A man called, asking if an owl（猫头鹰）could be rescued. Ellen Kalish was happy to help, who runs the Manhattan Wildlife Center in New York. She is used to getting calls about taking in wild animals. The caller told her where this tiny owl was hiding out. It was found inside the Christmas tree in the Rockefeller Center, where it is a yearly tradition to decorate trees. But this year, the tree looked a little worse. Many people made fun of its branches. They called the tree a “symbol of 2020”, meaning its sad look reminded them how tough the past year was.
The tale of the owl’s rescue quickly became the highlight of this year’s tree. Before the tree was put up to decorate, one of the workers caught sight of the creature. It was buried in the base of the tree. The owl most likely traveled with the tree on its journey to Manhattan. But there was no proof about where it came from and how it ended up stuck in this tree. Getting the little bird out from the base of the tree, the worker noticed that the creature got badly injured and seemed not to eat or drink anything for a few days. She was too weak to fly, but luckily she was still alive.
In that case, the worker had to bring the owl home. He named her Rocky as he spotted her in the Rockefeller Center. Considering he himself had no idea how to keep an owl, he decided to find a place that rescues wildlife animals. That was why he called the Center. After Kalish got the full story about the bird, she met the man at a gas station. Then the man handed her a box with the owl inside.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡相应位置作答。
Kalish took the box carefully.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Rocky didn’t look that terrible as she was in the box a week before.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year -old highly educated son. Suddenly a crow (乌鸦) perched (栖息) on their window.
The father asked his son, “what is this?” The son replied, “It is a crow.”
After a few minutes, the father asked his son for the second time, “What is this?” The son said, “Father , I have just now told you, it is a crow!”
After a little while, the old father again asked his son for the third time, “What is this?”
At this time some expression of irritation (恼怒) was felt in the son’s tone when he said to his father with a rebuff (生硬回绝) . “It’s a crow , a crow.” A little while later, the father again asked his son the fourth time, “ What is this?”
This time, the son shouted at his father, “ Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again, although I have told you so many times ‘IT IS A CROW’. Are you not able to understand this?’
A little while later the father went to his room and came back with an old tattered (发皱的) diary, which he had maintained since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page. When the son read it, the following words were written in the diary:
“Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa, when a crow was sitting on the window. My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question. I did not at all feel annoyed but I rather felt love for my innocent son.
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150词左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
Paragraph 1:
After reading the diary,
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Paragraph 2:
Feeling ashamed , the son got down on his knees before his father.
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Iceland is a coastal country, where much of its land is below sea level. Dikes (堤坝) are great walls that stop the sea from rushing in and flooding the country. For many centuries the people of Iceland have worked to keep the walls strong to keep their country safe. Even little children there are quite aware that a small hole in the walls can cause great damage to the country. There was a boy who was named Paul.
His father was one of the men who would open and close the gates in the dikes for the ships to pass out of the Iceland’s canals into the great sea.
One cold afternoon when Paul was eight years old, his mother asked him to deliver some cakes she baked to his blind friend who lived across the dike. Paul stayed with him for a while, shared his experience of the walk and described the sun, the flowers, and the ships far out in the sea. Then he found it was dark totally. So he said goodbye to his friend and set out for home immediately. On his way back, as he walked beside the canal, he noticed that the water had risen a lot because of rain and it was beating against the dike violently.
As Paul was walking along, he suddenly heard a noise of trickling (滴流的) water. He stopped and saw a small hole in the dike through which a tiny stream was flowing. Paul knew the danger that could be caused as the little hole would soon become a larger one and the whole country could be flooded. So he climbed down the side of the dike and put his finger into the tiny hole. The flowing of the water stopped in no time.
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。
Paul shouted for help, but in vain (徒劳).
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Early the next morning, a man going for work heard Paul’s groan (呻吟) .
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When I moved to Dallas in the fourth grade, I noticed I was behind in my reading at Saint Michael’s School. Reading out loud, I had difficulty with half the sentences.
My teacher, Mrs Agnew, said my reading comprehension (理解力) and ability to pronounce words were at a lower level than other fourth graders’. I was nervous every time she called on me to read aloud because, although I would try my hardest, she would always have to help me with the words. She guessed I suffered from dyslexia (诵读困难), and she suggested I be tested for dyslexia.
At first, I didn’t want to be tested because I feared it would prove I truly had dyslexia. However, finally, I decided to receive the test.
One morning, I went to hospital with my parents and met Dr. Waites. Before long, I began to take the test. The test made me feel uncomfortable, and I was frightened to answer the questions related to the test, in fear of facing failure. When the test ended, Dr. Waites said the test results showed that I had dyslexia, I was shocked and felt upset. Dr.Waites comforted (安慰) me, saying that his hospital had many other kids who had dyslexia. Then, he smiled and suggested ways to get over dyslexia.
