2023届河北省邢台市第高三下学期第一次联考英语试卷含解析

2023高考英语模拟试卷注意事项1．考生要认真填写考场号和座位序号。2．试题所有答案必须填涂或书写在答题卡上，在试卷上作答无效。第一部分必须用2B铅笔作答；第二部分必须用黑色字迹的签字笔作答。3．考试结束后，考生须将试卷和答题卡放在桌面上，待监考员收回。第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1．Jennynearlymissedtheflight_________________doingtoomuchshopping.A．asaresultof B．ontopofC．infrontof D．inneedof2．Myneighbourcametoaskmewhytherewassomuchnoiseinmyhouseyesterdayafternoon.ItoldherthatsomechildrenanEnglishsong.A．praticed B．wouldpractice C．havepracticed D．werepracticing3．AbookIreadlastyear,______nameIcan’tremember,changedmyideaabouttime.A．which B．thatC．whose D．what4．WeallChinesepeoplearecalledontolearnfromLeiFeng,_______wethinksetagoodexampletoallofus.A．whose B．whoC．that D．whom5．Moreandmorepeopleprefertoliveinthecountryside,_______appealforthemliesinthequietandslow-pacedlife.A．who B．WhichC．whose D．what6．—Goodmorning.MayIhelpyou?—No,thankyou.I’mjustlookingaround.—________A．It’suptoyou. B．Howareyoufeelingtoday?C．Thanksforcomingtoseeme. D．Takeyourtimethen.7．—HowdoyoufindyourtriptoSanyaduringthethree-dayNewYearHoliday?—________Ican’tspeaktoohighlyofit.A．Oh,wonderfulindeed!B．It’sawful!C．Don’tmentionit．D．Yousaidit.8．Hefinishedwritinghisfirstnovellastyear,andweallthinkthatis______hiscareerreallytookoff.A．where B．whenC．how D．why9．ShallwegoforapicnicthisSaturday？_____________.WillnextSaturdaybeOK？A．Sure，it'suptoyou B．Sure，it'snoproblemC．Sorry，Ican'tmakeit D．Sorry，I'mnotavailabletoday10．Ilikesuchhouseswithbeautifulgardensinfront,butIdon’thaveenoughmoneytobuy.A．it B．one C．that D．this11．Thishouseisalmost________totheonewhereIlivedasachild.A．identical B．manualC．chilly D．enthusiastic12．It's________mewhyAlicegaveupherjobandgotmarried.A．under B．above C．over D．beyond13．—Mum,doyoumindifIinvitesomefriendstomybirthdayparty?—______.Itwillbemoreinteresting.A．Bynomeans B．Yes,ofcourseC．Don’tworry D．Nodoubt.14．ThestatementofOneFoundationhelpsyou____whereyourmoneyisgoing．A．keeptrackof B．putupwithC．comeupwith D．fitinwith15．AfterreceivingtheOscarforBestSupportingActress,AnneBenedictwentonallthepeoplewhohadhelpedinhercareer.A．tothank B．thankingC．havingthanked D．tohavethanked16．Thechurchwhichiseasily________frommyhomeisbeingrebuilt.A．accessibleB．availableC．acceptableD．responsible17．—Haveyouheard____newsthatover10,000peoplelosttheirlivesintheearthquakeinJapan?—Notyet．What____bigsurprise!A．the;a B．the;/ C．/;/ D．/;a18．--Theweatheristoocold___Marchthisyear.--Itwasstill___whenIcamehereyearsago.A．for;colder B．in;coldC．in;hot D．for;hotter19．Eachofthestudentsworkinghardattheirhardattheirlessonsthebook.SohaveI.A．readsB．havereadC．hasreadD．read20．Fathermadeapromise______________Ididwellintheentranceexam,hewouldtakemetoHongKonginthesummervacation.A．ifthat B．ifC．thatif D．that第二部分阅读理解（满分40分）阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。21．（6分）AbooksellerinChongqinghasbeenleavingnovelsontrainsandatstationstoinspiremorecommuters(上下班往返的人)toread,afterseeingBritishactressEmmaWatsontakepartinasimilarprojectinLondon.AuthorandbookstoreownerJiangLin,29,randomlyplaced40worksalongthecity’slight-railsystemonSunday.Whoeverfindsabookcanreaditinpublicortakeithome,buttheyareencouragedtoleaveitagainonpublictransportationoncetheyhavefinishedwithit.Jiangsaid,“Iconsideredtheneedsofcommuters,"hesaid."Ihopestrangerscanfeelcomfortedbythebooksandfeelconnectedwithotherreaders."All40bookswerechosenfromJiang’sstore,Razor’sEdgeBookClub,whichheopenedinthesummer,andincludedfictionandnonfiction,withtopicsrangingfromartandsocialsciencestophilosophyandhistoryJiang’sBooksontheChongqingLightRailprojectfollowsthesamemodelasBooksontheUnderground,whichwasstartedin2012andsees“bookfairies”leaveworksonLondonTubetrainsandatstations.Readersareencouragedtosharetheirviewsonthebooks.ItwasrevealedonNov.1thatWatson,whoisbest-knownfortheHarryPottermovieseries,isabookfairy.