1 . Kathleen Rooney knew that writing Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey, from the point of view of a pigeon, was a risk. Rooney, perhaps best known for her 2017 bestseller, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk, says her interest in a feathered narrator was excited by one of her students at DePaul University, where she is an English professor. “A student named Brian mentioned Cher Ami in a poem. It blew my mind that this pigeon was so heroic and is stuffed and on display in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.”
Rooney learned that Cher Ami, a British homing pigeon, helped save a group of American troops during a horrific, multi-day World War I battle. The story of this amazing pigeon and the extraordinary man who commanded the battle, Major Charles Whittlesey, was altogether attractive.
In Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey, Charles reflects on his happier prewar days in New York City, where he ran a law firm with a college classmate. When it came time for battle, though, he and his fellows found themselves cut off from supply lines, surrounded by enemy German troops.
Carrier pigeons were the group’s only hope of contacting headquarters and getting the other Americans to stop dropping bombs on them. Cher Ami flew through gunfire to deliver Charles' message, which finally stopped the attack. She lost an eye and a leg, among other wounds, but was eventually able to hobble (蹒跚) on a tiny wooden prosthesis (义肢) that the Army made for her. She lived another year before dying of her injuries in 1919, but in the novel she continues speaking to readers behind glass in the Smithsonian where she’s been since her death.
There’s an interesting lesson to be learned from Charles’ decisions in the battle, too. “He was famous for something we’d describe as passive,” Rooney says. “Once they were in the pocket, he waited as long as he could. I’m an impatient, active person ... His act was stillness, waiting, keeping everybody’s spirits up. The way he did that was amazing.”
Rooney also hopes the book, with its portrayal of the charming and brave Cher Ami, will boost the appreciation of our furry and feathered friends.
1. What inspired Rooney to write the book?| A．Visiting a national museum. | B．Reading a student’s poem. |
| C．Some comments on her bestseller. | D．Experiences of raising pigeons. |
| A．An exhibition featuring a heroic battle. |
| B．Historic events happening to Cher Ami. |
| C．Americans’ poor strategies during the war. |
| D．Charles’ methods for training Cher Ami. |
| A．Charles’ humor and optimism. |
| B．Charles’ affection for carrier pigeons. |
| C．Charles’ patience and motivation. |
| D．Charles’ quick response to the attack. |
| A．A message of hope | B．Braving World War I |
| C．An effort to protect pigeons | D．Finding the lost commander |
2 . One spring morning, I was searching for gold on an Island in Alaska. Abruptly, I froze in my tracks. No more than 20 paces in the bog (沼泽) was a huge wolf
I
So I decided to search for her babies. I looked for
No sound inside. Wolf pups are shy and
I extended my hands. They tentatively
With her young to
| A．lost | B．killed | C．caught | D．buried |
| A．Frightened | B．Pleased | C．Motivated | D．Depressed |
| A．princess | B．beauty | C．widow | D．mother |
| A．guessed | B．predicted | C．regretted | D．admitted |
| A．asleep | B．alive | C．fragile | D．healthy |
| A．forgive | B．honor | C．attack | D．fail |
| A．streams | B．tracks | C．rocks | D．forests |
| A．Swiftly | B．Roughly | C．Randomly | D．Fortunately |
| A．marks | B．figures | C．shadows | D．reflections |
| A．innocent | B．adventurous | C．cautious | D．playful |
| A．operation | B．announcement | C．disturbance | D．response |
| A．swallowed | B．sucked | C．scratched | D．chewed |
| A．tolerance | B．love | C．curiosity | D．fear |
| A．headed | B．struggled | C．edged | D．wandered |
| A．waiting for | B．thinking of | C．picking up | D．working out |
| A．complained | B．raced | C．bowed | D．submitted |
| A．meet | B．amuse | C．tease | D．protect |
| A．wondered | B．explained | C．choked | D．smiled |
| A．sympathy | B．freedom | C．energy | D．assistance |
| A．hatred | B．threat | C．appreciation | D．annoyance |
3 . One day, a fox was walking through the woods when he saw some tasty grapes hanging from a branch high above him. He was quite hungry, as he’d been walking all day and hadn’t had anything to eat. So he decided to get some grapes to eat.
