One spring, I was hired as groundskeeper at a Country Inn, a famous bed-and-breakfast located in Washington state. The grand house is in a beautiful place. Many famous people have visited and even had their own rooms there. The owners, Philip and Cecelia, have done a perfect job for the house. However, the gardens were very overgrown. Worse yet, there was another problem: a very persistent doe (母鹿).
Every day when I came to work, there was new evidence of the deer’s big appetite. I tried many preventives: spray, human hair, soap, you name it-but none of those things had effect. Often when I was weeding, I’d look over and there she’d be, munching some tasty pieces. Worst of all, she feasted on the roses, in which Cecelia took great pride. I became so frustrated that I named her “Dinner”— and wanted to serve her on plates.
One morning, I was on my hands and knees pulling out vines and bushes when I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye. There was Dinner, not five feet away, munching a large leaf and staring at me. I felt a connection with this animal. We did have something in common-we were both mothers. I got the crazy idea of communicating with her and it seemed she wanted the same thing.
What’s up? I asked in my head.
I’m here because I feel safe, was the gentle reply I felt I heard. I have my fawns (幼鹿) bedded down nearby, and there is plenty to eat. When the twins are older after summer, I will move them deeper into the forest.
I understand that, I assured her. People come here too, from far away. I guess they’ll be interested to see you. I promise that nobody will harm you or your children. I don’t mind sharing the vegetation but Cecelia loves roses, too. She is very upset when they are all eaten.
A loud crash broke the magic. Our eyes met again briefly before she leaped off across the driveway, disappearing into the forest. Has I really communicated with the deer?
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I went into the kitchen where Cecelia was preparing the evening meal.
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Every day, I enjoyed watching Dinner with the twins and my presence never bothered them.
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“Bang. . !” Sara pushed the door open. She threw her school bag onto the floor and called out, “I’m home!” No answer. The house was silent. It sounded empty, but she knew it wasn’t. Her mum and dad were working upstairs.
Sara got a glass of orange juice, went into the conservatory (玻璃房) and sat down in her favourite chair. The garden was still in the dark afternoon. On one side, her mum’s garden was neat and tidy with boring short grass, boring straight flowerbeds and boring straight paths. But on the other side, Sara’s Nature Garden looked wild and exciting with big dead sunflowers and tall grasses.
“Nobody is interested in me. Mum and dad only think about their work,” she thought sadly.
Then she recalled: One month earlier, she learned in a magazine that many dogs were abandoned because their owners got bored with them; One hour earlier, she saw a cute dog wagging its tail and licking her friend’s face.
Sara knew today was special. Today things were changing. She couldn’t wait any longer. It’s time to talk to her parents.
So Sara got up from her chair and climbed all the way to the loft (阁楼). “Mum, I want a talk.” said Sara. “Just a minute!” Her mum clicked on the keyboard, took off her glasses and turned to her daughter. Sara coughed, took a deep breath, and told her mum that she wanted a dog. “No, Sara. That’s impossible,” her mum said firmly. Sara went to her father but got the same answer. She rushed into her room angrily and slammed the door shut.
Later, Sara’s mum knocked at the door and went in. “Darling, we know this is important to you. You can have a dog if you take the responsibility. But look at your Nature Garden, your school bag, your bedroom! What a mess! Do you think you can take good care of a dog?” said her mum.
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。
Sara was lost in thought and decided to make some changes.
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_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Once there was a slave named Androcles, who was so badly treated by his master that he resolved to run away from him. He therefore secretly left his master’s house and hid himself in a forest, some miles distant from the city.
After wandering about for some time, he came to a large cave, and overcome by hunger and tiredness, he lay down in it, and soon fell fast asleep.
He was suddenly awakened by the roar of a wild beast; a great lion stood right at the mouth of the cave. There was no way he could escape!
Androcles expected nothing else than to be at once torn to pieces, but to his great surprise, the lion came gently towards him, without showing any signs of anger. It gave forth a low and mournful (悲哀的) sound, as if it were begging for his assistance. As the lion approached him, he noticed that one of its feet was swollen.
He then went up to the lion, took hold of the wounded paw (爪子),and examined it as a surgeon would examine a patient. He was not long in finding out the cause of the swelling; for he saw in the ball of the foot a very large thorn (刺). The slave pulled out the thorn, and pressed out of the wound a quantity of matter, which gave the lion immediate relief.
Then, the lion began to show his gratitude by every means in his power. He jumped about like a playful spaniel (西班牙猎犬), wagged his great tail, and licked the hands and feet of his physician. From that moment Androcles became his guest; the lion always shared his prey.
The slave continued to live like this for several months. At length, wandering carelessly through the woods, he was seized by a company of soldiers who were sent by the master to search for him.
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。
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He was sentenced to be torn by a lion in the public arena (竞技场).
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However, the lion didn’t act as most had imagined.
Whenever I spread marmalade (橘子酱), I am reminded of my mother, a five-foot-tall angel who even befriended a skunk (臭鼬).
One day, while she was busy picking beans in the backyard, she came across a skunk no more than a meter away. The skunk’s embarrassment was evident as he had undoubtedly been rummaging (乱翻) through the garbage. He still had a marmalade jar stuck on his nose. Mom took pity on him. Instead of worrying the creature would spray something smelly all over her and the beans, she smiled compassionately at the little thing and extended a helping hand. Kneeling on the ground, she inched across the grass, reached out, and twisted the jar—very carefully.
The jar slipped off. The skunk nodded a thank-you before slipping away into the woods at the back of the garden. Obviously, there was no spraying incident, thanks to my remarkable mother. She repeated this tale numerous times, always calling the skunk Marmalade. However, that was not the end of the story. Three summers later, when I was about twelve, another encounter occurred.
