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A Chocolate Cake

Sam is autistic (患孤独症的). Thus, dining out can be tricky. Though he loves to eat, he dislikes the loud noise over restaurant dining. Ever resourceful, he has a solution: overpower all noise with a much louder noise of his own.

This begins with what I like to think of as dueling (决斗) tables: Neighboring parties raised their volume followed by Sam increasing his until some sort of extreme point is reached, making us quite unpopular with family, most friends and other diners.

Faced with a possibility of forever dining alone, I decided to work on dining skills at a trendy new spot early one Tuesday night.

To my delight, we arrived at an empty restaurant. So far, so good. Everything went well until two older women entered. Well-groomed and elegantly dressed in an understated way, they were seated two tables away from us. I felt a bit worried about what might happen.

The women began to chat, paying little notice to us. Sam happily took this as his cue (暗示) to start talking and drown them out. I leaned into Sam and asked for a quiet voice, but unfortunately, Sam had left that voice at home.

I glanced at the neighboring table, knowing we wouldn't go unnoticed much longer. I quickly resorted to Plan B: eat quickly and leave. Sam, who normally ate his favorite chocolate cake quickly, suddenly embraced the concept of leisurely dining and refused to rush-all while chattering away endlessly.

"SHUSH! (嘘)" I said, a little angry. Sam responded by giggling loudly. "Be quiet!" I could sense that the two women were now watching us. Finally, the older of the two women leaned over. Here it comes, I thought.

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。

注意：1. 写作词数应为80左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Think of travel in Greece, and your mind may wander to images of ferries cruising (巡航) across the Aegean Sea. Taking to the water is essential if you plan to travel between the Greek islands, but there (be) plenty of other ways to enjoy Greece's amazing landscapes, including planes, trains, buses bicycles.

Cycling in Greece is growing in  (popular), best done in spring and fall rather than high summer. Strong leg muscles are  must to tackle the mountains, or you can stick to some of the  (flat) coast roads than the mountain roads. Some are bicycle-friendly, but others have such steep roads  cycling is not recommended.

Overall, cycling infrastructure around Greece leaves much to be desired. Bicycle lanes are rare and there is a real danger from speeding cars— (drive) by locals and tourists alike.

Bicycles may be carried for free on some ferries, while on others, there may be a fee, or they may not be allowed at all because of a lack of space on board.

You can rent bicycles in most tourist hangouts, but they are not as  (wide) available as cars and motorcycles. Prices range  €10 to €20 per day,  (depend) on the type of bicycle. Always make sure the rental cost includes the use of a helmet.

Seven-year-old Maggie Kuznia loves books, but she seems to love sharing the stories she reads even more. Once or twice a week, the little girl puts a few books in her backpack and gets ready to 1  the elderly at Good Samaritan Society.

Maggie's mom, Tiffany Kuznia, works as the activity director at the retirement facility and often brings her daughter with her to 2 . One day, as little Maggie was packing her bag, Tiffany Kuznia 3 her to bring her toys. Maggie quickly replied that she had 4 plans for the day. "I'm going to bring books and I'm going to read to the residents," she 5 .

With time, Maggie has become so beloved among the residents that she even has "6 " she reads to every week. She often visits each one for over an hour—with her mom regularly checking in on her to make sure she isn't overstaying her 7 . Much to Maggie's 8 , the residents are more than happy to have her around for extended periods of time. The 9 usually leads to coloring books and doing puzzles with her elderly friends, who 10 Maggie a granddaughter of their own.

Maggie hopes to inspire other kids of her age to read to the elderly. 11 polishing her reading abilities and having a group of devoted 12 , her senior friends are always ready to help her when she trips up on a 13 word. As for the residents, Maggie seems to 14 their day. "I think the intergenerational part is so good," Patti Griggs, a resident Maggie has befriended, said. "Everybody likes to have the 15 of another person and be special to them."

In your circle of friends, do you know someone who does not bother to sugarcoat (粉饰) the bitter truth? Someone who is brave enough to share her opinions and insights, even if his idea contradicts with others? . Professionals who are experts in the field of psychology believe that the best kind of people to be friends with are those who are blunt (直言的)! Here are the reasons why.

