Wind whistled round the corner of the house, thunder rolled and rain beat against the windows — not a night to be outside but rather to sit by the fire. Thanks to the solid walls and roof overhead, I could imagine Dr. Frankenstein's frightening creation wandering on such a night. I was alone, my husband away and the nearest neighbor a quarter miles down the road. Alone, that is, except for Lassie, a hairy, black and white dog, who sat with her head on my lap, her intelligent, brown eyes gazing up at me as if to say, don't worry, we'll be all right.
Through the years she was with us, she proved time and time again to be a superb judge of character. We never knew if it was a result of her sense of smell or sound-but, whatever it was, she definitely possessed a talent we humans lacked. On first meeting she would either wag the tip of her tail a couple of times to indicate that the visitor was acceptable, or slightly curl her top lip, exposing her sharp teeth which told you to be alert. Always accurate, her gift was never more obvious than on this night.
The doorbell rang. I decided not to answer it. It rang again, much longer this time. Whoever was there was not going away. Still I hesitated. On the fourth ring, with Lassie by my side, I finally answered the door. My heart beat fast and my mouth went dry, for there, stood the monster himself. A twisted body under a heavy overcoat, one shoulder bumped higher than the other and his head leaned slightly forward and to one side.
“May I use your phone?” The voice came from somewhere back in his throat and, although the request was polite, his tone was rude.
Reaching in his pocket and producing a piece of paper, he handed it to me. I refused to take it. Believing he might try and force his way in, I looked at Lassie to see if she was ready to defend the home.
Surprisingly, she sat by my side, the tip of her tail wagging.
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“Meet one more and I’ll definitely ask a favour.” Gina thought, looking up at the street lights, everything immersed (沉浸在) in the dark night. “Alas! This unlucky stuffi” She said to herself, helpless.
Behind her came the jingling of bicycle bells. Hardly had Gina let out “ah” when a cycling young man swept past.
“Why, the cyclist was back?” Gina whispered to herself. The young man suddenly returned and was already in front of Gina before she knew it. Gina’s heart was pounding under high tension. “What will he do on such a dark night?” “Called me just now?” The young man got off his bike. Gina shook her head repeatedly but gently. A strong sense of self-defense overcame her and she refused to say yes.
“Something wrong with your bike?”A pair of smiling eyes met hers. Gina became somewhat calm. “The front tire has gone flat.” she responded, head down, a ray of hope arising. “Well, I can’t help it with no tools.” The young man managed a smile. Gina’s heart sank again. “Do you live far?” the young man searched her face for an answer. “Me?” she asked, keeping pushing her bike forward. “Well, on the left side of the street end is a repair shop. Wish you luck!” With these words, the young man rode away. Gina almost burst into tears. “It’s almost midnight. Where can I find a repair shop? A liar.” She started to hate the young man.
Almost at the end ofthe street, Gina couldn’t help but look up. Near the sidewalk, there was really a shop with the light still on.
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。
She paused hesitantly, and out of the shop came a girl in her twenties.
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With the help of the young man and the girl, the tire was soon repaired.
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