“WOW. I can’t believe how many people are showing up for this!” Dandelion Pinkley said. She stood in the wide parking lot of the E-Z Life Elephant Sanctuary, watching a lot of cars getting close. Her brother Doodlebug, their cousin Rudyard, and other kids were with her. All of them were ready to wash those cars.
The elephants who lived at E-Z Life had been saved. Now they enjoyed a safe home. And every clean car meant a few more dollars to support their well-being. So working the car wash was a great way to spend a summer day!
The first few cars parked. The drivers paid, and the kids got to work.
“My car is messy!” one driver said as she paid up.
“You’re not kidding.” Doodlebug said. He began washing it.
Nearby, Cousin Rudyard began shining the bumpers (保险杠) on a classic car. “Whoopee!” he shouted. “I love this car, and it’s perfect now!”
He turned to the next car, singing a funny elephant song along with some other kids. A few elephants began to come together at the wooden fence (栅栏).
“They’re happy,” Dandelion’s best friend, Tomiko, said.
“And look at the babies,” Dandelion said, as one put its trunk (象鼻) through the fence and waved at them. “We need to work faster, so we can get them more money!”
All the kids stepped up the action. For a while, it was a lot of fun. The car wash went perfectly. People drove up and paid their money. But the noise and the summer heat began to wear the young car washers down.
“I can’t take this too much longer,” Doodlebug said to his sister.
“I know,” Dandelion agreed, “but there are still so many cars waiting for a wash.” The line of cars seemed endless.
“I need a break,” Rudyard said.
“But we need to help the elephants!” Dandelion said, wanting nothing more than to take a rest. A second later she did.
“What’s the matter with you kids?” one driver complained (抱怨). “It’s only midmorning. You can’t stop working because of tiredness. You’re kids!”
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。
Doodlebug complained, but he started to work again.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________But before Dandelion reached the next car in line, the elephants had begun shooting water out their trunks and spraying (喷洒) each car clean.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________An Unforgivable Mistake
A few years ago, the company I work for sent my wife and me to live in New York for a year. I’ve always loved jogging, so I was really happy when I found the apartment they had rented for us was next to Central Park. This meant that every morning I could go for a run before I went to work.
Because a lot of people had told me to be careful of muggers (行凶抢劫者) in the park, I didn’t usually take anything with me. How could they rob me if I didn’t have anything? But one morning my wife asked me to buy some bread on the way home, so I put a $10 bill in my back pocket.
It was a beautiful morning and the park was quiet with very few people walking or jogging around. While I was running, another jogger bumped (撞) into me. He apologized and continued running. For a while, I didn’t think too much of it. However, when I noticed the wide path where I was running, I thought it was kind of strange. The warning of muggers in the park occurred to me. It could have been a mugger! I suddenly became alarmed, so I checked my pocket. The money was missing! I immediately started to run after the jogger. I finally caught up with and grabbed him firmly by the arm. I started shouting and demanding that he give me the $10 bill. I’m not usually a hot-headed person, but I really lost my temper at that moment. I couldn’t believe the robbery was actually happening to me. Filled with anger, I shook my fist at him. This seemed to frighten him. He quickly put his hand in his pocket and gave me the money. Then he ran away as fast as he could.
I bought the bread and went home. As soon as I got home, I couldn’t wait to tell my wife the story. “You won’t believe what happened to me,” I started with pride. She immediately interrupted (插话), “I know, you left the money for the bread on the kitchen table.”
注意：续写词数应为150左右。Paragraph 1:
Looking at the money on the table, I stood there, shocked.
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For several days, I waited at the same place.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . Cancer-fighting genes in elephants could help tackle one of the biggest killers of people, according to research. Despite their large bodies and long lifespans, elephants are much less likely to die from cancer than humans, with death rates of less than 5 percent.
The paradox has puzzled scientists because more cells lead to greater replications (复制), which increases the possibility of the body failing to detect damaged DNA or a faulty cell that can result in tumors(肿瘤). Elephants live for almost as long as humans and weigh up to five tons.
However, a group of British and European scientists say they have taken a big step towards solving Peto’s paradox, named after the British epidemiologist Sir Richard Peto. Elephants, they say, carry a much larger more diverse group of tumor-fighting proteins.