“AfterIreadthenewsaboutherleavingbooksontheLondonTube,IwassoinspiredthatIimmediatelydecidedtodosomethingovertheweekend,”Jiangsaid.However,hisdecisionwassospontaneousthathehadnotimetomakethestickersthatareusuallyplacedoneachbooktoidentifythemaspartoftheproject.Instead,heputanoteontheflypagetointroducetheconcept.Tohissurprise,oneofhisfriendswasamongthosewhofoundhisbooksandpostedapictureonWeChatMoments,asocialmediafunctionontheinstant-messagingapp.Jiangsaidmorethan20peoplehavesincecomeonboardandarenowworkingonamoredetailedthantospreadtheloveofreading.Althoughincreasingnumbersofpeoplereadondigitaldevices,bookshavenottotallygoneoutoffashion.JiangmentionedthattheyneededthesupportfromChonqingLightRailCo.toensurethebookstostaythereandalsohopedtheprojectcouldbewelcomedacrossthecountry.1、JiangLinleftbooksontrainsoratstationsinorderto______.A．raisemoneyforpoorreadersB．openanewbookstoreC．helpsellmorebooksD．advocatereadingbooks2、Jianggotinspiredtostarttheprojectby_________.A．HarryPorterB．WechatmomentsC．EmmaWatsonD．Razor’sEdgeBookClub3、Theunderlinedword“spontaneous”isclosestinmeaningto__________.A．unplannedB．unwiseC．firmD．thoughtful4、Jiang’sattitudetowardsthefutureoftheprojectcanbebestdescribedas___________.A．positiveB．doubtfulC．reservedD．worried22．（8分）OnSept.15,TripAdvisor,oneoftheworld’slargesttravelreviewwebsites,namedtheworld’stop25museumsinitsTravelers’ChoiceAwardaccordingtothereviewsandopinionsoftravelersworldwide.Nowlet’stakealookatthetopfourmuseumswhicharerankedasfollowsbythepopularityaroundtheworld.MetropolitanMuseumofArt,NewYorkCityItisthelargestmuseumintheWesternHemisphere,withacollectionof2millionitemsfrommorethan5,000yearsofworldculture.TheiconicmuseumincludesimportantcollectionsfromancientEgyptandmedievalEuropeaswellasancientGreeceandRome.Here,visitorscangetlostindifferentcenturies:TheycanseetheTempleofDendurfromearlyEgypt,DutchpainterVincentvanGogh’sWheatfieldWithCypressesanUSpopAndyWarhol’sSouperDress,allinoneplace.Mused’Orsay,ParisLocatedinthecenterofParisonthebankoftheRiverSeine,theMuseed’Orsayhousestheworld’smostamazingcollectionsofimpressionistandpost-impressionistart.ItoffersthechancetoviewmajorworksfromgreatslikeVanGoghandClaudeMonet.ThemuseumisfamousforbeinghometoStarryNightovertheRhone,anoilpaintingbyVanGoghthatisoftenpraisedalongwithhismasterpieceStarryNight.ArtInstituteofChicago,IllinoisItwasnamedtheworld’sbestmuseumin2014.Theworld-famousWindyCitymuseumhousesnearly300,000works,includingoneofthelargestcollectionsofmodernart,includingpiecessuchasSpanishpainterPabloPicasso’sTheOldGuitarist,USartistGeorgiaO’Keeffe’sBlackCrossandFrenchartistHenriMatisse’sBathersbyaRiver.ATripAdvisorreviewercommented,“NomatterhowmanytimesIvisit,itnevergetsold.Paintingsfromeveryera,worksfroeverygreatartist.”MuseoNacionaldelPrado,MadridNowhereisabletopresenttheentirehistoryofSpanishartliketheMuseoNacionaldelPrado.Here,visitorscanenjoyadetailedviewoftheSpanishschooloftheModernAge.OutstandingmasterpiecesbyartistssuchasDiegoVelazquez,FranciscoGoyaandJoaquiinSorollamakeupaninternationally-famouscollection.TheItalianschoolisanotherhighlightofthemuseum’scollection,asitincludesthe15thcenturymasterpiecessuchasTheAnnunciationbyFraAngelico,TheDeathoftheVirginbyAndreaMantegnaandTheDeadChristSupportedbyAngelsbyAntonellodaMessina.1、HowistheMetropolitanMuseumofArtdifferentfromtheotherthreemuseums?A．