Today was Sunday, so I was in no hurry to get out of bed. As I rolled over and stretched, I heard my father shouted, “Oh, dear, fire!” There was unmistakable urgency in his voice. Upon hearing that, I got up and hurried downstairs. And my mother who was preparing breakfast also stopped cooking immediately. My father showed us a video shot by some witness, where we saw a fire inside a building. My mother stood beside him and shook her head.
“What a pity! Is it local?” my mother asked. As a policeman, my father had a keen observation ability. “It’s your hospital!” he watched the screen carefully and said in surprise.
It turned out that a building of the hospital where my mother worked as a head nurse was on fire. We found out later that an old wire first caused the building to catch fire and it began to spread. The camera captured the firefighters’ figures in black and orange uniform as they aimed endless streams of water at the fire.
“I have to get there,” said my mother, feeling anxious. My father and I offered to go with her. She threw on uniform and drove to the site.
Luckily, the fire didn’t spread to the building where my mother worked. After making sure that it was safe, we came to my mother’s office. My mother’s co-workers came to the office off and on as well. They were horrified at the sight of the next building but still thought about how to help.
Through a front window, I suddenly saw the rows of medical records in the next building, and I hurried to tell my mother. She felt really nervous and instantly consulted with her co-workers about how to cope. The situation was very urgent. They knew that if they waited until the firefighters who were busy evacuating (疏散) patients got here, those recordings might burn up. The fire broke out before the records, which were irreplaceable histories of their patients, could be entered into the computer.
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。
They decided to rescue the records, and my father and I offered to help.
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Finally, some firefighters arrived.
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Microplastics in Water — a Wake-up Call for All of Us
Today researchers announced that they have found tiny pieces of plastic in water samples from around the world. These pieces are called microplastics and are so small that they are invisible to the naked eye and are very difficult to remove from the water. When in the water, they are swallowed by fish and other animals and then enter the food chain.
Even more concerning is the fact that the plastic has also been found in drinking water across the world. This means that we are drinking plastic every day. Scientists do not know what level of harm this will cause us in the future.
Microplastics come from a number of different sources, in particular from washing and drying synthetic (non-natural) clothing and from cosmetics and cleaning products, such as toothpaste and face washes. Microplastics are even found in the air outside and at our homes.
Almost every country across the world agrees that we cannot continue using so much plastic in our lives. We need to find a solution to remove microplastics from our oceans. We also need to introduce new taxes and other means to encourage companies to choose environment-friendly ingredients and recyclable packaging for their products.
We need to take personal responsibility, too. We all have the freedom to choose how we spend our money and what kids of business and products we support. Let’s work together to protect our environment, both now and for the future.
Remember: Reduce — Reuse — Recycle. (244 words)
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Drawing High Schoolers to Science
A group of educators and plant scientists at Michigan State University (MSU) are connecting to reshape science classes. And this particular partnership isn’t just helping students get a better understanding of biology; it’s turning them into young scientists, even if only during class.
It doesn’t take long to see that the curriculum born from this collaboration makes for a much different experience than the traditional high school biology classes. For starters, it has a comic book for a workbook. Secondly, students are getting their hands dirty growing plants. MSU researchers are also studying the plant. The high schoolers are asking some of the same questions professional plant scientists are trying to answer.
“We’re getting them engaged with science in science practices, not just having them learn about science,” says Hildah Makori, a researcher at MSU. “They learn to look at things differently. That’s a life-time impact.”
The main characters of the comic book are a pair of young field scientists. They invite the high school students to help with plant research inspired by a real project at MSU. By growing their own plants, the students learn about genetics, evolution and how these interact with the environment.
The team has seen how this practice could keep students in the driver’s seat of their learning. To help the characters out, students set up different experiments to test their ideas.
The program is working. “This comic personally gave me a click that sparked my curiosity,” reads one student’s survey response. “The comic book put a lot of creative atmosphere into the story instead of just looking at words, instead of just listening to the teacher talk,” says another.
Teachers also had positive reviews. In a survey, one remarked how helpful it was to have the comic to refer to. The students could see the comic’s characters doing something in the lab and realize, “I’m able to do this right here at my table and I can do the same thing,” the teacher says.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How to Be a Better Boss
Workplaces have changed dramatically over the past few years. Teams have become more isolated owing to remote work. Technology has brought great benefits but also constant interruptions, from endless Zoom calls to message flows on Slack. With each shift, the job of the manager has become harder. Many report feeling burnt-out, overloaded and confused.
Yet in real life everyone suffers when management is bad and benefits when it is good Research based on a long-running survey of management techniques has found that well-managed firms tend to be more productive, export more and spend more on research and development.
So the prize for better management is big. But how to obtain it? Read enough management books and you might conclude that managers need to change their personality thoroughly, becoming either Machiavelli’s prince or a Marvel superhero. However, study successful managers, and more practical lessons can be drawn.
