2025届广东广州市增城区英语高三上期末质量检测试题含解析

2025届广东广州市增城区英语高三上期末质量检测试题注意事项：1．答卷前，考生务必将自己的姓名、准考证号、考场号和座位号填写在试题卷和答题卡上。用2B铅笔将试卷类型（B）填涂在答题卡相应位置上。将条形码粘贴在答题卡右上角"条形码粘贴处"。2．作答选择题时，选出每小题答案后，用2B铅笔把答题卡上对应题目选项的答案信息点涂黑；如需改动，用橡皮擦干净后，再选涂其他答案。答案不能答在试题卷上。3．非选择题必须用黑色字迹的钢笔或签字笔作答，答案必须写在答题卡各题目指定区域内相应位置上；如需改动，先划掉原来的答案，然后再写上新答案；不准使用铅笔和涂改液。不按以上要求作答无效。4．考生必须保证答题卡的整洁。考试结束后，请将本试卷和答题卡一并交回。第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1．Itwasadifficultjobforhim.Hehadtriedeverythingbutitmadelittle________.A．use B．goodC．difference D．result2．—WhereisGary?—HeisatthelibrarystudyingforhisGermantestonWednesday.Infact,he________forthetesteverydayoverthepastweek.A．hasreviewedB．wasreviewingC．hasbeenreviewingD．hadbeenreviewing3．_____isoftenthecase,wehaveworkedouttheproductionplan.A．WhichB．WhenC．WhatD．As4．Somebusinessownersarekeenonpublicwelfare.Thisislocalserviceshavebeenfunded.A．whether B．what C．where D．how5．—ThankyouverymuchforgivingmeahandwhenIwasintrouble.—Don’tmentionit.Ionlydidwhatanyoneelse_______inmyplace.A．mustdo B．couldhavedoneC．woulddo D．canhavedone6．Afireworksdisplaywasorganized________theQueen’sbirthday.A．tomarkB．markedC．havingmarkedD．beingmarked7．Effortswillbemadeto______newteachingmodelstoexploitthestudents’potential.A．accelerateB．innovateC．differentiateD．compile8．High­speedtrainswhichtravelthroughmyhometown________upto250kmperhourmakeitasmallworld.A．with B．againstC．at D．over9．—Alicehasjustlostherhusbandtoheartfailure.—Her______smilecan’thidehersorrow.A．arbitrary B．artificialC．compulsory D．conventional10．Withsomesnowontopofit,theYellowMountainlookedfantasticthiswinter.Actually,IdoubtwhetherwecouldvisitmountaininChina.A．amostbeautiful B．themostbeautifulC．amorebeautiful D．abeautiful11．Notuntil_________________thebetterqualitiesinourselves____________expecttofindtheminothers.A．havewedeveloped;canweB．wehavedeveloped;thatcanweC．wehavedeveloped;canweD．canwedevelop;thatwewill12．Thepoliceareoffering______rewardof$50,000forinformationleadingtothearrestof_____murderer.A．the;the B．a;a C．the;a D．a;the13．Threedaysaftertheaircraftwentmissing,aninternationaleffort________shipsandplaneshasn'tfoundanywreckage,________growingfrustrationforthefamiliesofthe239peopleonboard.A．involved;causing B．toinvolve;causedC．involving;causing D．involving;havingcaused14．—WhereisPeter?Ican'tfindhimanywhere.—Hewenttothelibraryafterbreakfastand________hisessaythereeversince.A．wrote B．hadwritten C．hasbeenwriting D．iswriting15．—NextweekIwillgotoajobinterview.willyougivemesomesuggestions?—Smilingisagreatwaytomakeyourself________.A．standout B．turnoutC．workout D．pickout16．--Alison,I'msorry.Ican'tcometotheweddingwithyoutomorrowmorning.--________?--Mygrandmawasseverelyill,soIhavetostayinthehospitaltolookafterher.A．HowisitB．Howcome C．SowhatD．What'stheproblem17．Sarah______changehermind,eventhoughsheknewtheplanwashardtocarryout.A．mustn’t B．wouldn’tC．shouldn’t D．needn’t18．Therealreasonwhyprices____,andstillare,toohighiscomplex,andnoshortdiscussioncansatisfactorilyexplainthisproblem.A．were B．willbeC．havebeen D．hadbeen19．May!Howisyourplan?IheardyoustarteditlastSunday.Oh!Iforit,butIhaven’tdecidedwheretostartit.A．