ItisthelargestartmuseumintheworldB．ItissobigthatvisitorsmayeasilygetlostinitC．ItisthemostpopularmuseumofthefourmuseumsD．ItsmaincollectionisfromancientEgyptandmedievalEurope2、Ifyouareinterestedinimpressionistart,_____isaplaceyoucannotmiss.A．MetropolitanMuseumofArtB．Museed’OrsayC．ArtInstituteofChicagoD．MuseoNacionaldelPrado3、Whichisacorrectmatchofthepaintingandthemuseum?A．PabloPicasso’sTheOldGuitarist—Museed’OrsayB．HenriMatisse’sBathersbyaRiver—MetropolitanMuseumofArtC．VincentvanGogh’sWheatfieldWithCypresses—ArtInstituteofChicagoD．AndreaMantegna’sTheDeathoftheVirginMuseoNacionaldelPrado23．（8分）ManypublicfiguresfromIT,showbusiness,andsportshavejoinedtheIceBucketChallengetoraisemoneyforamyotrophiclateralsclerosis(ALS)(肌萎缩性侧索硬化)research.Anumberofinternationalfamouspeoplehavealreadytakenthechallenge,includingMicrosoftco-founderBillGates,FacebookCEOMarkZuckerberg,AfounderandCEOJeffBezos,andAppleInc.CEOTimCook.TroubledmusicianJustinBieberevenchallengedUSPresidentBarrackObama.TheALSIceBucketChallengerequiresthatparticipantspourabucketoficewateronthemselvesandthenpostavideoofitonsocialmediawhilenominatingoneormorepeopletodothesamewithin24hours.Peoplewhofailtotakethechallengewillhavetodonate$100toTheALSAssociation,whichadvocatesfindingtreatmentandacureforALS.Andmanyofthosewho’vetakenthechallengedonatedaswell.ALSisararediseasethatgraduallyreducespatients’musclestrength,finallymakingthembecomeunabletospeak,move,swallowandbreathe.InNorthAmerica,ALSiscommonlyknownasLouGehrig’sdisease,afterthestarbaseballplayerwhodiedofthediseasein1941attheageof38.Thebest-knownALSpatienttodayisBritishscientistStephenHawking.WhilemostpeoplewithALSsurviveonlytwotofiveyearsafterdiagnosis(诊断),Hawkinghashadthediseasefordecades.ThemedicaltreatmentforALSisveryexpensiveandcannotbecoveredbymostsocialwelfareprograms.ThiscreatesdifficultiesformanyALSpatientsandtheirfamilies,bothphysicallyandmentally.“Duetotheicebucketcampaign,manypeoplebeginningtoknowaboutALS.WithmorepeopleawareandmorepeopletakingpartinthefightagainstALS,wecancalmlyworkwithnotonlyotherALSorganizations,butalsowithmedicalcompaniestospeedupnewtreatmentsforpeopleaffectedbythedisease,”saidBarbaraNewhouse,PresidentandCEOofTheALSAssociation.1、WhydoestheauthormentionmanyfamouspeopleinParagraph1?A．TostressthepopularityoftheIceBucketChallenge.B．Toadviseustolearnfromthem.C．Toprovetheyaregenerous.D．TointroducethetargetgroupoftheIceBucketChallenge.2、Paragraph2ismainlyabouttheIceBucketchallenge’s________.A．influenceB．purposeC．rulesD．development3、Thepersonwhoisnominatedforthechallengeisrequiredto________.A．donate$100toTheALSAssociationB．watchothersvideosonsocialmediaC．helpfindeffectivetreatmentsforALSD．pouricewateronhimselfwithintime4、WhatdoweknowaboutALSfromthetext?A．ALSisfairlycommonnow.B．LouGehrigwasfirstcuredofALS.C．ItisrareforpeoplewithALStosurvivedecades.D．