It was a dream born in fire. Andrea Peterson was 5 when she was trapped on the ledge (窗台) of a burning building.
“Throw the kid down!” said one of the firemen below, whose eyes are firm and courageous, along with professional rescue techniques. Seeing this, little Andrea jumped into lifesaving arms and a life-long ambition: She wanted to fight fires as her rescuers did.
She told that to the men who had saved her, and they laughed naturally the way grown-ups do when a kid says he wants to be an astronaut or a sports star. But this was back in a time when little girls weren’t even allowed to fantasize (幻想) about such grand goals.
“You’ll be a good mommy,” the firemen told her. “You’ll be a good teacher, maybe you’ll be a nurse, but you can never be a fireman.”
Indeed, life sidelined her ambitious dream. She was studying for a degree in aviation technology (航空科技) and that’s where she met her husband, Dennis. Unfortunately, Dennis was diagnosed with cancer. Peterson spent 31 years caring for the man she loved, and in 2007, when Dennis was about to leave, he was at peace but worried for her. “But what are you going to do?” “I’ll be fine,” she told him.
At 61, she attended a course for emergencies. She went on an ambulance ride-along from time to time. It turned out to be a life-and-death situation, which reminded her of the childhood experience back in the fire. But every time she saw people who were in need were successfully rescued, Peterson felt that long-ago childhood calling. She earned her emergency medical technician license and responded to fire calls with the ambulance. She found that her years of tending to Dennis had prepared her for dealing with the variety of hurts and ills. The inside calling echoed increasingly stronger.
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。
After a year, she signed up for a training unit for firefighters.
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Finally came the written and physical fitness test day.
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The teacher was new. She was a substitute(代替者). She wrote that word “Mugs”(马克杯)on the blackboard when she arrived. Today, she said we were making mugs for Mother’s Day. They were white and would say WORLD’S BEST MOM on the side. Some kids couldn’t read it, but I could. Dad had been teaching me. I could read The Magic School Bus by myself now.
When the new teacher tried to give me a mug, I told her I didn’t want one. Her eyes widened. “I’m sorry, what was your name?”
“Milo,” I told her, “and I don’t need a cup.”
“Why not, Milo?” she asked in confusion.
I was ready to say, “Because my mom doesn’t live with us anymore and she left two years ago. Dad said he doesn’t know where she is, so I won’t be able to give her a mug.” Speaking this, I thought of a day, a long time ago, when I was four. Mom came home from work and gave Dad a chocolate bar and me a doll. And Dad was confused because he and Mom had been mad at each other the day before. But he wasn’t mad any more because she gave him chocolate, I guess. He was happy and surprised and he picked Mom up and tried to spin(使旋转)her around but he almost dropped her and I fell off the couch because I was laughing so hard. What sweet memories! However, she left us. From then on, Dad and I lived with each other and he waited on me hand and foot.
Suddenly, a gentle touch on my hair called my mind back. “You can give it to your father as a gift,” the teacher said, looking at me gently. I stood in silence. And next to me, Amelia was already gluing pink flowers all over her mug, and I wanted to do that too, and it didn’t seem fair that she got a mug and a mom and I didn’t get either.
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 looked back at the teacher and took a mug out of her hands and said,
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So when Dad picked me up after school, I hid the mug at the bottom of my backpack.
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That night, after a couple of restless hours, Dora woke up suddenly at midnight. She went to her bathroom. Stepping on the carpet she noticed it was damp. Looking out, she found that muddy water was inching up the wood-paneled walls! She ran to her father’s bedside. “Daddy, Daddy,” she cried, shaking him violently. “Wake up. There’s water in the house!”
