Leo and Matt, both aged 16, are best friends who shared a passion for environmental sustainability. They were both students at a bustling high school in the heart of the city, a school that was infamous for its morning and afternoon traffic jams. The narrow streets leading to the school were always clogged (堵塞) with cars, buses, and bicycles, causing a great deal of inconvenience and pollution.
“Look what we are suffering every day!” complained Leo. “Isn’t there a solution to the problem?” Matt sighed.
They decided to take matters into their own hands and find a solution to the sticky problem. Initially, they made some speeches, distributed leaflets and volunteered to relieve the traffic congestion (拥堵), trying to persuade some parents to park their cars a little farther away the school and not to use cars too often. But two weeks passed, there was nothing better. Then they realized it was no easy work to deal with the trouble. They needed more hands for help and a well-thought-out plan for it.
They first gathered ten schoolmates who shared the same ambition. Then they started to conduct a thorough survey to understand the root causes of the traffic congestion. They interviewed students, teachers, and parents, as well as observed the traffic patterns during different times of the day. They learned that the majority of the congestion was caused by parents dropping off and picking up their children, as well as the lack of sufficient parking spaces.
Armed with this information, the team designed a detailed plan. They proposed the creation of a carpool system for students, encouraging them to share rides to reduce the number of vehicles on the road. They also suggested dedicated drop-off and pick-up zones, clearly marked with signage, to help streamline the process.
To further reduce congestion, they advocated for the construction of bike racks (架子) and encourage students to cycle to school. They even proposed a rewards system for those who chose sustainable modes of transportation.
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。
With their plan in hand, Leo and Matt presented it to the school authorities.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A few months passing by, the school traffic congestion had significantly improved.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Josie and I wanted a dog more than anything else. Whenever we had time, we’d sit together and talk about dogs. “You’re so silly, Jake,” Josie would say. “Bulldogs (斗牛犬) are scary.” “Hah. Golden retrievers (金毛猎犬) are scary,” I’d say. We had this ongoing argument about what our ideal dog would be. But it made no difference—any dog would do, as long as it had a tail to wag and a friendly face.
One summer night, as we sat together beside the window, Josie saw something. “What’s that?” she said, pointing to a dark shadow on our driveway. The moon was up and everything looked either black or milky. At first all I saw was darkness. Then the shadow moved and I heard the sound of metal. Then the shadow flowed out onto the silvery driveway. With a little fright, we found ourselves stepping down to the front door. There in our yard stood a dog—a big, black dog with long, shaggy (蓬松的) hair.
Josie made a little kissing noise and held out her hand. “Here, boy!” I said. And the dog came to us slowly, taking a few steps forward, and then a step back, not sure whether to trust us. When close enough, it had a doggy smell that always made me think of dirt and grass and piles of leaves. “Don’t say ‘Here, boy’,” said Josie. “She’s a female.” Pulling back and looking, I said, “I wonder what her name is.” I felt for her collar while she sat patiently. I found no tags, but just a chain with a small old bell on it.
“I bet she’s hungry,” said Josie. “I can feel her ribs.” I ran my hand through her fur. The dog was so skinny that you could feel every bone, and her coat was twisted and full of dirt. If she belonged to someone, they weren’t taking good care of her.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
“What can we give her?” Josie asked me.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The dog did something completely unexpected.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In a very cold January, a puppy wandered around Mr. Lacey’s house, where he lived with his wife Mamie and their daughter Doris. Icicles (冰锥) hung three feet or more from the roofs of houses and snow swallowed up cars.
The puppy had been abandoned, and it made its way down the road toward the Laceys’ small house, with its ears down and trembling from shyness and cold. Doris, whose school had been called off because of the snow, was clearing the steps when she spotted the puppy on the road.
“Come on, little dog!” she called it over. The puppy shyly wagged its tail when Doris approached. As soon as Doris put the dog down in the kitchen, her mom, Mrs. Lacey, asked where the dog came from. Mr. Lacey, who was cleaning his fingernails with his pocketknife at the table, said, “I don’t know where it came from, but I know for sure where it’s going.” Doris hugged the puppy hard against her. She said nothing.