SocialwelfareprogramsprovidemedicaltreatmentsforALS.5、AccordingtoBarbaraNewhouse,theIceBucketChallenge________.A．makesmorepeoplewellawareofALSB．teachespeoplehowtofightagainstALSC．makesmedicalcompanieshelpALSpatientsD．attractsmanypeopletojoinALSorganizations24．（8分）I’mastudentinmythirdyearatRobertGordonUniversity,butIalsowork35hoursaweekatSainsbury'stomakeendsmeet.Iconstantlyhavetoforcemyselftostayawake,andtobealert,whateverittakes.TheworkIdoatSainsbury'sisveryphysicallikestacking(fi3ik)shelves.IamluckybecausetheamountIliftatworkisnothingcomparedwiththeweightIliftinthegym.IknowIhavethestrengthtobearit.IamoriginallyfromNigeria.IcameherewhenIwasseven.Moneywasalwaystight.MyparentsgavemeeverythingIneeded,buttherewasnomoneyforluxuries.Iworkedhardatschoolthoughand,withthehelpofprofessors,IgotthebestA-levelgradesinmyclass.Unfortunately,thoughIhadappliedfor"settled"BritishresidentialstatustheHomeOfficewaiteduntilIwasinsixthformtoapprovemyapplication.ThatmeantIwasnoteligibleforastudentloan.TheonlywayIcouldaffordtogotouniversitywasthatIgotajobthatwouldpayforallmylivingcostsandmyparentspaidformytuitionfees.Idon’thavemuchtimetosocializebecauseofmyjob.Ideally,IdliketohavemoretimetostudysoIcanexcelatmycourse.Yes,Ihavealotonmyplate,butworkinghardisntnewforme.Growingup,myparentscultivatedinmetheimportanceofworkinghardforwhatIwantinlife.MydreamistogetajobintheNHS.Butnow,ImjustfocusedontryingtogetthebestgradesIcan.WheneverIfindlifehard,Itellmyselfthisisaboutmyfuture.1、Whydoestheauthorworklonghoursandsometimesovertimeeveryweek?A．TopayforhisownlivingexpensesB．TopayforhistuitionfeesC．ToprovehisabilitytoearnmoneyD．Tohelphisparentspayoffthedebts2、Whatdoestheunderlinedword"eligible"inParagraph4referto?A．ResponsibleB．AnxiousC．QualifiedD．Accessible3、WhichofthefollowingcanNOTbeusedtodescribetheauthor?A．PersistentB．DiligentC．SociableD．Ambitious4、Whichproverbcanbestsummarizethepassage?A．ActionsspeaklouderthanwordsB．GodhelpthosewhohelpthethemselvesC．ApennysavedisapennyearnedD．Wherethereislife,thereishope25．（10分）Microsofthasdevelopedanewsmartphoneappthatinterpretseyesignalsandtranslatesthemintoletters,allowingpeoplewithmotorneuronediseasetocommunicatewithothersfromaphone.TheGazeSpeakappcombinesasmartphone’scamerawithartificialintelligencetorecognizeeyemovementsinrealtimeandconvertthemintoletters,wordsandsentences.ForpeoplesufferingfromALS（渐冻症）,alsoknownasmotorneuronedisease,eyemovementcanbetheonlywaytheyareabletocommunicate.“Currenteye-trackinginputsystemsforpeoplewithALSorothermotorimpairmentsareexpensive,notrobustundersunlight,andrequirefrequentre-calibrationandconsiderable,relativelyimmobilesetups,”saidXiaoyiZhang,aresearcheratMicrosoftwhodevelopedthetechnology.“Tomitigatethedrawbacks…wecreatedGazeSpeak,aneye-gesturecommunicationsystemthatrunsonasmartphone,andisdesignedtobelow-cost,robust,portableandeasytolearn.”Theappisusedbythelistenerbypointingtheirsmartphoneatthespeaker.Achartthatcanbestucktothebackofthesmartphoneisthenusedbythespeakertodeterminewhicheyemovementstomakeinordertocommunicate.Thestickershowsfourgridsofletters,whicheachcorrespondtoadifferenteyemovement.Bylookingup,down,leftorright,thespeakerselectswhichgridstheletterstheywantbelongto.Theartificialintelligencealgorithmisthenabletopredictthewordorsentencetheyaretryingtosay.Zhang’sresearch,Smartphone-BasedGazeGestureCommunicationforPeoplewithMotorDisabilities,issettobepresentedattheConferenceonHumanFactorsinComputingSystemsinMay.1、Theunderlinedword“mitigate”inparagraphprobablymeans__________________.A．