Barefoot and wearing only shorts, Dykstra walked to the entrance and opened the door. What he saw shook him wide-awake. Duchess, their dog, was standing just outside the door, her feet in six inches of water. That meant the roadway, their only means of escape, was flooded. He hid his anxiety. They climbed up the ladder-like stairs to a loft (阁楼) above the living room. From there they could hear the water filling the room below, creeping (缓慢地行进) toward them. Suddenly the whole house trembled as if struck by an earthquake. The next instant they found themselves floating, and the wooden house being swept along the river! Terrified that the cabin would sink and take them down with it, Dykstra decided that they would have to get out. Wrapping his arms tightly round his daughter, he plunged (猛冲) into the icy water.
The house was behind them now, chasing them through the darkness. Before he could get out of its path, the house – pushed by the tremendous (巨大的) power of the water – pinned him at the trunk. His ribs (肋骨) were crushed. His left leg was broken. He lost consciousness. Then the house shifted, releasing him. Dora found herself drifting downstream, her unconscious father beside her. “Don’t die, Daddy!” she cried. “Please!”
Perhaps it was the cry of the little girl that stirred Dykstra to consciousness. In the pale moonlight, Dykstra spotted an island formed by some rubbish that had got caught in some treetops. Fighting against the current and his pain, he swam toward it. Dora climbed onto the small pile of timbers (木材) and pulled her father, who was fighting for breath, from the rushing water onto the timbers. Now, Dora realized, it was up to her to help him.
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。
Just then she was astonished to see a figure appear out of nowhere.
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Suddenly a voice from somewhere on the distant hillside broke the darkness.
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A few years ago, my mom went to the doctor to ask him about her neck, which had been a little bigger than usual． It turned out there was something t wrong with her lymph glands (淋巴结), and soon they scheduled Mom to have a biopsy (组织切片检查) on the seventh of September．
As soon as I found out, I was very angry, as September 7 is my birthday．They had promised to take me to see a spider- man movie and had a picnic in the yard．I shouted at her and everyone else, too． I even shouted at the dog． I started begging her to reschedule the biopsy, She gave me this look like she was about to cry and said, “I’m sorry, but I’ve done everything I can. I’ve got a disease. Could you forgive me?” Finally, I just yelled, “ I hate you!” and ran into my room, crying． I sat on my bed thinking —Why do things always have to happen to me? Everyone gets diseases． Why couldn’t mom just go to hospital another day?
For the next couple of weeks 1 remained silently angry． Deep down I knew 1 shouldn't act that way, but I did anyway． Anyone could see how sad I was making my mom． I knew it wasn't her fault, but I had to have someone to blame．
Finally, my birthday came． My parents left early in the morning for the hospital, and I was sent to our neighbor's house． No spider-man movie, no birthday present, and no picnic． Though I was taken good care of, I was not having a good time． “This isn't fair,” I thought． “This was supposed to be my day．”
My parents came home late that night． Mom walked in with a bandage on her neck． She sat down and rested her head on my dad's shoulder． It hurt so badly that it was difficult for her to talk．
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；
Later that night, Mom asked me to get into her room and she pulled out a box.
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A week later when Mom got the test result, she bugged me tightly and said, “Thank God, it was not cancer(癌 症)!”
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Wrinkles of confusion rippled across Holly’s forehead as she opened the gift from her best friend, Susan.
“I...I thought you could use it for something.” Susan’s stammered explanation did nothing to help us understand why a twelve-by-eighteen-inch dark blue carpet remnant(残余物) was being presented as a birthday gift.
Holly, my daughter, tried bravely not to allow her disappointment to show. She laid the carpet on the kitchen counter, and the two girls headed outside to play.
The next morning, I carried a kitchen bag outside. My heart ached as I saw Susan’s carpet lying in the trash can. Hesitating only a moment, I reached in and picked it up. After giving it a light brushing, I brought it into the house and placed it in the hall closet. Occupied with the business of daily living, the carpet was soon forgotten.
Prior to Holly’s birthday, Susan had been a regular visitor in our home. On several occasions, she rode the bus home with Holly and was one of the few friends ever permitted to stay over on a school night. But now I realized it had been nearly three weeks since we’d even heard mention of Susan’s name. I missed her warm smile and eager-to-please ways.