One is to be clear about a firm’s processes. Managers should make clear the purpose of a team, what a meeting should achieve and who will take a decision. Meeting agendas at GSK, a British drugs firm, clearly say whether an item is for awareness, to gather participants’ input or intended to make a decision. Such clarity means that everyone knows what they are doing, and why.
Management isn’t all about piling up tasks, meetings or processes. A second lesson is that managers can add value by deleting. Sparing workers from pointless meetings, emails and projects frees them to concentrate on the work that fattens the bottom line. At the start of the year, Shopify, an e-commerce firm, deleted 12,000 repeated meetings from its employees’ calendars. The useful ones were eventually added back. But the firm says that meetings are down by 14% since the mass deletion while productivity has gone up by a similar amount.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
Will Plant-based Protein Continue to be an Appetizer in Food World?
A good vegan milk needs to look like milk and taste like milk, whether it’s a fatty version, preferred by bakers, or a skimmed one, favored by the health-conscious. For years, manufacturers of plant-based protein have had trouble hacking this delicate imitation game and it seems that they are winning back a bit. The global revenues (收益) from alternative proteins could reach $290 billion by 2035 and that is a cautious estimate. However, can it last?
Unlike those early products, which were neither terribly tasty nor particularly nutritious, cleaver (剁肉刀) processing improves textures, additives boost taste and a pinch of specially engineered peas and beans adds nutrient in the latest products. Still, ultra-processed substitutes seldom match animal proteins in nutritional value. Animal products, including milk, are better for children’s bone development, though lab- grown versions of meat or dairy are becoming more nutritious. Meanwhile, green-minded consumers are realizing that plant-based does not necessarily mean sustainable in that it still takes a lot to obtain raw materials. Farming almonds (杏仁) to make a milk-like drink, for example, uses huge quantities of water.
Plant-based proteins are also a tough sell in giant markets like India, where diets are already rich in plants and vegetables, or Nigera, where meat-eating is a sign of wealth. That limits their global appeal.
All these suggests that alternative proteins have far to go to replace the animal kind. The limitations may be weighing on the firms involved. Oatly’s market value has fallen by about 80% since its listing, partly because of production difficulties. That of Beyond Meat, whose burgers feature in McDonald’s latest menu, is down by 90% from its peak. Plant-based foods may no longer be only an appetizer in diets, but their maker remain one in food business.
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During the summer vacation, a mother planned an exciting trip with her two children. They were set to explore a famous tourist spot, famous for its breath-taking landscapes and attractions. Little did they know that their adventure would take an unexpected turn.
As they arrived at the destination, they were greeted by a sea of people. The place was overflowing with tourists from all over the globe. Excitement filled the air as families began their sightseeing adventures, creating a lively and vibrant atmosphere.
Eager to begin their own adventure, the mother, holding the hands of her two children, dove into the crowd. However, among the crowded army of tourists, fate had its own plans in store. In the chaos of the massive crowd, the younger son, unaware of the chaos unfolding around him, somehow managed to wander off, unknowingly leaving his family behind.
Suddenly, the mother realized that her younger child was no longer beside her. Panic seized her heart, and a sense of helplessness occupied her. She desperately called out her son’s name, her voice trembling with fear. Tears streamed down her face as she scanned the vast sea of people for her son, but there was no sign of him.
In a state of despair, the mother sought assistance from fellow tourists. Compassionate minds instantly joined in the search, spreading word about the lost child throughout the area. Strangers joined in the search, their hearts filled with empathy for the anxious mother.
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。
Three agonizing (令人焦虑不安的) hours passed, each feeling like years.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As the mother tightly folded her son in her arms, a wave of delight washed over her.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。
I was driving home, northbound on a 6-lane highway. A pickup truck crashed into a car which was switching lanes. A huge accident, involving 5 other cars, unfolded in front of me.Immediately, I ran to a car which was upside down. I got someone to help by holding pressure on a big cut above the woman’s left ear, and then, with help, got her and a large,unconscious man, both upside down, out of the car. I then went to the four other cars to check if anyone else was hurt badly. Fortunately, no one else was in serious condition. It all took just a few minutes.
In the meantime, the southbound traffic had stopped. I looked over and saw a group of 12 people, out of their cars standing in a circle about 15 feet away from a young man, bloody and wounded, lying still on the pavement. I asked a couple of different people what had happened. The young man had gotten out of his car to cross the road and help, when a car drove along the inside lane, very fast, to get around the stopped traffic. The “Good Samaritan” was hit by the car, which launched him high in the air. He lay where he dropped. Everyone said he was dead; several had checked, But a feeling inside me said, “I didn’t check him. Can they be certain he is dead?”
He was covered in blood with arms and legs hurt and his head almost to his chest. I felt for pulses(脉搏) at different spots and felt nothing. Then I checked him once again. I realized at that moment, I was feeling for a normal pulse. When I felt again with this in mind. I thought I felt a very weak and rapid heart rate of about 160. I knew I was not supposed to move his head, but I saw no other way to hopefully open his airway. I pushed his chin(下巴) upwards. He then started taking rapid, shallow breaths.
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。
By then, the ambulances were driving up.
