Doubts clouded my mind as I into that new world, Parsons School of Design. But fate had a plan, introducing me to Kathleen, who would become my guiding light.
I remember feeling out of place on my first day at Parsons, questioning everything from my outfit to my abilities. As I walked in and scanned the classroom, my vision sharply stopped on one person. Wow. She looked cool. I plopped myself down next to her and introduced myself as Dorri, thrilled when she smiled and said, “Hi. I’m Kathleen.” That was all it took.
What a difference Kathleen made in my school life! Her confidence, discipline, and responsibility were worlds away from my shaky, wild, and lazy nature. We became inseparable, signing up for the same classes, and I was always trying to earn her approval.
One day the homework assignment was to create an exciting illustration based on a pair of shoes. Bursting with ideas, I pulled out my favorite pair of antique thrift shop “old-lady shoes” and poured my heart into the project. Proud of my work, I rushed to Kathleen’s apartment to show her my creation, holding up my paper with glowing confidence. But Kathleen’s reaction was unexpected, crushing my pride with a single question: “Is that the only drawing you did?”
“Well, yes,” I responded sheepishly, “Why?”
“Come on,” she said. “Let’s go to Washington Square Park and really do some drawings.” I was puzzled, but when she led, I willingly followed, with my pad tucked under my arm.
As we made our way to the park, Kathleen enthusiastically talked about form, content, and composition and stressed the significance of observing subjects closely. She described the shoes in my drawing as the kind worn by elderly women who frequent the park to feed pigeons. That moment, she taught me to look closely and recreate diligently.
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: At the park, Kathleen pointed to a bench with a napping old woman and said, “Here, draw her shoes repeatedly.”
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: The next day was the class feedback session.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When I was young, I always dreamed of playing the piano and giving performances to a large audience in a concert hall. However, I struggled to understand the musical notes and the theory. Despite my parents’ encouragement and offer of piano lessons, I pretended not to be interested, too afraid to try.
Many years passed until one day, at 25 years old, I heard that a new piano studio had opened in my neighborhood. The teacher was recruiting (招收) new students. My childhood dream came flooding back.
I remembered I had initially feared becoming a teacher after graduation. However, I overcame those doubts. I refused to let fear hold me back any longer, so I walked into the studio.
The teacher, Deb, welcomed me warmly. I was relieved to find we were contemporaries (同时代的人) and expressed my desire to play the works of Bach and Beethoven if I could overcome my fear. Deb understood and seemed sincere, so I signed up for 3 months of classes. Still doubtful about my commitment, I bought a small, tabletop electric organ to practice with at home. It wasn’t the same as a real piano, but enabled me to learn some basics.
Week by week, I attended lessons in Deb’s studio. I often passed young students on their way out from their lessons before mine. One day, noticing the textbooks in my bag, a child stopped me and asked, “Where’s your boy?” After some hesitation, I finally answered I was the student. The children then welcomed me and I sat in the studio and listened to a piece a child was working on.
Soon, I gained confidence and upgraded to a full-size piano at home for daily practice. After three rewarding years of lessons with Deb, she announced it was time for me and other students to prepare for a recital (钢琴演奏会) on stage. I was thrilled at the chance to finally fulfill my childhood dream, yet also anxious at the thought of performing before the audience. But Deb believed in me. “Look how far you’ve come,” she encouraged. “It’s time to share your gift with others.”
Paragraph 1:I shook my head and told her, “No, thanks.”
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When I finally finished my performance, I faced the audience and bowed.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Guys, remember. This competition is extremely difficult. There will only be a few selections to make it to the final round with the judges,” the music teacher, Mr. Brooks, explained. “But I hope all of you put your best foot forward and make our academy stand out!” The teacher was talking about a state-wide competition held by the best musicians in the area.
Shahnaz, the new student who had only come to the class two weeks before, took the teacher’s words to heart and put her heart and soul into a composition. She had learned how to play the piano for a long time and really did well in it. She wanted to prove herself.
