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Whatever life threw at us each year, come Christmas our family had one constant tradition: our dog
Pepper opened our presents for us. Watching our sweet dog unwrap gifts always warmed the holiday,
which was often a little bittersweet because college, studying abroad, or work commitments often kept my
two sisters and me away.
One year, everyone made it home for a Christmas together. I visited from college, Kaci flew in from
Arizona, and Kara was back from Ireland. Mom’s jubilance kept her busy baking cookies for us all. Our
Christmas season should have been perfect.
It couldn’t feel perfect, though, because Pepper’s health was deteriorating(恶化). Her life had already
been longer than we expected—she was fourteen—and yet her mind was still sharp. Her enthusiasm for life
made us feel better. But her body could not keep up with her spirit. She’d already shown the usual signs of
deafness and stiffness. That year, her hips and back legs started giving out on her. We knew we would soon
have to make a difficult decision.
It was likely Pepper’s last Christmas, so we decided to make sure she enjoyed it. On Christmas Eve,
we gathered around the tree to open an early present. We each took a turn and then called Pepper to open
one more. But her tangled legs could not navigate the boxes and shredded wrapping paper on the floor. She
stumbled over the obstacles, and soon she disappeared into the next room. She crumpled back to the floor,
as out of the way as she could get.
We were heartbroken. Could Pepper even participate in her last Christmas Pepper stayed on the
periphery(外围) of all our holiday activities. Throughout the day, we gave gifts but did not feel very giving.
We shared stories over cinnamon rolls that tasted bland. We played games by the tree whose twinkles had
dimmed.
That evening, Kaci said what we’d all been thinking: “I wish Pepper could have helped open presents
this year.” We all put down our mugs of spiced tea. “Maybe she still could,” Kara said. “But there’s none
left,” Mom reminded her. Kara jumped up and left the room. We heard her opening drawers and cabinets in
the kitchen.
注意：(1) 字数 150 左右，
(2) 请按如下格式在答题纸上作答。
Kara returned with a box of dog biscuits, scissors, a pile of color paper, and a roll of tape. ________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Soon, Pepper selected her first Christmas gift. ____________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
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Whatever life threw at us each year, come Christmas our family had one constant tradition: our dog
Pepper opened our presents for us. Watching our sweet dog unwrap gifts always warmed the holiday,
which was often a little bittersweet because college, studying abroad, or work commitments often kept my
two sisters and me away.
One year, everyone made it home for a Christmas together. I visited from college, Kaci flew in from
Arizona, and Kara was back from Ireland. Mom’s jubilance kept her busy baking cookies for us all. Our
Christmas season should have been perfect.
It couldn’t feel perfect, though, because Pepper’s health was deteriorating. Her life had already been
longer than we expected—she was fourteen—and yet her mind was still sharp. Her enthusiasm for life
made us feel better. But her body could not keep up with her spirit. She’d already shown the usual signs of
deafness and stiffness. That year, her hips and back legs started giving out on her. We knew we would soon
have to make a difficult decision.
It was likely Pepper’s last Christmas, so we decided to make sure she enjoyed it. On Christmas Eve,
we gathered around the tree to open an early present. We each took a turn and then called Pepper to open
one more. But her tangled legs could not navigate the boxes and shredded wrapping paper on the floor. She
stumbled over the obstacles, and soon she disappeared into the next room. She crumpled back to the floor,
as out of the way as she could get.
We were heartbroken. Could Pepper even participate in her last Christmas Pepper stayed on the
periphery of all our holiday activities. Throughout the day, we gave gifts but did not feel very giving. We
shared stories over cinnamon rolls that tasted bland. We played games by the tree whose twinkles had
dimmed.
That evening, Kaci said what we’d all been thinking: “I wish Pepper could have helped open presents
this year.” We all put down our mugs of spiced tea. “Maybe she still could,” Kara said. “But there’s none
left,” Mom reminded her. Kara jumped up and left the room. We heard her opening drawers and cabinets in
the kitchen.
Kara returned with a box of dog biscuits, scissors, a pile of color paper, and a roll of tape. She cut a
small section from the paper and wrapped a single dog treat in it. She held it up as if she had just struck
gold. “Now there’s a present for her!” I knelt on the floor next to Kara and wrapped another. Kaci and
Mom joined in, too. Soon, we had four elegantly wrapped dog biscuits in a row on the floor. We cleared the
floor of discarded wrapping paper. “Go get Pepper,” we urged, bouncing eagerly. Mom went into the next
room. “You wanna open a present, girl ” she coaxed. In a moment, Pepper stuck her head into the room,
ears fully perked with anticipation and curiosity. Skidding on stilted legs to the row of presents, she sniffed
all four in order and looked back and forth. She’d never had such a wide choice before.
Soon, Pepper selected her first Christmas gift. She nimbly turned the present with her forepaw, just
like she was a spry young dog once more. She tugged every last scrap of paper off the dog treat before she
chewed it with her customary grace. Our family swelled with glee. Pepper licked the last crumb from the
floor. She eyed the remaining three presents, then turned to Mom as if asking, “May I please open another ”
“Go ahead, girl!” Mom encouraged. For the next few minutes, Pepper opened each of her Christmas
presents. While she did, she reminded us of the sheer joy of being together. Our family felt whole — not
because we were in the same room, city, or country, but because our love bonded us together.
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故事出处：https://www./article/christmas-stories-wonder-love/
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