According to him, I should often read books and understand what was read. And I should try to read aloud, and build a vocabulary of recognized and understood words. Besides, I should often do physical exercise. And he suggested I receive speech therapy (治疗) in his hospital every few days. As for my parents, Dr. Waites suggested they spare time to read aloud with me.
After returning home, I searched information on the Internet and further leaned about dyslexia. I found it was not easy for a person to get over dyslexia. I had little confidence that I could succeed in removing my dyslexia, and I was worried and frightened about my future. Noticing it, my parents tried to encourage me.
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: They brought me a book about some people defeating life challenges.
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Para 2: Several years later, when I volunteered at the same hospital, a girl who had dyslexia asked me to read a book to her.
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It was a beautiful May morning. As usual, I started my day by sitting outside breathing the fresh air as I read my book and drank my coffee. Afterwards, there were two things I was determined to do. First, make sure my husband got our small Christmas trees down from the attic(阁楼) and, second, take several bags of clothes, blankets and comforters to the donation center. I had been faithful in doing that every year, but for whatever reason, I had delayed this year and the bags were now piling up and overflowing.
After reading for a while, I went into the bedroom to ask my husband to bring the trees down. He was asleep so I figured I’d surprise him and get them down by myself.
I went to the garage to access the attic storage and moved our tall metal ladder into place. I had to move the bags of clothing and blankets out of the way, determined once again to get those to the donation center.
I climbed the ladder, and two steps from the top I was able to reach up and push open the attic door. Then, with my feet on the very last step and part of my upper body in the attic, I saw my trees. I awkwardly raised my leg to climb onto the attic floor. Looking down, and then looking up again, I decided that this was actually too much for me. I should wait for my husband to get them.
As I stepped down, my foot missed the shaky ladder’s step. With one foot swinging and the other on the top step, I grabbed(抓住) the attic floorboard and called my husband. Unfortunately, he couldn’t hear me. As I went to take another step down, the ladder suddenly came out from under me, loudly crashing onto the concrete(混凝土的) garage floor, leaving me hanging from the attic with sweaty hands. In that second, which seemed like a century, I prayed and then called my husband.
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。
With my body swinging in midair and my hands slowly sliding closer to the edge, I fell.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Arriving at the emergency center, I anxiously waited to see the doctor.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My teacher held up a piece of broken glass and asked, “Who broke this window?” Thirty boys tried to think about not only what they had done, but also what our teacher might have found out. She seldom became angry, but she was this time.
“Oh,” I thought. I was the one who broke the window. It was caused by a naughty throw of a baseball. If I admitted guilt, I would be in a lot of trouble. How would I be able to pay for a big window like that? I didn’t even get an allowance (零花钱). “My father is going to have a temper,” I thought. I didn’t want to raise my hand, but some force much stronger than I was pulled it skyward. I told the truth, “I did it.” Then I was silent. It was hard enough saying what I had.
My teacher went to one of our bookshelves and took down a book on bird field guide. She then began walking towards my desk. I had never seen my teacher to strike a student, but I feared she was going to start with me.
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 was so afraid that I closed my eyes tightly.
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I was very moved.
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Ever since I can remember, I’ve always been shy. The thought of talking to new people or being the center of attention made my heart race and palms sweat. As I entered middle school, this shyness turned into social anxiety, making it even harder for me to interact with my peers.
One day, during a class presentation, I stumbled (结巴) over my words and everyone laughed. I felt extremely ashamed. That only made my social anxiety worse, and I started avoiding speaking in front of others.
My parents noticed my struggle and suggested I talk to our family therapist (治疗专家), Dr. Smith. At first, I hesitated, but I knew I needed help. During our first period, Dr. Smith explained that social anxiety was a common issue and there were ways to overcome it. She recommended some effective treatments. Over the next few months, I attended weekly treatment with Dr. Smith. Slowly but surely, I began to feel more confident in myself. As part of the treatment, Dr. Smith encouraged me to take part in school events and clubs that interested me. It was terrifying to put myself out there, but I knew it was necessary for my growth.
注意：
1.续写词数应为120左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
A few days later, a school speech contest was to be held.
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After the contest, I went to visit Dr. Smith happily.
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My friend invited me to a trapeze (高空秋千) class. I was doubtful because of a lack of courage and a short of self-confidence, but her enthusiasm and assurances of strict safety rules won me over.