First, the fox tried to jump in the air and grab the grapes. But with each jump, he was just inches away from getting the grapes. As he jumped and jumped, he was getting further and further away from the grapes. After a short rest, he tried taking a few steps back and doing a running jump at the grapes, but again, he could not reach them.
He even tried to climb the tree to reach the grapes, but his paws weren’t strong enough for him to pull himself up the tree. How he wished he had the same paws as a monkey. He sat and stared at the grapes with an angry expression on his face.
Just then, a bear happened to walk by the fox. He saw the fox looking at the grapes. The fox turned to him and said, “Never mind. Those grapes probably don’t taste good anyway.” And with that, he turned once more and left.
The bear reached up, grabbed the grapes and ate them. They were, of course, quite delicious. “Why not ask me for help?” The bear thought.
1. What happened as the fox kept jumping?| A．He got closer to the grapes each time. | B．He got closer to the tree each time. |
| C．He got further and further away from the grapes. | D．The grapes were starting to fall to the ground. |
| A．Angry. | B．Excited. | C．Happy. | D．Sad. |
| A．most of the grapes were green | B．he could not have the grapes |
| C．he wanted to help the bear | D．he had never eaten grapes before |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．Not all things in life are free. |
| B．It’s easy to be angry about something you can’t have. |
| C．When you think you’ve failed, try one last time. |
| D．Learn to ask for help when you need it. |
4 . The Dog and the Joey
Leonie Allan lives in an area of Australia where people often find wildlife in their yards. One spring morning, Leonie took her dog Rex for a walk as usual. The walk was casual, but Rex was acting strangely afterward. As Leonie worked in the yard, Rex kept looking down on the road where they had taken their walk. Then he began standing very still, with his nose pointing toward what he wanted Leonie to notice.
Rex, a mixed breed (血统), is part “pointer”. Pointers are dogs that naturally stand very still and point with their entire body in the direction of wildlife they see or smell. They are trained not to hunt animals but simply to point to where they are. They are excellent in tracking and finding animals.
Leonie became worried when Rex left to investigate (调查). She thought he might have found something dangerous. She called the dog back. But when Rex returned, in his mouth he had a joey, a baby kangaroo about four months old. Picking up an animal was unusual behavior for Rex, since he hadn’t been trained to do so. Leonie was surprised that Rex had taken the joey gently by the neck and brought it to her. The baby joey didn’t appear to be afraid at all.
“He obviously sensed the baby kangaroo was still alive,” Leonie said, “and somehow had gently took it by the neck and brought it to me.”
Rex and the joey, which Leonie named Rex Jr., spent the afternoon playing together. “The joey was snuggling (依偎) up to him, jumping to him, and Rex was sniffing and licking him — it was quite sweet,” Leonie told the newspaper reporter.
Rex Jr. was bottle-fed and raised at a wildlife sanctuary (庇护所). A year and a half later, he was released back into the wild in an area where he could be monitored. Now Rex Jr. is part of a group of kangaroos, living a normal kangaroo life — thanks to Rex, a gentle dog that knows how to point.
1. The “pointer” gets its name because of its ability to ______.| A．discover wildlife | B．be gentle with wildlife |
| C．avoid dangerous situations | D．get along with other animals |
| A．she thought he might get lost |
| B．she knew he was tired after the walk |
| C．she did not want to stop working in her yard |
| D．she did not want Rex to put himself in danger |
| A．Sympathetic. | B．Curious. |
| C．Protective. | D．Respectful. |
Once upon a time , there was a colorless tiger. His lack of color made him
Then along came Van Cough the painter. When he said he wanted to paint the colorless tiger, everyone had a good laugh. When entering the tiger’s cage, he began whispering in the animal’s ear, and moving his dry brush up and down the tiger’s body. And
Everyone was
Now you see how joyful the tiger seemed at the sight of
Wylie lived in Scotland, far up on the hills, and helped her master take care of his sheep.
