My sister-in-law Carol said she’d already picked out a kitten for me. I agreed to go with her… just to look. I made no promise to take one home. After all, only two months had passed since I lost my beloved calico cat, Mandi. Maybe I needed to be pet-free for a while.
When we got there, three of the four kittens remained in the litter. Carol picked up one and handed it to me. The beautiful face and white fur on the right side of her nose reminded me of a clown-like mask. How could I resist? Then another kitten, with an evenly balanced white face, jumped into my lap and purred.
Driving home in my British sports car proved difficult with two mischievous kittens. One clung to my left arm and shoulder, watching the fast-moving scenery outside. The other paced back and forth from my lap to the passenger’s seat, making it hard for me to shift gears. Both mewed in a loud duet(二重奏) of protest. Of course, I hadn’t brought a cage. I had not planned to take home a kitten — or two.
The clown-like-masked female earned the name Squeakette with her tiny voice squeaking about each new discovery as she explored her new home. The male, lacking only a black tie in his formal clothes, took the name Sebastian for my favorite composer, Johann Sebastian Bach.
A few weeks later, a neighbor helped me carry down my six-foot artificial Christmas tree from the attic(阁楼). I thanked him with a batch of cookies, and then set up the tree in the comer of my living room.
Sebastian and Squeakette knocked it down before I opened the box of decorations. After setting it upright, I straightened the few bent wire branches back into place. As I checked for any other damage, a quick flash of black-and-white fur passed by me. Up they went, branch by branch. The tree danced around as the two kittens took turns climbing it together. Sebastian made it to the top a moment ahead of Squeakette.
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
He lunged at me from the top, paws stretched out like wings.
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Paragraph 2
Sensing their interest, I found a smaller Christmas tree for them.
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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?
Paragraph1.
I went into the kitchen where Cecelia was preparing the evening meal.
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Paragraph2.
Every day, I enjoyed watching Dinner with the twins and my presence never bothered them.
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Every few years, humpback whales come to the water area in San Luis Obispo, California, for a few days while migrating, which attracts hundreds of visitors and whale lovers. In November 2020, over 20 whales were around, feeding on silverfish. Each one is huge, about 15 metres long.
At that time, I lived nearby and I was always crazy about whales so I invited my friend Liz Cottriel to go out on a ship to check them out the next morning.
“No way,” Liz hesitated. She was scared of whales and sharks, and was worried that the ship would overturn while we were in it. But I told her there was nothing to worry about and we probably would have an unforgettable experience.
Convinced, Liz joined me and we set off at 8:30 the next morning. For the first half hour we didn’t see anything. Then I spotted two pairs of whales, swimming towards us at fast speed. Though it was the first time we had seen the large creatures at such a close distance, we intended not to turn around immediately we met them. Instead, we chose to wait for their approaching.
One of the whales breached (跃出水面), then went down and hit the water really hard, leaving what looks like a layer of oil and also large waves.The boat started rocking wildly. At that moment, we realized it was too close.
All of a sudden, a large group of fish started jumping out of the water into our ship. Their movement sounded like cracking glass around us. I was terrified. Then I felt our ship lifted out of the water – about two metres, we later learned. I figured the whale was going to drag us down somehow, and I had no idea how deep we’d be sucked underwater.
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1:
What I didn’t realise at the moment was that Liz and I were in the whale’s mouth.
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Paragraph 2:
It suddenly struck me that whales have huge mouths but tiny throats.
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Police Outpost Lake is as far south as you can go in Canada. In fact, next to the lake are the protected wetlands, where songbirds, ducks, and Canada geese glided by on the breeze, touching down briefly on the water’s surface before flapping (振翅) their way back up into the sky.
Standing at the lake’s edge, my cousin, Allan, and I cast our fishing lines separately onto the smooth-as-glass water. Down the shoreline was Allan’s father, my uncle Rick. He liked to fish alone, away from distractions, noise, and other people.
Allan shouted, “Dad, where should I stand?”
Uncle Rick pressed his finger to his lips, pointed to a shady spot by a large rock where he had cast his line and shook his head gently.
“He wants us to be quiet or else we won’t catch any fish.” I whispered.
“Why do I have to be so quiet?” asked Allan. “All those birds are making more noise than I ever could!”
I ignored him, pulling back on my rod gently and squinting into the glare of the sun. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a few great northern loons (潜鸟) gathering together not far from the shoreline. What were they doing there? Loons usually travel alone, but here were five of them in a cluster. Maybe it was a family? Just then one loon, making a loud painful cry, swam away from the group, toward me.
“Allan! Come here. Now!”
Allan laid his fishing rod down on the dirty sand, darting toward me.
“Come here. Take a look at that loon. It’s swimming toward us, not far away from us. It’s trying to get our attention.”
The loon finally stopped in the shallow water near shore, not ten feet away from us. It was so close that we could see its round red eyes. Strangely, the bird’s wings were held tight against its body.