haveprepared B．hadprepared C．havebeenpreparing D．waspreparing20．________individualplayers,wehaveagreatteambuttheproblemisthattheydon’tplayfootballtogetherwellatall.A．OntopofB．BymeansofC．IntermsofD．Incaseof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）Nowthatmymodelmachineworks,mynextengineeringprojectwillbehookingituptothealarmsystemofanactualcar.Iwanttohelpparentsavoidtheriskofforgettingbyaccident,whichcouldchangethefamily’slivesforever.Ihaveparticipatedinseveralsciencefaircompetitions,likeGoogleScienceFairandSantaGertrudisSchoolScienceFair,individuallyandasateamwithmyolderbrothers.BroadcomMASTERShasbeenveryimportantinencouragingmetopursue(探求)STEM-Science,Technology,EngineeringandMathematics.STEMisthemainsourceofknowledgeforeven1fieldintheworld.Youcanfindscienceineveryactivityyoudoanditdoesnothavetobeacomplicatedsubjectatschool.Thisiswhatfirstinterestedmeinit.ItchangedthewayIsawtheworld.WhenIwaspresentingmyprojectatStateofTexasScienceFair2017,Iwasn’tfeelingtoogreat,andafterthejudgescameby,IfeltlikeIwasn’tgoingtowin.ThenIsawfourfamiliescrowdingaroundmyboard-Iwasshocked.Theywantedmetopresentmyprojecttothembecausetheyknewaboutitfromthenews.Theseparentsaskedmetotalktotheirkidsandinspirethem.IfellveryexcitedbecauseIgottopresenttheinventionthatledmetowhatIamnowtotheworld.MycurrentgoalsaretoextendrangesinSTEMinhighschool,sinceinmiddleschoolyouaremorelimited.IwouldliketocompeteintheUniversityinterscholasticTeam,participateinIntelISEF,competeintheGoogleScienceFairagain,andpresentbetterprojectsforsciencefair.InsteadofwatchingthatonelastplotofaTVshow,goandthinkofhowyoucancreatesomethingormakesenseofsomethingyou’reenthusiasticabout.Workhardineverythingyoudoforeverymomentofyourlife,makethatonethingintothebestthing,andimproveyourplanningoftheproject.1、Howwilltheauthorhelpparentsavoidtheriskofforgetting?A．Bychangingthefamily’slivesforever.B．Byfittingthealarmsysteminactualcars.C．Byrunningtheriskingoftrafficaccidents.D．Bymakinghismodelmachineworkwell.2、Whatchangedthewaytheauthorsawtheworld?A．Hisprojectpresentation.B．HispursuingSTEM.C．Hisinventiveachievements.D．Hisattendingcompetitions.3、Whydidthefourfamiliescrowdaroundtheauthor’sboard?A．Towitnesshisproject.B．Toacquirehissignature.C．Topurchasehispatent.D．Toinspiretheirchildren.4、Whatdoestheauthoradviseustodo?A．Doalltothebestofourability.B．Workhardtobecomefamous.C．ConsiderflowtocreateaTVplot.D．Employtimeeffectivelytoliftus.22．（8分）Visitorsmustpresentallcarrieditemsforinspectionuponentry.Afterinspection,allbags,backpacks,umbrella,parcelsandotheritemsasdeterminedbysecurityofficersmustbeleftatthecheckrooms,freeofcharge,closetoeachentrance.Alloversizedbags,backpacksandluggagemustbeleftatthecheckroomsnearthe4thStreetentranceofeithertheEastorWestBuilding.Theseitemswillhavetobex-rayedbeforebeingaccepted.Itemsofvalue,suchaslaptopcomputers,camerasandfurcoats,maynotbeleftinthecheckroomsbutmaybecarriedintothegallery.Weregretthatthemuseumdoesn’thaveenoughspaceforvisitorsitemslargerthan17*26inchesinthegallery.Additionalsecurityproceduresandchecksmaybetakenaccordingtothedecisionofthegallery.