As I began to wade through thirteen pages of the credit-card company’s new policy, I wasn’t sure how it was going to affect me personally. As I waited to be connected to a customer service rep, I considered whether I should even write the fifth novel in my Old Cape House series. Did my readers really enjoy the mysterious historical stories I told? Should I take on more debt to buy my paperback books? I thought about all the author events, book signings, and book fairs that might be canceled because of the virus. When would normal life return?
“Hello, Ms. Struna, this is Thomas. May I have your account information?”
After repeating the information he needed, I explained my dilemma in trying to understand the new policy and asked how it would affect my future purchases.
“Please, do not worry. You will have no change.”
“Are you sure? I am an author and travel frequently. I need to have access to my card at all times for big or small purchases.” I laughed to myself, thinking I wasn’t going anywhere for a while, at least until there was a vaccine.
“Let me reassure you. There will be no change to your card, but Ms. Struna, may I ask you one more question? Are you the author of The Old Cape House?”
My jaw dropped. He was talking about my first novel of suspenseful historical fiction, The Old Cape House, published in 2013. I was stunned and I stammered, “Why, yes I am.” I was still skeptical about what he wanted from me.
Thomas kept talking. “I thought it was you. I recognized your name, and when you told me you were an author, I knew it was you.”
“Oh, my goodness.” My heart started to beat faster with delight at the connection I was making with an unknown foreign reader.
“Ms. Struna, your book changed me. It changed how I look at the world. It showed me ways to be more adventuresome and to be open to new things. Thank you so very much.”
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:
I was stunned at the idea that I had made a difference in someone’s life.
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Paragraph 2:
I hung up, ending this coincidental connection to a fan reader in a faraway place.
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Carter Druse was born in Virginia. He loved his parents, his home and the south. But he loved his country, too. And in 1861, when the US was divided by a terrible war, Carter Druse, a southerner, decided to join the army of the north.
He told his father about his decision one morning at breakfast. The old man looked at his only son for a moment, too shocked to speak. Then he said, “Please don’t tell your mother about your decision. She is sick, and we both know she has only a few weeks to live. ”
Carter’s father paused, again looking deep into his son’s eyes. “Carter, ” he said, “No matter what happens, be sure that you always do what you think is your duty. ”
Both Carter Druse and his father left the table that morning with broken hearts. And Carter soon left his home and everyone he deeply loved behind.
One sunny afternoon, a few months later, Carter Druse was sent to guard a road which was only a few miles from an enemy’s base. It began in a forest, down in the valley, and climbed up the side of a huge rock. Anyone standing on the top of this high rock would be able to see down into the valley.
Hidden in the valley’s forest were thousands of Carter’s fellow soldiers. They had marched for thirty-six hours. Now they were resting.
Their plan was to attack by surprise their enemy on the other side of the valley. But if their enemy learned about the army hiding in the forest, the soldiers would find themselves in a trap with no escape. That was why Carter Druse had been sent to guard the road and it was his duty to be sure that no enemy soldier spied on the valley, where the army of the north was hiding.
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。
Suddenly, he saw a man on horseback standing on the huge rock.
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At that instant, the horseman turned his head and looked in Carter’s direction.
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假设你们班要办一期英语角，主题是“我最喜欢的英文作品”。请你根据以下表格的信息，介绍一下马克·吐温的《哈克贝利·费恩历险记》。词数：100左右。
| 书名 | 《哈克贝利·费恩历险记》（The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn） |
| 作者 | 马克·吐温（Mark Twain） |
| 内容简介 | 哈克贝利·费恩是一个孤儿，无人管束，但心地善良，他帮助黑奴Jim逃亡，一路上遭遇了许多艰难险阻，但最终取得了胜利。 |
| 评价 | 深受全世界青少年读者的喜爱。有人称：“全部现代美国文学起源于马克·吐温的一本名叫《哈克贝利·费恩历险记》的书”。 |
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