Christmas Day was coming. I was just a kid then, and my big sister told me there was no Santa Claus. I fled to my Grandma because she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told me the truth. Grandma was home, and I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus !" She shouted. "Ridiculous! Don't believe it." That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad.

    "Now, put on your coat, and let's go."

    "Go where, Grandma?" I asked. "Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. "Take this money, " she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

    I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people competing to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, holding that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy and who to buy it for. I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker, who was a kid with bad breath and messy hair. He sat right behind me in Mrs Pollock's grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out for recess(放假) during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough, and he didn't have a coat. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat! I settled on a red one, which looked really warm, and he would like that.

    "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes."

    The nice lady smiled at me, put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas.

注意：

1）所续写短文的词数应为150词左右；2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词；

3）续写分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。

Paragraph 1:

    That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper.……

Paragraph2:

    Grandma and I waited breathlessly for Bobby Decker's front door to open and finally it……

    Ali and his younger sister, Zahra, lived with their parents in a poor neighborhood. Their mother was very sick and their father was struggling to find a job, and they had only a little money with which to buy food. As they had not paid the rent for several months, the landlord was breathing down their necks.

    One day, Ali took Zahra's shoes to a shoe repairman to be fixed, but he lost them on the way home. It wasn't until he got home that he realized he had lost the shoes. He was afraid that his parents would be angry and disappointed, so he begged his sister to keep it secret. Zahra agreed and the two decided to share Ali's running shoes. Zahra's school hours were in the morning, so she would wear them first. After school, she would rush back and give them to Ali. He could then run to his school, which began in the afternoon. Although he ran as fast as he could, Ali often arrived late and was warned by the school.

    Ali heard about a long distance race that was held for the boys in the city. When he learned that the third prize was a new pair of shoes, he decided to take part. He ran home excitedly and promised his sister that he would win her the new shoes.

    The day of race arrived. Ali had a strong start, but halfway through the race he began to get tired and his legs began to ache. Getting more and more exhausted he thought only of Zahra and his promise to her. Dreaming of the new shoes he would win for his sister gave him strength, and he stayed right behind the two fastest runners, determined to finish third. Suddenly, as the finish line drew near, another runner collided (碰撞)with Ali from behind and he crashed to the ground.

注意：

1）所续写短文的词数应为150左右;

2）至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语;

3）续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好;

4）续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。

Paragraph 1:

    Ali looked up and saw the other boys rushing ahead. …

Paragraph 2:

    Filled with delight, Ali walked home quickly. …

    It happened when Tom was only ten years old. That day he was at home with his elder sister Jane. Tom was doing his homework when he heard raised voices. At first he didn't think seriously about it at first, since it was always noisy downstairs, but he soon realized this time it was different.

    "Quick! Quick! Remove the motorcycles from the shop." someone yelled.

    Then a thick burning smell filled the air. When Tom opened the front door of their flat to check, a thick cloud of smoke greeted him. The motorcycle shop had caught fire and people were running and crying.

    Jane, who had been playing the violin in her room, hurried to the living room. They rushed out of the door and along the corridor (走廊) through the smoke.

    They were heading towards the stairway at the far end of the corridor when Jane suddenly stopped. She turned around and headed back the way they came. Tom had no idea what she was doing, but he followed her.

    Jane had suddenly remembered the lady in her 70s who lived next door to them, who they called Mackie. Jane began banging on Mackie's door, but got no answer. As the smoke thickened around them, Tom could see many of their neighbors—some still in their pyjamas (睡衣) —running for safety. The thought of fear crossed his mind.

    "She would have run for safety like everyone else!" Tom cried. However, Jane refused to give up. "I know Mackie's still inside." She said she was familiar with Mackie's daily routine and was certain she would still be sleeping. She pounded against the door. "Go downstairs. Go now! Go!"

注意事项：

1） 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；

2） 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；

3） 续写部分分为两段，请在答题时补充每段的开头语；

4）续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。

Para. 1 Tom noticed the fire was reaching up.

Para. 2 Luckily, some neighbors passing by stopped and offered help. 容山中学

I was 11 years old when I asked my mom for a piano and piano lessons. Even I myself didn't know how to stop the fever growing from my whole heart and soul. What interested me most was the fantastic feeling of standing in the spotlight and being admired by tens of thousands of music fans.

But we were affected by the economic decline. In fact, we could barely make ends meet at that time and even couldn't afford to buy our favorite cheese cakes. So she said a polite "no".

