Alessandro Vitale was born in Verona, Italy. As his parents were busy working, they were unable to care for his sister and him at the same time. Therefore, Alessandro grew up with his grandparents.
Alessandro’s grandmother was good at cooking. His grandfather used to take him out for fishing or to his garden in the town. Alessandro’s grandparents greatly influenced him, and he learned many things from them. At a young age, he was introduced to gardening, especially grow-ng fruit and vegetables by his grandfather, and he learned great recipes from his grandmother.
Even though Alessandro got into gardening at a young age, he had to focus on school later. In 2015, he moved to London to work there and left gardening aside. Alessandro did several different jobs after getting there, but he liked none of them really.
One day after working in London for a few months, Alessandro and his roommate went to a supermarket and bought some vegetables. After returning home, they started cooking together. When cutting a red chilli (辣椒). Alessandro saw its seeds. An idea occurred to him that he could grow food himself. He had little connection with nature then and thought the food grown by him-self was much healthier. Moreover, he wanted to take up gardening in memory of his grandfather. But he had never expected his future gardening journey would greatly influence his life and career.
Alessandro planted these seeds in pots on his small balcony. In just a few weeks, Alessandro scaled up his garden and grew more plants. His whole space was filled with plants. He fell in love with gardening and did anything he could to make his garden thrive (旺盛), such as reading various farming books to learn new technologies and skills. Besides gardening, he was also into zero-waste cooking. Thanks to his grandmother’s recipes, he could cook his garden produce in creative ways.
注意：续写词数应为150个左右。Gradually, Alessandro turned his garden into a much bigger one.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Inspired by the popularity of his videos online, Alessandro began to write books on gardening.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Would you say you are more of a scientist or an artist?” I commonly heard this question as I was preparing to start my neuroscience doctoral program, often after I told my teachers and classmates that I love writing poetry. I learned to respond, “A scientist” — not because it was necessarily true, but because I felt it would win me more respect. As an undergraduate, poetry had been a way for me to relax. But in grad school, I wanted to be seen as just as devoted to my work as those around me, who appeared completely undisturbed by nonscientific hobbies. So, I left my poetry by the wayside — but it wasn’t long before I felt a huge void (空虚) in my life.
By the second year of my Ph.D. , my paper project had become very boring and tiring and I was starting to burn out. One afternoon, a student mentioned the weekly event held by the university’s poetry club, of which she was a leader. After hearing how much I enjoyed poetry, she declared, “You should come!” A few days later, I sat in a crowded cafe, excited to be here and to be a part of it.
Through reading and writing poems, I rediscovered how to relax. However, I still worried about appearing less than fully dedicated to my science. So, when a senior grad student in my lab whispered, “I hear you love poetry!” I froze. My heart began to race. She went on to invite me to perform at our department’s art gala (联欢会). “By the way, Cheryl will be performing!” she added.
I was surprised to discover that Cheryl, our lab’s principal investigator, was a dancer. I excitedly sought her out, and we spoke for more than an hour about how science and art could intertwine (交织). She explained that my skill at picking up patterns in experimental results was the same one I used to create rhymes in my poems. With Cheryl as a model, I decided to perform at the gala, for once not feeling I had anything to hide.
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。
The night of the gala, I was amazed at the talent of the performers.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Since then, I decided to be my whole self.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“You’re a mom of five. You’re fifty years old!” My thoughts fought with my kids’ words—“Do it, Mom. You never do anything for yourself.”
It was Wednesday, the time for my first drum lesson. The minute I stepped into the house, I headed directly to the seating area in the back. My hands kept fidgeting (不停摆弄) with the sticks. I kept nervously looking at the time. I knew the teacher would say I was not the right type of person to play the drums. I turned around to see an older man looking at me.
“Stephanie? I’m Mike, the drum teacher,” he said. I felt nervous. But Mike had a very calm manner, so I relaxed just slightly. Not only did he not tell me that I was the wrong type of person to play the drums, but he complimented (称赞) me on how well I held the sticks and followed along with him. I learned how to read a couple of simple sheets of music, but then my thirty-minute lesson was over.
