I was eight years old and wasn’t aware of all the arrangements being made for our journey as a family to London in 1950. My mother was in great pain and wished to visit specialists in London. My father reluctantly had to sell our property in Queensland. The day before we boarded the ship, Father unwillingly said goodbye to his five-year-old cattle dog, Spider, who was loved by us all. Father’s friend Sandy was to be his guardian while we were overseas, as he had been getting to know Spider for many weeks.
Six weeks later, an airletter arrived from Sandy, giving my father the news that Spider had run away just two weeks after we had sailed. Sandy had advertised constantly on ABC and other regional newspapers. Despite many “sightings”, the dog was never found. It seems Spider just kept running and searching for us. As he was cattle dog, my father thought he would shoe or dingo-trapped, because of his appearance. But our family thought that Father held a secrets hope that Spider was still alive.
We sailed back to Australia two years later and re-established our home. My father immediately began his own search for Spider. One cold winter’s Saturday morning eight months after our return, my father had a call from an elderly lady living on her own on the outskirts of the town. As she told my father on the telephone, it was “just glimpses of a dingo-type dog in the shadows” of her disused tennis court. That was enough for my father to interrupt my homework.
We set off in his blue and black Jensen car which he had brought back from England. It was hardly the right vehicle for the rough roads we travelled that day. Five and a half hours later, we found the run-down old property. Sadly, she told my father that the “dingo dog” hadn’t been around for a few days. My father had a strange look in his eye. He put two fingers to his lips and did his special whistle for Spider.
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。
Suddenly there was a sound in the bush.
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Once home we had the task of getting all the prickles (刺) off him.
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My heart sank when I received the news—no salary again. How would I manage the increasing bills, the groceries and my children’s needs? The future seemed hopeless. With a heavy heart, I hurried to pick up my two children, my mind racing wildly.
That’s when I saw it—a wallet, lying on the sidewalk. It was as if fate had thrown me a lifeline (救生索). Hope came to me as I approached it. The wallet was large, and when I opened it, my eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of a large amount of cash inside it. I hesitated for a moment, torn between the immediate relief that this money promised and the morality (道德) of keeping it.
Curiosity led me to search through the wallet. The things it contained were a photo and a couple of business cards. No matter how much I wanted to take the contents, my moral principles and inner voice told me not to do this. The decision became clear; I couldn’t keep this money. It wasn’t rightfully mine.
I picked out a business card. The name and number were there. With a deep breath, I dialed the number and explained my find to the voice on the other end. The voice came, completely emotionless, warning that they would come to me. He hung up without even saying “thank you”. I was angry with the impoliteness. I even regretted my decision, but my conscience (良知) did not allow me to go back on my choice. I had told the voice where I lived and went to get my children.
Shortly after we arrived home, a large black car suddenly pulled up to our house. The driver got out and knocked on the door. When I opened it, the driver told me that the owner of the wallet wanted me to personally hand over his wallet.
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 didn’t want to do so, but I agreed to go with the driver at last.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________He wanted to reward me for my honesty and kind act.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When my mom announced that my dad had fixed the old car in his garage, I felt excited—I had wheels! I called my friend Steph and made plans to have dinner at her house the next day.
The following morning, I woke up early and put on a black skirt and jacket. “Aren’t you dressed too lightly?” Mom asked. “There’s a snowstorm coming.” “I’ll be inside,” I replied as I headed out.
As I began the forty-minute drive, I was in high spirits. However, halfway there it started to snow like mad. Cars slowed. The sound of a siren announced the approach of an ambulance and I pulled aside to let it pass. As I inched back into my lane, the traffic light ahead turned red. I stopped.
When the light turned green, I pressed on the gas, but the old car died. I tried to start it. One click, then nothing. Before I could do anything else, two young men raced over from the nearby sidewalk. I rolled down my window a little.
