2023年四川省广安市重点中学高考英语全真模拟密押卷（含答案解析）

2023高考英语模拟试卷请考生注意：1．请用2B铅笔将选择题答案涂填在答题纸相应位置上，请用0．5毫米及以上黑色字迹的钢笔或签字笔将主观题的答案写在答题纸相应的答题区内。写在试题卷、草稿纸上均无效。2．答题前，认真阅读答题纸上的《注意事项》，按规定答题。第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1．WhileworkinginKunming,hecheckedtheweathereachmorningformonths________herealizeditwouldbethesameeveryday.A．whenB．afterC．beforeD．since2．—Ken,________,butyourradioisgoingtooloud.—Oh,I’msorry.I’llturnitdownrightnow.A．Ihatetosayit B．Itdoesn’thurttoaskC．I’mreallytiredofit D．I’mcrazyaboutit3．Eversincethenewparkwasopenedtothepubliclastmonth,I______awalkiniteverymorning.A．amtaking B．takeC．havetaken D．havebeentaking4．Havingbeentreatedinthehospitalforaslongassixmonths,themaninjuredinthecarcrashisnoweventuallyback_______hisfeet.A．at B．inC．on D．to5．--Tom,yourforeignteacherspeaksChinesefluently!--Oh,shehaslivedinChinaforsixyears;otherwiseshesuchgoodChinese.A．didn’tspeak B．wouldnothavespokenC．wouldnotspeak D．hadn’tspoken6．Johnsonhasn’tfeltanyeffectthenewdietingrecipehashimsincehetriedtoloseweightthreemonthsago.A．for B．to C．on D．with7．--Hello,Kate.Howisyourweekendathome?--Awful!YouknowitisthefirsttimeI____aloneathome,boredtodeath.A．hasleft B．hadleft C．hadbeenleft D．havebeenleft8．Thisfootballplayerwasaccusedoftakingmoneyfornotscoringgoals______.A．bychance B．onend C．inturn D．onpurpose9．Wherewasit______theroadaccidenthappenedtheotherday?A．that B．whenC．how D．which10．Ishookhandsand________greetingswiththemanager,whoIimpressedalot.A．conveyedB．swappedC．exchangedD．switched11．—Whathasmadehiminsuchhighspiritsrecently?—_____byhisteacherforsucceedingpassingtheexam.A．BeingpraisedB．PraisedC．HavingpraisedD．Topraise12．Generallyspeaking,________accordingtothedirections,themedicinehasnosideeffect.A．whentakenB．whentakingC．whentotake D．whentobetaken13．_______travellingexpensesrisingalot,wehadtochangeallourplansforthetour．A．As B．By C．Since D．With14．Atschool,itisessentialthateverychild______equallyregardlessoffamilybackground.A．treatingB．treatedC．betreated D．istreated15．Youcanchoosenottoforgive.________youcanalsochoosetoletitgo.A．Absolutely B．ConsequentlyC．Subsequently D．Alternatively16．Areyousatisfiedwithhisschoolreport?Notatall.Itcouldn’thavebeen______.A．worseB．sobadC．betterD．theworst17．—Let’sgoandhavedinnerthisevening.—_____.Haveyoucomeoutfirstintheexam?A．Thanksalot.B．Whynot?C．Whatfor?D．Yes,I’dliketo.18．Althoughthetest________looklikeasimpleone,greatcareisneeded.A．may B．must C．should D．need19．－Theonlineshopkeeperhasmadeanapologyforhisrudebehavior.－OK.Ifyou’restillnotsatisfied,youcan_______compensation.A．claim B．affordC．sacrifice D．dismiss20．—Whatdoyouthinkofyourpreparationsforthefinalexams?—Notsogood.ActuallyIfeellike______forI’vemadelittleprogressinMaths.A．Danielinthelion’sden B．Achilles’heelC．agoodSamaritan D．