*Forthesafetyoftheartworksandothervisitors,nothingmaybecarriedonavisitor’sback.Softfront-babycarriersareallowed,butchildrenmaynotbecarriedonshouldersorinachildcarrierwornontheback.Wheelchairsareavailablefreeofchargeneareachcheckroom.*Smokingisprohibited.Foodanddrinkarenotpermittedoutsidethefoodserviceareas.Unopenedbottledwatermaybecarriedonlyinavisitor’sbag.Cellphonesmaynotbeusedinthegallery.*Animals,otherthanserviceanimals,arenotpermitted.*Skateboardingisprohibited.*Picture-taking(includingvideo)forpersonaluseispermittedexceptinthespecialexhibits.*Pleasedon’ttouchtheworksofart.1、Accordingtothetext,whichitemcanbecarriedintothegallery?A．umbrellaB．packageC．IpadD．suitcase2、Wheninthegallery,whatcanvisitorsdo?A．Theycancarryopenedbottledwaterintheirbags.B．Theycandrinkinsidethefoodserviceareas.C．Theycantakepicturesforpersonaluseanywhere.D．Theymustpayiftheyusewheelchairsforthechildren.3、Whatisthetextmainlyabout?A．ThepolicesofthegalleryB．TheartworksofthegalleryC．ThelocationofthegalleryD．Thehistoryofthegallery23．（8分）RockJunketisTheOriginalRocknRollWalkingTourofNewYorkCity.RockJunketfounderBobbyPinnisanauthor,formerrockradiopersonality,rockhistorianandhe’sspent17yearsasamusicexecutive(总监).Readthereviews,bookthebestandforgettherest!Checkavailabilityandbuyticketsonline:EastVillageRockTour-#1seller-MondaythruSaturdayGreenwichVillageRockTour-SundayUnionSquareRockTour-TuesdayandThursdayBeatlesTourCustomized(定制的)ToursAdvancepurchaserequiredasToursselloutquicklyPurchasebyphoneat(212)209-3370GroupandPrivateToursAvailable—fordetailsclickhereorcall(646)515-7874RockJunketWalkingToursarenotonlytheperfectwaytodigdeepintoNewYork’srockscenebutalsolearnaboutart,fashion,rockn’rollclothingstoresandgreatlocalbarsandrestaurants.TheEastVillageRockTourisverypopularaswedemonstratehowtheneighborhoodwentfrompoortobeingthebirthplaceofpunkrock.OnTheGreenwichVillageRockTourwe’lllookattheinfluenceBobDylanhadontheVillageplussitesaboutJimiHendrixandTheAnimals.WecoverlotsofclubsalsoincludingCafeWha,BitterEnd,andothers.TheUnionSquareRockTourdetailstheimmoralbehaviorofMax’sKansasCity,WebsterHall,AndyWarholandhis2ndand3rdFactory,afamousClashalbumcoverandmuchmore.TheBeatlesTourtakesusthroughMidtownandUptownasweexplorethesitesthatgavebirthtoBeatlemania(披头士狂热).OurCustomizedRockTourshavebeenbookedandlovedbyschools,universities,writers,museumcurators(馆长)andmanyothers.1、FromthepassageweknowRockJunketis.A．atravelagency B．afamousmuseumC．awebsiteformusiclovers D．asurveycompany2、IfyouwanttojoinintheRockJunket’sactivities,youmust.A．haveagiftformusic B．readonlinereviewsC．buyaticketinadvance D．wearrockn’rollclothes3、Whichofthefollowingismostpopularamongstudentgroups?A．TheEastVillageRockTour. B．GreenwichVillageRockTour.C．UnionSquareRockTour. D．CustomizedRockTours.24．