It had been one of those terrible days. My three-month-old son, Tate, had not napped all day and now lay with his head on my shoulder, crying at times. I looked around. Laundry was waiting for the washing machine, dirty diapers（尿布）were giving out a smell, and the kitchen was also a mess and not to mention preparing dinner for my husband. I surveyed my dirty and disorderly little world. Tiredness and boredom washed over me, leaving me lightheaded and upset. When would this day end? Who could give me a hand?

For the last couple of weeks, I had managed to have the house cleaned and dinner well under way when my husband Jim got home from work at the end of the day. He worked in a company all day and I got to stay home with the baby. It seemed like a fair trade. So I struggled to offer him a comfortable house and a delicious dinner when he arrived home. Actually, Jim had been very impressed and he was always generous to say I had done a good job. His understanding and praise made me very happy with myself. Once a while I thought how smooth my life was!

Tate was not in normal state. He was getting his first tooth, which made him uncomfortable. Nothing seemed to relieve his pain for long. He seemed glued to me all day. He felt painful so he had a hard time having a short sleep. Therefore, I was unlikely to spare time to manage the housework.

Now it was 5: 00 pm. My husband, Jim, was on his way home. I heated leftovers（剩菜）while holding my crying little guy. I felt more and more anxious. Then I heard the door opened and Jim came in. He surveyed the mess in the kitchen. “Not a good day?” When he turned to me, he didn’t need an answer. He could see I was tired and still in the sweats.

Jim approached us and took Tate from my arms.

The next minute I was fast asleep.

In a small community located at a suburb of Exeter, a disheartening issue had been troubling the neighborhood for years. The once pleasant surroundings were ruined by piles of waste that seemed to multiply with each passing day. Residents were growing tired of the worsening environment, leading many to abandon their homes in search of cleaner neighborhoods. It was in this terrible situation that two young students, Emma and Mia, decided to take matters into their own hands.

Emma and Mia were classmates and best friends from Phillips Exeter Academy, both passionate about environmental preservation and deeply concerned about the pollution crisis their community was facing. Witnessing more and more neighbors’ leaving, they knew they couldn’t stand by any longer. Determined to bring about a change, they undertook a mission that would soon catch the attention of the entire community.

Their journey began with thorough research and planning. The two girls searched carefully on the Internet for information on environmental initiatives and connected with local environmentalists. They organized meetings with residents to understand the issues at hand, collecting data on the types of waste, the sources, and the areas most affected. Armed with this knowledge, Emma and Mia worked out a comprehensive plan and announced it to ask for opinions from the residents. Surprisingly it was strongly supported.

Their strategy was twofold. First, they initiated a waste classification and recycling program. They distributed recycling bins(回收箱) to every household and educated the community about the importance of responsible waste management. Soon, the streets began to show signs of improvement as the volume of garbage inappropriately thrown away decreased gradually.

The second part of their plan was more ambitious. Emma and Mia gathered volunteers from their school and the neighborhood to take part in a massive clean-up campaign. Armed with gloves and trash(垃圾)bags, they began systematically clearing the waste from the streets, parks, and even the local bodies of water. Their firm commitment and hard work inspired others to join the cause.

Half a year later, the changes were significant.

Emma and Mia received recognition and honors for their work.

It was the middle of July when we drove way up into the mountains and backpacked up a stream. The banks were lined with old trees. We waded (涉水) through the cold water, our backpacks balanced on our heads.

We set up camp on a sandy flat beside a pool. What a swimming hole! My brother and I swam, diving and playing in the clear water. We-hiked upstream, against little rapids. Suddenly we heard a roaring sound, and as we came around a bend, we saw what was causing it.

A huge waterfall! It rose high above us. “Wow!” I said. “Let’s climb it!” “No way,” said Dad. “End of the road.” We turned back but I couldn’t stop thinking about the waterfall and how much I’d like to climb it. Later, lying in my bag, I thought of the waterfall, wondering what was on the top... then finally I fell asleep.

The sun was hot as a bonfire. We cut leaves as wide as elephants’ ears, and tied them on our heads to keep us cool. Then we waded against the little rapids deep into the stream. I was the first one to the waterfall. “Let’s go up. I think there must be something unique out there,” I said. My brother smiled. “If you go, I will,” he said.