asacredcow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）RevolutionaryTVEarsTVEarshashelpedthousandsofpeoplewithvariousdegreesofhearinglosshearthetelevisionclearlywithoutturningupthevolume(音量)andnowit’sbetterandmoreaffordablethanever!WithTVEarswirelesstechnology,yousetyourownheadsetvolume,whileotherTVlistenershearthetelevisionatavolumelevelthat’scomfortableforthem.YoucanevenlistenthroughtheheadsetonlyandputtheTVonmute(静音)ifthesituationcallsforaquietenvironment—maybethebabyissleeping.Orperhapsyouaretheonlyonewhoisinterestedinlisteningtotheballgame.TVEarspatentedtechnologyincludesarevolutionarynoisereductioncartip,notusedinanyothercommerciallyavailableheadset.Thistipreducesoutsidenoisesothattelevisiondialogueisclearandunderstandable.Getthetechnologythathasproventohelpthemostdemandingcustomers.That’swhyTVEarshasearnedthetrustandconfidenceofaudiologists(听觉学家)nationwideaswellasworld-famousdoctors.DoctorRecommendedTVEars!“MywifeandIhaveusedTVEarsalmostdailyforthepasttwoyearsandfindthemagreathelpinourenjoymentoftelevision.Asaretiredeardoctor,IheartilyrecommendTVEarstopeoplewithnormalhearingaswellasthosewithhearingloss.”—RobertForbes,M.D,CACustomerRecommendedTVEars!“NowmyhusbandcanhavethevolumeasloudasheneedsandIcanhavetheTVatmyhearinglevel.TVEarsissocomfortablethatJackforgetshehasthemon!Hecanonceagainhearandunderstandthedialogue.”—Darlene&JackB,CARiskFreeTrial!TVEarscomeswitha30-dayriskfreetrial.SpecialOffer—Now＄59.95.Ifyou’renotsatisfied,returnit.Money-backguarantee!Callnow!800-123-78321、TVEarshelpsyou_____.A．improveyoursleepingqualityB．listentoTVwithoutdisturbingothersC．changeTVchannelswithoutdifficultyD．becomeinterestedinballgameprograms2、WhatmakesTVEarsdifferentfromotherheadsets?A．ItcaneasilysetTVonmute. B．Itsheadsetvolumeisadjustable.C．Ithasanewnoisereductioncartip. D．Itappliesspecialwirelesstechnology.3、Thisadvertisementismademorebelievableby_____.A．usingrecommendations B．offeringreasonsforthisinventionC．providingstatistics. D．showingtheresultsofexperiments.22．（8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．worried23．（8分）Manykidshelpoutaroundthehousewithchoressuchasemptyingthedishwasher,puttinglaundryaway,andtakingoutthetrash.Inexchange,somekidsgetallowancesorotherrewardssuchasextracomputertime.Butsomepeopledonotthinkthatkidsshouldgetrewardsfordoingchores.SusieWalton,aparentingeducatorandfamilycoach,believesthatbyrewardingkids,parentsaresendingamessagethatworkisn’tworthdoingunlessyougetsomethinginreturn.’’Runninganykindofhouseholdisateameffort,Susiesaid."Ahomeisalivingspaceforeveryoneinthefamily.It’simportantforkidstoseethatweallhaveresponsibilitiesinthehouse,andthatfamiliesdecidetogetherhowtheywanttheirhometolook,andhowtheyaregoingtokeepitlookinglikeeveryonewantsittolook.”Otherpeoplebelievethatgettingacashallowanceorotherrewardsmotivateskidstodochores,anditalsoteachesthemrealworldlessonsabouthowweneedtoworktoearnmoney.Therearealsonewapplicationsthatgivekidspointsanddigitalgiftsthatcanberedeemed(兑取)eitheronlineorintherealworld.WiththeChoreMonsterapp,kidsearndigitalpointsbycompletingchoresthattheycanturninforreal-liferewardssuchasextraXboxtimeoratriptothemall.“Ourgoalistoencouragekidstoearnrewards,’’saysChrisBergman,founderofChoreMonster.“Kidsneedpositivereinforcementtohelpmotivatethem."Whatdoyouthink?Shouldkidsberewardedfordoingchores?Orshouldkidshelpoutaroundtheirhomeswithoutgettinganythinginreturn?Writea200-wordresponse.Sendittotfkasks4you@.YourresponsemaybepublishedinafutureissueofTimeForKids.Pleaseincludeyourgradeandcontactinformationofyourparentorteacherifyouwantyourresponsetobepublished.ThedeadlineforrespondingisFebruary18.1、Howdoestheauthorstartthepassage?A．