Have you ever heard of the position “sometimes backup catcher (替补接球手)?” I hadn’t either. Until this spring.
Since childhood, I have always liked watching baseball match. I especially loved the thrill of watching the catchers grab that game-winning grand slam (大满贯球) at the final moment. I sometimes pictured myself as the catcher, with body moving as swift as a leopard to the outfield and with eyes as sharp as an eagle’s, ready to catch the ball from the pitcher(投球手) with the glove and secure those decisive points.
This spring, my parents brought me to the Centerville Youth Baseball tryouts (选拔). When it was my turn, I ran out on to the field. My parents were surprised at how quickly I returned. “How’d you do?” Dad asked. “I don’t know,” I said. “I’m not sure I’ll make the team.” “Let’s wait and see.” Mom said.
After tryouts, Coach Bull yard announced, “Positions are posted in the clubhouse.” Parents and kids stampeded to check the results.
Dad stared at the lineup list for a long time. I couldn’t get myself to look. “So, did I make the team?” I asked him finally.
“You did,” Dad replied. “It says ‘Mike Davis: sometimes backup catcher.’” What does that mean? It didn’t sound great.
We had three practices before the first game. The first day, Is at on the bench beside my friend Emily, and Coach pointed to the outfield. “Mike Davis and Emily Hall—out there. And practice!” Emily and I headed for the outfield.
During our first practice, everything seemed to be in a mess. At the second practice, I showed some improvement, but still missed several catches. I even slipped and fell as it started to rain. I heard Emily chuckle. Coach Bull yard noticed this, and came close to me, comforting, “It’s important for a catcher to catch every ball, especially the grand-slam ball. If you do your best, you’ll see the result in the game.
At home, I asked my older brother James. “Do you think Coach will ever put me in a game as a catcher?” James wrote down and calculated some numbers. Finally, he said “The likelihood that you’ll play in a game before the end of the season is as slim as finding a needle in a haystack.” He looked at me. “In other words, it probably won’t happen.”
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。
Paragraph 1: That night in bed, I thought about my older brother James’ words.
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Paragraph 2: In the last few minutes of the final game, the coach decided to make substitution of players (换人) .
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Thin, average, and undisciplined, I was the underdog of the boys’ basketball tryouts (选拔赛) in seventh grade. Making the team was very important to me. Although I was extremely nervous, I truly thought I would make the team. But I went in overly optimistic, and quickly faced a cruel reality check.
When on the court, I huffed and puffed like an old man on his last legs; clearly, I was out of shape and having trouble keeping up. When it hit me that this was only the first day, and that there was a second to follow, I realized I would have to step it up in order to gain a spot on the team.
Unfortunately, day two went exactly like day one: I missed shots, passed badly like an out-of-breath fool. Hoping the coach was not watching all my bad moves, I had trouble keeping a positive attitude. Finally, Coach-who at five-foot-four usually seemed small, posted the lists of the Boys A and B Teams. Everybody quickly ran to catch a glimpse of the chosen few.
After scanning the list once, twice, three times, my name was nowhere. Although I had predicted the disaster that had now settled on me, with my head hanging. I slowly walked to the car. This experience definitely had not gone as I planned.
On the way home, I complained “How could that foolish boy is a better choice than me? And…”
“Adam!” my mom cut me off. “Why don’t you realize maybe you need a little more practice? You’d better go to basketball camps next summer.”
Although I did not want to believe her, I knew it was true. Failing to make the team was nobody’s fault but mine. Right then and there, in the middle of my anger, I realized I had to get my act 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。
Paragraph 1:
Then I threw myself into as many basketball opportunities as I could find.
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Paragraph 2:
When I took part in the eighth-grade basketball tryouts,I was moderate,swift and strong.
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