. Blunt people will never speak to content your feelings. If you ask for their opinion, you will get their honest opinion. Whether it is about choosing a dress for your first interview, or about their first impression of your partner, a blunt friend will tell you the truth as it is. . However, keep in mind that no true friend would like their loved ones to be made fun of by others.

They are fearless. . In a place where most people would choose to be quiet, instead of standing for what is right, blunt people would not quietly sit still. Blunt people are the kind of people you would like to keep company. Perhaps, in the long run, you might learn to be as fearless and courageous as they are!

They know how to respect your views. They are not afraid to speak their mind out but it does not mean that they won't respect yours. . They simply want to give you a piece of their mind as a sort of advice before you make your final decision. They know that at the end of the day, your decision is still yours to make.

A. They tell you the honest truth

B. They will not keep you guessing

C. If yes, then hang on to your friendship

D. A blunt person only shares his thoughts and stops with that

E. However, in reality, not all people can be honest with you all the time

F. You might think that they are doing this because they are not one of your supporters

G. Experts in the field of psychology think that blunt people are the ones of the bravest people

Dogs may have earned the title of our best friends through their interactions with humans, but now researchers say these social skills could be present shortly after birth rather than being learned.

To better understand the role of biology in dogs' abilities to communicate with humans, the researchers studied 375 eight-week-old service dogs. They looked at how these dogs performed in a series of tasks designed to measure their communication skills. The puppies were still living with their littermates (同窝出生者) and had not been sent to live with a volunteer puppy raiser, making it unlikely that they had learned about his or her behavior.

In the first task, a person hid a treat beneath one of two overturned cups and pointed to it to see if the puppy could follow the gesture. Since dogs are good at using noses to find things, a treat was also taped to the insides of both cups. In the second task, puppies watched as the researchers placed a yellow block next to the correct cup, instead of pointing to indicate where the puppy should look for the food.

The third task was designed to observe puppies' tendency to look at human faces. The researchers spoke to the puppy in a voice people sometimes use when talking to a baby. They then measured how long the puppy fixed a stare on the human.

In the last task, researchers sealed a treat inside a closed container and presented it to the puppy. They then measured how often the puppy looked to the human for help in opening the container.

The study found that while many of the puppies were responsive to humans' physical and verbal cues, very few looked to humans for help with the unsolvable task. Researchers said, "This suggests that while puppies may be born knowing how to respond to human-initiated communication, the ability to initiate communication on their own may come later." The next step will be to see if specific genes that may contribute to dogs' abilities to communicate with humans can be identified.

I've never had a great sense of direction. And I often wander into shops and, upon coming back out, can't remember which way I've come from—left or right? Many people are like me, and why do some constantly have no idea where they are?

The hippocampus (海马体) is a region of the brain associated with memory and involved in sense of direction. And a nearby region has also been associated with sense of direction. There are four known types of navigation-related neurons (神经元) found in these regions: place cells, grid cells, border cells and head direction cells.

In short, you can think of place cells as an internal cognitive (认知的) map; they identify where you are. Grid cells are like a GPS system in our brain; they tell us about the relationship of this place to other places we've been to. Border cells respond to the presence of environmental boundaries at a specific direction and distance from us. Lastly, head direction cells are activated when our head faces a specific direction. These cells will fire electrical impulses when we enter familiar locations, with each group of cells relating to a specific place.

Our reliance on GPS and smartphones may have decreased the ability to use our internal maps. Older adults who regularly used GPS had less activity in their hippocampus, compared with those who did not use GPS. They also performed slightly worse in a cognition test. In contrast, a study involving London taxi drivers found they had significantly larger hippocampus than ordinary people.

You can improve your way-finding ability specifically by practicing the skill, according to Aziz, PhD of neurology at Temple University School of Medicine. "The more you get out and go to places, the better," he says. Physical exercise improves the blood flow to the brain, while mental exercise, such as doing puzzles or learning a new language, stimulates the development of new nerve cells and connections in your brain.

During World War II, Duchess Nina Douglas-Hamilton played a vital role in looking after animals.

As the war broke out, the government issued orders for the mass killing livestock (家畜) to prevent them from being captured or destroyed by the enemy. Duchess Nina launched a campaign to save as many animals as possible, and soon became known as the "animal heroine" for her efforts.