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Due to the doctors and care of nurses, the “Good Samaritan” did survive.
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We ate a big breakfast at a local restaurant, like we did every Father’s Day. The present my daughter gave me was a T-shirt with the words “World’s Coolest Dad”. I put it on, feeling that was what made Father’s Day so great.
Just then my volunteer fire-department pager (呼机) went off: “Attention, Pocahontas-Old Ripley firefighters! House fire on Simpson Street. Repeat. House fire on Simpson Street.”
“Gotta go,” I said. I ran to my car and took off. I got to the firehouse in minutes. Another firefighter, Tom Smith, and the chief were waiting. “Don, Tommy, take truck 253. Roll!” he ordered. “The rest of the guys will be right behind you.” As the first on the scene, our job was to make sure everyone was out of the house, locate the nearest hydrant (消防栓), and then wait for backup.
A small crowd had gathered in front of number 907 when we got there. They watched the fire in panic. Thick black smoke could be seen pouring from the one-story house’s open front door. A large man burst through the door, red eyes streaming with tears. “Please hurry!” he called. “My boy’s still in there. I couldn’t get to him!”
There was no time to wait for backup. I left Tommy outside and rushed into the house.
“Anyone here?” I shouted. No answer. I searched every inch of the first two rooms. No child. The fire had grown so fierce by then. It seemed that the roof would collapse at any time. All at once a vision was put into my head—that father begging us to save his child. I mustn’t give up. Not today, I thought. There still might be a chance.
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。
Suddenly I heard a weak cry from the next room.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was a special Father’s Day, not only for me, but also for the boy, his father and my daughter.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Most people have an experience that they will never forget. For pilots Dave McMahon and Sydnie Uemoto, it involved a plane crash, and an ocean, which made them realize the meaning of life and cooperation.
As the twin-engine Piper Apache flew 5,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean, 23-year-old pilot Sydnie Uemoto and her co-pilot, 26-year-old Dave McMahon, heard the strange sound of the engines.
Then, without warning, the pilots lost power to the right engine. A moment later, the left one went.
At about 1,000 feet and falling quickly, Uemoto made their last call. “We’re 25 miles northwest of Kona,” she said to air traffic control. “We’re going down.”
Then everything flashed white as the plane struck the surface of the ocean. McMahon and Uemoto were thrown forward violently.
“Sydnie, get out !”McMahon called.
As the plane sank, they jumped into the ocean. Within seconds, the plane disappeared beneath the surface.
As the waves broke around them, McMahon and Ulemoto had done the impossible by suriving a crash landing into the ocean. Now they just had to stay put, swimming in the warm sea.
“When will the Coast Guard get here?” Uemoto asked.
“They’re coming,” McMahon said.
After a couple of hours, McMahon’s prediction seemed to come true. A Navy plane appeared in the sky, circling the area. It flew directly overhead as McMahon waved his life preserver (救生用具) overjoyed at the sight. However, the plane continued on its way without spotting them.
As the sun grew dark, McMahon became scared. He thought they were going to have to spend the night on the water.
“Hey, Dave?” Uemoto said softly at one point.
“Hey, Sydnie,” he called back.
When the sun rose that morning, the two pilots were greeted by a beautiful sight.
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 almost 20 hours. Uemoto’s body finally ran out of power.
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A second helicopter (直升机) arrived ten minutes later.
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Sophie was a poor orphan (孤儿). Nobody knew where she had come from. Yet everyone accepted the little girl, giving her food and clothes. She thanked them by doing part-time jobs for them. Everybody liked her, except Gloria. She didn’t allow Sophie to go into her housed and didn’t permit her to play with her grandson Sam, who was two years old at the time.
Every summer, the local river got flooded. That afternoon, when the water’s level rose, the children had gone to school, the women were busy in the kitchen making dishes for dinner, and the men were in their offices or factories.
Suddenly, news came that the dam across the river had given way and the water had quickly entered the city. Children were then asked to rush home. The areas on the river banks were in danger of being flooded, so people living on the ground floors were shifted to places of safety. Those living in two or three-storied houses climbed to the top. Police cars were trying to help. At first the water was just knee-deep, but it rose fast. There was confusion everywhere.
Gloria’s son had gone to another city on business. Gloria and her son’s wife Ruth were on the first floor of their big house. When water rushed into their house. Gloria and Ruth were in the kitchen. Within seconds the water rose. The police persuaded them to climb to the top floor. In the hurry they forgot Sam was sleeping in his bedroom on the first floor! The stairs were already flooded. It was impossible to get to Sam’s bedroom on the first floor. Though the door to the bedroom was closed, it wasn’t locked. Any moment the water could rush in. Gloria and Ruth were so worried.
At this time, the police discovered one of Sam’s bedroom windows was open, but it was too small for an adult to climb in. Only a child could. But no one was willing to let their children take the risk.
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。
Paragraph 1:
Out of nowhere, Sophie appeared.
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Then, Sophie carefully handed Sam to a policeman, and climbed out of the window.
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