1 . When Byron Thanarayen and his wife Melissa returned to their home recently, their 13-year-old dog named Chucky was completely wet. The couple assumed the dog had splashed around in his water bowl and made a mess in the house. When no evidence could be found inside, they turned to their security footage (录像).
What they saw made the blood freeze in their veins. Chucky was walking near their backyard swimming pool when he stumbled (绊倒) and fell in. Since the dog is so tiny, he was unable to get a purchase on the slick sides of the pool. Instead, he paddled around, searching in vain for a way out. After a few desperate moments, the couple's other dog appeared on the scene. Jessie is a 7-year-old dog who became noticeably upset when she saw her friend struggling to keep his head above the water. She began circling the pool's edge, following Chucky as if she was encouraging him not to give up.
For 34 minutes, Jessie worked to rescue her friend. She repeatedly tried to grab hold of the smaller dog with her mouth, but Chucky kept slipping out of her grasp. Finally, after several failed attempts, Jessie succeeded in grasping Chucky's neck and dragging him out of the pool.
When Byron and Melissa realized Jessie was a hero, they were unspeakably grateful for their sweet girl! “We still struggle to watch that video today, just thinking of what could have happened if Jessie was not there,” Byron said. “I'm really proud of her, considering she is the youngest.” The family now plans to install a pool cover to keep their pets safe. Thankfully, they have a wonderful life-dog on duty just in case anything ever goes wrong!
1. What was the couple's first thought finding their messy house?| A．Someone had broken in. |
| B．The dogs had been too naughty. |
| C．They had forgotten to clean the house. |
| D．Chucky had swum again in the swimming pool. |
| A．Shocked. | B．Scared. |
| C．Excited. | D．Annoyed. |
| A．She encouraged him to stay above the water. |
| B．She circled the pool's edge to find a way out. |
| C．She used her mouth to pull him out of the pool. |
| D．She ran out immediately to ask others for help. |
| A．Clever and inspiring. | B．Wise and energetic. |
| C．Naughty and lazy. | D．Brave and loving. |
Our family has had a relationship with Bozo, an ancient desert tortoise（龟）whose life averages 80 to 100 years, for about 50 years. We first met him in the early 1970s in the backyard of an older woman who lived a few houses down from us in our suburb. Our three kids, Sheldon, Detra and Ryan, visited regularly and our neighbor loved to entertain them and teach them about desert tortoises. The kids were ages 10, 8 and 2 at the time. Our neighbor estimated that Bozo was around 60.
In the late 1980s, our neighbor passed away, and her husband gave Bozo to our oldest son. Sheldon. He and Bozo have always shared a special bond. Sheldon is always patting Bozo's shell and head when they are together, which Bozo loves.
Bozo happily lived with Sheldon until 2008, when Sheldon and his family had to move a bit farther north, where the climate was too cold for Bozo. He's lived in our backyard ever since. We feed him vegetables, but he primarily feeds on the grass in our yard. He digs his burrows（洞穴）to hibernate（冬眠）in during late fall and winter, waking up in the spring.
My son-in-law dug a big burrow, about six feet long and 12 inches wide for Bozo, which has since made some expansions and decorations. We now have more than 12 feet of burrows in our yard. with dirt and rocks covering the entrance. Bozo loves his burrows, but he comes out of hiding when he hears our voices. In 1995, someone asked Sheldon if he'd like another desert tortoise, a female named Mindy. Desert tortoises shouldn't be taken out of the wild, but they won't adapt if returned to nature after they've been domesticated（驯养）. She needed a home, so Mindy became Bozo's mate.
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。
In the summer, we will always find eggs in the burrows.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Well protected, Bozo is over 100 and remains energetic.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3 . 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 |
4 . Cairistiona Flatley has always been an animal lover. So when she
Rexie Roo is a young cat who was brought to a shelter in Utah in January 2020. Both of his front legs were
The only
“When people tell me I'm so
| A．saw | B．ignored | C．chose | D．published |
| A．cage | B．family | C．judge | D．operation |
| A．outgoing | B．honest | C．brave | D．perfect |
| A．badly | B．slightly | C．mostly | D．nearly |
| A．taken away | B．turned away | C．knocked down | D．put down |
| A．cured | B．replaced | C．lifted | D．trained |
| A．reason | B．honor | C．impression | D．chance |
| A．object to | B．hurry up | C．adapt to | D．give up |
| A．opinion | B．problem | C．way | D．suggestion |
| A．thankful | B．rich | C．willing | D．creative |
| A．check | B．treatment | C．agreement | D．rescue |
| A．discovered | B．announced | C．stressed | D．imagined |
| A．force | B．encourage | C．promise | D．permit |
| A．calm | B．awkward | C．anxious | D．kind |
| A．lucky | B．regretful | C．upset | D．generous |
| A．respect | B．trust | C．love | D．miss |
| A．tension | B．desire | C．joy | D．pain |
| A．prepare | B．teach | C．award | D．require |
| A．tough | B．ordinary | C．shorter | D．better |
| A．pressure | B．light | C．challenge | D．truth |
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.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
My uncle was a forest officer of Pakhirrlay Island and this time he brought me there.
His house was in the forest. When we arrived, Sambhu saw us and rushed to open the garden gate. He was an elderly man who did my uncle’s cooking and other household work.
“How are you?” I called out.
“I’m all right.” he said, “but Payal isn’t.”
My uncle, who walked ahead of us, stopped.
“Why Sambhu, what is wrong with our friend?”
“From the day you left, she hasn’t been eating properly.”
My uncle looked worried.
“Who is Payal?” I asked Sambhu. “Why! Don’t you know? Here she is.”
I turned round. My heart skipped a beat. There was Payal, a well-trained dog, giving my uncle a warm welcome by licking (舔) his face.
Then she caught sight of me and came forward. I stood still while she sniffed my all over. Later I was told that Payal’s mother was killed when she was only ten days old. I felt sorry for her.
Soon my uncle left for work. I wondered how to pass my time. There was a small pond behind the house and I liked to sit beside it. I got up. Immediately Payal moved her tail to show she had seen me move. I could bear it no longer, this feeling of being constantly watched by two silent eyes. I walked off angrily and sat beside the pond.
WOOSH!!! I heard a splashing sound. I looked up. Payal had dived into the water and was swimming in the pond. Soon she came out of the pond and sat breathing behind me. Then Payal growled（咆哮）.
After a while, Payal growled again. This time there was a note of urgency in her growl. I could not help turning back and looking at her. She was staring at something. I looked in the same direction and broke into a cold sweat! There was a snake less than six feet away!
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 应使用5个以上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。
Paragraph 1:
The snake was ready to attack.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Realizing we were out of danger, I took Payal in my arms.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