Because of the snowy weather, Mr. Lacey couldn’t take the puppy to the shelter right away. So, it stayed in the basement, and Doris fed it leftovers, even though her mom didn’t want to waste food. Doris thought the puppy was around six months old and would be quite noisy sometimes. Surprisingly, the puppy behaved well, didn’t cry or make trouble in the basement, and only followed Doris upstairs when she invited it. Doris often found it on the basement steps listening to the kitchen talk and smelling the food. She felt the puppy wanted company.
Even after a week, Doris didn’t name the dog, knowing her parents wouldn’t let her keep it. Her father made so little money that any pets were out of the question. Desperate to keep the dog, Doris tried to convince her parents by praising the dog’s good behavior and expressing her love for it, but her parents didn’t give a definite answer.
Despite her efforts, Doris secretly wished the bad weather would never go away, fearing the puppy’s unavoidable trip to the shelter. However, nine days after the dog had arrived, the sun was shining.
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。
Doris knew it was time to say goodbye to the dog and felt rather worried.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Doris put her hand to her mouth and couldn’t believe what she had heard.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the animal shelter, Sarah walked through the rows of cages until her eyes landed on a small, trembling dog huddled (蜷缩) in the corner. “I think I’ve found the one, ” Sarah whispered softly to herself as she looked into the dog’s sad eyes. This timid, abandoned dog had no idea that a journey of transformation with friendly people lay in store for him.
The shelter staff explained that the dog, named Buddy, had a difficult past and was very shy and scared. Sarah extended a hand, offering a soothing tone, “Hey sweetie, you must have a story to tell, but from now on, you’ve got a buddy in me. ”
Bringing Buddy home was just the beginning of their journey, which was rocky at first for him. Everything was strange and new, causing him to hide under furniture and startle at every sound. Therefore, Sarah provided a cozy bed, delicious meals, and most importantly, heaps of love and comfort.
Slowly but surely, he started to emerge from his shell, wagging his tail tentatively and gazing at Sarah with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. Under Sarah’s patient and loving guidance, Buddy flourished, even learning tricks and commands, and forming a deep bond with his new owner.
The journey of healing turned out to be a success. But Sarah had never expected it would bring about another one.
One day, while scrolling through social media, Sarah came across a heartwarming story about dogs being trained to assist children with autism (自闭症). Those children had social communication difficulties and had few facial expressions and gestures. Without hesitation, she inquired about the program and soon, Buddy was enrolled in training to become a certified therapy(治疗) dog. But she was unsure whether Buddy would be comfortable with the new challenge.
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。
Their first day at the therapy center was filled with uncertainty.
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As the weeks progressed, Sarah noticed a remarkable change both in the children and Buddy.
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Catia Lattouf de Arída has been using her apartment in Mexico City as a hospital and shelter for injured and abandoned hummingbirds(蜂鸟)for the last 11 years.
Hummingbirds are a very important part of Mexico’s ecosystem, but because of the ever-expanding urban landscape, they face all sorts of serious threats. That’s where 73-year-old Catia comes in. As a self-taught hummingbird caretaker, she devotes most of her free time and resources to nursing the tiny birds back to health. She has been doing it for over a decade and her home in Mexico City has become known as a hummingbird hospital.
Catia’s story as a hummingbird nurse began in 2011, at a very difficult moment in her life. She had lost her husband two years prior and she herself was battling cancer. She was walking on the street one day when she noticed a hummingbird that had suffered a serious eye injury. The kindhearted woman took it home, but she knew nothing about taking care of a bird, let alone such a tiny one. However, a veterinarian(兽医)friend encouraged her to look after the hummingbird, and that led to a life devoted to rescuing hundreds of tiny birds.
“It wrote me a new life,” Catia recently said about Gucci, the first hummingbird she ever cared for. Catia managed to nurse Gucci back to health, but she claims it was the tiny bird that saved her. She had sold her five high-end boutiques(精品店)in the city to focus on her battle with cancer and had fallen into a depression, but the hummingbird managed to pull her out of the sadness and loneliness that had taken over her life. And it was only the beginning.