All the students were supposed to improve their compositions with the help of their teacher, Mr. Brooks. However, he spent most of his time guiding the few outstanding students in his class.
He never had much to say to Shahnaz unless it was a comment about her mistakes, but that didn’t stop her from wanting to impress him. He was a good piano player and could teach her a lot. She hoped that her composition would be improved under the guidance of Mr. Brooks.
“OK,” Mr. Brooks said during one of his lessons, “it’s time for Shahnaz to play.” Shahnaz sat in front of the piano and began moving her fingers softly. She practiced and practiced once her composition was done and could almost play it by heart.
Finally, the piece was finished. Shahnaz looked at Mr. Brooks nervously and hoped to receive his recognition. But he just sighed “Frankly, you made many mistakes. You shouldn’t take part in the competition.”
注意：
1.续写词数应为150个左右；
2.请按如下格式作答。
Shahnaz left Mr Brooks’ class that day with a heavy heart, but she refused to let his words break her spirit.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The night of the competition finally arrived.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________That was a big competition. We all knew it. The entire school was filled with excitement and anticipation. It was the annual choir(合唱) competition, and we were determined to participate despite knowing that many of us were not the best singers.
As the class monitor, I felt responsible for calling in my classmates and convincing them to join the chorus. I knew it wouldn’t be easy; some of them were hesitant and gave me skeptical looks, while others ran away. But I wasn’t ready to give up.
With a persuasive tone and genuine enthusiasm, I spoke to my classmates, explaining why it was important for us to participate as a team. I told them that it wasn’t about being the best, but about coming together and enjoying the experience of singing as a group. Slowly, I started to see some students were interested and a few of them promised to give it a try.
Our rehearsals (排练) were intense, filled with laughter, and sometimes frustration. We tried our best to perfect our harmonies and cooperation, but deep down, we still held onto the belief that we would probably end up at the bottom of all-the choirs. In that moment of despair, a boy from our choir whispered, “Are we just asking for humiliation(羞辱)?” The words made our doubts and fears stronger.
But right before it was our turn to step onto the stage, Mrs. Wood, our music teacher, brought us together in a tight group. She looked into our eyes and said firmly, “We are not here to impress; we are here to express.” Her words made all the difference.
With an understanding of the true meaning of our performance, we stepped onto the stage. As the music started, we sang from our hearts. We didn’t worry about being perfect or winning the competition; we focused on expressing our love for music and the joy of singing together.
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。
When the performance ended, our headmaster stepped onto the stage.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The competition results were announced later, and we were awarded a special medal for our team spirit.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Our school’s “Help Others” event was drawing near, and our team had been assigned (分配) the task of organizing a fundraising campaign (筹款活动). We had a week to plan and carry out our strategy, and everyone wanted to play a meaningful part.
On the first day of our planning week, our team leader, Emily, brought us together to discuss our roles. She assigned different tasks to each team member based on our strengths and interests. I was assigned the role of connecting with local businesses for fundraising, a task I felt confident in completing.
As the week progressed, we worked tirelessly.
One afternoon, while we were creating promotional (宣传的) materials, Jacob, one of our teammates, came to us with a tired look on his face. He explained that he had been feeling unwell for the past few days and was worried about falling behind on his tasks.
Worried about Jacob’s well-being, we encouraged him to take some time off and rest and told him that we would support him in any way we could. Jacob finally agreed, understanding that he needed to take care of himself.
With Jacob absent, we realized that his tasks, including creating promotional materials, were left unfinished. We knew that if we didn’t step in to help, our campaign would fail. To solve this problem, we came together as a team and thought of ways to support Jacob and keep our campaign on track.
Sarah, with her artistic skills, volunteered to take over the design of the promotional materials, while Mark offered to help with the content creation. Emily, our team leader, stepped in to manage the whole team, making sure that everything stayed organized and on schedule. We tried our best to make our campaign successful.