The findings, published last week in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, raise hopes that the cancer fighting genes in elephants could be the key to tackling cancer, which kills about 167, 000 Britons yearly. Cells keep dividing throughout an organism’s life, each carrying the risk of producing a tumor. One of the body’s weapons is a gene called p53 known as the “guardian of the genome”, which hunts cells with faulty DNA. It encourages the cell to repair itself or self-destruct, keeping the cell from combining with others and producing tumors.
Humans have two versions of p53 but elephants have 40, said the researchers. Biochemical analysis and computer simulations also showed that an elephant’s p53 genes are structurally slightly different, providing a much larger anti-cancer toolkit. The researchers suspect that while faulty cells might be able to skirt two p53 versions, they cannot combine with other cells as easily in the face of dozens.
The findings will open the way for research on how p53 genes of elephants are activated and on medical treatment for humans.
1. What has puzzled scientists?| A．Few elephants end up dying from cancer. | B．Elephants live long and weigh enormously. |
| C．More cells lead to higher chances of tumors. | D．A larger body is less likely to discover faulty cells. |
| A．How many Britons die each year. | B．How the anti-cancer gene works. |
| C．How the research was carried out. | D．What the findings have been applied to. |
| A．Strengthen. | B．Detect. | C．Escaped. | D．Cure. |
| A．Scientists find elephants live longer than humans. | B．P53 genes play essential role in preventing cancer. |
| C．Elephant genes could be key to fighting cancer. | D．Groundbreaking treatment for cancer is on the way. |
4 . Including children in the farming lifestyle has many benefits. Sure, it is nice to have the additional help with chores, but it also fosters so much growth, sending our kids down a good path towards who they will someday become. It is possible that our children will grow up to lead lives that do not include farming.
Through caring for farm animals, kids learn that in life others often come before self.
Additionally, farming teaches patience.
There may not be any instant reward, but in the long-term kids will see the benefit of all their efforts during those hard days.
| A．Fairly often, things do not go your way. |
| B．Kids also learn to be grateful to animals. |
| C．In the meantime, they learn to work with others. |
| D．Teamwork is no longer a significant skill to develop and use. |
| E．Animals need to be fed and cared for before we get to sit down and relax. |
| F．Kids are also able to comprehend the value of hard work through farm life. |
| G．What they learn on a farm, however, can be instrumental in their future lives. |
1. What is Jennifer doing?
| A．Hosting a meeting | B．Serving a customer | C．Having an interview |
| A．Sales techniques | B．Interpersonal skills | C．Language knowledge |
| A．Dealing with a complaint. |
| B．Arguing with the manager. |
| C．Receiving an unreasonable phone call |
| A．Apply for the position | B．Make a decision | C．Wait for a call. |
I was sitting next to Missy in my 9th-grade world history class when Mrs. Bartlett announced a new project: In groups, we were to create a newspaper about the culture we were studying.
On a piece of paper, we wrote the names of three friends we wanted in our group. After collecting all the requests, Mrs. Bartlett told us that she would take into consideration our choices and let us know the results the next day.
After the bell rang the next day, Missy and I waited anxiously as Mrs. Bartlett started to call out names. When she reached group three, Missy’s name was called. I would be in the same group, I thought, as I knew we had chosen each other. Then the other three names were called. Mine was not included. There must be some mistake!
Then I heard it. The last group: Mauro, Juliette, Rachel, Karina! I could feel tears well in my eyes. How could I face being in that group-the boy, Mauro, who barely spoke English and his lack of friends; Juliette, who, from West Asia, was always covered by long skirts to her ankles; and the other girl who wore odd clothes. Oh, how I wanted to be with my friends!
I fought back tears as I walked up to Mrs. Bartlett. Knowing what I was there for, she looked at me and gently placed a hand on my shoulder.
”I know what you want, Karina,” she said, “but your group needs you. I need you to help them get a passing grade on this assignment. Will you help them?”
I was stunted. She had seen something in me even I hadn’t seen. “Yes,” I replied. I couldn’t believe it came out of my mouth, but it did. Then I bravely walked to where the others in my group was, sat down and started to work.
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。
Gradually, I grew interested in working with my new friends.
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Mrs. Bartlett gave us an A on that assignment.
