1 . It was a busy morning and I had several things to do before it became too hot to be outside the house. As I was walking by the side of a busy road, I saw an old lady, maybe in her 80s standing dangerously close to the traffic. Although my mind was preoccupied (心事重重的), I thought to myself that I should warn her not to stand so close to the disordered traffic rushing by.
When I reached the place where the old lady was standing, I noticed that she was trying to get the attention of passers-by who of course were too busy to take note of her. She kept pointing to the middle of the road. When I tried to gently move her back further away from the busy road, she said that she was standing there because she had dropped her house key in the middle of the road and was unable to open her house without the key. I looked around and no one seemed to be interested in the two of us. I knew I was getting late but decided to help.
The traffic was busy on the road with people on their bikes and office goers in cars as well as school buses rushing with school children. It was the worst time of the day to cross a busy road without a traffic light. I asked the old lady to stay at a safe distance, took a deep breath, and I myself carefully stepped onto the road waving my hands madly almost expecting to be hit by an oncoming vehicle. At first one lane (车道) stopped and then I moved further on to the middle of the road continuing to wave my hand. Just then a school bus was approaching me and I bravely stepped in front of it to stop it.
The driver seemed so angry that he shouted at me.
I carefully helped the old lady leave the crowded street.
| A．I explained to him that I was going to fetch the key for the old lady. The driver understood me and was moved by my behavior. He said he would block the car behind him so I could get the key. I walked to the middle of the road, found the old lady’s key, and handed it into her hand. At this time, I heard cheers coming from the school bus. |
| B．I asked him what the problem was. He said he had just come from the airport without a customer and he had no money to pay for the bill. Hearing this,I comforted him patiently that everything would be fine later.After chatting with me,his anger slowly died down.He said goodbye to me with gratitude. |
| C．Knocked down by the bus, the old lady was lying on the road, crying loudly. Her cry attracted so many passers-by that the street was crowed in one minute. But nobody dared to give her a hand. Seeing this, I walked to her to help the old lady stand up . |
| D．She thanked me again and again. Considering that the old lady couldn’t follow the traffic rules, I thought it would be dangerous for her to go home alone. She might get into trouble again on the road. I decided to help her to the end. Asking the old lady to wait by the side of the road, I stopped a taxi and asked the driver to send the old lady home safely. |
I opened the door and was welcomed as usual by Shredder. He ran towards me, jumped up and put a paw on my shoulder. “Okay, boy,” I said, rubbing his ears the way he liked. He moved his tail happily. I usually played with him all day. But with so many things on my schedule these days—meetings, dinners, many houses to clean—I didn’t have time. I told Shredder to lie down.” I have to get to work now,” I said. I headed downstairs to clean the bedroom. All of a sudden, pain shot through my head. It was unlike anything I’d ever felt—10 times worse. Things dropped out of my hands, and I fell to the ground. I knew someone who had died from a brain aneurysm (脑部动脉瘤).
I had to get help before it was too late. I should call 911, but the nearest phone was in the kitchen. I tried to stand up, but couldn’t. I knew I had to get upstairs. It felt like my head was going to explode. I managed to move to the kitchen. But later I couldn’t move anymore. I was helpless. Through the sharp pain, I looked up. Shredder stared back at me from the top step. Did he think I was playing?” Come here,” I whispered, trying to make my voice sound playful. He stared with doubt.” Come on. boy,” I said. Shredder ran down the steps and stood next to me. His tail stopped moving. “Help me, Shredder,” I said, holding his collar (颈圈) with my left hand. He climbed a step and then stopped. “Up!” I said. He looked back at me as if to say, “Is this right?” “Go,” I whispered. He started to drag me. My left arm went frozen. I had to look at Shredder’s collar to make sure I kept my hold.
Para1: Shredder got me to the top of the steps.
Para2: The medical workers gave me a quick check.
| A．After taking the medicine, I felt much better. The medical workers told me excitedly that I suffered the abrupt pain just because of the high-stress working. What I really needed was to have a rest. So they advised me to take several days off. From then on, I started to take good care of my body. And the most important thing I learnt was that more time should be spent with my little life saver Shredder, so I bought a cat to stay with us. |
| B．Then I started to move with difficulty. Shredder pulled and dragged, taking me to the kitchen. Finally I managed to reach the phone and called 911. Shredder sat down next to me. “Good boy,” I whispered. The medical workers showed up in minutes. Shredder jumped to his feet and started barking. “It’s OK.” I said. He seemed to understand that they were here to help, and sat back down. |
| C．Both of us were tired and breathless. I felt half of my body went frozen. With a strong desire to survive, I whispered to him, “Come on, boy, go to find your favourite cans.” His eyes sparkled and his tail moved wildly when he heard the word “cans”. Leaving me behind, he ran towards the kitchen excitedly. Now I took out my phone, and called 911. After that, I closed my eyes to have a rest. |
| D．“What’s wrong with you?” One worker asked. “My head is paining me,” I told her. Then they discovered a brain problem, which could cause extreme pain in my head. After four days, I left the hospital and went home. Shredder was happy to see me, moving his tail happily. And I was so moved that I hugged him tightly. It was the dog who saved my life and I was extremely grateful to him for his help. |
3 . It was Sunday in Montreal, Canada. There were three kids talking and laughing happily as they took turns riding a scooter (滑板车) on a quiet street. 11-year-old Dale had just jumped off the scooter as his neighbors Zoe, aged 7, claimed her turn, and Julie, 9, looked on. Ten minutes later, Zoe sat down on the scooter to catch her breath. That was when a bearded man with a head of messy hair appeared. Without saying a word, the man picked Zoe up off the scooter and calmly stepped away.