It was a rainy morning, and both my mother and father had gone to work. My friend Rob came over to play, and we decided to run the electric train in my room. Suddenly, a scratching sound emerged from the attic (阁楼). Rob assumed that it might be some kind of animal. Curiosity got the better of us, and we ventured towards the source of the sound.
I cautiously opened the attic door in the hall. The noise ceased abruptly. I climbed up the stairs, Rob following my lead. There behind the toy box near the chimney stood the animal—black with a distinct white stripe down his back. Was he scared and trembling? I believe so, at least that’s what I remember. Instinctively, I retreated, fearing the potential spray or bites from the creature. “Hey, Rob,” I whispered urgently, “It’s a skunk. Let’s go to the kitchen and figure out a way to get him out of here.”
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。
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In the cupboard, several paper cups and a jar of marmalade caught our sight.
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Rob and I followed the skunk as he ate his way down the stairs.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On a Friday evening in December, two weeks before Christmas, I lost my job. I hadn’t seen it coming. I was excited for the weekend, when my daughter, Kristil, then 12, and I planned to get our Christmas tree. Then I listened to my voicemail “We’re sorry, but your work assignment has ended.” My heart sank.
I wasn’t just a single parent; I was the only parent. I did everything I could to give Kristil a good life, but there were some things my love couldn’t fix. The next day as we searched for our tree, I struggled to be cheerful as I eyed the Christmas tree prices. Empty-handed, we returned home.
Over the next week, I furiously applied for jobs as my bank account grew smaller. All applications ended in vain. I felt as if the world was closing in on me. On a weekend afternoon, I dropped Kristil in a wealthy gated community for a birthday party of her classmate. I watched as she went in, surrounded by all the nice things we couldn’t afford. I drove home defeated.
Back at home, I glanced out the window. It had been snowing on and off all morning. I noticed a small woman with short white hair struggling to open her car door against the wind. She got out. I realized it was my old professor, Esther Heffernan. I hadn’t seen her since we’d met for lunch three months ago. I’d first met Esther 10 years earlier, when I was her student at Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin. Kristil was 3 at the time, and I sometimes took her to class. Esther was understanding and would bring coloring books to occupy Kristil. After I graduated, she kept in touch, meeting me for lunch every few months. I had grown to love her like family.
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。
I rushed out of the house, waving my hands.
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When I opened the envelope, inside I found some money and a note.
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The economic downturn caught us. We sold our ranch and moved to town, Mother had decided to open a day nursery. She had had no training, but that didn’t stand in her way. She sent away for correspondence courses in child care, did the lessons and in six months formally qualified herself for the task. It wasn’t long before she had a full enrollment and a waiting list. I accepted all this as a perfectly normal instance of Mother’s ability. But neither the nursery nor the motel my parents bought later had provided enough income to send my sister and me to college. In two years I would be ready for college. Time was running out, and Mother was anxious for ways to save money. It was clear that Dad could do no more than he was doing already — farming 80 acres in addition to holding a full-time job. A few months after we’d sold the motel, Mother arrived home with a used green typewriter.
“That’s all we can afford,” Mother said. “It’s good enough to learn on.” And from that day on, as soon as the table was cleared and the dishes were done, Mother would disappear into her sewing room to practice. The slow tap, tap, tap went on some nights until midnight. Soon I heard Mother got a job at the radio station. I was not the least bit surprised, or impressed. But she was wild with joy.
Monday, after her first day at work, I could see that the excitement was gone.
Tuesday, Dad made dinner and cleaned the kitchen. Mother stayed in her sewing room, practicing. “Is Mother all right?” I asked Dad. “She’s having a little trouble with her typing,” he said. “She needs to practice. I think she’d appreciate it if we all helped out a bit more. You might just remember that she is working primarily so you can go to college.”
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。
Wednesday, I arrived home earlier and was surprised by what I saw — Mother was crying in the corner of the couch.
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Mother took another job earning half, but the evening practice sessions on the old green typewriter continued.
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Tom was one of the rudest boys in the village where he lived. If a person’s clothes were dirty or torn, he would throw stones at him, and annoy him in every way.
One afternoon after school, a stranger with a broad-brimmed hat passed through the village. His dress was old but clean. No sooner had Tom seen the stranger than he winked (使眼色) to his playmates, and said, “Now for some fun!” He then silently went toward the stranger from behind, and knocking off his hat, ran away.
The man turned and saw him, but Tom ran away quickly. The stranger put on his hat and went on his way. Again did Tom approach; but this time, the man caught him by the arm and held him fast. However, he just looked at Tom a moment, and then pushed him away. Instantly the naughty boy found himself free again, he began to throw dirt and stones at the stranger. But he was much frightened when the man’s eye was hit and badly hurt. All the boys now ran back to their home.
As Tom drew near the house, his sister Caroline met him, holding up a beautiful gold chain and some new books for him to see. She told Tom excitedly that their uncle, who had been away several years, had come home; that he had brought beautiful presents for them; that he had been at the hotel nearby, and walked on foot now to surprise his brother, their father.
She said that while he was coming through the village, some bad boys threw stones at him, and hurt his eye badly, which had been treated by their mom. “But what makes you so anxious?” asked Caroline. The guilty boy rushed upstairs into his room without a word. Soon after, he heard his father calling him to come down. Shaking from head to foot, he obeyed.
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 he reached the door, he stood, fearing to enter.
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But stepping back surprisedly, their uncle cried, “Oh! It’s you!”
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