Bypresentingsomefacts.B．Bylistingsomeevidence.C．Bycomparingdifferentviews.D．Bystatinghisownexperiences.2、AccordingtoSusieWalton,.A．kidsshouldberewardedfordoingchoresB．parentsdecidewhatkidscandoforthefamilyC．kidshavetheresponsibilitytosharehouseworkD．kidscangetextracomputertimefordoingchores3、Paragraph3ismainlyabout.A．ChrisBergman’sopiniononraisingkidsB．mainreasonswhykidsneedencouragementC．howtomotivatekidstotrynewapplicationsD．theadvantageofrewardingkidsfordoingchores4、Thepurposeofwritingthetextisto.A．invitereaderstoexpresstheiropinionsB．informreadersoftwodifferentopinionsC．callonreaderstoreflectontheirbehaviorD．presenttheauthor'sviewpointaboutparenting24．（8分）AtypicalschooldayintheUKstartsaround8:30am.Thisisoftenevenearlierelsewhereintheworld,withstudentssittingdowntotheirfirstlessonat7:30amintheUS.Theaverageteenagerideallyneedseighttoninehours’sleepeachnight,butinrealityalotofteenagersstruggletogetthismuch.Alotoftheproblemsarisebecauseoursleeppatternsarenotfixed,andtheychangeaswegrow.Soalaterschoolstarttimecouldhelptosolvethisproblem,byensuringtogettheireightplushoursofsleepandreactproperlytotheirbody’snaturalrhythms(规律).Therehasbeenageneralshiftoverthepast25yearstoshortentheschoolday.Thisisnotatthecostofteachingtime(whichhasremainedconstant)butatthecostofnaturalbreaks,whichhasledtoreducedlunchtimeandlessonbreaks.Laterstarttimescouldhelpteens’gradesandhealth.Thisismainlybecauseitmakesthemanagementofchildreneasier.Supervising(监管)hundredsofchildren“playing”requireseffectivestaffing(人员配备).Andthereisalwaysthefearthatbehaviorworsensduringbreaks.Sothetheorygoesthathavingtheminclassandstrictlysupervisedmustbebetter.Butthismeansthatstudentsbarelyhaveenoughtimetoabsorbwhattheyweredoinginmathsbeforesuddenlytheyarethrustintoancienthistory.Andteachingstaffalsotransitfromoneclasstoanother,withhardlyarestortimetorefocus.Clearlyrethinkingtheschooldaycouldbenefiteveryoneinvolved.Anyway,itcouldalsoleadtobetterachievementinteenagersandlessofastruggleforparentsinthemornings.Forteachers,itcouldalsomeanalessstressfuldayallaroundandwhatcouldbebetterthanthat?1、Mowdoschoolsoftenshortentheschoolday?A．Theyincreasemoreholidays.B．TheyreducetheteachingtimeC．Theyproperlyadjustchildren’naturalrhythmsD．Theyreducechildren’slunchtimeandlessonbreaks2、What’sthepurposeofthechildren’shortlessonbreaksaccordingtothetext?A．Toreducechildren’sexcitementB．TomakechildrenquicklytakeinwhattheylearnedC．TosupervisechildrenmoreeasilyD．Tomakechildrenbehavebetterinclass3、Whatcanwelearnaboutlaterschoolstarttimefromthetext?A．Itwilladdtotheteacher’spressureB．Ithasalwaysbeentherefor25yearsC．ItbenefitsthestudentsonlyD．Parentsmaysupportit4、Whatcanbethebesttitleforthetext?A．ThebenefitsofalessstressfuldayB．Howtosolveteenagers’sleepproblemC．ThebenefitsoflaterschoolstarttimeD．Thereasonswhyteenagerssleepdifferently25．（10分）Thehemlock(铁杉)treesalongtheWappingerCreek,NewYork,lookhealthy.However,scientistGaryLovettsaysthewhiteballswhichprovideprotectionforthebugsarecreatedbyatinyinsect.It’shardtobelievethetinybugcouldkillatree.However,treescanendupwithmillionsandmillionsofthepests.Whentherearethatmany,itendsupkillingthetree.ThebugfromEastAsiaisslowlykillingtreesacrosstheUSA．