1 . Boston Marathon runners in recent years may have seen a smiling furry face around the two-mile mark. It’s Spencer, the therapy (治疗) dog, who became known as an unofficial mascot (吉祥物) for the marathon, He’s shown up on the sidelines every year since 2015—rain or shine.
One particularly rainy marathon catapulted Spencer’s fame, In 2018, his owner, Richard Powers, decided to put a bright yellow rain coat on the dog, making him stand out even more than he usually does. Photos of Spencer, who holds a “Boston Strong” flag in his mouth, went viral, and he became an inspiration to runners and onlookers alike, During the marathon, some runners stop in their tracks to take selfies with the dog-the line sometimes growing to 20 runners long.
But in 2020, Spencer was diagnosed with a tumor (肿瘤). His owner was worried, but Spencer is a fighter. He got the care he needed and survived. In 2021, he was back on the course and it was really kind of a miracle and that really hit home to a lot of people.
Unfortunately, Spencer caught another tumor—this one cancerous—and Spencer began chemotherapy. Powers didn’t think his beloved dog would make it out to the marathon of 2022. “Miraculously, he’s still here with us and an even bigger miracle, he was strong enough to go to the marathon,” he said.
After recovering, Spencer was back to work—not just at the marathon—but as a therapy dog, alongside his companion, Penny, who is also a golden therapy dog. Powers takes his two therapy dogs around to schools, hospitals and senior living centers.
“He’s a gift to us and we’re very lucky to have him. He’s too good so we want to share him with as many people as we possibly can. He does make a difference,” Powers said.
1. Why is Spencer referred to as a mascot for Boston Marathon?| A．He has a smiling furry face. | B．He appears at the event annually. |
| C．He is not recognized officially. | D．He works as a therapy dog for runners. |
| A．Motivation. | B．Satisfaction. | C．Fantasy. | D．Barrier. |
| A．A failure in the marathon. | B．Caring for his owner. | C．Fighting against a disease. | D．Going viral. |
| A．Confident, | B．Supportive. | C．Objective. | D．Negative. |
It was the last practice before the big gymnastics competition in Burlingville. The gymnastics team of Springtown High School had been training every day in the school vacation. They tried harder and wanted to do better. They had competed with the team from Maidstone High School several times. The competitions allowed the two teams to admire each other for their excellent performance and players’ qualities. They respected the game; they respected each other’s team more.
Today, the players of Springtown went home earlier. They would pack some food and water to have along the way to Burlingville. Before they went home, they went to their teacher to see their new uniform. Springton High School was in the countryside. The team made cookies and sold them at the market to get money to buy the uniform. They loved it very much, even though they were impressed with the uniforms of the team from Maidstone. Maidstone High School was a rich private school. It usually prepared two sets of uniforms for the competition — one for the morning and the other for the afternoon.
Early the next morning, the team of Springtown High School and their teacher got on a minibus to start their long trip. They would reach the railway station in Travers at about two o’clock and then take a train to Burlingville. They must be there by six o’clock and register for the competition.
The bus driver drove the bus through the country roads. Then suddenly, he parked the bus at the side of the road. There was something wrong with the engine. Unluckily, the driver couldn’t fix it in a short time. He called the company and asked them to send another bus for the gymnastics team. It was 90 minutes before another minibus came. Everyone jumped onto the bus. “Please hurry,” said the teacher.
When they finally arrived at Travers railway station, the bus driver helped the team carry the bags into the station. As soon as they got on the train, it started to move. Looking out of the window, the teacher saw the bus driver running towards the train door.
注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.开头已给出。
“Oh, no!” the teacher shouted. “The driver has our uniform bag!”
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Caught in complete hopelessness, the team from Springtown saw the players of Maidstone walking towards them.
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