adjustB．correctC．strengthenD．lessen2、Wecanlearnfromthepassagethat_________________________.A．thepresenteye-trackinginputsystemscanhardlymeetthedemandofALSsuffersB．ALSsufferscanonlybeunderstoodthroughthenewly-developedappC．speakerscanmakedifferenteyemovementstochoosepreferablewordorsentenceD．theGazeSpeakappisgoingtobereleasedattheConferenceonHumanFactorsinMay3、Whichisthebesttitleforthetext?A．MicrosoftfindshopeforpatientswithALSB．MotorneuronediseasemightbecuredbyasmartphoneappC．AsmartphoneapphelpsALSsuffersspeakwiththeireyesD．ALSsuffersfinallyfindawaytocommunicate第三部分语言知识运用（共两节）第一节（每小题1.5分，满分30分）阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项．26．（30分）Timesweretoughinourhousehold.Myhusbandwasoutofworkandtherewasnosignofanything1forhim.Inadditiontogoingtonursingschoolfull-time,Iwasworkingthreepart-timejobs2toputfoodonthetableforourfamilyoffive.Afterarather3mealonenight,Iansweredtheringingphone.Withno4,avoiceasked,“Doyouneedfood?CometomyplaceandIcanhelpyou.”Directionsfollowedandhehungupthephone.Noin-depthconversationorqueriesastoour5situation.Itwasuptoustodecidewhetherwe6avoiceonthetelephone.Iwasdesperate.With7foodinthecabinetandnoprospectofajobformyhusband,Ihadtotakea8,swallowmypride,andacceptthestrangeoffer.Wastherea9?WhenIuneasilygottoaranchhomeas10,Ifoundtherewasnocarinthegarage.11,linedupinorderlyrowsweretablesfilledwithvarietiesoffood.Acraggy（轮廓分明有皱纹的）gentleman12me,notmuchdifferentthanourphoneconversation!“Lookaround.Ifyouseewhatyouwant,13yourself.”Hehandedmepaperbagsandturnedtoanothernewarrival,passingalongthesame14Thiscouldn’tbereal!Iguiltilyfilledthepapersackswithwhat15neededandgratefullythankedtheelderlyman.“Beherenextweek.You’ll16ofthefoodbythen”washisreply.ThenIlearnedthething.Widowedandretired,hewantedtodosomething17inhisgoldenyearstofillhistime.Daily,hedrovehispickuptruckandbeggedfor18itemsandcannedgoodsfromlocalgrocerystoresand19folkslikeuswhohadfallenonhardtimes.Ineverknewwhatourweeklymenuswouldbe20Ihad“shopped”inthegarage,butIknew,withourbelliesfull,wecouldfocusonpayingnecessarybills.1、A．worrying B．boring C．confusing D．promising2、A．just B．even C．ever D．also3、A．delicious B．necessary C．simple D．ordinary4、A．information B．communication C．introduction D．instruction5、A．physical B．financial C．educational D．social6、A．trusted B．accepted C．recognized D．satisfied7、A．certainly B．originally C．actually D．barely8、A．chance B．step C．decision D．measure9、A．future B．possibility C．trap D．kindness10、A．appointed B．directed C．guided D．requested11、A．Therefore B．Besides C．Instead D．However12、A．discovered B．greeted C．reminded D．examined13、A．help B．enjoy C．behave D．seat14、A．welcome B．supply C．assistance D．message15、A．mostly B．eventually C．absolutely D．accidentally16、A．leaveout B．dropout C．runout D．getout17、A．interesting B．worthwhile C．mysterious D．astonishing18、A．usable B．additional C．acceptable D．valuable19、A．recalled B．sought C．identified D．inspected20、A．although B．since C．before D．Until第二节（每小题1.5分，满分15分）阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。27．（15分）Carsaretooexpensiveformanypeoplearoundtheworld1．(own).Notonlythat,manycitiesarealreadyfulloftraffic,andmanycountryareashaveroughroads.So