Thetrouble－makingbugisjustoneofmanyinvasive(入侵的)peststhathaveslippedintotheUnitedStates.Theycanhurtotherlivingthingsintheirnewhome.Manyinvasivepestsarriveonwoodenpalletspiledinsideshippingcontainers.Theysupportandseparategoods,andkeepthemfromslidingaround.Invasivepestsoftentunnelintothepallets.Howcanwestoppestsfromridingonpallets?Lovettsaysnewrulesareneeded.Thecompaniesthatmakepalletsdon’twantmorerules.Congresshasaddedanamendment(修正案)inthe2018FarmBilltotryandpreventthisproblem.However,Lovettisnothopefulitwillmakemuchofadifference.Palletsarecheckedbyinspectors.Manyaresprayedwithbug－killingpesticide.“Ibelieveinthesystem，”saidBrentMcClendon,presidentofTheNationalWoodenPalletandContainerAssociation.Healsosaidshippingcontainersarecheckedverycarefully.Still,eachyear13millioncontainersareshippedtotheU.S.Eachisfullofwoodenpallets.Lovettsays:“Inspectorscan’tpossiblycheckeverything.Allittakesareafewbadpallets;weshouldgetridofwoodenpallets.”Hebelievespalletsshouldbemadeofplasticoreco－compositewood.Eco－compositewoodisamixofwoodfiberandplastic.Insectscannothideintoit.Oneproblemisthatthesechoicescostmore.Theymaybeworththeextramoney,though.InvasivepestscosttheU.S.$5billionayear.Treesdon’tjustdieinforests.Theyalsodieincitiesandouryards.Then,theyneedtobereplaced.Thatcostsmoney,too.1、AllthestatementsareTRUEexceptthat________.A．pesticidehasbeenappliedtobug－killingB．invasivepestsarenativetoWappingerCreekC．invasivepestshideinpalletsusedinshippingD．thecompaniesmakingpalletsdon’twantmorerules2、Whatcanweinferfromthepassage?A．Bugscanbeeasilyspottedbyeyes.B．Bugsruintheshippinggoodsslowly.C．Bugswon’tbotherthetreeifjustinfewnumbers.D．Bugscovertreeswithwhitesoftballsforprotection.3、WhydoesGaryLovettwanttogetridofwoodenpallets?A．Becauseinsectsmostlydieinthem.B．Becauseplasticpalletsareeco－friendly.C．Becausetheyarenotworthextramoney.D．Becausetheyarethemajorpestcarriers.4、Whatdoesthepassagemainlytalkabout?A．InvasivepestsareharmingplantsintheUSA．B．Effectivemeasureshavestoppedthepestinvasion.C．Congresscontributesalottodealingwithinvasivepests.D．EcosystemintheUSAispoorlydamagedbyinvasivewoods.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）Mother’sDay,2017wasthelasttimethatallmythreekidswouldbekidsathome.Iwas1aMother’sDaytoremember.Thatmorning,Igotupearlyandleftfor2.TheboysandIweregoing3,notunusual,soIexpectedthetimeI’dhavewiththethreeofthemsurroundingmeduringbreak.Ienteredtheofficeaftermyclass,4thecrowdfortheirfaces.Ididn’tfindtheboys,butwasn’ttooworried5theirclassesoftenranlate.Ifoundarowwithplentyofroomforallthefourofus,6spotsformyhandsomeyoungmen.ThelongerIsatthere,themore7andangryIgot.Howcouldthey8theirmotheronthisofalldays?Icouldn’t9mywork,onlyonhowI’dbeenwronged.10thetimethelastmorningclassended,Icouldhardlywaittogethomeandgivethemapieceofmymind.Arrivinghome,Inoticedapileofrosesontheground.Ilookedcloserandsawtheywerethe11ofatrackmadefromfreshflowers,whichledtoourroom.AsI12theflowers,thedoorgotopenedandthree13facesgreetedme.Theyletmeseewhatthey’dbeenworkingonall14.15theentirefloorwerethewords,HappyMother’sDay,WeLoveYou.Theywerespelledoutwith16.Thespacewas17withthesweetnessofrosesandotherflowers.They’daskedforaleaveandworkedallmorning,gatheringthefreshflowersand18themintoasurprisingmessage.IimmediatelyrealizedI’dbeenhurryinginmy19ofthesituation.WhileIhadbeenfeelingunloved,theyhadspenttheirtimewritinga20toshowhowmuchtheyreallycared.1、A．