about, I thought. I still remembered when I was here last summer, I found some amazing insects, like fireflies (萤火虫) and walking sticks which I’d never seen in the city.
“Fairies are magical. See these beautiful flowers they grow!” she kept telling absolutely everything she knew about fairies. I was glad that if she kept it up until bedtime, then maybe she’d fall right to sleep.
Meg did keep chatting, right through supper. Then the sun began to set. “Does it get really dark out here at night?” she asked. Her eyes were fixed on the window.
“Sure, but we’ve got plenty of lights inside,” said Aunt Lily. She leaned over and gave Meg a warm smile. But I could tell she was still worried. “I could read to you.”
I hadn’t even finished a page when her bottom lip started shaking slightly. “Mike,” she said, her eyes starting to fill. “I want to go home.” I quickly searched through her book for something to keep her from crying.
The book fell open to a page that was dog-eared from use, a page that was obviously one of Meg’s favorites. The text read: “Among the trees deep in the forest, the lights of fairies gleam (闪烁).” Aha! How could I forget those “tiny fairies” out 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。
“Meg, there’s something outside I want to show you,” I whispered.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Tiny fairies, Mike!” she said, pressing her forehead against the window, “Everywhere!”
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A good parent-children relationship should
Education is very close in my heart. My father grew up
In those days, not many villagers could read. So my father
As his daughter, I know