Wading into the water and getting closer to the loon, we both saw a fishing line wrapped tightly around its neck and a shiny red hook (鱼钩) in its body. Left like this, the loon couldn’t fly or fish or survive. It was asking us to help!
注意：
1. 续写词数应为 150 词左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
“Go fetch the scissors from the fishing box,” I urged Allan.
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As I set down the loon on the water, it joyfully flapped its wings.
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I sat at the breakfast table with my four-year-old son, Andy, trying to ignore the ache in my stomach. “Mama, want to play?” “Not today, baby.” I shook my head. These days I could barely get out of bed. I was still recovering from an operation. I hoped for strength and happiness. But the future seemed so hopeless.
Suddenly Andy jumped up from his spot on the kitchen floor. “Bird!” he shouted, rushing to our courtyard. Sure enough, there was a white dove seated in a tree. It sat there for a few moments, and then flew away. Strange, I’d never seen one in our neighborhood before.
When I dragged myself to the kitchen the next morning, the dove was back. This time it was with a mate carrying sticks, “Look, Andy,” I said, pointing to the tree. “They are going to make a nest.” The doves flew in and out of the courtyard all week, building on top of the tree.
Andy could hardly contain his excitement. Every morning, he’d run into the kitchen and take his spot by the door, talking to the birds while they worked. His happiness was influential. Much as I was sad, I couldn’t help but look forward to the doves’ visit too.
Then it all went wrong. The courtyard was a safe enough spot for a nest, but the tree is broad, thin leaves were far from stable. One night, a strong wind blew, throwing the doves’ nest to the ground. I heard the twigs(细枝) break apart.
I examined the damage. Nothing good ever lasted. I wouldn’t blame the doves if it never came back. But they returned. They started again from the beginning. Again, though, the wind destroyed all their hard work. The next day, and the next, they started again, as if nothing had happened.
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 knew I had to do something.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“It works! The birds are back!” Andy announced.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________At the age of 14, I climbed my first mountain, which was a 3,800-foot peak near the city where I live. I was overweight at the time and out of breath when I reached the top. But taking on the challenge of conquering something bigger than myself excited me. Soon I’d climbed nearly 100 peaks. My parents were happy that I’d finally found a hobby.
I often go climbing with my friend Sara, whom I’d met in a climbing club. One year ago when I was 17, Sara and I decided to climb the 11,240-foot Mount Hood.
It’s safer to start winter climbs at night when there’s less risk of the sun melting the snow. That day, we started at 3 a.m., following the path alongside the ski runs. The temperature was about -10 degrees, and we wore layers we could easily remove, knowing the climbing would make us warm. Along the way, we met some other climbers, and all of us continued on together.
After about five hours, we reached a highland at about 10,000 feet, just before the final push to the top. By this point, the wind conditions were bad. My exposed skin felt as though it were burning. Two of the climbers decided to turn back, but the rest of us went ahead. Sara and I had ice axes, helmets and crampons (钉鞋). We were prepared for the climb.
The trail we followed grew narrower and steeper. At around 9 a.m., we reached a big block of ice called an ice step. It was about three or four feet tall. I volunteered to go first. I placed my left foot on the ice step.
I gained a sense of the ice when I stuck my axe and crampons into it, and it felt good. Confident I was safe, I put my full weight on it. Suddenly, I heard a crack, and a whole piece of ice broke off the step, right under my foot.
Suddenly, I fell backwards. Sara tried to reach me but she failed. I fell down and started rolling down the mountain as if I were a character in a video game. I stuck out my arms and legs, grabbing at anything.
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。
That helped stop my rolling down the mountain, but I was still sliding.
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Fortunately, hearing my whistle, Sara made her way down with other climbers.
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Standing at the lake’s edge, I cast my line onto the smooth-as-glass water of Police Outpost Lake. Down the shoreline was my cousin Isaiah’s father, my Uncle Rick, who liked to fish alone, away from noise and other people. I’d learned to fish from my dad who had been a fish and wildlife officer. He loved his job, especially the part where he protected nature from humans. He’d taught me everything about fishing. However, he passed away.
Isaiah shouted, “Dad, where should I stand?” Uncle Rick pointed to a shady spot by a large rock where he had cast his line, and shook his head gently.
“He wants us to be quiet or else we won’t catch any fish,” I whispered.
Isaiah frowned, pouting, but it was “message received.”
Songbirds, ducks, and Canada geese glided by on the breeze, touching down briefly on the water’s surface before flapping and quacking their way back up into the sky.
“Why do I have to be so quiet?” asked Isaiah. “All those birds are making way more noise than I ever could!”
I ignored him and focused on the water. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a few loons(潜鸟)gathering together not far from the shoreline. What were they doing there? Loons usually travel alone, but here were five of them. Maybe it was a family? One loon, wailing and making yodeling sounds, swam away from the group, toward me.
“Isaiah! Come here!”
“Now who’s shouting?” asked Isaiah.
“Come here. A loon is swimming toward us, closer and closer.”