注意：
1. 续写词数应在150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Word of her success spread among Catia’s friends, and before long some of them began bringing her injured and abandoned hummingbirds.
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In order to raise awareness of the difficulty of hummingbirds in Mexico, Catia started posting videos of the patients on social media and many of them spread quickly.
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“She needs me.” Those were the exact words I spoke to my husband when I spotted Dottie, a little dog we found at a local shelter eight years ago.
Dottie leaned (倾斜) away when I tried to pet her and refused to let me hold her. While the other dogs jumped and barked, Dottie returned to the back of the cage, curled up in a ball, hoping us to leave her alone.
On the entire drive home, Dottie was in fear. So, upon arrival at our house, we got right to work. I held her as much as possible, touching her head and softly singing in her ear. We learned that she loved belly touch, so every time we passed by, we would offer a gentle touch. Eventually, we noticed her presenting her belly as we walked by her. I knew we were making real progress when I found her quietly sleeping on a chair one day, her head resting on one of my shoes. My heart melted (融化) as I realized she had brought it there because it contained my smell, and she wanted it nearby.
Ever so slowly, our little dog came to life. She began to play with toys, enjoy walks, and rest on our laps. There was no special treatment, no fancy food or toys. All we did was love her. And she grew well. She was so broken when we first met her that we had no idea what her true personality would be. But now we found a sweet, playful, loving soul.
One day, a few years after her adoption, I was busy doing housework around the house, doing laundry and climbing the stairs from the basement up to the main floor. When I finished, I sat down and enjoyed a well-deserved break. That’s when I realized I hadn’t seen Dottie for a while. I called to her and began searching. My heart raced and my pace quickened as I began checking under beds and behind sofa.
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, I remembered the door to the basement.
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I held her in my arms tightly, telling her how sorry I was.
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The year 2013 marked a turning point in my life. In June, my husband was offered a new Job in Ghana. Feeling that I had hit a career bottleneck as a photographer and copywriter (广告文字撰写人), I, without any hesitation, made the decision to relocate with him.
While my husband engaged in work, my visa didn’t grant me the same privilege. But that’s okay. I didn’t know what to do anyway. I was left isolated, homesick and lacking purpose. Our new home was a bungalow near a river that cut across expansive grasslands. With few people around our home, I turned to nature, which had been a fondness of mine since childhood. Every day, I would take my camera and wander around, photographing aimlessly.
It wasn’t long before September arrived, bringing the full flow of the rainy season. After one particularly bad thunderstorm, I found a finch (雀) — a poor little thing barely a month old with one wing broken — on the ground. Evidently, he had been abandoned by his flock, his nest blown from a tree. The sight was heartbreaking. He was the size of my lite finger. His eyes were tightly shut and he was shuddering, too young to survive alone. I somehow felt a connection with it. Immediately I scooped him up and cautiously placed him in a cardboard box with towels, mimicking a nest, and stayed up all night researching how to care for him.
The next day, he seemed to regain some energy. He woke with his mouth open, though still too weak to let out a call. I fed him some food and chirped (叽喳) at him. To my amusement, he chirped back and even climbed into my hand. I affectionately gazed at this adorable creature, who was now boldly pecking (啄) my fingers now and then. A surge of warmth ran through me. Tenderly stroking his feathers, I chirped a lullaby, singing him to sleep. Gradually, his eyes drooped and he drifted off. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the scene — as far as he was concerned, I was his mother.
Para 1. “I will take care of you.” I murmured, making my promise to him.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Para 2. At that moment I realized that as I dedicated myself to the finch’s care, something within me changed.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The four mountain climbers were still breathing heavily as they looked out into the distance. The views from the top of the mountain were breathtaking. In all directions, valleys, forests and other mountains were laid out before them. They could even see the small wooden houses of the village where they had spent the night and the route they had taken to reach the top of this small but dangerous mountain. Laughing loudly, they were surprised at their courage in climbing such a steep and rocky mountain slope. Filled with an enormous sense of achievement, the four young climbers patted each other on the back.
As the other three continued to enjoy the views, Jason, the leader of the group, stared at the horizon with a troubled look on his face.
“What is it, Jason?” Sofia, the youngest of the group, asked.