I found a way alongside the falls, and then we climbed like mountain goats. Mom shouted, “Be careful!” And we inched our way up and up—the tips of our toes gripping thin ledges (岩石突出部分), our fingers finding cracks. Sometimes rocks were unstable, but we clung (粘住) like glue. We had to.

The waterfall roared by our ears. “I’m scared,” said my brother. I said, “Just don’t look down.” Near the top, a tree grew out of the rock. It was just what we needed. When we stood at the top, we clapped our hands and shouted down, “Hey Mom, Dad! It’s like a whole other world up here! Come on up! You can do it!” And I did a little dance.

Mom looked at Dad and Dad looked at Mom.

“We did it!” Mom shouted, breathing hard.

It was early in the morning on December 25. The wind was blowing fiercely, and the snow was still falling heavily. Despite the freezing air, my father and I were determined to set out. We were going to Oregon to spend Christmas with my mother and grandparents.

We got into the car and turned up the heat. And then we made our way down the snowy road. On the half-way, the city lights weren’t even on. Feeling tired, I decided to take a small nap（打盹）because it was so early.

Five minutes after being asleep, I was woken up by the sound of mud hitting the car window. We felt shocked and screamed. My father stopped the car quickly. “Dad, what happened?” I asked anxiously. It was so abrupt that my mind couldn’t figure it out. “Baby, don’t be afraid．Get off the car first!”answered my father.

Before I knew it, my father got out of the car. I also cautiously stepped out. Amazingly, I saw pieces of glass and all of our luggage lying on the ground. I even found deep tire marks were in the mud. It turned out that the car had hit black ice and couldn’t move at all. Luckily, neither of us was hurt. My father was about to call for help after we picked up the luggage when he found his phone was out of power. At that time, cars were driving past us one after another. As time went by, our legs were trembling with cold. We felt lost in this strange place and didn’t know who to turn to for help.

Just then, a young man called Eric, which we later knew, came towards us from a restaurant not far away. After making sure that we were okay, he called the police and reported the situation, which did make a difference to us. It took the police some time to come to the scene. My father explained everything to the policeman, and then the tow truck（拖车）drove us to the garage before we could express our thanks to Eric.

With the car repaired, we decided to go back to the restaurant to thank Eric.

After breakfast at Eric’s restaurant, we said goodbye to him and continued our journey to Oregon.

6 . 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。

I was aimlessly pressing buttons on the remote, trying to find something on TV that would occupy my mind for a while. A thunderstorm rolled in just before dusk. The heavy rain and blowing wind intensified my loneliness.

Three years after my child Marie went to college, you’d think I would have adjusted to being alone. Though I coped fairly well during the day, I had a tough time getting through the nights. My friends and family urged me to get out more, but I didn’t seem to socialize well as a lonely mother.

Boredom had taken me to the edge of sleep when the soft rap came at my door. For a moment I thought it was the TV, but when I glanced at the screen, there were cowboys riding across the desert. I turned and looked at the door. Then the rapping came again, soft, hesitant.

I jumped up and hurried to the door to let whoever was on the other side come in out of the rain. When I pulled the door open, I was surprised to see a small, attractive woman. In her arms she carried an equally wet small black puppy. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a word, I pulled the door open wider. “Come in out of the rain.”

Giving me a grateful nod, she stepped inside, apologizing at the same time for dripping water on my carpet. I was about to comment on her puppy, when she handed him to me. “I almost hit your puppy before I braked hard. He ran into your yard, so I thought he must be yours.”

I took the puppy from her and told her that it wasn’t mine. Anyway, I invited her for some hot coffee. Strangely, while she was drinking the coffee, the puppy was curled up in my lap fast asleep. “He sure likes you,” she said, grinning at the warm sight and left it with me. I named it Rick, and kept it at my side.

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 first few days saw me buying the necessities for Rick.

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Apart from our routine walk in the open, I began to socialize as well.

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7 . 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。

After my husband had left our family unexpectedly, I struggled to secure a job in the company to keep the roof over our heads. It was going to be the worst Christmas ever. After rearranging bills, there would be maybe fifty dollars left to spend on my three children. Never in my life had there been so little money for Christmas. I stayed up at night making a few gifts so that the space under the tree would not be so bare.

