Strange Footprints in the Snow
Tom woke up and looked around. For a moment, he wasn’t sure where he was. Then he remembered. He and his sister, Lucy, were visiting Aunt Gwen. Yesterday they spent seven hours helping Aunt Gwen clean her basement. Today they would have time to play.
He looked out of the window. Fresh snow covered the ground. He could hardly wait to go outside. Tom got dressed and hurried downstairs to the kitchen.
“Hi, sleepyhead(贪睡者),” said Aunt Gwen. “Lucy has already eaten her breakfast. She’s outside.”
“That’s where I’m going as soon as I finish breakfast,” Tom said.
A short time later, he zipped up(拉上拉链)his coat, put on his boots, and walked out of the front door. The sun made the snow sparkle. He looked around. He didn’t see his sister, but he saw something else. There were strange footprints left in the snow across Aunt Gwen’s yard.
“They’re far too big to be Lucy’s. They look like they belong to a dinosaur,” Tom said. Then he added, “But that’s silly. Dinosaurs are not around anymore.”
He looked closer: The footprints were the shape of a very large oval(椭圆)with a stem. “Maybe they belong to an elephant or a hippo that escaped from the zoo,” he thought. He held his breath and listened. He didn’t hear anything.
He remembered a book he’d seen earlier on Aunt Gwen’s shelf. It was a book about animal tracks. He dashed inside to get it. The book had pictures of animals and the tracks they made. He turned the pages one by one, but none of the photos looked like the footprints in Aunt Gwen’s yard.
He stared at those footprints again. An animal that made such big tracks would have to be heavy. Its tracks should sink far down into the snow. Yet these footprints seemed to skim across(掠过)the top.
How can that be? He wondered.
Tom noticed something else. The tracks never left Aunt Gwen’s yard. Instead, they turned and went around the house. “Maybe the animal is still here,” he whispered.
注意:1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡相应位置作答。
Though a little scared, Tom made up his mind to find the animal.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It turned out that his sister was making the sounds.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
相似题推荐
Jenny was a bright-eyed,pretty five-year-old girl . One day when she and her mother were checking out at the grocery store, Jenny saw a plastic pearl necklace priced at $2.50. How she wanted that necklace, and when she asked her mother if she would buy it for her, her mother said, "Well, it is a pretty necklace, but it costs an awful lot of money. I'll tell you what. I'll buy you the necklace, and when we get home we can make up a list of chores that you can do to pay for the necklace. And don't forget that for your birthday Grandma just might give you a whole dollar bill, too. Okay?" Jenny agreed, and her mother bought the pearl necklace for her.
Jenny worked on her chores very hard every day, and sure enough, her grandma gave her a brand-new dollar bill for her birthday. Soon Jenny had paid off the pearls How Jenny loved those pearls. She wore them everywhere to kindergarten, bed and when she went out with her mother to run errands . The only time she didn't wear them was in the shower. Her mother had told her that they would turn her neck green!
Jenny had a very loving daddy. When Jenny went to bed, he would get up from his favorite chair every night and read Jenny her favorite story.
One night when he finished the story, he said, "Jenny, do you love me?"
"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you," the little girl said.
"Well, then, give me your pearls."
"Oh! Daddy, not my pearls!" Jenny refused. "But you can have Rosy, my favorite doll. Remember her? You gave her to me last year for my birthday. And you can have her tea party outfit too. Okay?"
"Oh no, darling, that's okay."Her father brushed her cheek with a kiss. "Good night, little one."
Paragraph 1
A week later, her father once again asked Jenny after her story.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2
Several days later, when Jenny’s father came in to read her a story as usual,she was surprised to find
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mark was a successful lawyer. Since graduating from law school, he seldom went home. Although he loved his mother deeply, he was too busy with his work.
One Saturday when driving to his company, Mark suddenly remembered it was his mother’s birthday. But being occupied with his work, he couldn’t make time to visit his mother who lived 200 miles away. Just then, he spotted a flower shop, thinking the flowers were the best solution.