allowingB．realizingC．expectingD．declaring2、A．churchB．hospitalC．shoppingD．work.3、A．completelyB．separatelyC．actuallyD．sincerely4、A．askingB．leavingC．callingD．searching5、A．becauseB．thoughtC．untilD．once6、A．changingB．savingC．choosingD．marking7、A．hurtB．absurdC．guiltyD．confident8、A．cheatB．consumeC．ignoreD．frighten9、A．focusonB．throwawayC．cutdownD．figureout10、A．SinceB．ForC．inD．By11、A．introductionB．beginningC．requirementD．ending12、A．followedB．selectedC．smelledD．picked13、A．shoutingB．smilingC．flyingD．running14、A．dayB．nightC．afternoonD．morning15、A．DiscoveringB．TransformingC．CoveringD．Replacing16、A．booksB．flowersC．hardshipD．effort17、A．eye-catchingB．tastyC．preciousD．alive18、A．pushingB．trickingC．arrangingD．urging19、A．changeB．improvementC．judgmentD．explanation20、A．messageB．wordC．letterD．promise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）Wesendwords,picturesorvideos1．ourfriendsontheInterneteveryday.But2．seemsthatwecanalsoevensendthemaglassoflemonadenow.Thisis3．theunimaginabletechnologyworks.First,acolorsensor(传感器)andaPHsensor4．(place)inarealglassoflemonade.Thenacontrolmodulesendsinformationaboutthecolorandtasteofthelemonadetoaspecialglass5．(fill)withwateratanother6．(locate).By7．(use)electronicstimulators(刺激物),thespecialglassrecreatesthetasteoftheoriginalwhentherecipient(接受者)drinksthewater.Researchersfoundthattherearenosignificant8．(different)betweenarealglassoflemonadeandavirtual(虚拟的)one.Ifthetechnologyisimproved,wemayevensoonbeabletoshareour9．(favor)disheswithourfriendsonlineinsteadofinsimply10．photo.第四部分写作（共两节）第一节短文改错（满分10分）28．（10分）假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号(/\)，并在其下面写出该加的词。删除：把多余的词用斜线(\)

划掉。修改：

在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。注意：1、每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;2、只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)

不计分。DearJohn,ItisverykindforyoutoinvitemetoyourbirthdaypartyonThursdaynight、Ireallyexpectedthehappymomentwhatwecanhavefuntogether、SoI'msorrytotellyouthatI'mnotabletogo、Thereareamathlessontogetherwithanimportantexamschedulingonthatnight、Worsestill,I'mreallynotmyselfbecauseI'vecaughtbadcoldthesedays、Iamterriblesorryaboutit、Anyway,wewillhavemanymoreopportunitytogettogether、Ihopeyouwillpardonmeandenjoyyourselfwithotherhisfriends、Yours,LiHua第二节书面表达（满分25分）29．（25分）假定你是李华,你居住的社区有一对到中国的英国夫妇,他们想为即将在本地上小学的儿子找个汉语家教,你对此很感兴趣。请给女主人Carol写封邮件,推荐自已,内容包括：1.自我介绍;2.自荐理由；3.教学时间。注意:1.词数100左右；2.可以适当增加节,以使行文连贯。_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2023学年模拟测试卷参考答案（含详细解析）第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1、C2、A3、D4、C5、C6、C7、D8、D9、A10、C11、A12、A13、D14、C15、D16、A17、C18、A19、A20、B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、1、B2、C3、A22、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.