My older son, Justin, sixteen at the time, had told me weeks before that he did not want anything for Christmas. My middle child, Tristan, was only nine years old, and he was unaware of our situation. Numerous times, Tristan mentioned that he wanted a portable CD player for Christmas. Fortunately, this particular item had dropped in price, and I would manage to afford it.

The week before Christmas, we went to Walmart to pick up a few food items. My heart fell when I saw the Angel Tree shining, full of tags of children’s wishes. It had been our tradition to go to this store, pick tags, off the tree and buy gifts for children in need. In return, the wishes of my own children would be on that tree too, the names and the address enclosed (附上) accordingly. While I was thinking that, my younger children ran toward the Angel Tree. If I was worried before, I was terrified now. How was I going to explain our situation without making them feel like Christmas was going to be horrible?

As quickly as I could, I caught up with them. The youngest, Gerrie, was only six, and she really did not understand the meaning of the tree. To her, it was just another Christmas tree. My oldest gave me a look of horror, knowing what was going to happen next. Tristan ran enthusiastically around the Angel Tree, glancing from tag to tag, looking for something.

注意：

1. 续写词数应为150左右；

2. 请按如下格式作答。

“Look, Mom, I found it.” Tristan was holding a tag, grinning from ear to ear.

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However, Tristan still ended up with the CD player he desired that year.

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A few years ago when I was looking for a small dog to add to our family, I contacted the local SPCA(Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and got the name of a woman who was fostering(领养，代养) some rescued Maltese dogs for them. I called the woman, and my husband and I drove to her home. As I looked around, I noticed a cute Maltese named Casper. My husband and I decided we would like to adopt him.

The foster mom asked us if there were any way we would open our hearts to Casper’s friend, Kato, as well. She told us that the two boys, who had only each other for comfort, had recently been rescued from a puppy farm, where they had spent the first seven years of their lives. When the local SPCA shut down the puppy farm and seized all the dogs, Kato and Casper had been put in her foster home.

She told us that when she first picked them up, their fur was in such terrible shape that they hardly looked like Maltese dogs. They were brown, whose fur was wet and dirty, and their paws were swollen. For seven years, they were locked in a dark doghouse and the only human contact these boys had was when they were thrown their food.

Hearing all this, I turned and looked down at the little Maltese named Kato. But he’s so ugly, I thought. And he isn’t even friendly. He barked angrily when we looked at him. When I reached for him, he pushed himself against the back wall of his doghouse, whispering. Still, I felt a tig at my heart and agreed to take Kato also. As we drove home, my husband and I worried that maybe we’d taken on too much. We’d never had dogs that had been so abused(虐待) for such a longtime.

The first day at our home was very difficult for the two dogs.

Though difficult, I did everything I could think of to help these dogs.

Snowed In

Waiting and praying were a daily routine for Barbara Schmitt, but today the prayers were more intense. Her three-year-old granddaughter, Michelle, had been showing danger signs that made an immediate liver transplant critical, but the telephone was as silent as the snowy scene outside.

Then at nine in the morning, the phone rang. A hospital in Omaha had located the right liver donor, they were sure it was a match for Michelle, and they needed her there within 12 hours. Barbara couldn’t tell what to do first — rejoice or despair, as they were snowbound (被雪困住的), 600 miles away. “We’re snowed in,” Barbara told the medical coordinator on the line, “and the airport is 17 miles away and there’s no way we’re going to get there.” “Don’t give up,” the woman told Barbara. “You have 12 hours to reach Omaha!”

Fortunately, the phone lines were still working, so she started calling Sharon Stevens, who runs Hair Angels, a fund for children with special needs. Sharon had already lined up a Lear jet (医疗飞机) and two pilots to fly the Schmitts to Omaha when transplant time came. How to get from the Schmitts’ house to the jet was the big question.

Sharon called for help through the local radio station, wanting to invite listeners to call in with ideas and suggestions. Teresa Amshoff heard the story and suggested that the church parking lot next to her house, only a mile from the Schmitts, would make a perfect helicopter landing pad. As precious minutes ticked away, the Amshoffs rushed from door to door, begging for help to clear the lot. Neighbors came without hesitation.

Within half an hour, 50 volunteers were working in winds to clear the area in snow.

Hours later, they reached the hospital in Omaha.