In 1945, a 12-year-old boy saw a beautiful brooch(胸针) in a shop window that set his heart racing. But the price—five dollars—was too high for Reuben Earle. Five dollars would buy almost a week's food for his family.

    Reuben couldn't ask his father for the money. Everything his father made through fishing went to his mother, Dora. Slim and beautiful, she was the center of the home, the glue that held it together. The housework was never-ending, and she struggled to feed and clothe their five children but she was happy as her family and their well-being were all she cared about.

    Nevertheless, he opened the shop's weathered(风化的) door and went inside. Standing proud and straight in his flour-sack(面粉袋改做的) shirt and washed-out trousers, he told the shopkeeper what he wanted, adding ,"But I don't have the money right now. Can you please hold it for me for some time？"

    "I'll try," the shopkeeper smiled. "People around here don't usually have that kind of money to spend on things. It should keep for a while."

    Reuben respectfully touched his worn cap and walked out. He would raise the money and not tell anybody, for he thought Mum would get surprised when she saw that brooch. On hearing the sound of hammering from a side street, Reuben suddenly had an idea that he could raise money by selling the used nail bags(装钉子的麻袋). People built their own homes in Bay Roberts, using nails bought in bags from a local factory. Sometimes the used bags were thrown away at the construction site, and Reuben knew he could sell them back to the factory for five cents a piece.

    That day he sold two nail bags and hid the money in a rusty soda tin(汽水罐).

注意：

⒈所续写短文的词数应为150左右；

⒉应使用5个以上短文标有下划线的关键词语；

⒊续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；

⒋续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词。

Paragraph 1

Every day after school, Reuben started his plan.

Paragraph 2

Finally, the time came!

My family moved from Taiwan to a small town in central Georgia, where my dad got a visa for his family and a job. I had just learned English, and from what little I could gather from my friends, Santa Claus would come down one's chimney(烟囱) and put toys in one's stocking on Christmas Eve! What a great country, I thought. After I looked up "stocking" in my Chinese-English dictionary, I knew what I had to do and always expected that day. 

Finally, the big day came. On that wonderful night, after everyone went to bed, I sneaked out of bed,  took my longest, cleanest knee sock and attached it to a nail(钉子) already on the mantel(壁炉). Obviously the previous owners of this house were no strangers to this Santa character. Staring at the sock and imagining the delicately(精致地)-packed gift in it, I couldn't help giggling(咯咯笑). For the first time, I found it hard to fall asleep. 

And for the first time, I woke up before everyone else in the early morning. Then I headed straight to the fireplace and was even ready for what to say after seeing the gift. However, what happened next was the least thing I wanted to mention. On the nail was the empty and lonely sock. I was hit with the reality of the empty sock and the biggest lie ever told. I tried my best to hold back my tears but failed. Bursting into tears, I quickly took down the sock and stuffed it in the back of a drawer.

Every December since then, the topic of Christmas memories would unavoidably come up, and I would amuse my friends with my poor-little-me story. I had to make it as funny as possible, or else I would cry once again. I didn't know whether any of my audience ever noticed the sparkling tears hidden in my eyes. 

How could I know that Santa was just late？Nine years ago, on Christmas Eve, I heard a knock on the door when I was watching TV. Unwillingly, I dragged my feet(拖着脚步) and opened the door.

注意：

1）所续写短文词数为 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，每段的开头语已为你写好；

4）续写完成后，请用下划线标出你使用的关键词语.

Paragraph 1：

Outside the door stood an old man with a white beard and a red cap, holding a well-packed box.

Paragraph 2：

Through tear-blurred (泪水模糊的) eyes, I recognized the handwriting on the card.

One evening, a workman was exhaustedly making his way home after work, when he stopped to rest by the side of the road. A woman came by, pushing a cart full of flowers. The smell of her blossoms filled the air with sweetness and it seemed to take away the tiredness in his bones and lift his spirits. He had never experienced such wonder from the many blooms of his own garden. "How much must I pay, or what must I do, to have some of your wonderful flowers?" he asked the woman.

 "Oh, sir," she said, "take what you wish for."

"What return must I make for them?" he asked again.

"Your gratitude is enough," she said, "and it's a pleasure to share the beauty of flowers with you."

So the man filled his arms with blossoms and hurried joyfully home. His wife and his children were also glad over the remarkable flowers, for they, too, discovered that the sight of them was a delight and the smell of them refreshed the soul.

In order not to lose his valuable possession, the man planted the blossoms in a small plot of land behind his house. Sunlight and water kept them amazingly beautiful—they still performed their fantastic magic.

Every day, his children took delight in playing in the yard and always sang and danced around the flowers. They all liked the lovely gift their father had received and even invited many of their friends to share this fantastic magic together. When children came to play near the flowers, the man over and over warned them against carelessness and wild play for fear that they would walk on the flowers and damage them. But the flowers remained strong as long as there was enough sun and water to nourish(滋养) them. Nowhere else could the man or his wife or children find such remarkable relaxation from tiredness, such comfort in sadness, such spiritual nourishment as those remarkable flowers provided.