注意：1．续写词数应为150左右；2．请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
Late into the night, we came together in Sarah’s living room.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The following day, when Jacob returned to our team, he was surprised at the progress we had made in his absence
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。
Chip was not willing to go to school. The only hour of his day that was bearable was science class. He used to think of science as a bunch of boring words in a textbook, but Mr. O’Dell had changed all that.
It started when Mr. O’Dell announced how students could get a good grade in his class—not by memorizing a lot of facts but by thinking. The students stared at him, either wondering what he was talking about or else marveling (惊叹) at the reddish brown hair surrounding his shiny bald head...
Mr. O’Dell asked another question, “What common substance can take the form of a liquid, a solid, or a gas?”
Nobody answered. The class just sat there, waiting for Mr. O’Dell to explain what that had to do with anything. Then Chip got it. The first liquid he thought of was water, and then ice. Ice is a solid. And when water gets superhot, it turns to steam. He wasn’t sure if steam was a gas or not, but when nobody else spoke, Chip blurted out, “Water?”
After that Chip could tell that Mr. O’Dell liked him. Chip liked him too—at least most of the time.
The best part about science class was the field trips. Once when a student pointed out an ant hill, Mr. O’Dell put his nose down so close to watch that Chip expected an ant to climb right onto it and march up through the freckles(雀斑)to stare back at him through his gold-rimmed glasses. Another time, Mr. O’Dell had the whole class sit cross-legged in a circle to watch a chameleon (变色龙) change from brown to bright green. Anyone who wasn’t paying close attention missed the important moment when it shot its long tongue and brought a fly back into its mouth.
Mr. O’Dell had the students take detailed notes on each animal or insect they were observing. He added that the creatures ought to be right where they were, doing whatever they were doing.
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:
The minute the lesson turned to science, Chip exploded with energy and enthusiasm.
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Paragraph 2:
Holding a chameleon, Chip rushed into the classroom, his eyes dancing with excitement.
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The school I went to had a tradition carried out every year during the eighth-grade graduation: a beautiful gold and green jacket (the school colors)was awarded to the student who had maintained the highest grades for eight years.
I was fourteen and in the eighth grade. I had been a straight-A student since the first grade and this last year had looked forward very much to owning that jacket. My family was so poor that, when I was six, I was given to my grandparents to raise. I couldn’t participate in sports at school because we couldn’t afford the fees; even though I was quite athletic, there would never be a school sports jacket for me. So, this one, the scholarship jacket, was my only chance.
One day in May, close to graduation, outside the history teacher’s classroom, I heard a fierce argument between the principal and my history teacher, Mr. Frank, about giving the scholarship jacket to Joann, whose father is on the Board and owns the only store in town. Frank angrily claimed that he would never lie or falsify(伪造) records.
The principal approached me tentatively: “Martha, there’s been a change in policy this year. The Board has decided to charge fifteen dollars for the scholarship jacket this year. So if you are unable to pay the fifteen dollars for the jacket it will be given to the next one in line. Staring at him in shock, I didn’t need to ask who that was.
”I’ll speak to my grandfather and let you know tomorrow, I gathered all the dignity. I cried on the walk home from the bus stop. I wanted that jacket so much. It represented eight years of hard work and expectation.
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。
Upon arriving home, I told my grandpa what had happened.
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The next day, the principal called me to his office.
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When I was little, I lived in a house with a beautiful garden full of all kinds of flowers, and roses were the most beautiful of them. There was nothing I enjoyed more than sitting in the garden with my mother as she read stories to me. When I was in primary school and old enough to read, I enjoyed reading stories aloud to her.
I will never forget one day when I was in the third grade. I had been picked to be the princess in the school play, and for weeks my mother had rehearsed (排练) my lines (台词) so hard with me. But no matter how easily I acted at home, as soon as I stepped on stage, every word disappeared from my head. Finally, my teacher took me aside. She explained that she had written a narrator’s (旁白) part to the play, and asked me to change roles. Her word, kindly expressed, still hurt, especially when I saw my part go to another girl.