Walking back to my car, I was full of energy. With my practice pad set in the living room, I practiced as much as possible throughout the week. My fourteen-year-old daughter had often complained that I never sat down with them and that I was always working around the house. But now with my lesson to practice, I finally sat down with them, talking as I practiced my drumming. My second lesson came, and I played the sheets of music for Mike. When I finished the whole lesson without stopping, Mike said, “You played that perfectly!” He sounded amazed.
I’m by nature a quiet person—I work at the library—so it seems contradictory for me to pick drumming as something just for me. But I find as I sit in front of my set and beat out rhythms, I become so focused on the drums. I’m not nervous, shy or quiet. I’m a drummer.
As the weeks turned into months of playing, Mike convinced me to play at a show his band hosted.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
“I’m so nervous. What will I do? What will I play?” I asked.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
My teacher went up to the microphone and made the announcement.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Angela, we have to go,” said her father.
“I’m not going,“ replied Angela.
“Please, we’ll be late,” said her father.
“Good. I hope we’re a million years late and there will be no piano anymore. The people of the future will be smart. They’ll understand that humans are better off without the piano. They’ll understand me,“ Angela said angrily.
“Angela, if you don’t get in the car right now, I’ m going to forbid (禁止) you from using the computer.”
“For how long?”
“Until Christmas.”
Dad wasn’t joking. Angela got in the car. Her father dropped her off at the music school. He told her he would come and pick her up after an hour, and then left.
Angela feared to practice the piano, and her teacher, Mr. Poliakoff, made her nervous with his lisp (咬舌) and unclear instructions. Angela found his music boring and she was afraid of playing the wrong note or being scolded (训). She didn’t want to go to Mr. Poliakoff’s classroom. She planned to pass the hour in the sun, or under a tree.
When Angela was walking around the music school, she heard someone playing the piano differently from Mr. Poliakoff’s music. She followed the sound. It was coming from one of the classrooms. She looked through the glass window and saw it was Mrs. O’Hara. Feeling curious, Angela entered the classroom.
“Hello,” Mrs. O’Hara said to her. “Can I help you?”
“No,” said Angela. “I, uh, I just heard the music, and”
“Do you like the piano?”
“I hate the piano," said Angela.
The woman started to laugh. “Come on. It’s okay to be curious. Do you know anything about jazz (爵士乐)?”
Mrs. O’ Hara then introduced jazz music to her and played a piece for her. Angela was attracted by.Mrs.0’Hara’s-playing. It was like nothing she had ever heard before. Mrs. O’Hara noticed Angela’s interest and invited her to try playing something herself. Angela hesitated (犹豫), but Mrs.0’Hara was kind and encouraging. Angela played a simple piece of music with a smile on her face.
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。
For the first time, Angela felt like she was really playing music.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The following week, Angela began taking lessons with Mr O’ Hara.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My husband and I had purchased the piano so our son and daughter could take piano lessons. But I had a secret dream that I did not share with anyone: I wanted to learn to play the piano and so that I could sit on a piano bench and perform one day.
Days later, I passed our announcement board, which listed items for sale, various jobs, and at the bottom, someone was offering piano lessons.
My voice trembled (颤抖) when I called the number the next day. When the tutor named Melody learned that I was the student, she hesitated. She had never taught a busy adult learner, but she was willing to try if I was determined to learn.
When my first lesson ended as arranged, Melody opened the door to her next student, a six-year-old boy full of enthusiasm. Melody introduced us and told me his name was Jeff. “I’m going to learn to play the piano,” he told me. No doubts or insecurities got in the boy’s way. His enthusiasm struck me, and on my way home, I whispered, “I’m going to learn to play the piano.”
However, I wasn’t a star pupil. I didn’t have instant recall on how to read music. Getting both hands to cooperate was difficult and then I was introduced to the pedal (踏板). Maybe I had been just too psychologically stressed out. Consequently, Melody blamed me for not practicing enough. Therefore, I had to look at my tight schedule to see where I could make time to improve myself.