Mark parked in front of the flower shop where a girl was standing outside. Since Mark was thinking about the note he would send to his mother, he paid no attention to her. After chatting with the shop owner, Mark bought some pink roses and asked the shop owner to deliver the flowers to his mother. “Happy birthday to my mom; love you,” he wrote on the note.
Mark then walked out of the shop, thinking his mother would get the flowers later tonight, and felt satisfied. When walking to his car, Mark saw the girl again. She was crying. Mark couldn’t help asking,“Hey, are you OK? Are you lost?” The girl shook her head. Mark later knew the girl was Mandy, who was eight and lived nearby. Feeling a little worried about her, Mark asked gently, “Can I help?”
Mandy said she wanted a rose for her mom. But she couldn’t afford it. “The flower lady said my coins could buy a daisy, but my mom loves red roses,” she added. Touched by the girl’s words, Mark went back into the shop and bought a bunch of red roses.
“Here you go,” he said. Mandy took the roses, smiled brightly, and thanked him. “Anything else I can do for you?“ Mark asked. Mandy hesitated. Then she said, “Could you take me to my mom? It’s not far but I’m not supposed to go on my own.” Mark nodded. “Sure, lead the way!" Mandy took his hand and walked with him down the street. As they passed by a graveyard, Mandy stopped.
To Mark’s surprise, Mandy directly went inside the graveyard.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
After dropping Mandy off by her house, Mark went back to the flower shop.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
One click of my wooden stick, and the buffaloes (水牛) moved forward. I guided them along the road’s edge, through the heart of the village. We walked past mud homes and villagers bent over tending to their crops. We eyed the green fields, where the buffaloes could eat growing grass. This was my life in a small village in Sindh, Pakistan. We had little, but I had a big dream.
Up ahead laughter attracted my attention. A group of students came into view, their uniforms a contrast to my faded trousers and worn-out shoes. Fingers wrapped tight around my stick, I stepped forward and said sincerely, “Dear students, could you please show me your books?” The students looked from my face to my stick, to their books. They quickly opened their bags and showed me their books. Illustrations of people and places caught my imagination.
“Someday, I’ll go to school too,” I declared, returning their books. Actually, I was desperate to go to school so that I could broaden my horizons.
Months passed. Every day I rose to my chores and buffaloes. Until, one day I got my chance. My uncle came to visit. He and Father sat, drinking tea outside. “Brother, you must send Rasool Bux to school. Herding the buffaloes is not in his future,” Uncle convinced my father. that all children should go to school. The following week, I was studying in primary school. Now, armed with my own books, I set out to learn everything. I read textbooks, asked questions, and even read newspapers for my father and his companions.
By the end of the year, I proved to be one of the best students in the school. I resolved to study at college or university in Karachi, a big city over 150 kilometers away. Unfortunately, I suffered from a skin condition that left white spots on my skin. The constant loss of skin color was stressful, making me feel bad about myself and even drawing attention away from my studies.
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。
The thought of not being able to finish school made me feel extremely depressed.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I visited my uncle after I did make it to university in Karachi.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The art competition at school was always a highly anticipated event. This year was no exception, with students from all grades eager to showcase their creative talents. Among them were two friends, Jane and Sally.
Jane had a deep passion for art, but she often struggled with expressing her ideas on paper. She would spend hours in front of a blank canvas (画布), trying to capture the perfect image in her mind, but her efforts often fell short. Sally, on the other hand, was naturally talented and her artworks were always praised by teachers and classmates.
As the competition drew nearer, Jane worked harder than ever, staying up late into the night to perfect her piece. Sally, however, seemed to take it all in stride (大步走), casually sketching and painting without much effort. She often teased Jane about her lack of talent, making jokes that were meant to be light-hearted but stung Jane deeply.
On the day of the competition, Jane’s heart was filled with both excitement and fear. She had worked so hard on her piece, but she knew that it still paled in comparison to Sally’s effortless creations. As she set up her canvas and began to paint, she could feel Sally’s eyes on her, mocking (嘲笑) her every move.