I didn’t tell my mother what had happened when I went home after school that day. But she sensed my pain. Instead of suggesting we practice my lines, she asked if I wanted to take a walk in the garden.
It was May and roses were blossoming and, under the trees, we could also see yellow dandelions (蒲公英) in the grass. “I think I’m going to dig up all these weeds,” she said, pulling one dandelion up by its roots. “From now on, we’ll have only roses in this garden.”
“But I like dandelions,” I protested. “All flowers are beautiful — even dandelions.”
My mother looked at me seriously. “Yes, every flower is beautiful in its own way, isn’t it?” she asked thoughtfully. I nodded, pleased that I had won her over. “And that is true of people too,” she added. “Not everyone can be a princess, but there is no shame in that.” Aware that she had guessed my pain, I started to cry as I told her what had happened. She listened and smiled gently.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150词左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
Paragraph 1:
“But you will be a beautiful narrator,” she said.
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After the play, I took home the flower.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Since the age of seven, I had always dreamed of being one of the student leaders who we looked up to. They took responsibility for us, gave instructions, organized school activities, and proudly wore their badges(徽章) while carrying our school flag and walking on the playground. They represented us and gave speeches on school issues, becoming our role models.
As I grew older, I finally can take part in the school elections. I prepared my election speech and on the day of the speeches, everyone voted. I was hopeful and prayed for a victory. However, the following morning when we gathered on the school grounds for the head-teacher’s announcement of the results, reality hit me hard. I realized that I had no chance of winning—was neither well known nor too pretty. I became depressed and felt as though I had no friends supporting me.
Later that day, as I cried in my room, I took a deep breath and decided to change my attitude. I refused to see myself as a failure and made a determination to run for the school elections again the following year—this time, with a plan to win. I sat down at my study table and wrote down my thoughts.
Although my competitors had certain advantages such as their stylish personalities, I recognized my own advantages—good grades, friendliness, helpfulness, and most importantly, my faith in myself to be a great leader. With a whole year ahead, I began to plan my election strategies that evening.
To gain recognition(认可) and show my ability to represent my fellow students, I started making new friends and helping them at school. Besides, I attended a public speaking course to learn how to give a great election speech. By the time the elections came around, I was well-prepared, and I gave a passionate speech on the stage.
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 following day, I anxiously waited for the results.
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Later, I realized that I had achieved far more than what I had expected.
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The annual campus singing competition was around the corner, and posters covered the school walls, urging students to show their vocal talents. At the sight of the posters, Emma’s mind went back to that fateful day when she faced an expectant audience, their eyes fixed on her, eager to hear her sing. But as she brought the microphone to her lips, a surprising silence surrounded her. The microphone was out of function. Immediately panic surged (涌现) through her like a sudden thunderstorm, leaving her at a loss under the spotlight. The song that should have filled the room with her pleasant voice remained unsung. Then having a spare microphone didn’t prevent Emma’s performance from being influenced, resulting in her failure to secure a place.
Emma had been fond of singing from a young age and music used to be part of her life. But this deep love for singing had been overshadowed by that awful memory.
Emma paused as her eyes fell on the singing club’s invitation. She considered it for a moment. The wounds of the past still hurt. Then she finally ignored the posters and the bold advertisements as she always did. She still had no courage to overcome the barrier and step forward.
Then, on a rainy afternoon, just after a shower, something magical happened. A poor butterfly, whose shinny wings were burdened by raindrops, fell on Emma’s desk through the open window. The downpour had weighed down its delicate wings, making it temporarily unable to fly. This poor little creature caught Emma’s attention.
With a gentle touch, Emma’s finger reached out and softly brushed the butterfly, as if guided by a wave of compassion (同情). She whispered some soft words of encouragement, “You can do it.” Surprisingly, the butterfly responded to her support with determination, tirelessly waving its wings. After several attempts, the delicate creature finally took flight, dancing gracefully into the open skies.
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 sight of the butterfly’s struggle left Emma deeply moved.
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The day of the competition arrived.
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