The wolf at the door

難詞探意

1. jolt /d???lt/ v. （使）震動；使覺醒

2. clamp /kl?mp/ v. 緊緊抓住；緊夾住

3. punch /p?nt?/ v. 用拳猛擊

4. minivan /'m?niv?n/ n. 小型面包車

5. fleeting /'fli?t??/ adj. 短暫的；閃現的

Russ Fee was asleep inside his tent last summer when a series of screamsjoltedhim awake. Throwing on his shoes and grabbing a lantern his wife had handed him, he ran out to investigate. Although it was dark,Fee could discern a neighboring tent. Backing out was a 1._______, dragging something in his teeth. It was a man.

Moments earlier, Elisa and Matt Rispoli, from New Jersey, were asleep with their two young children when the wolf tore into their 2._______. It was like something out of a horror movie. For three minutes, Matt threw his body in front of Elisa and the boys and fought the wolf. At one point, Matt got the upper hand, pinning the wolf to the ground. But the wolfclampedits jaw onto Matt's arm, set its powerful legs, and began tugging Matt outside while Elisa was pulling on the wolf's legs trying to get him back.

It was then that Russ Fee entered the picture. He ran at the beast, kicking it in the hip. The wolf dropped Matt and emerged from the tent. The wolf was large, and Fee felt like he hadpunchedsomeone that was 3._______（beyond/about） his weight class.

Before the wolf could turn its anger on Fee, Matt, whose arms were bloodied, flew out of the tent to resume the 4._______（battle/war）. The men constantly threw rocks at the wolf, forcing it back,and then the Fees and the Rispolis fled to the shelter of the Fees'minivan. An ambulance was called,and Matt was taken to a local 5._______. He has fully recovered. The local park officials in Canada closed down the campground. They tracked down the wolf and killed it.

As for Fee, whom Elisa regarded as their 6._______（travel/guardian） angel, he does admit to afleeting, if less-than-heroic, thought during the heat of battle.The moment the wolf locked eyes with him, Fee said, “I immediately regretted kicking it.”

—From Reader's Digest

Reading

Check

Fill in each blank with only one word according to the context.

Language

Study

Sentence for writing

The moment the wolf locked eyes with him, Fee said, “I immediately regretted kicking it.”

【信息提取】the moment/the second/the instant/the minute常用來引導時間狀語從句， 意為“一……，就……”。

【句式仿寫】Russ Fee一聽到有人喊救命，就意識到有危險的事情發生了。

Cultural Background

趣說加拿大野狼

根據國際狼中心的數據，加拿大有6萬匹狼。 不過在加拿大，野狼攻擊人是十分罕見的。 在加拿大，人被狗襲擊、閃電擊傷、蜜蜂蜇傷或汽車與鹿相撞的概率比人被狼傷害的概率更大。