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Trevor, a thirteen-year-old boy who could read well. Yet, in spite of his reading skills, Trevor was failing. He had been failing exams since first grade, as he was passed on from Grade 1 to Grade 7. Trevor was a big boy, looking much bigger than a thirteen year old. However, Trevor went unnoticed… until Miss Brown.
Miss Brown was smiling, young, and Trevor was attracted! Yet, still he failed. He never did his homework, and he was always in trouble with Miss Brown. His heart would break under her sharp words! Still, he did not study.
One day, the entire grade was tested for basic skills. Trevor hurried through his tests, and continued to dream of other things. His heart was in the woods, where he often escaped alone. No one checked on him. No one knew he was gone. Strangely, Trevor never missed a day of school.
The next day, Miss Brown’s impatient voice broke into his daydreams.
“Trevor, pay attention!”
Trevor locked his look on Miss Brown as she began to go over the test results for the seventh grade.
“You all did pretty well,” she told the class, “except for one boy, and it breaks my heart to tell you this, but…the smartest boy is failing my class!”
She just stared at Trevor, as the class turned around for a good look. Trevor dropped his eyes and carefully examined his fingertips.
After that, it was war! Trevor still wouldn’t do his homework. Even as the punishments became more severe, he remained stubborn (固执的).
“Just try it! ONE WEEK!” Miss Brown shouted. But Trevor was unmoved.
“You’re smart enough! You’ll see a change!” Totally unmoved.
“Trevor! Please! I care about you!”
Suddenly, Trevor got it! Someone cared about him? Someone, CARED ABOUT HIM?!
Trevor went home from school, thoughtful, that afternoon. Walking into the house, he took one look around. He, for the first time ever, gathered up his schoolbooks and did his homework.
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 following Monday he arrived at school earlier, waiting for Miss Brown to enter the classroom.
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“The smartest boy in our class had just passed his first test on homework!” announced Miss Brown.
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9 . “You should get a cat, ”my therapist(治疗专家)said. “A cat?” I couldn’t even look after myself. . I took a deep breath and carefully considered the idea of welcoming a feline (猫科的)friend into my life. This seemed like too easy a fix for the fact that I couldn’t leave the house without bursting into tears.
When my partner and I found Cinnamon, her adoption profile made her out as the perfect kitten. We filled out the paperwork and prepared for her arrival.
When she came home, it became increasingly obvious that Cinnamon didn’t understand “no”, “stop it” or “don’t do that”. She was the worst cat I’ve ever owned. I was beginning to doubt my therapist’s advice.
After visiting our vet, she concluded that Cinnamon just wanted our attention. She fought tooth and nail to get a bite of our meals. She’d fearlessly lick sharp knives when left unattended for a split second. Cinnamon stole my heart with her bravery and kept me busier than I’d ever expected.
We decided to start taking her for walks. I could barely leave the house before, but my heart couldn’t say no to Cinnamon. Cinnamon showed me what bravery looked like. She didn’t stop to consider every possible outcome of a situation; she simply went for it. If there was a dog at a park, she would run toward it. She jumped without knowing where she would land. She loved adventure. I found myself mirroring her behavior after a while, jumping out of bed without a second thought. I began to find the motivation to get out of bed in the morning.
Cinnamon unfortunately passed away after a medical accident. I’m no stranger to sadness or grief, but losing my pet so suddenly was the most confusing emotional experience I’ve had to date. She no longer wakes me up at 5 am begging for breakfast, but she’s still the reason I get up every morning.
Our time is often cut unpredictably, unmistakably short. It would be a shame to live life being anything less than brave and adventurous.
1. Why did the author’s therapist recommend that she get a cat?| A．To learn how to interact with animals. | B．To help the author fill up her spare time; |
| C．To solve the author’s fear of going out. | D．To distract the author’s attention from her pain. |
| A．Thrilled. | B．Amazed. | C．Pleased. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．Walking Cinnamon outdoors became an adventure for the author. |
| B．The author was positively affected by Cinnamon’s courageous behavior. |
| C．Cinnamon loved going outside and took consequences into consideration. |
| D．The author decided to take Cinnamon outside as she was too troublesome to stay in. |
| A．Life is short and unpredictable. | B．The loss of a pet can be painful. |
| C．We should have the courage to take risks. | D．Animal-assisted therapy is the best cure for mental illness. |
