1 . Two years ago, my friend Terry and I were living in our dormitory at our university. With his birthday approaching, he came to me with an unusual request. Instead of receiving presents and getting drunk (like most every other 21-year-old would), he wanted to do some acts of kindness. I was struck with such an idea. He told me about a TED talk he had watched online, which had inspired him.
Our university is not located in the safest area in Los Angeles. In fact, its location is so unsafe that the school employs the second largest private legal militia (民兵队伍) in the United States to protect its students. They have to work around the clock, standing on street corners throughout the university keeping watch. It’s a thankless job as most students grow used to seeing officers all around and finally hardly even notice their presence.
How could we show them our appreciation? We rented a truck and asked its driver to drive us around the place where we knew the officers would be and we poured them each a cup of hot chocolate. The truck driver was a bit hesitant (犹豫的) about our plan at first but after a while he was helping us spot officers and our lively spirits had spread to him as well. Smiles and appreciative words from the officers impressed us a lot. Soon they were talking about us over their radio and we were the ones being spotted and called over. Finally, the hot chocolate seemed secondary (次要的) to their interest in meeting us, the two boys that went around with hot chocolate expecting to share some late-night laughter. It was amazing to see how a small simple act can lift everyone’s spirits.
1. What inspired Terry to celebrate his birthday in a different way?| A．A radio speech. | B．An online video. |
| C．His concern for other people. | D．Other 21-year-old’s birthday celebrations. |
| A．They don’t think the officers perform their duty well. |
| B．They feel frightened to see the officers around. |
| C．They are not used to being watched by the officers. |
| D．They seldom appreciate the officers’ hard work. |
| A．He was unwilling to accept the idea. |
| B．He couldn’t wait to join the two boys. |
| C．He was strongly against the idea. |
| D．He was struck with the idea. |
| A．Lovely officers around the school |
| B．Importance of school safety |
| C．A unique birthday request |
| D．Late-night laughter |
Pumpkin(南瓜)carving at Halloween is a family tradition. We visit a local farm every October. In the pumpkin field, I compete with my three brothers and sister to seek out the biggest pumpkin. My dad has a rule that we have to carry our pumpkins back home, and as the eldest child I have an advantage — I carried an 85-pounder back last year.
This year, it was hard to tell whether my prize or the one chosen by my 14-year-old brother, Jason, was the winner. Unfortunately we forgot to weigh them before taking out their insides, but I was determined to prove my point. All of us were hard at work at the kitchen table, with my mom filming the annual event. I’m unsure now why I thought forcing my head inside the pumpkin would settle the matter, but it seemed to make perfect sense at the time.
With the pumpkin resting on the table, hole uppermost, I bent over and pressed my head against the opening. At first I got jammed just above my eyes and then, as I went on with my task, unwilling to quit, my nose briefly prevented entry. Finally I managed to put my whole head into it, like a cork(软木塞)forced into a bottle. I was able to straighten up with the huge pumpkin resting on my shoulders.
My excitement was short-lived. The pumpkin was heavy. “I’m going to set it down, now,” I said, and with Jason helping to support its weight, I bent back over the table to give it somewhere to rest. It was only when I tried to remove my head that I realized getting out was going to be less straightforward than getting in. When I pulled hard, my nose got in the way. I got into a panic as I pressed firmly against the table and moved my head around trying to find the right angle, but it was no use. “I can’t get it out!” I shouted, my voice sounding unnaturally loud in the enclosed space.
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：
I was stuck for five to six minutes though it felt much longer.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2：
That video was posted the day before Halloween.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A trip to a water park can be a fun adventure for families, couples or a group of friends. Whether you prefer relaxing in a tube on a lazy river or riding a water roller coaster, a trip to one of the nation's water parks offers something exciting to everyone. However, the fun does not come without risks. People who plan to go to a water park should be careful enough and follow rules to avoid these risks.
Drowning (溺水) is one of the greatest dangers in water parks, especially for young children. The ability to swim is the most important skill in a water park. Before you go to a water park, make sure that all the people in your group know how to swim well. Do not swim in water that does not have a lifeguard on the scene. Many parks provide life jackets for free - do prepare some in case some people need them.
People usually choose to go to water parks on clear sunny days, which means that they are easy to get sun burnt, or even get heatstroke. Most of the water parks are open areas with little shelter or few buildings to block the sun, so it can be dangerous for people who have fair and sensitive (敏感的) skin to spend a whole day there. Be sure to wear a hat and a shirt with sleeves over your bathing suit while you are walking around.
In rare cases, water park guests may be subjected to polluted water. Some illnesses are easily spread in such situation. The most common cause of water pollution is small children who are not old enough to go to the toilet. Water parks have been trying their best to avoid the spread of diseases. However, pollution is still possible. Guests can protect themselves by trying not to swallow any water and washing their hands after playing with shallow and still water.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