（8分）Notonlydoestheuseofplasticwaterbottleshurtyourwallet,italsoincreasespollutionandwastesenergyandwater.Only23%ofallplasticinAmericaendsupinarecyclingbin,meaningover$1billionworthofplasticistreatedasrubbishayear.Recently,SkippingRocksLabhasinventedakindofwaterbottlecalledOoho.Itisaconvenient,clearwaterbottlethatcaneitherbedrunkenoreaten.Todrinkit,youcaneitherpeeloffthemembrane(薄膜)ortearaholeinthemembranewithyourteethtopourthewaterintoyourmouth.Toeatit,yousimplyputthewholebottleinyourmouth.OneproblemthescientistshaverunintoishowtoshiplargeamountsofOohobubbles(水泡)withoutarrivingwithaverywettruck.However,theyhaveattemptedtopackageunitsofindividualbubblestogetherinsidealargerandthickermembrane.Itistargetinglargeoutdoorevents,suchasmarathons,musicfestivals,andsportingevents,wheretonsofplasticbottlesareused,andfrequentlyleftbehindaslitter.Andtoomuchplasticissuretodoharmtotheenvironment,whichcouldaccountfortheirpurposeofsuchanewinvention.TheteamhasbeenworkingforthepasttwoyearstodevelopthetechnologyandmaterialsneededtoproduceOoho;theyhaverecentlyappliedapatentfortheirnewadvancements.Thepriceforanindividualbubbleoraunitofbubbleshasnotbeensetyet,buttheycostabouttwocentstocreateaunit,whichischeaperthanplasticbottles.IthasappearedateventsinLondon,SanFrancisco,Boston,atconferences,festivals,andsoon.Oohoiscatchingmanypeople’sattentionandhasraisedover$1millionandgained1,000investorsinonlythreedays.Itismostlybeingsoldateventsatthemomenttokeeptheconsumer’sinterestwhiletheproductionmachineisgettingupandrunning.Itisquicklymakingarise,sokeepaneyeoutthisyearforthesebottlesofthefuture.1、HowismostplasticdealtwithinAmerica?A．It’ssold.B．It’srecycled.C．It’sburied.D．It’swasted.2、WhydidtheteaminventOoho?A．Tomakeaprofitforacompany.B．Toprotecttheenvirontnent.C．Tomakepeopleeatastheydrink.D．Toreducethecostofplasticbottle.3、WhatcanweinferaboutOohofromthetext?A．Itiseasyandsafetoshipitinlargeamounts.B．Ithasbecomepopularsinceitbegantobesold.C．Itmightbesoldatalowerpricethanplasticbottles.D．Itcosttheteamalotofmoneytodevelopthetechnology.4、Whatdoestheauthorreallywanttosayinthelastparagraph?A．Oohoistobeasuccessinthefuture.B．Oohoisbeingsupportedbysmartpeople.C．Oohoistakingtheplaceofplasticbottlesnow.D．Oohoisbeingproducedtoattractmoreinvestors.25．（10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．worried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）TenyearsagoIwasvisitingCostaRicawhenIfoundIwasinabadsituation.IonlyknewbasicSpanish，andtheonly1IhadwassomecoinsandareturntickettoGuatemalaintwoweeks.Withthecoins，ImanagedtoarriveatSantaRosabybus.Itwas2inthemiddleofthenight，butIcouldseesome3inthedistance，soI4towardthem.Iwent5doortodoor，explainingmysituation.“Ican6andcleanandlookafteryourkids，Icandoanything，canyougivemea7?”Everybodyrepliedsaying“Ohmygosh，butweareso8.Wehavenoextrafood.Maybeyoucantrythenext9.”Finally，IarrivedataChineserestaurant，theownerofwhichwasincredibly10.Shetoldmethathersonhada(n)11experience.Atthattime，someotherpeoplewereverykindtohim，andsherememberedhow12thatmadeherfeel.ShecalledtheRedCrossto13me.Withtheirhelp,Ispentmy14daysinCostaRica.I've15allovertheworld.Butthiswasoneofthebesttrips，thebesttwo16Ieverhadinmytravelinglife.Atfirst，Ifelt17andstupidfornottravelingwithaclearplan.ButthenIrealizedthatwhenyou’reinapositiontobeableto18，itactuallymakespeoplefeelhappier.Beingabletoreceivekindnessisa19forotherpeopleaswell.Andkindness20morekindnessinsmallripples(涟漪).1、A．