Wylie watched over the sheep and the little lambs like a soldier, and never let anything hurt them. She drove them out to pasture when it was time, and brought them safely home when it was time for that. She loved her work, and was a wonderfully fine sheepdog.
At last her master grew too old to stay alone on the hills. Before he left, he gave Wylie to two kind young men who lived in the nearest town; he knew they would be good to her. They grew very fond of her, and so did their old grandmother and the little children; she was so gentle and handsome and well behaved.
But after a while, the family noticed something very strange indeed about their dog. Every single Tuesday night, about nine o'clock. Wylie disappeared. And she would be gone all night. But every Wednesday morning, she was at the door, waiting to be let in. Her silky coat was all sweaty and muddy and her feet heavy with weariness, but her bright eyes looked up at her masters as if she were trying to explain where she had been.
Week after week, the same thing happened. Nobody could imagine where Wylie went every Tuesday night. They tried to follow her to find out, but she always slipped away. It grew to be a real mystery. Where in the world did Wylie go?
In the city near the town where the kind young men lived was a big market. On Tuesday nights, the farmers used to come down from the hills, and drive their sheep through the city streets into the pens, ready to sell on Wednesday morning; that was the day they sold them. The sheep weren’t used to the city noises and sights, and they always grew afraid and wild, and gave the farmers and the sheepdogs a great deal of trouble. They broke away and ran about, in everybody’s way.
注意：
1、所续写短文的词数应为150以上；
2、请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
But just as the trouble was worst, about sunrise, the farmers would see a little silky dog come running.
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One day, Wylie went to walk with her two masters.
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Once upon a time，there lived a slave called Androcles who was yearning to be set free by his master since he was treating him badly.So Androcles hatched a plan and escaped into a nearby forest.After he had traveled a while Androcles suddenly heard a roar behind him and found a lion standing close by.He was sure the lion was going to kill him.But instead the lion slowly limped towards him and held out its paw.There was a thorn stuck to its paw and there was a lot of blood oozing out.
Androcles removed the thorn and the lion walked away peacefully into the forest.After a few days Androcles was captured by his master who was so angry because he had run away.The master decided to throw Androcles to a lion.This was a common practice in ancient Greece where the slaves were often thrown into an arena to fight a starving lion.
The next day a huge crowd gathered to watch the fight.The king was also present.A lion that had been starved for a number of days was brought into the arena in a cage.As soon as Androcles was brought in，the guards let the lion out of the cage.Androcles was trembling in fear as the lion rushed at him with great rage.Much to the astonishment of the crowd，the lion suddenly stopped in its path，looked intently at Androcles and then went and lay down near his feet.Androcles was delighted as he realized that it was the same lion as he had helped in the forest.He hugged the lion as the entire arena watched in stunned silence.The king was overjoyed at seeing such a brave act and permitted Androcles to be freed.When he entered the arena，Androcles thought that he was a dead man but the turn of events ensured the opposite—his freedom.
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Katie had always felt like she never connected with anyone. There was no one she considered a friend. So, when her parents decided to move, she was okay with it. She didn't feel sad because she wasn't leaving anyone behind.
She was eight when they moved to a new town. It wasn't that different from where they had lived before. There were a lot of trees and kids running around outside, riding bikes, and playing. One day her mother caught her staring out the window at some kids playing. Her mom told her to go out and play with those kids. So Katie went out. She could see that they were all having fun and she wanted to join in but she was afraid. She tried to muster up the courage to ask them if she could join them but she just couldn't do it.