“Give us a second,” one of them said, “We’ll help you out of here.” Soon, they began pushing the car. With their guidance, I steered into a parking spot in front of a grocery store. “You’ll be fine now,” they said, and before I could even thank them, they walked into the grocery store.
The snow was falling faster now. I called Steph on my cellphone to cancel our plan. Next, I called my parents to come and get me. Now all I had to do was wait, but I was very hungry and cold. I sighed, regretting not taking my mom’s advice.
Just as I sat waiting in the car, I noticed a man walking towards me. It was one of the men who had just helped me. I rolled down the window at once.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为80左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
After a brief greeting, he told me this was his parents’ store.
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After staying at home and taking care of her baby for nearly two years, Rebecca found it hard to make a decision between accepting an attractive offer from her former employer and going on looking after her son Tony at home. She talked, with her husband David, about sending Tony to a childcare center. David gave it a careful thought and decided to leave his job for a year to take care of Tony before he could be sent to a kindergarten, promising to be a super Dad and househusband. It was good news for Rebecca but she knew her husband too well. It would take David some time to get used to finicky（细致的） jobs of taking care of Tony. So she told David she wanted hourly updates on how Tony was handling his day away from Mom.
David was adapting quickly. He texted updates throughout the day, getting hourly instructions from Rebecca. It seemed that David was enjoying his new role and Tony liked the company of Dad, although they often got the home messy. What Rebecca didn’t expect is that David became famous on social media as Super Dad, because people liked watching the videos he posted.
One day, he sent his usual text updates and included a photo of Tony in his car seat during their trip to Walgreens. Rebecca’s reply was to correct Tony’s position in the car seat. And she reminded David that the straps（肩带） were too loose and the chest clip was too low. David laughed at his nagging（絮叨的） wife and rolled his eyes before tightening the car seat and fixing the chest clip. Fifteen minutes later, Rebecca’s phone rang with a call from her husband, “Honey, we had a car accident. We are fine, but the car is going to be totaled（彻底毁坏）.”
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。
Less than three miles from their house, David told Rebecca, a woman had pulled into traffic to turn left.
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Rebecca was so thankful that her husband took the extra one minute to put Tony in his car seat safely.
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It was time for the annual Potato-Salad Contest in Russet Park. After trying for the third time, Alexis shook her head sadly. There was no way she would win the Golden Potato again because Grandpa wasn’t here this year.
Memories of how Grandpa taught her to make potato rose in her mind. She sighed and missed Grandpa so much.
Alexis cut the potatoes and mixed the boiled potatoes, some sauces and a little salt and peppers in a bowl. But it didn’t taste right. Alexis tried a bite of the salad mixture, wondering what was missing. Seeing her frown, Mom suggested, “What about something spicy? Your Grandpa loved spicy things.”
“You’re right! Maybe he put a jalapeno pepper in it,” Alexis said, cutting up a bright green jalapeno and adding it to the bowl.
It was closer, but it still didn’t taste right. Alexis was drooping her head, disappointed. “Should we look in a cookbook?”
“Grandpa was never one to follow a recipe,” Dad entered the kitchen and said.
It was true. People loved Grandpa’s potato salad because it was one of a kind. Alexis remembered posing with Grandpa for a photo while they were making the salad.
Photo! That gave her an idea. Alexis hurried to the bookcase and found an old photo album. She immediately flipped it open, expecting to find clues in the photos there. Lots of photos showed Grandpa and Grandma cooking together. Dad laughed, “He and Grandma loved to tease each other but he always called her Honey.”
“Do you think he put honey in the potato salad?” Mum asked.
“It is worth a try,” said Alexis. She stirred some honey into the bowl.
But it still wasn’t quite right. Alexis’ heart sank, on the verge of giving up. Dad kept flipping the album. At the end of the album was the picture of Grandpa and Alexis making the salad together.