how

dopeopletravelthosedistances2．aretoofartowalk?Theyusepublictransportation.Ifyouridethesubway3．bus,youcanappreciatesomeofthebenefitsofpublictransportation.Withmanypeople

4．(share)onebusortrain,thereislesstrafficand,more

5．（importance）,lesspollution.Whichofthetypesofpublictransportation

6．(describe)belowareyoufamiliarwith?Ifaregularbuscanhold

dozensofpeople,imagine7．abus

twicethesizecanhold!InGreatBritain,therearemanybusesthatareknownasdouble-deckers(carswithtwofloors).BusesinHaitiareoftenverycrowded.It’snot

8．(common)forpassengerstoactuallysitontherooftops.Busesaresometimescalled“tap-taps”,becausethe

9．(ride)ontherooftapwhentheywanttobedroppedoff.Manylargecitiesaroundtheworldtakeadvantageofthespacebeneaththestreetsandrunundergroundtrains.PeopleinParis,MexicoCityandTokyomayusethesubwaysystemtogettoschool,towork,ortovisitfriendsin10．neighborhoods.第四部分写作（共两节）第一节短文改错（满分10分）28．（10分）短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）DearDavid,Ihaverecentlyfeltguilty,staysleeplessatnight、Youmaywonderhow、Totellyouthetruth,itisjustbecauseofthefactthatIseldomcheatinexamsandIjustcan’tstopme、Inmanyexams,Iusedcellphonestosurfthenetforanswer、Besides,Isometimesreferredthemtomynotebookssocopiedsomething、Asyouknow,cheatingdomuchharmtoourlearningandself-confidence、It’stimethatItakeactiontostopit、Iwouldappreciateityoucouldoffermesomeadvice、Lookingforwardtoyourreply!第二节书面表达（满分25分）29．（25分）假如你是某报编辑，昨天收到一位名叫Tom的学生来信，信中提到自己学习的苦恼:想成为优秀生，但考试总犯粗心错误。请按以下要点写一封建议信，要点如下:1.压力不要太大；如有问题请教老师或同学；2.考试合理分配时间，尽量抽出时间检查；3.其他建议……注意:1.词数不少于100字。2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。参考词汇:分配:distribute___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

参考答案第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1、A2、D3、C4、B5、C6、D7、A8、B9、C10、B11、A12、D13、A14、B15、A16、A17、A18、A19、C20、C第二部分阅读理解（满分40分）阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。21、IhadjustmovedtoSanAntonio,Texas.Iworkedforthetourbusservicetakingtouristsonashorttourofthecity’shistoricplacesandwouldendupattheAlamo.IwasdrivingbackfrommylasttouronacoolFebruarydayonmywaybackfromtheSanFemandoCatholicchurchwithnooneonmybuswhenIsawamandressedinrags,thinkingthispersonmustbeanactororsomethingwalkingaround.Istoppedandaskedhim,“Needaride?”Withoutsayinganythinghejustwalkedonbroadandsatdowninseatbehindme.“Whereareyouheading?”Iaskedhim.Helookedupintothemirroratmeandreplied.“I’vegottogettothefort(要塞)andreporttoColonel(上校)TravisthattheMexicansarehere!”Ilaughedtomyselfthinkingthatthismanwasaseriousactor.“I’mguessingyoumeantheAlamo?”Isaidbacktohim.Ilookedupandsawhewasn’tsmilingnorlaughing.Allthroughouttheridehewasstaringinamazementatallthetoweringskyscrapersandthebuildingsalongthestreet.“Irememberwhenthistownwasnothingmorethanalittletradingvillage!”Hefinallysaidtome.“Sowhat’syourname?”Iaskedhim.“DanielCloud,yours?”“DavidZime.”IrepliedasIturnedthecornerofthestreetandlaideyesupontheAlamo.Ipulleduptothesidewalkandopenedthedoor.Cloudgotoutofhisseatandcameuptome.“Thanksfortheride.”Hesaidextendinghishand.Itookhispalmanditwasfreezingcoldlikehejuststeppedoutofthefreezer.“Notaproblem,Mr.Cloud,anddon’tworryaboutthefee.It’sonthehouse.”HenoddedhisheadingratitudelikeallusTexansdoandwalkedaway.Itwasn’tuntilthenthatInoticedthathewassoaked(浸；泡)totheboneindrippingwaterandwehadnotasingledropofraininamonthormore.Ijustshookmyheadandclosedthedoorbehindhim.WhenIturnedaround.DiscoveredamazinglyhowfastCloudhadgoneaway!AfewdayslaterIwasreadingabookabout