阅读理解

　　The incident took place on Sunday, the 25th of June．On that particular day, a south wind had been gusting(劲吹)on and off all morning．It was not strong enough to cause us any concern, so we carried on our daily work, not suspecting what was about to happen．

　　The storm gave us very little warning．Black clouds loomed over the distant horizon(地平线)so suddenly that we were taken by surprise．Even then, we were not really worried, as the clouds seemed to be moving over our house and towards the distant mountains．Then, just as the clouds had moved inland, the wind suddenly swung around in a full circle and we were facing a major storm．

　　Instantly, we were busily preparing for the worst．The whole family had experienced such a storm before and everyone remembered the damage it had caused to stock and crops．There was very little we could do about the crops．But we needed to protect the animals in case the river flooded again．My older brother called his sheep-dog and began driving our small flock of sheep to higher ground above the river．If the river flooded, they should be safe there．

　　In the meantime, my father was mending a shed roof that had partly fallen down after many years of fine service．

　　If the tin flew off, it could damage the house．My younger brother began hurriedly carrying firewood under the shelter．My job was to help Mum board up the windows．If the storm developed into a cyclone(旋风), the boards would protect the glass．

　　The storm raged for four hours, pouring more rain on us than we had seen in the last five years．As expected, the river broke its banks and came slowly up towards the house and the stock．

　　Then, just as we were beginning to lose hope, the storm stopped as suddenly as it had begun．The animals were safe, and the roof was still nailed on．“All’s well that ends well, ” said my mother．

阅读理解

Mr Backer is a kind-hearted man．Once he gave some food to a poor woman．Mr White, the boss of the restaurant, found it and became angry．He often gave the leftovers(剩饭菜)to some poor workers．Mr Backers lost his work for it．It was difficult for him to find work in the small country though(虽然)he was an able cook．The war made all stop．Children couldn't go to school, most shops were closed, even some farmers were hungry．Some people were made to leave their houses and they had to find the safe places．It was an autumn night．Mr Backer hadn't any food to eat and went to bed, but he couldn't fall asleep．Suddenly he heard a noise in his room．He saw a man looking for something useful there．He said nothing and watched it carefully．At last the man brought a few old clothes out of a broken paper box and took them away．He got up quickly and followed him gently(文雅地), with his quilt on his back．The man didn't find him and went into a small and wet house．Mr Backer also went in and saw there was nothing in the room．The thief(贼)saw him and was surprised．He asked, “What did you come here for?” “You have carried my things here,” said Mr Backer．“I have to move there, too!”

阅读理解

　　A dog sheltered a newborn baby abandoned by its 14-year-old mother in a field in rural Argentina until the boy was rescued, a doctor said on August 22(Friday)．

　　A resident of a rural area outside La Plata called police late Wednesday night to say that he had heard the baby crying in a field behind his house．

　　The man went outside and found the infant lying beside the dog and its six newborn puppies, Daniel Salcedo, chief of police of the Province of Buenos Aires, told CNN．

　　The temperature was a chilly(寒冷的)37 degrees, Salcedo said．

　　The dog had apparently carried the baby some 50 meters from where his mother had abandoned him to where the puppies were huddled, police said．

　　“She took it like a puppy and rescued it,”Salcedo said．“The doctors told us if she hadn’t done this, he would have died．”

　　“The dog is a hero to us．”

　　Dr．Egidio Melia, director of the Melchor Romero Hospital in La Plata, told CNN that police showed up at the hospital at 11∶30 pm Wednesday with the baby who doctors say was only a few hours old．

　　Though the infant had superficial scratches(抓痕)and bruises(伤痕)and was bleeding from his mouth, he was in good shape, Melia said．

　　The next morning, the child’s mother was driven by a neighbor to the hospital and told authorities the 8-pound, 13-ounce infant is hers, Melia said．

　　The teenager was immediately give psychological treatment and was hospitalized, he said．She has said little about the incident．

　　The child has been transferred to a children’s hospital in La Plata, 37 miles from Buenos Aires．