She decided to go for a walk instead. She liked how peaceful the town was. The people seemed nice and polite. Her stroll finally led her to the town's lake. She felt the rush of cold air hitting her face. The beauty of the lake was something to behold. She sat there admiring it and decided that this would be her place. She would come here every day and maybe one day, she would bring her friends here.
After school, she always stopped by the lake before going home. She swore she could stay there for hours, maybe even live there. If she ever got hungry, she always had food ready in her bag.
One day when she was writing a poem about the lake, she heard her stomach growl. She put down her notebook and her pen and got her sandwich out. She was about to take a bite when she heard a noise. This alarmed her. She hadn't heard or seen anything strange before. She looked around and suddenly she noticed that there was something black moving toward the bank.
注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右；
2 .请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
“A swimming black dog!” Katie cried out in surprise.
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Every day, Katie brought five extra sandwiches for her friend.
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I was sitting in my office in an animal clinic when a young family rushed in. The father held a dying dog packed in a bloody towel in his arms. He was followed by a young boy carrying a big cat and crying as if his little heart was completely broken. The mother followed, comforting the boy. The cat simply looked at everyone with no interest and remained calm, lying on the boy's shoulder.
The nurse sent the father and what he held into the examining rooms. As the mother, the boy and the cat settled down on the seats in the waiting room, I couldn't help asking what this was all about. I thought that the pet in the bloody towel must have been hit by a car. In fact, it was one of the most unusual and heartwarming stories I had ever heard.
The cat lying on the boy's shoulder, named Tom, was the first pet of the family and now was an old guy of 12 years old. They had rescued him as an abandoned kitten. He was atypical cat, self-centred and quite independent, but very gentle.
Then, a year before this incident, Scotty, a puppy, came to the family as a gift from the boy's grandparents. The family was at first fearful about how Tom would accept the newcomer, but a strange thing happened. The old cat looked at the dog as if he were a long lost little brother. He absolutely liked the little guy. He allowed the puppy to chew his tail. He played for hours with him as if the dog were his own personal pet.
The family loved the two pets very much, taking videos of the pair together, and impressed by the way the old cat and the young dog were connected. The family lived near the hill. Tom and Scotty were kept indoors at night because there were wolves searching for small pets for meals at night.
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:
Nobody had ever thought there would be a problem in daylight, however.
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Paragraph 2:
Tom, seeing Scotty caught by the wolf, jumped from the upper bedroom balcony (阳台)and onto the wolf's head.
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Wind whistled round the corner of the house, thunder rolled and rain beat against the windows — not a night to be outside but rather to sit by the fire. Thanks to the solid walls and roof overhead, I could imagine Dr. Frankenstein's frightening creation wandering on such a night. I was alone, my husband away and the nearest neighbor a quarter miles down the road. Alone, that is, except for Lassie, a hairy, black and white dog, who sat with her head on my lap, her intelligent, brown eyes gazing up at me as if to say, don't worry, we'll be all right.
Through the years she was with us, she proved time and time again to be a superb judge of character. We never knew if it was a result of her sense of smell or sound-but, whatever it was, she definitely possessed a talent we humans lacked. On first meeting she would either wag the tip of her tail a couple of times to indicate that the visitor was acceptable, or slightly curl her top lip, exposing her sharp teeth which told you to be alert. Always accurate, her gift was never more obvious than on this night.
The doorbell rang. I decided not to answer it. It rang again, much longer this time. Whoever was there was not going away. Still I hesitated. On the fourth ring, with Lassie by my side, I finally answered the door. My heart beat fast and my mouth went dry, for there, stood the monster himself. A twisted body under a heavy overcoat, one shoulder bumped higher than the other and his head leaned slightly forward and to one side.
“May I use your phone?” The voice came from somewhere back in his throat and, although the request was polite, his tone was rude.
Reaching in his pocket and producing a piece of paper, he handed it to me. I refused to take it. Believing he might try and force his way in, I looked at Lassie to see if she was ready to defend the home.
Surprisingly, she sat by my side, the tip of her tail wagging.
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