One day, Holly had arrived home from school. “Susan invited me to come over to her house after school tomorrow,” she announced as she took her books down on the kitchen table. Although her voice carried a so-what attitude, I sensed she was pleased by the invitation.
Arrangements were made, and the girls rode home together on the school bus the following day. As I negotiated the winding country road that led to her house, Susan chatted nervously about her foster mom and the seventeen cats she had taken in and cared for. Soon we arrived at Susan’s house.
Paragraph 1:
A woman wearing a shapeless sweater stood in the doorway to greet us as we approached the small shabby farmhouse.
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Paragraph 2:
Hearing my words about everything of Susan, Holly sat silently in the car, with her head stretching forward(前伸) as if willing the car to move faster.
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Grady and his family go camping every summer. As it was becoming hotter, here came the camping time.
Having planned the camp long, the family finally decided the destination --- the Great National Forest. With food, necessity and cookers loaded onto the car, the family squeezed into the car. The car door closed, heat was shut outside.
In the car, Jared, Grady's younger brother was playing with a toy dinosaur, making great noise. Grady's mother talked excitedly with his father. On settling in the car, Grady put on the earphone and turned on the music. He neither wanted to join his brother nor joined any talk. After what seemed to be hours, the car stopped where they headed. Grady threw down his backpack and slammed the car door.
“This will be a lengthy week,“ he said unhappily to no one in particular. He looked around the campground. Hundreds of tall and green fir trees, some as tall as church towers, covered the mountainside like a green carpet. The sun would be setting soon. Grady thought maybe the heat wouldn't be unbearable. But actually now in the mountain, the hot stickiness of July was closely attached to him.
Grady hated camping, but it was something his family stuck to every summer. His father liked cooking over an open air, telling stories about how to survive things like bear attacks and bites of bees. His mother and Jared liked to hike and take pictures of animals. Jared had a collection of bug pictures that he had pinned to the walls in his half of their room. Grady thought they were just scary and proof that Jared was a strange kid.
They set up camp - two tents, one for his parents and one for himself and Jared. While everyone else started preparing dinner, Grady, looking for some place to cool down, set off for the nearby stream, which was deep enough to swim in.
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。
As Grady got close to the stream, an adorable bear cub (幼崽)caught his eye.
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Turning around, he saw an angry bear moving swiftly towards him.
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Last Saturday I received a call from my close friend, Peter. He asked me to help with his group who provided musical performances at the local hospitals. At first I was unwilling to go because of my unfinished homework, but I was finally persuaded into helping out this one time, which turned out to be an unforgettable and fruitful experience.
That evening, I was picked up by Peter and went to a local hospital with him, taking my guitar and hoping I could sing some solo songs with his musical group.
An extremely large hospital came into our sight. When guided into the hall, we were shocked to find so many patients and staff there. What we saw next aroused our sympathy. Some patients were in wheelchairs or with their arms in bandages, while others were with their drips attached. Some faces were rather pale; some wore worried expressions; some walked as fast as they could. Maybe their days seemed to be dull during the period of their treatment, so our coming brought some color into their lives. Seeing their happy faces, I thought it was worthwhile to join Peter's group.
Among the audience, I spotted one particular young girl aged about 16, who was wearing a head scarf and appeared to be more delighted than the others. When we started our performance, excitement filled the hall. Peter mentioned to me that the young girl I had noticed earlier was singing along with all our songs quietly to herself. At a break, out of curiosity, I asked one of the nurses about the girl. She said that the girl suffered serious burns and was under treatment and that she was a bit down these days, but our performance had lifted her spirits. Our songs moved all the people present. They all cheered for us, including the young girl and we were inspired. Facing these lovely people, we really wanted to do more.
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。
We asked the girl if she would like to sing with us.
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After her performance, I saw a change in the girl's eyes.
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