That didn't stop me. I Googled the measurements for a keyboard, drew the keys on a piece of paper and stuck it on my desk. I would click notes (音符) on an online keyboard and "play" them back on my paper one—keeping the sound they made on the computer in my head. I spent six months playing without touching a real piano. I was occupied by the thought of playing a real piano. The desire was so strong that I could hardly control my passion.

Once my mom saw that I was serious, she borrowed money and bought me 10 lessons. I still remember the first one. I was struck by how real the sound of the piano was. The sound was so pure and inviting that nobody could drag me away from the magic musical instrument. I held it dear. My mother stood in front of it, listening attentively to my playing with tears in her eyes. I sat my grade one after eight lessons. Once I started secondary school, we couldn't afford lessons again. I passed grade three, then grade five, practicing only on my piece of paper.

My school didn't offer music A-level. I found the Purcell School for young musicians. The tryouts were difficult. Some of the questions involved an evaluation of the composer or when some piece was written. I felt depressed. Would I step back? I said to myself a polite "no".

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:

One evening, my mom said she had a surprise for me.

Paragraph 2:

Two years later, I left Purcell School.

I was born and grew up in a small seaside town. In my childhood, I often played on the beach with my elder sister, chasing (追逐) the waves and enjoying the seaside scenery.

One sunny summer afternoon, my sister and I were playing on a big rock quite a distance from the beach. We were so happy that we didn't notice the water rising. When we decided to go back, we were shocked to find that the rock had almost been covered by water and there was no way back to the shore. Meanwhile, the wind blew harder and harder. We got into a panic, waving and shouting crazily towards the shore. Suddenly, I slipped (滑) and fell into the sea. My sister stretched out her hand to catch hold of me. However, she could not stay still, and slid off the rock into the sea, too.

"Help! Help!" We cried. I could feel my body tingling (酸麻) as I tried to breathe for air. I attempted to swim back to the rock, but the water was too deep and the waves were too strong. What made things worse was that the rough water made it almost impossible for anyone to hear our cries. Tears mixed with the water as I struggled in the sea. My sister, although using all her strength, wasn't able to pull me in. Instead, she was being pushed apart from me by the big waves. The two of us, scared to death, kept crying.

Luckily, two boys playing on the beach happened to see us. They quickly found a stick nearby and approached us cautiously, hand in hand. They tried to pull us ashore with the stick. But the stick was too short for us to reach. Worse still, the wind was getting so strong that the two boys were rocked from side to side, unable to stand steadily. Eventually, they had no choice but to go back to the shore to look for other people to help us.

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。

Another huge wave crashed over my head and pulled me under.

Fortunately, the two boys managed to find a lifeguard.

Holding Mom's Hand

Technically speaking, my Mom is old－she is in her 70s now. She once used to be a woman full of life and laughter. All of that changed after my Dad passed away about ten years ago. Although they were not what you would call a "lovey dovey" couple, Mom did take his sudden death quite badly. To make matters worse, my brother decided to relocate to another city, while Mom decided to stay behind with her sister.

Whenever my Mom comes over to stay with me for some time (I live with my husband and his parents), she always demands constant attention from me. She generally gets nostalgic (怀旧的) of the good old times we used to spend together discussing pets, books, cooking, or life in general. Sometimes it turned into a complaining session－"You never spare time for me anymore" or "I have become useless to everyone". I always used to retort (反驳) with "Oh, Mom, please don't start all over again" or sometimes rudely remark, "How can you expect me to do the things we used to do together years ago? There is no time for such things anymore!" Mom would become silent, probably because she had resigned herself to the way things are now. I could sense I had hurt her but there was little I could do, or so I thought at the time.

Then it struck me－I always try to be nice to people at work. I do random acts of kindness for strangers. I sometimes surprise an old friend with a phone call. But what have I done for my Mom? Why is it that I am so reluctant to hold her hands in front of others? Is it because I am embarrassed to be labeled as "mama's girl" at my age? Well, I am no longer young myself. Is it because I have taken my Mom for granted because her days are done?

Today was yet another chaotic day. I was occupied in dealing with my own things, getting ready for work, leaving my Mom to have her breakfast all alone at the table. I had so many things on my mind－the deadline at work, an appointment with my dentist, what to cook for dinner...

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。

Mom stared at me silently, with a wronged (委屈的) look.

……

Then, all of sudden, I stopped myself.

……