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。
It looked like Grandpa was crying in the photo.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________With hesitation, the family tasted the potato salad with onions in it.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mr. Barnes was a very wealthy man who lived in the early days in the United States. It was one of his chief pleasures to walk through the countryside near his home, and as he walked, he often noticed a particularly fine group of cattle. One day he stopped to visit the rancher (牧场主) who owned the cattle and purchased a cow from him with the agreement that the cow would be delivered to his house the following day.
The next day as Mr. Barnes was out for his morning walk, he saw a young boy trying his hardest to lead the cow over to Mr. Barnes’ field. The boy, who did not know Mr. Barnes, called to him, “Please sir, would you come and help me with this cow? It is so stubborn!”
Mr. Barnes readily agreed and went over to help. As they walked along together, he asked the boy, “How much do you expect to get for delivering the cow?”
“I… I don’t know,” the boy said, “but I think I’ll get something because the people who are buying the cow live in that house, and those people are very kind to everyone.”
By now the stubborn cow was walking along nicely, so Mr. Barnes excused himself and took a path through a wooded area that led to his back door. As soon as he got into the house, he gave one of his trusted workers a fifty-dollar bill and told him to give it to the boy who was delivering the cow. After the cow had been left at the house and the boy was returning to the ranch, Mr. Barnes went out again and met the boy on the road.
“Well, how much did you get?” asked Mr. Barnes.
“Five dollars,” answered the boy.
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。
Mr. Barnes felt surprised when hearing the answer.
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The boy agreed, and they walked back to the house together.
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Excitement and danger always coexist. Even Rogers had just taken a turn on his mountain bike in April 2020 when he was stopped short by the sight of a woman sitting on the side of the trail. She was cute and had long brown hair and big expressive eyes. What he didn’t know then was that she was also in pain.
Sydney Linden, 28, bad been jogging down Adobe Jack Trail in Sedona, Arizona, when she jumped over a rock and her leg overextended on the landing. The pain was instant. Her right leg collapsed and she hit the dirt hard. Linden tried to stand but collapsed. She wasn’t sure if she had tom her ACL (韧带), broken her leg, or something else. All she knew was that the pain was a 15out of 10.
Linden dragged herself to the shade, “like an animal preparing to die,” she says. She’d called a friend, but after 30 minutes, her friend was lost. That’s when she saw the mountain biker.
Rogers was trying to play it cool. “I didn’t want to be strange,” he says, “so I was just going to casually ride by — at a slower speed.” But Rogers, 33, an active-duty airman, sensed her sufferings and asked if be could help. Linden explained her dilemma. That’s when he noticed the swelling under her leggings. She needed a hospital — now.
Leaning on Rogers, Linden tried to hop along, but the pain was burning. She’d never make it to the trailhead (登山扣) this way. Rogers had another idea. Ho abandoned his bike on the side of the trail and, after a brief discussion, lifted her over his shoulder. Then they began their way over the rocky area and bushes. Although it was spring, the Arizona sun beat down wildly.
Misfortune never came alone.
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Linden was eager to thank Rogers, but he left without any information.
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I had stopped at the Swindon services (服务区) while on my way back to London. As I drove up the slip road, I spotted a man with a backpack and his thumb (拇指) out. I pulled over and lowered the window.
“Which way are you heading?” I asked. “I’m going back to London.”
“Ah, that would be grand,” came his immediate reply. He opened the door and lifted his backpack on to the back seat. “I’m Brendan,” he said with an easy smile and a rich Irish tongue. “I was getting a bit desperate. I've had my thumb out for a day and half. Nobody seems to stop these days.”
“I haven’t eaten in days,” said Brendan. “I’m trying to get home.”
I’ve always enjoyed picking up hitchhikers (搭便车的人). I used to be a motoring journalist and crossed the country in various test cars. Picking up a hiker always made me feel a little less guilty about all the miles I was doing.
As we headed cast along the motorway, Brendan told me how he came to be waiting for a lift on that particular evening, and also about the two recent family tragedies that had ruined him and pushed him out of his old life and on to the road.