The guy held Zoe gently like a baby and just walked down the street. In fact, the calm way the man behaved led Dale to believe that he must be a relative of Zoe’s. But something wasn’t right. “I could see Zoe’s face,” Dale said. “She was afraid.”
As the man walked on, Zoe’s fear transformed into weeps (哭泣), and then she cried for help. She began kicking and moving, trying to get free of the man’s control. “What are you doing?” Julie shouted. But the man, undisturbed, just walked on until he reached an alley (小巷) and disappeared.
Dale was frightened, yet he never thought about the danger to himself. The only thing he wanted to do was to get Zoe back. But what was a 4-foot-tall kid going to do to stop a grown man? “I wanted to help but I couldn’t do it myself,” he thought to himself. “Tell Zoe’s parents, Julie!” He shouted as he started running towards the alley.
Zoe’s parents were relaxing on the sofa in their living room when their front door burst open.
“A bad grown man just took Zoe away!” yelled Julie.
At that very moment, Zoe’s parents arrived.
| A．Learning what had happened, Zoe’s parents phoned the police without delay. The next moment, they jumped into their car and drove off directed by Julie. By then Dale had reached the alley, but the man was nowhere to be seen. “I must find Zoe,” Dale said to himself. He ran along the alley to the end, where he spotted the man walking towards a white house.“Stop! Stop!” With these words, he rushed at the guy fearlessly. |
| B．They heard a strange voice from the corner of a bookshop, somehow like a child crying. All of them looked at each other’s faces gladly and held their breath with their legs moving on. The first try, however, failed. It turned out to be Dale. Suddenly, a sound of running came into their ears and they quickly ran too. Eventually, they found Zoe left alone under an oak tree safely and no sign of the bearded man. Thank goodness! They got Zoe back. |
| C．Knowing the fact, Zoe’s parents rushed out of the house without hesitation. Then, they urgently knocked at the doors of the nearby neighbors for help. Everyone shocked. They came to the police together and told the police what had happened. Zoe’s parents sincerely prayed to God, saying “Bless my poor child. Please! Please!…” All the people around touched and would like to give a helping hand. They came back to the street and searched. |
| D．“Help! Help!” Dale shouted. Immediately Zoe’s father took off towards the guy. Seeing this, the guy hurriedly let go of Zoe and broke into a run. Zoe’s father dashed up, caught hold of him and pressed him to the ground. Zoe ran crying into her mother’s arms. Minutes later, the police arrived and arrested the guy. Dale breathed a sigh of relief. Dale’s quick thinking and bravery saved a little girl. |
A funny thing happened to Arthur when he was on the way to work one day. As he walked along Park Avenue near the First National Bank, he heard the sound of someone trying to start a car. He tried again and again but couldn’t get the car moving. Arthur turned and looked inside at the face of a young man who looked worried. Arthur stopped and asked. “It looks like you’ve got a problem,” Arthur said.
“I’m afraid so. I’m in a big hurry and I can’t start my car.”
“Is there something I can do to help?” Arthur asked. The young man looked at the two suitcases in the back seat and then said, “Thanks. If you’re sure it wouldn’t be too much trouble, you could help me get these suitcases into a taxi.”
“No trouble at all. I’d be glad to help.”
The young man got out and took one of the suitcases from the back seat. After placing it on the ground, he turned to get the other one. Just as Arthur picked up the first suitcase and started walking, he heard the long loud noise of an alarm.
It was from the bank. There had been a robbery!
Park Avenue had been quiet a moment before. Now the air was filled with the sound of the alarm and the shouts of people running from all directions. Cars stopped and the passengers joined the crowd in front of the bank. People asked each other, “What happened?” But everyone had a different answer.
Arthur, still carrying the suitcase, turned to look at the bank and walked right into the young woman in front of him.
She looked at the suitcase and then at him. Arthur was surprised. “Why is she looking at me like that?” He thought. “The suitcase! She thinks I am the bank thief!”
Arthur looked around at the crowd of people. He became frightened, and without another thought, he started to run.
As he was running, Arthur heard the young man shouting behind, “Stop, stop!”
The taxi stopped in front of the police station and Arthur
| A．So scared was Arthur that he ran faster with that suitcase. He continued to rush among the people and the cars with the purpose of handing in the suicase to the policeman no matter how hard the young man shouted to him behind. Just at this moment he saw a taxi and jumped into it. Nervously, he told the driver the young man shouting behind was a bank thief and asked him to drive to the nearest police station. The driver followed what Arthur said and drove away quickly. |
| B．Zarina found it interesting to see her mother at work. “It’s really strange seeing Mum at work-running around, getting serious and telling people what to do.” She has always liked this idea of going into law and thinks it likely that she will follow in her mother’s footsteps. Having a chance to see how her mother works has given her more self-confidence. |
| C．Avoiding a handshake may have been considered impolite a couple of years ago, but it is now getting more and more common, especially because of the outbreak of COVID-19. |
| D．jumped off with the suitcase, running to the police office. He handed it to a policeman and reported what had happened on the Park Avenue. Arthur insisted that the suitcase be opened to make sure the money in it was not lost. Much to Arthur’s surprise, there was no money except some clothes and many books. Immediately, Arthur realized that he mistook the young man for the bank thief. Arthur felt embarrassed but quite relieved. What a funny thing it was for Arthur! |