I had been fearful of heights since elementary school and avoiding my fear of heights became second nature. But here I was, at age twenty-six, facing my fear of heights in a rather extreme way. I had come around to the idea of trying trapeze. I figured it wasn’t much different from swinging (舞动) on the monkey bars as a kid. One difficulty I didn’t expect was the ladder (梯子). In order to reach the trapeze, I had to climb up a twenty-two-foot ladder.
I could hear one of my classmates expressing her impatience with my slow climb up the ladder. “If she’s afraid of heights, why did she sign up for a trapeze class?” However, my friend was at the top of the ladder, trying to encourage me. Besides, his distraction techniques helped to take my mind off my dangerous task. I found a rhythm(节奏) and kept going. With a slow and steady pace, I made it to the top. The cheers from my classmates rang out below.
An instructor told me to step to the edge of the platform. He reminded me of the safety rules, including the net below that would catch me at the bottom. He also asked me to listen to the directions while in the air, so I could perform a trick.
As the instructor counted down, I took a deep breath and pushed off the platform, swinging back and forth. At that moment, I lost awareness of time and space. Fortunately, the instructor’s voice came over the loudspeaker, giving me step-by-step instructions for performing a trick. Instead of doubting my inability to perform the trick, I took his directions one step at a time.
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。
During my flight on the trapeze, my fear didn’t completely leave me.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________This experience opened up a new way of seeing myself and approaching other challenges.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________During breakfast, Alan suggested going to the Lego Land to have fun and his mom agreed.
“We’ll stop by the supermarket and buy some snacks and fruits. Now hurry and eat and then we’ll go. It’s going to be a lovely day. Grandma is coming with us. She’ll be here any minute.”
Alan ate his breakfast and then ran into his room to get his shoes. The problem was that he could only find one of them. He looked under his bed, but all he could see were dirty pants. He moved some of his toys out of the way, but still couldn’t find his shoe. After he had checked everywhere in his room, he ran into the kitchen. “Mom, I can’t find my shoe. Will you wait while I look for it?” he asked.
His mom thought about how many times she’d told Alan to clean his room up. She said something to Alan’s grandma in a low voice. Then, she said to Alan,“You will have to stay home. Your dad and I will take your brother Alex to the Lego Land. Grandma will stay at home with you.”
“No! Please wait for me. I want to go to the Lego Land,” Alan cried. “I’m sorry, Alan. I’ve told you a dozen times to clean your room and you did not do it. You can’t find your shoe now. It’s your own fault for not cleaning your room.You will stay home.”
Alan ran into his bedroom, crying. His mom came to the door and said, “Alan, clean that room of yours before I get home. I’ve told Grandma not to give you any sweets until you make your room clean and tidy.” She went out with Alex and the brothers’ dad. After a minute, they drove away.
注意：
1．续写词数应为150左右；
2．请按如下格式作答。
Paragraph 1:
Alan sat on his bed and cried for a long time.
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Paragraph 2:
Alan and his grandma were sitting at the table, eating when his mom, dad and Alex came home.
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I was a volunteer for an organisation at the beginning of this year. The organisation is aimed at helping children who suffer from cancer. One day, we were asked to raise money for cancer research and programme funding at an event.
Since my friend Lisa was also a volunteer for the organisation, I went to the event with her. There were many people at the event. After seeing our poster, some people came to us and talked with us. But few people donated money. It was a bit hot that day. Both Lisa and I got really upset.
Half an hour later, Lisa started complaining, “I don’t think we can raise much money today. ”
“Don’t worry. The event lasts for three hours. There is still a lot of time left，” I said, though I also thought poorly of our plan to raise much money that day.
While Lisa and I were talking, a little boy of about eight years old came to us. He stood in front of our poster and started reading.
After a while, he asked, “What is cancer？”
I explained what cancer is. Then I said, “Many people around the world are suffering from cancer. It can be really dangerous. More research is needed to learn about it so that people with it can suffer less. That’s why we’re collecting money for it. ”
“Do children suffer from cancer, too？” asked the boy.
“Yes. Many children suffer from cancer. Some of them may die. They need help. ” Lisa said and I nodded.
Hearing that, the boy became sad. Then the boy asked, “How much money have you collected？”
Both Lisa and I were embarrassed to tell him that we didn’t raise much money. At last, we said, “Not much. ”
The boy looked into our donation container and only saw a few onedollar and fivedollar bills. The boy said nothing after seeing that and left. Then some girls came to us and we started talking with them. Neither Lisa nor I thought the boy would return. However, about twenty minutes later, the boy did return.
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。The boy happily ran to us and asked, “Would you take a donation from children？”
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Both Lisa and I were deeply touched.
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