The following week, Melody told me I would need to participate in the December performance and that I had to play by memory. I would have one month to memorize two pieces and I hadn’t even seen them yet! I was in despair and wanted to give up. “It’s the conventional (依照惯例的) way,” Melody said to me in a firm voice, “and even Jeff is memorizing the pieces he is playing. Think why you came here!”
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。
Her words suddenly had reminded me of my secret dream.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On the day of the performance, I stepped slowly onto the stage.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I still remember how nervous I felt doing some things for the first time. You’d think that after a lot of first times the butterflies-in-stomach feeling would disappear. But here’s what happened a month ago.
“Please come to the chess club tomorrow,” Mareya said to me. “I know you’re going to love it!” “I’ve never even played chess(国际象棋),” I said. “It seems super hard.”
“I went last week, and it was extremely fun!” said Mareya. “Really?” I said, not convinced.
“Really. Also, the club needs more people to keep it going.” Mareya smiled.
“Listen. If you try it, I’ll do my silly rabbit dance in the middle of recess (课间休息).” I laughed. “In front of everyone? It’s a deal!”
When I arrived at home. I searched our game shelves. Finally, at the very bottom of the pile, I found a tattered (破旧的) box with a chessboard and plastic chess pieces. I read the instructions carefully. Knights, rooks, bishops, pawns, a king, and a queen — each piece had a special starting place and its own way of moving. My heart sank. I couldn’t possibly memorize all the rules in time. Everyone in the chess club was going to think I was inexperienced!
That night, I dreamed I was in a chess game, and the queens, kings, and knights were laughing at me. Even the knights’ horses were snickering (窃笑)! The next day, I told Mareya I was having second thoughts.
“Please don’t back out,” she said. “Remember our deal.”
“I would like to see your silly rabbit dance,” I said, smiling.
After school, I found the chess club’s meeting room and went inside. I looked around, but Mareya was nowhere in sight! To make matters worse, I didn’t know a single person in the room. Butterflies filled my stomach as I started to head toward the door.
“Hi!” said a friendly woman. “I’m Ms.Martinez.”
“I’m Arizona,” I said. “ I was supposed to meet a friend, but I don’t see her. I’d better get going.” “Well, as long as you ‘re here, why don’t you sit with Joe and Jess and watch their game?”
注意：
1. 续写短文的词数应为 150 左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1:
I didn’t want to be rude, so I sat down.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
The next day, at recess, Mareya ran up to me.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1.简单介绍；2.说明理由；3.个人收获。
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. 你最喜欢的体育运动是足球；
2. 父亲是个足球队员，参加过各种比赛；正是在他的影响下，你才开始对足球展现出了兴趣；1998年的法国世界杯（World Cup）对你也产生了影响，至今仍记得其主题曲（theme song），于是喜欢上了足球；
3. 你去年被一支足球队吸收成为一名队员，现在担任队长（captain），司职前锋（forward）；每天写完作业后你跟朋友一起踢球；足球值得你的投入和热爱；
4. 最喜爱的球员是阿根廷（Argentina）的梅西（Messi），最大的愿望是能成为像他那样的巨星，希望能代表国家在世界杯的舞台上踢球。
要求：包括所有要点，可适当发挥。
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I love reading books,
Which are my best friends.
They are an important bridge to a new world,
Always helping me avoid getting puzzled.
They remove all troubles just like a sharp knife.
And bring happiness to me in daily life.
As for me a book is the angel’s sweetest kiss.
注意：
1．不得照抄短诗原文；
2．必须结合短诗的内容, 发挥想象, 适当展开；
3．必须突出短诗的内容, 结构完整, 语义连贯；
4．短文不能写成诗歌的形式；
5．词数80左右。
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(1)调查目的、对象；
(2)调查结果；
(3)简单评论。
参考词汇：古代文学：ancient literature;摄影：photography
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。
Senior One Students’ Extracurricular Interests
Recently, we made a survey on extracurricular interests among all the Senior One students in our school.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