Duchess Nina worked with local farmers and animal owners to relocate animals to safer areas, such as the Scottish Highlands. She also established a network of volunteers who helped to care for animals during the war. She organized feeding programs, medical care and transportation, ensuring that animals were well looked after even during the most difficult times. The most challenging aspect of her work was the shortage of food during the war. So she established a vegetable garden and used leftovers to create nutritious meals for animals. She also reached out to the public for donations of food and supplies, and was able to secure enough resources to keep animals healthy and fed.

In addition to her work with domestic animals, Duchess Nina was also a strong advocate for wildlife conservation. She established a center for wild animals in Scotland, where she provided a safe place for deer, foxes and other animals that were threatened by the war. She also worked with local protection groups to protect natural habitats.

Duchess Nina's work during World War Ⅱ was not without its risks. She frequently risked her life to save animals, often driving through perilous areas.

Sadly, some people saw her efforts as a distraction from the war effort. However, she continued to work tirelessly for animals. After the war, Duchess Nina's work was recognized by the government and she got an important award for her services to animals.

Have you ever dreamed of having your own custom deck (木制平台)? Decks make a beautiful addition to any home and they are great places to sit and relax. Here, we discuss several benefits of installing a custom deck on your property.

●Great meeting places. Does your family love to have a barbecue? A custom deck will give you plenty of space to host a barbecue, family picnics, and neighborhood parties. A deck can make a great meeting place for just about any open-air event.

●Room to grow. Decks are great places to grow your own food. A container garden can grow many of the fruits and vegetables you love to eat without the hassle of a traditional garden. So if you have green fingers (good at making plants grow), you should really think about adding a deck to your property soon.

●Quick installation. Most decks can be built in just a few days to weeks. While they are highly durable and permanent structures, they can be installed fast. This means that you will be able to enjoy your investment right away without the need to wait.

If you want to take advantage of these benefits, contact the decking professionals at https://newdaydevelopment.com/ to help you design and build the perfect deck for your needs. With our help, you can create a beautiful place to relax outside and enjoy special memories together. We'd be happy to discuss your questions or concerns.

The city circle was quiet when my van pulled up to Two's Company café. It was 8:00 A.M., and the mom-and-pop businesses wouldn't be open for another three hours. As the film crew of student movie-makers hopped out of the van and started unloading a ton of equipment, I sat in the driver's seat reading a book.

I learned a long time ago that I was not wanted or needed on the set. Sometimes, that made me feel a bit sad. These kids used to need a parent's advice, help and caring. Now, as older teens, they were making their own decisions, helping each other and supporting their friends through whatever assignments they were given.

Emptied of its movie-related contents, the van now became the place to leave personal items. My job, as the driver, was to stay within calling distance with the keys so that if anything was needed I could open the van. Knowing that I could crawl (爬行) into a corner somewhere and finish reading the book that a friend asked me to critique, I looked for a place to sit down. Against a wall, in the shade, just twenty or so paces away, I spied a beautifully carved park bench. I noticed that a man was sitting on one end, but there was plenty of room for at least two more bodies. Walking over, I set my drink on the ground near the leg of the bench and sat on the end seat so that I could rest my elbow (肘) on the arm. The man on the other end looked at me oddly but remained seated.

I quickly discovered that he'd probably spent the night on the bench. His clothes were untidy, his hair was messy, and I was soon confronted (使……面对) with a strong and very unpleasant smell of body sweat. I looked at him and smiled, and he smiled back with a mouth of misshapen and blacked-out teeth. That was it. He wasn't bothering me, and I guessed I wasn't bothering him. We both sat there for over an hour. I was reading. He was intently watching the filming.

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。

He then stood. 

I was shocked. 

注意：1. 写作词数应为80左右；2. 可适当补充细节，使行文流畅。

Anhui, an ancient and beautiful region, began to prosper during the Tang (618—907) and Song (960—1279) dynasties. In the times the Grand Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage site, directly connected Beijing in the north and Hangzhou in the south, Anhui traders (fan) out across China. That's why Anhui food is now among China's eight great cuisines.