Just then, the loon stopped, letting out a crazy and loud sound, as if trying to catch our attention. Stepping into the water and getting closer to the loon, we both saw thin wire wrapped around its neck. Fishing line maybe? Reaching down, I touched its head, my heart racing. I could see a fishing line was wrapped tightly around its neck. Left like this, the loon couldn’t fly or fish or survive. It was asking us to help!
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右;
2. 续写部分分为两段, 每段开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1:
“Get the scissors from the toolbox.” I shouted.
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Paragraph 2:
As I set the loon down on the water, it beat its wings joyfully.
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A rock is as big as a house. That’s how the guide book described Giant Rock. Dad said it was carried here by a glacier millions of years ago.
I was finally going to see it, on snowshoes, with my three older cousins, my dad, and my uncle Don. I’d been snowshoeing before, and I liked the adventure of hiking through deep snow alongside wild-animal tracks. At the parking area, after putting on our snowshoes, we studied the map in the information kiosk (亭子). “We start here”, Dad said, “on the red path. Then we turn left onto the purple circle. That’s where Giant Rock is.” “Remember to stick together, guys,” Uncle Don said.
The path ran uphill alongside a stone wall. It was easy to follow because red markers were nailed to the trees and the snow had been packed down by other hikers. At the top of the hill, we turned onto the purple path, which wound back and forth, travelling through the hills and gullies. We settled into a rhythm, with Dad and everyone else in front and me in the back, crunch-crunch-crunching through the snow. My cousins were faster than I was, but I managed to keep up.
Finally, we reached a hill and saw the massive rock sitting alone in the forest. “It really is as big as a house” my cousin Josh said, gazing up. My cousins and I high-fived (举手击掌) each other and jogged down the slope until we stood at the base, breathless. Standing in the rock’s giant shadow, I noticed the sun had dipped even lower. “Let’s head back,” Dad said after a few minutes.
Soon we were crunch-crunch-crunching our way home. I was a little behind the group when I noticed a set of animal tracks I didn’t recognize. I followed them off the path for a closer look. There were no claw marks, which meant they didn’t belong to a dog or a fox. Instead, they looked like tiny handprints and footprints. Must be a raccoon (小浣熊), I thought.
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。
Para 1:
I looked around when I suddenly realized I was totally alone.
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Para 2:
Reaching a crossroads, I tried to calm myself down, picturing the map again.
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It was in New Hampshire. Cody was an 11-year-old boy. Just like other boys, he enjoyed running around the lake, and sometimes picked yellow daisies for his mother’s kitchen table along the paths. But the thing he liked best was fishing. He went fishing whenever he had got a chance and he was proud of his fishing skills.
On the day before that year’s bass (巴斯鱼) season opened, he and his father were fishing early in the evening, catching sunfish and perch(河鲈) with worms. Then he tied on a small silver lure (鱼饵) and practised casting. The lure hit the water, stirring up coloured ripples in the sunset, and then silver ripples as the moon rose over the lake. It was an unusually quiet evening The gentle wind from the lake was so refreshing.
After what seemed a long time, Cody noticed his fishing pole (鱼竿) doubled over, and he knew at once that something huge was on the other end. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully brought the fish beside the bank.
Finally, he very carefully lifted the exhausted fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass.
The boy and his father looked at the handsome fish, gills (鳃) playing back and forth in the moonlight. The father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 pm—two hours before the season opened. He looked at the bass, then at Cody.
“You’ll have to put the fish back, son,” he said.
“Dad!” cried the boy.
“There will be other fish,” said his father gently but firmly.
“Not as big as this one,” cried the boy again.
注意：1. 续写词数应为100左右；
2. 续写一段，首句已写好。
Cody looked around and saw no one fishing around the lake.
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Milo is a rescue dog, adopted by twenty-year-old Mary Swift. But the dog is also a rescuer.
One morning in November 2021, Swift was ready to go jogging as usual, with Milo following her happily. To her surprise, as soon as she opened the front door, Milo took off running towards the gate quickly. It was very unusual. He always ran after his master.
Outside the gate, Milo was looking around the neighborhood, looking a little alert. Suddenly, he ran straightly to the house across the street, barking loudly and sniffing around. He seemed unsatisfied with this house. He quickly ran to the one next door. He stopped there and turned to Swift, barking more loudly, with his tail swinging crazily. Swift followed him, shouting sharply “Stop, Milo!” Some passing neighbors were looking disapprovingly (不满地) at them.
Swift was kind of embarrassed. Not everyone wanted a strange dog on their property and liked hearing a dog’s barks in the quiet morning. She tried to get Milo to go back, but Milo seemed not to follow the master’s order. He started to scratch on the front door. Swift wondered, “Why is he trying to break into the house?” She looked at the house, which belonged to Sherry Starr, who was 85 years old and seldom walked out of her house. It was the time for her to trim her bushes in the garden. Somehow, she wasn’t there that day.
Although Swift was a little doubtful, she still tried to drag Milo away. But at this time she could hear a sound coming through an open upstairs window.
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。
It was a voice yelling “Help”.
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