Halfway through the competition, Jane encountered a difficult obstacle. She couldn’t seem to capture the essence of her subject the way she wanted to, and her frustration mounted. She looked around at the other students, seeing their confident strokes and vibrant colors, and she felt a pang of defeat. She wanted to give up, to throw away her brush and walk away.
But just as she was about to do so, she caught sight of Sally. Sally wasn’t laughing or mocking her now; instead, she looked at Jane with a mixture of surprise and concern. It was as if she realized that her words had hurt Jane more than she had intended. And in that moment, Jane found a new resolve. She wasn’t going to let Sally’s words or her own doubts defeat her. She was going to finish her piece, no matter what.
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 renewed determination, Jane returned to her canvas.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________She heard her name announced as the winner of a special recognition award for perseverance and dedication.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Cheemi was a poor orphan living in Pune. Nobody knew where she had come from. Yet everyone accepted the frail little girl and named her Cheemi — the little sparrow. She helped people by doing odd jobs for them, such as fetching vegetables from the corner shop or looking after babies when their mothers went shopping.
Everybody in the neighbourhood liked Cheemi, except Kaki. Kaki was the richest woman there. Cheemi, in her eyes, was dirty and inferior to her. Therefore, she would not allow Cheemi into her big house. The house was almost like a mansion with big wooden carved doors and huge halls. Surprisingly, the windows of the rooms decorated with beads and curtains, were very small.
Kaki lived with her son, her daughter-in-law Gauri and her little grandson, Chotu. Chotu was a great favourite with the girls. Gauri was a very nice, educated lady and didn’t mind Chotu being carried by others. Kaki, however, never allowed Cheemi to touch Chotu. How Cheemi wished she could play with him!
That year, Panshet Dam collapsed and the waters of the Mutha river, near Pune, had entered the city. The water rose fast. There was confusion everywhere. Police vans were trying to help.
When water entered their house, Kaki and Gauri were on the ground floor. Within seconds the water rose. The police persuaded Kaki and Gauri to climb to the top floor. In the hurry and confusion, they forgot that Chotu was sleeping on the first floor!
The staircases were flooded. It was impossible to get to the bedroom on the first floor. The door to the room was closed but not bolted. Any moment the water could rush in. The women panicked. “Chotu!” they cried. “What’ll happen to our Chotu?”
Suddenly the police discovered that one of the bedroom windows was open, but it was too small for an adult to crawl (爬) in. Only a child could. But no one was willing to let their children take the risk.
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。
Out of nowhere, Cheemi appeared.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Loud cheers greeted Cheemi.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Twenty years ago, Chase Poust was only 7. On Sunday morning just before the Memorial Day, he, his dad Steven, and his 4-year-old sister, Abigail, were out for a family boating trip on Florida's St. Johns River, which was trackless and almost nobody knew about it. And there's no rescue center nearby. Chase and Abigail were swimming at the back of the anchored boat while Steven was on deck (甲板) fishing.
It was a perfect outing- it was so peaceful and quiet and the colors of the deep blue sky, the light green river water and the mild late May sunshine mixed to create a magic scene. Everything was sound until a strong current emerged and loosened Abigail's grasp and she let go of the boat. Instantly realizing his sister would be swept away, Chase let go of the boat as well to try and reach her. At the same time, Chase screamed at his father desperately.
Without thinking twice, Steven jumped into the water and swam towards the two kids with all his efforts. But after realizing he couldn't keep up with both kids, he was faced with a heartbroken decision. He told them he loved them very much because he wasn't sure what's going to happen. Steven tried his best to stick with both of his children. He wore himself out. But his little daughter was washed away from him. Directing Chase to swim to shore for help Steven stayed behind, keeping as close as he could to Abigail as the life-vest that was keeping her above the waves floated further and further from his reach.
It was a tough go for the 7-year-old, but rather than attempting to swim all out, Chase wisely paced himself. Stopping to float or dog paddle when he was tired, he'd rest and then set off again. The current was going the opposite way of going to the boat and the shore, so it was very hard to swim that way for Chase.
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。
An hour later, Chase swam to the shore, anyhow.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Luckily, Steven and Abigail were found and rescued.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________