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。
The Meredith family lived in a small community. As the economy was in decline, some people in the town had lost their jobs. Many of their families were struggling to make ends meet. People were trying to help each other meet the challenges.
Mrs. Meredith was a most kind and thoughtful woman. She spent a great deal of time visiting the poor. She knew they had problems, and they needed all kinds of help. When she had time, she would bring food and medicine to them.
One morning she told her children about a family she had visited the day before. There was a man sick in bed, his wife, who took care of him and could not go out to work, and their little boy. The little boy -his name was Bernard-had interested her very much.
“I wish you could see him,” she said to her own children, John, Harry, and Clara. “He is such a help to his mother. He wants very much to earn some money, but I don't see what he can do.”
After their mother left the room, the children sat thinking about Bernard. “I wish we could help him to earn money,” said Clara. “His family is suffering so much.”
“So do I,” said Harry. “We really should do something to assist them.”
For some moments, John said nothing, but, suddenly, he sprang to his feet and cried, “I have a great idea! I have a solution that we can all help accomplish(完成).”
The other children also jumped up all attention. When John had an idea, it was sure to be a good one. “I tell you what we can do,” said John. “You know that big box of corn Uncle John sent us? Well, we can make popcorn(爆米花), and put it into paper bags, and Bernard can take it around to the houses and sell it.”
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 Mrs. Meredith heard of John's idea, she thought it was a good one, too.
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With everything ready, Bernard started out on his new business.
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When Mrs. Meredith heard of John’s idea, she thought it was a good one, too. So, they went to the local supermarket together. They bought a bag of corn and some special bags for popcorn. When they got home, they made a lot of popcorn and put it in the special bags. With the popcorn, they went to Bernard’s home. They told Bernard how to sell the popcorn. Bernard and his parents were very grateful. And the Meredith family also felt very happy to help this family.
With everything ready, Bernard started out on his new business. He took the popcorn around to the houses and sold all his popcorn. He earned a lot of money. Then, he wanted to be self-dependent. Therefore, he asked Mrs. Meredith to teach him how to make popcorn. After that, not only did he sell popcorn, but he also added cream and salt to the popcorn to make it taste better. Bernard grew up to be a remarkable man. He did not forget the help of Meredith’s family, and he also did what he could to help those in need.
【分析】
本文是根据短文进行续写,使之成为一个完整的故事。
【详解】
1.认真读懂所给提供的材料:善良的Meredith一家住在一个小社区里,他们想帮助一个贫困的家庭。那家的男主人生病卧床,女主人要照顾丈夫、无法外出赚钱,家中的小男孩Bernard也做不了什么事情,生活十分困难。后来,Meredith的孩子想出了一个主意--制作爆米花,让Bernard去卖爆米花。
2.根据所给材料确定文章主题:Meredith如何通过制作和卖爆米花帮助Bernard一家摆脱困境的。
3.续写部分和前面的文章衔接得上,并且与原文情节发展和人物性格相一致,故事情节的向后延续发展要合乎情理。
4.根据第一段首句When Mrs. Meredith heard of John’s idea, she thought it was a good one, too.(当Meredith太太听到John的主意时,她也认为这是个好主意)可以针对如何实现制作爆米花这个提议展开构思;根据第二段首句With everything ready, Bernard started out on his new business.(一切准备就绪后,Bernard开始了他的新生意)可以针对Bernard如何通过卖爆米花让家庭摆脱困境展开构思。
5.续写的语言要尽可能与原文的语言保持风格上的一致。文章时态以一般过去时为主。应使用自己熟悉的句型和短语进行写作,考生要注意尽可能使句子的表达形式多样化,适当的使用一些高级句式和高级词汇,以提高书面表达的档次和可读性。作文要层次清晰,要点全面,表达流畅,切合题干要求,句子结构准确,适当补充信息,使篇章结构连贯。
请认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意:每个空格只填1个单词。
Feeling extreme loneliness can increase an older person’s risk of premature (过早的)death by 14 percent, according to research by John Cacioppo, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago.
Cacioppo and his colleagues’ work shows that the impact of loneliness on premature death is nearly as strong as the impact of disadvantaged socioeconomic status, which they found increases the chances of dying early by 19 percent. A 2010 meta﹣analysis showed that loneliness has twice as much impact on early death as obesity does, he said.
The researchers looked at dramatic differences in the rate of decline in physical and mental health as people aged. Cacioppo and his colleagues have examined the role of satisfying relationships on older people to develop their resilience ([rɪˈzɪliəns] 快速恢复的能力;适应力), the ability to feel better quickly after something unpleasant, and grow from stresses in life.
The consequences for health are dramatic, as feeling isolated or separated from others can disturb sleep, elevate blood pressure, increase morning rises in the stress hormone cortisol ([‘kɔ:tɪsɒl] 皮质醇), change the gene expression in immune cells, increase depression and lower overall subjective well﹣being, Cacioppo pointed out in a talk, “ Rewarding Social Connections Promote Successful Aging.”
Cacioppo, one of the nation’s leading experts on loneliness, said older people can avoid the consequences of loneliness by staying in touch with former co﹣workers, taking part in family traditions, and sharing good times with family and friends ﹣ all of which give older adults a chance to connect with others about whom they care and who care about them.
”Retiring to Florida to live in a warmer climate among strangers isn’t necessarily a good idea if it means you are disconnected from the people who mean much to you,” said Cacioppo. Population changes make understanding the role of loneliness and health all the more important,he explained. “People have to think about how to protect themselves from depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. “
Although some people are happy to be alone, most people develop from social situations in which they provide mutual support and establish a strong bond. Evolution encourages people to work together to survive and accordingly most people enjoy companionship compared to be alone.
It is not solitude (独处)or physical isolation itself, but rather the subjective sense of isolation that Cacioppo’s work shows to be so destructive. Older people living alone are not necessarily lonely if they remain actively engaged in social life and enjoy the company of those around them. Some aspects of aging, such as blindness and loss of hearing, however, place people at special risk of becoming isolated and lonely, he said.
Passage outline | Supporting details |
The main idea | Chances are that older people will die early if they feel extremely 51.. |
52. with loneliness | • Like disadvantaged socioeconomic status and obesity, loneliness can 53. old men’s premature death. • When 54. from others, one will find physical health impacted and tend to feel depressive and unhappy. |
Suggestions | • Keep in touch with others and take part in 55. activities. • Choosing to live in a pleasant climate don’t necessarily make sense if the elder are disconnected from people who are 56. to them. • Think about how to57. depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. • Work together with others to 58., to gain mutual support and establish a strong bond. |
Conclusions | • The sense of isolation, rather than solitude or physical isolation itself, isn’t 59.to elders. • Living alone doesn’t mean loneliness if older people live an 60. social life. |