Brendan told me that he was 52. He laughed a lot and enjoyed his off-grid (不入网的) lifestyle. Until last week, that is, when he’d been mugged (抢劫).
“Three young men in Birmingham took my other pack and it had all my money in it. I’ve been sleeping out since then. I haven’t eaten in days. I’m hoping to get some casual work in London, so I can then get myself home to Ireland.”
It must have been the concept of home that got me, and helping a man who'd clearly had a tough time seemed like the right thing to do.
Para.1:
As we were approaching the Heathrow turn-off (希思罗机场岔道), I had an idea.
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Para.2:
Before he left to buy his air ticket, he gave me a huge hug.
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Chasing a Dream
I will never forget that November day. It was hotter than normal — too hot. My throat felt like a field of cotton, cracked with the summer heat, as I waited for the gun to fire. This was the day we had waited so long for. I looked out at the crowd; dozens of familiar faces flashed across my view. They had come for me. They were counting on me. I saw my dad set his watch, with worry and excitement on his face. Adrenaline (肾上腺素) pumped through my body, and the race began.
For the first two and a half miles, I felt great. I had never before been so ready for something. The weeks leading up to the race were filled with strictly controlled practices and a strict diet. My friends hadn’t seen me in weeks, but they understood the sacrifice required to make my dream a reality.
My dad and I had been working towards this race for three years. It was everything to me, and it was everything to my dad. He was a runner and was excited by my success in running. He made it to every race, even flying home early from business trips to see me run. I always listened for his voice — telling me to relax my arms, calling out my time. He pushed me. He cheered for me. He believed in me. We spent countless hours on the sandy canals. Breathing in the dust of the desert, the blossoms (花簇) of the orange trees, we made our way across the city. We pounded miles and miles into our running shoes, marking with every step the path to greatness.
But without warning, when I was 200 yards away from the finish line, my legs stopped working. My lungs fought to take in enough air, and my feet transformed into cement (水泥) bricks. I still don’t know what happened in those last few moments. Nothing I could do would make them hold my weight. They were as weak as jelly.
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。
Even though I knew my dreams of victory were destroyed, I had to finish the race.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“I’m so sorry I disappointed you,” I whispered to Dad.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was a chilly autumn evening. Sarah, a tired businesswoman, left her workplace and drove home. When she turned a corner, she spotted a puppy in the middle of the road. The dog was muddy and trembling. His eyes held a glimmer of both hope and despair. Sarah couldn’t ignore the poor puppy. Approaching him cautiously, she coaxed (哄) him and brought him home.
Over the next few days, Sarah tried her best to look for the dog’s owner, but in vain. It seemed that the dog had been abandoned, with no collar or tags to identify its owner.
She determined to take care of the dog, which she named Max. She kept him in the backyard, feeding him, providing water and watching him chase his tail in the yard. The puppy trusted in her slowly with Sarah’s gentle care and patience. Sarah had a happy feeling she never had before.
As days passed, Sarah became more comfortable with Max’s presence. When she was working, Max would sit calmly by her side. When she woke up in the morning, Max would sit near her bed with a playful bark, demanding his daily walk. The early morning air was cool, and the rising sun cast a warm glow on them. Sarah realized that Max had been a great comfort to her.
As days turned into weeks, Sarah grew more attached to Max. She found herself looking forward to coming home every day, excited to see her furry friend waiting at the door. Then, she would lovingly prepare Max delicious meals. His eyes, once filled with sadness, now sparkled with gratitude. He would eagerly follow her around the house wherever she went. Max became more than just a pet; he became a loyal friend and a source of happiness for Sarah, who had discovered a newfound balance between her career and personal life. They became inseparable.
One evening, as Sarah and Max were out for their regular evening walk, something unexpected happened. A social media post attracted her attention. A lady named Emma was anxiously looking for her missing dog, Buddy.
注意：
1．续写的词数应为150左右;
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Her heart sank as she saw the photo of a dog.
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Sarah arranged the bittersweet reunion.
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