possession B．file C．choice D．fortune2、A．busy B．dark C．hot D．cold3、A．stores B．bus-stops C．bookshops D．houses4、A．wandered B．fled C．walked D．jumped5、A．knocking B．hitting C．answering D．kicking6、A．cook B．fish C．swim D．fight7、A．coffee B．bed C．tip D．job8、A．unlucky B．poor C．mean D．hard9、A．company B．factory C．restaurant D．family10、A．honest B．polite C．kind D．easygoing11、A．similar B．different C．relaxing D．pleasant12、A．tough B．grateful C．awkward D．warm13、A．seize B．check C．find D．rescue14、A．passing B．remaining C．rewarding D．exciting15、A．surveyed B．driven C．studied D．traveled16、A．days B．weeks C．months D．years17、A．fortunate B．optimistic C．guilty D．curious18、A．offer B．help C．receive D．repay19、A．gift B．talent C．chance D．character20、A．proves B．reflects C．forces D．inspires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）I’mnowagoodstudentinmyclass.Butyoudon’tknowthatwhenI1．(start)seniorEnglishinthebeginning,Ifounditdifficultandquite2．(differ)fromwhatIhadlearnedinjuniorschool.NowIstillrememberateacherwhotaughtmeatthattime.3．teacherisagoodteacherbecauseshealwaystriedtobetheone4．classesweremadeactiveandlivelywithsomestoriesandexamples.5．thehelpoftheteacher,Irealizedthe6．(important)ofEnglish,soIdecidedtolearnEnglishwell.Myteachersuggestedthatwe7．(read)moreifwewantedtoimproveourEnglish,8．everydayIwoulddosomereading.Shealsotolduslessonsinclasscouldhelpusdealwithexams,butevenmorevaluablewerethelessons9．(learn)inextra-curricularactivitiesinschool.IlikemyEnglishteacherverymuch.NowIhavemade10．greatprogressinmyEnglishstudythatIammoreinterestedinlearningitthanbefore.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处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，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。Asteenagers,weshouldattachgreatimportanttoreading、Readingcanbenefitfromusteenagersagreatdeal、Firstly,readingimprovesourschoolgrades、Secondly,readinghelpsusexpandingourhorizons、Thirdly,readingmaycontributetofindingsolutionstotheirownproblems、Finally,readingisaenjoyableexperience、Itisstronglysuggestedthatoursparetimeismadefulluseofreadasmuchaspossible、Weteenagersshouldstaydevotedtoreadwhatweareinterestedin、Besides,weshouldactiveparticipateinsomeactivitiesthatarerelatedtoreading,whatwecannotonlygetourknowledgeenrichedbutalsogainalotofpleasure、第二节书面表达（满分25分）29．（25分）假定你是李华，你校计划下周日去南山潮（NanshanLake）开展保护水资源的宣传活动，就此请你写封信给外教Smith，邀请他一起参加，活动主要内容包括：1.在湖边捡垃圾；2.派发宣传广告；3.讲解保护水资源的重要性。注意：1.词数100左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

参考答案第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1、C2、C3、D4、D5、B6、A7、B8、C9、B10、C11、C12、D13、C14、C15、A16、B17、B18、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、Workhardineverythingyoudoforeverymomentofyourlife,makethatonethingintothebestthing,☞A选项.Doalltothebestofourability.22、1、C2、B3、A23、1、A2、C3、D24、1、D2、B3、C4、A25、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.”HenoddedhisheadingratitudelikeallusTexansdoandwalkedaw