Anhui cuisine offers plenty of other options and many dishes have interesting stories, for example, chouguiyu. It is said that a certain businessman had made fortune in Hangzhou, where he had first tasted a kind of fish that was sweet, fresh and had few tiny bones. He (immediate) thought of his elderly parents. He bought some to bring to them. However, the long journey took its toll (毁坏) on the fish and when he finally reached home, they were all (smell). His mother, an economical woman, decided to cook the fish nevertheless. To everyone's surprise, the fish smelled bad tasted very good. These days, Anhui chefs deliberately allow the fish to reach certain (ripe) before cooking it.

Anhui cuisine  (characterise) by its heavy use of oil, deeply flavored sauces, and superior soups and stock. The main cooking style is to braise (炖) or roast. Its chefs specialize  ingredients available locally, such as fish, pigeons, bamboo shoots, etc. Anhui folk also like to salt their own meats like ham and pork, which goes into the pot with chicken and duck to produce very deeply flavored soups. A popular dish is salted meat on a bed of bamboo shoots  (steam) on a wooden cutting board. Unlike some other regional cuisines, this is one cooking style that is very heavy on animal protein and relatively light on the greens.

"In my childhood, the village was a different world altogether. The houses were old, roads were 1 . But now, our village boasts modern, well-constructed homes, wide well-lit roads, and practically every household owns 2 one car," Li Jing, the director assistant to the village secretary of Maotianping Village Committee in Enshi, Hubei province.

Li is a native of this village and was one of the first from her community to pursue higher 3 . She studied hotel management and tourism at Wuhan University of Science and Technology. After graduation, she gained a(n) 4  in the hotel industry. 5 , she made the life-altering decision last year to return to her village.

"I want to be an integral part of my hometown's development and 6 real changes that improve the livelihoods of our villagers 7 realizing my own personal value," Li said.

Enshi, renowned for its breathtaking scenery, 8  relies on agriculture and most of its farmers grow potatoes. Li projects to showcase the agricultural riches 9  by its residents.

"Here, we are 10 with a humid climate and over 70 percent forest coverage. This makes it an ideal setting for cultivating potatoes," Li explained. "You can find selenium-rich (富含硒的) potatoes here, as the soil in our village boasts 11 selenium content, a trace 12 known for its health benefits."

In addition to potato farming, Li's team has created positions like potato managers, similar to 13 and sales specialists. There's even a role for a potato assessor, responsible for 14 the best-looking potatoes for sale. In the future, Li hopes to continue helping her fellow villagers raise their potato production and increase their 15 .

Summarizing, or writing a summary, means giving a brief overview of a text's main points in your own words. For example, when you're writing an academic text like an essay, a research paper, or a dissertation (学位论文), you'll integrate sources in a variety of ways. But it's often appropriate to sum up a whole article or chapter if it is especially relevant to your own research. Here are some key steps that can help you to do it:

Step 1: Read the text.

You should read the article more than once to make sure you've thoroughly understood it. It's often effective to read in three stages:

◆ 

◆ Read the article carefully, highlighting important points and taking notes as you read.

◆ Skim the article again to confirm you've understood the key points, and reread any particularly important or difficult passages.

Step 2: Break the text down into sections.

 If the text is a scientific paper, it is probably already organized into clearly marked sections, usually including an introduction, methods, results, and discussion. But most articles and essays will be structured around a series of sub-points or themes.

Step 3: Identify the key points in each section.

Now it's time to go through each section and pick out its most important points. Keep in mind that a summary does not involve paraphrasing (改述) every single paragraph of the article.

Step 4: Write the summary.

Now that you know the key points that the article aims to communicate, you need to put them in your own words. To avoid plagiarism (抄袭) and show you've understood the article, it's essential to properly paraphrase the author's ideas.

Step 5: 

Finally, read through the article once more to ensure that:

◆ You've accurately represented the author's work.

◆ You haven't missed any essential information.

◆ The phrasing is not too similar to any sentences in the original.

A. Boil the summary down further.

B. Check the summary against the article.

C. You might use a brief quote to support your point.

D. Scan the article quickly to get a sense of its topic and overall shape.

E. Your goal is to select the essential points, leaving out background information or details.

F. To make the text more manageable and understand its sub-points, divide it into smaller parts.

G. In any case, the goal of summarizing is to give your reader a clear understanding of the original source.