“Those dark clouds in the distance mean a heavy storm is fast on the way,” Jason replied. He remembered the villagers had warned him of the unpredictable weather conditions on top of the mountain and that a terrible storm could appear from nowhere.
“But it's so warm and sunny here. I don't think the storm is coming this way,” Sofia said, more in hope than expectation.
However, Jason feared the worst and knew only too well what would happen if the storm caught them in the open. He addressed the group in a calm but serious tone, “If the storm hits us, the temperature will fall dramatically. The rain and mist will make it difficult for us to see where we are going and we could easily get lost or fall off a cliff. The wind will take our strength, so we need to get moving fast.”
The four mountain climbers packed up their facilities and immediately started back down the mountain. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, the storm was upon them sooner than expected. The wind screamed in their ears, the driving rain stung (刺痛) their eyes and the mist made it impossible for them to see clearly.
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。
With it getting dark, Jason decided that it was just too dangerous to continue.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Finally, the storm showed signs of stopping and the climbers decided to continue their way down the mountain.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Willie’s 11th birthday was coming. His aunt sent him a birthday present—a small nice notebook. There was a place in it for a pencil. Willie valued it a lot and always kept it in his pocket. When he found something interesting, he would write it down in the book.
One afternoon, after Willie came back from school, he called his best friend, Caper, a well-trained shepherd dog and said, “Come, Caper! Let’s go out and have fun.” They went to the pasture field (牧场) to catch the butterflies and there they found a shaft (通风井), which seemed to be deserted for a long time. Willie sat down on the edge of the shaft, bending over to see how deep it was. Suddenly, he lost his balance and fell in. “Help! Help!” Willie called desperately. But no response at all. He was so far away from the house. He made several attempts to climb up the shaft but again he failed! Now Willie was exhausted and frustrated. When Caper saw his master falling into the shaft, the little good companion ran round and round, reaching down and trying to pull him out. Unfortunately, a piece of rock gave way under his feet, and he fell in the shaft too!
It was getting dark. When Willie’s mother, Mrs. Lee came back from work and found there was no one at home, she was anxious and worried. Without any clue at home, she decided to look for Willie outside. She went to all the trees under which Willie was in the habit of playing, but he was nowhere to be found. By this time, the sun had gone down. A feeling of panic took hold of Mrs. Lee. She comforted herself that Willie might have come back. She rushed back, hoping to find her son at home.
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。
She found Caper sitting in front of the door, with a notebook in his mouth.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Willie told Mum how he came up with the idea after he was successfully rescued.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I was in about 40 feet of water all by myself. I knew I should not have gone alone, but I was rather competent and just took a chance. There was not much current, and the water was so warm, clear and attractive. When I got a cramp (抽筋), I realized at once how foolish I was. I was not too alarmed, but was completely doubled up with stomach cramps. I tried to remove my weight belt, but I was so doubled up I could not get to the catch. I was sinking and began to feel more frightened, unable to move. I could see my watch and knew there was only a little more time on the tank before I would be out of air. I tried to massage (按摩) my stomach. I wasn’t wearing a wet suit, but couldn’t straighten out and couldn’t get to the cramped muscles with my hands. I thought, “I can’t go like this! I have things to do!” I just couldn’t die this way with no one to even know what happened to me. I called out in my mind, “Somebody, something, help me!”
I was not prepared for what happened. Suddenly I felt a push from behind me under the arm. I thought, “Oh no, sharks!” I felt real fear and desperate. But my arm was being lifted forcefully. Around into my field of vision came an eye — the most extraordinary eye I could ever imagine. It was smiling. It was the eye of a big dolphin. Looking into that eye, I knew I was safe. I was flooded with relief. I felt that the animal was comforting me as well as lifting me toward the surface. My stomach cramps went away and I relaxed with security.
At the surface it drew me all the way into shore. It took me into water so shallow that I began to be concerned that it might be beached, and I pushed it back a little deeper, where it waited, watching me, I guess to see if I was all right.
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。
When I took off the weight belt and oxygen tank, I went back into the ocean to the dolphin.
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After a while it brought me back to shore.
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