With the news spreading and more people coming to appreciate his treasure, the man became even more concerned about his remarkable flowers.

注意：

1)续写词数应为150左右;

2)请按如下格式作答。

He was determined to protect the flowers.

However, the flowers seemed to fade day by day, so the man went everywhere for help.

"Jennifer, do you hike?" Karen said to me. "Yes, I hike," I replied. Karen's slim figure and sun-kissed cheeks suggested she was a regular hiker.

"Great, do you want to come with us tomorrow? We will meet in front of Bobbie's house at 6:30 before it is too hot, and we will go over to Thunderbird Mountain. It is about three miles in total. Does that sound OK?"

Three miles. I wasn't sure how long that was, partly because I didn't actually hike. I was somewhat familiar with the area where they planned to go, but our family had just moved from Oregon to Arizona. I walked our dog around the neighbourhood all the time before we moved here. But I wasn't sure if I had gone three miles. Being new to town and excited about an invitation from women I wanted to befriend, I accepted, saying, "Sure. That sounds great. We all benefit from hiking."

When this hiking conversation among my new friends occurred, I was at a monthly dinner for moms in my new neighborhood. The group was four women in their forties, all with high-school kids, jobs, a fondness for reading and music and tricks for simplifying work-life.

I was honored to be invited since making friends in my forties in a new town wasn't easy. After this re-location for my husband's career, making friends wasn't as simple for me as it was for him. He came to the community for a full-time position at a busy university. Our teenaged son and daughter immediately plugged into school through sports and clubs. I was enormously grateful for the ea se of the transition for my family, but nervous for myself. So, while at the monthly ladies' gathering, when hiking came up, I just played along, wanting to try something new.

The next day, I got up early and carefully selected comfortable hiking clothes. When I arrived at the designated friend's driveway a little early, Karen was standing there waiting. "Hey, Jennifer, I'm glad that you can come to hike," she said cheerfully and hugged me. When the others joined us, we started walking. I was sweaty and a little out of breath before we even started going uphill.

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。

"So, where did you hike in Oregon?" one of them asked, offering me a bottle of water. 

By accepting the invitation to hike that day, I received a lot.

It was a beautiful May morning. As usual, I started my day by sitting outside breathing the fresh air as I read my book and drank my coffee. Afterwards, there were two things I was determined to do. First, make sure my husband got our small Christmas trees down from the attic （阁楼） and, second, take several bags of clothes, blankets and comforters to the donation center. I had been faithful in doing that every year, but for whatever reason. I had delayed this year and the bags were now piling up and overflowing.

After reading for a while, I went into the bedroom to ask my husband to bring the trees down. He was asleep so I figured I'd surprise him and get them down by myself.

I went to the garage to access the attic storage and moved our tall metal ladder into place. I had to move the bags of clothing and blankets out of the way, determined once again to get those to the donation center.

I climbed the ladder, and two steps from the top I was able to reach up and push open the attic door. Then, with my feet on the very last step and part of my upper body in the attic. I saw my trees. I awkwardly raised my leg to climb onto the attic floor. Looking down. and then looking up again. I decided that this was actually too much for me. I should wait for my husband to get them.

As I stepped down, my foot missed the shaky ladder's step. With one foot swinging and the other on the top step, I grabbed （抓住） the attic floorboard and called my husband. Unfortunately, he couldn't hear me. As I went to take another step down, the ladder suddenly came out from under me, loudly crashing onto the concrete garage floor, leaving me hanging from the at tic with sweaty hands. In that second, which seemed like a century, I prayed and then called my husband.

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。

With my body swinging in midair and my hands slowly sliding closer to the edge, I fell.

Arriving at the emergency center, I anxiously waited to see the doctor. 

I am the kind of person who is shy and doesn't express himself much among others. I spend a significant amount of time on introspection（内省）. I lack the ease to engage in conversations with others. But I find this, on the other hand, can be an advantage.

Once, as a school boy, I wondered if I, such an introverted（内向的） person, would be considered eccentric （古怪的）. And I was even afraid that I could possibly get nowhere in my study.

I went to school, where I was just an average student and struggled with shyness. My parents had high expectations, hoping I would finally be able to secure the first position at the end of the sixth grade. However, achieving that was no easy job. Given the keen competition between classmates and my then situation, it was challenging to stand out. I inquired with my friend, Tom, who consistently ranked first, and he revealed that his two aunts had been helping him, providing tutoring support.

Asking for help was never easy for me; my shyness stopped me from seeking assistance. I believed that I had to depend on myself—it was my sole responsibility to learn and educate myself. This mindset surprisingly ignited（激发）a race within me to claim the top position in my class. However, I realized there were barriers on my path--several subjects troubled me. And I understood that achieving the first position would take a couple of years of hard work.

I embarked on（开始） this journey when I was in the fourth grade. Attention focused in class and more time spent after class, I found I was gradually on the right track. By the fifth grade, work on my study was progressing steadily and improvement was obvious. Even Tom showed his surprise or I could say envy. But I knew my performance in writing still needed improving. And I knew, though without additional support, I could count on myself.

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。