青海省西宁市重点中学2025届高考压轴卷英语试卷含解析

青海省西宁市重点中学2025届高考压轴卷英语试卷注意事项：1．答卷前，考生务必将自己的姓名、准考证号填写在答题卡上。2．回答选择题时，选出每小题答案后，用铅笔把答题卡上对应题目的答案标号涂黑，如需改动，用橡皮擦干净后，再选涂其它答案标号。回答非选择题时，将答案写在答题卡上，写在本试卷上无效。3．考试结束后，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．Theclassroomisbigenoughfor25studentsfornormaluseyouneedmorespaceforspecialactivities.A．once B．because C．if D．unless2．StarskaterWuDajingwonChina’sfirstgoldmedalatthe2018PyeongChangOlympicWinterGamesbreakingworldrecordinshorttrackmen’s500m.A．toB．byC．withD．in3．（2018·海淀二模）Thisviewiscommon_________allsectionsofthecommunity.A．acrossB．aboveC．aroundD．along4．WaterKnowsAnswersbyaJapaneseauthor,________into16languages,hasbecomeabest-sellerallovertheworld.A．havingtranslated B．tobetranslatedC．beingtranslated D．translated5．Ourclassheldafierce________astowhethertoreducetheamountofhomeworkornot.A．bargainB．competitionC．debateD．campaign6．––Didyouhavetodomuchforthedinnerparty?––Helen________everythingbythetimeIgothome.A．finishedB．wasfinishingC．wouldfinishD．hadfinished7．Ifyou’dwrittenearlier,I’dhaveknownwhenyoutogoonholiday.A．want B．havewanted C．wanted D．willwant8．Itisthroughyearsofresearch________scientistshavediscoveredtherelationshipbetweensocialmediaaddictionanddepression.A．since B．before C．that D．when9．Whenfacedwithabigchallenge________potentialfailureseemstohideateverycorner,maybeyou'veheardthisadvicebefore:“Bemoreconfident.”A．where B．whose C．which D．ofwhich10．Don'tyouthink_______ofgreatimportancethatweshouldkeepfitbytakingexerciseregularly?A．this B．that C．which D．it11．Thewitnessanimportantdetailwhendescribingtheaccident.A．broughtout B．keptoffC．leftout D．raninto12．ItisalmostfiveyearssinceJimmytaughthighschoolstudentsandhe_____asaninterpreterinaforeignenterprise.A．servedB．hadservedC．isservingD．wouldserve13．—Bettywasfeelingprettyblueforawhile,butshe’sbetternow.—_______.A．Oh,that’skindofyou B．CongratulationsC．Oh,I’mgladtohearthat D．It’smypleasure14．Sodifficult____ittoworkouttheproblemthatIdecidedtoaskTomforadvice.A．Ididfind B．didIfindC．Ihavefound D．haveIfound15．—Whatdidshewanttoknow,Tom?—Shewondered_______wecouldcompletetheexperiment.A．whenwasit B．itwaswhenthatC．itwaswhen D．whenitwasthat16．Thosesuccessfuldeafdancersthinkthatdancingisanactivity________sightmattersmorethanhearing.A．whenB．whoseC．whichD．where17．Ihaveoftenthoughtitwouldbeablessingifeachhumanbeing_______blindanddeafforafewdaysatsometimeinhislife.A．hasbeenstricken B．werestrickenC．hadbeen D．wouldbe18．Weallknowthatgoodresults________foryouwhenyoustartdoingthingsyoulove.A．arewaitingB．havewaitedC．havebeenwaitingD．willbewaiting19．Thetwogirlsaregettingonverywellandshare_______witheachother.A．little B．much C．some D．none20．Salesdirectorisaposition_______communicationabilityisjustasimportantassaleskills.A．which B．thatC．when D．where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）WhenGitanjaliRaosharedhowshelikes“findingsolutionstorealproblems”,itwashardtoimaginethisdynamic11-year-oldgirlcouldsettleaproblemthathasescapedscientistsforyears.Injustthreemonths,Raocameupwithadevice（装置）thatcanreplacethecostlyandlengthytestscurrentlyusedtoreliablydetermineleadlevelsinourfreshwater.Inspiredbythecurrentlitigation（诉讼）inFlint,Michigan,acaseofwaterpollutionfrom2014to2015,RaodesignedanewtestingsystemthatresultedinherbeingnamedAmerica’sTopYoungScientistfor2017.Raohadbeenfollowingthewaterproblemforabouttwoyears.Shewasamazedbythenumberofpeopleaffectedbyleadpollutioninwaterandwantedtodosomethingtochangethis.Gitanjalispentmonthstryingtoconvincelocalhighschoolsandcollegestogiveherlabtimetocontinueherexperiment.Athome,Gitanjaliworkedonherprojectinthe“scienceroom”sheaskedherparentstocreateforher.Raohascreatedadevicethatusesthreeparts:acartridge,aBluetoothreaderandanapp.Toputitsimply,thecartridgecontainscarbonnanotubes（纳米管）thatreacttolead.ThisreactionisthenregisteredbytheBluetoothreader,whichsendsasignaltoamobileappthatcantellyouimmediatelyifyourwaterissafetodrink.RaoappropriatelynamedthedeviceTethysaftertheGreekgoddessoffreshwater,andishopingtomakealittleimprovementtogetthedeviceonthemarket.Whilewemaynotbeawareofanyleadpollutionpresentinouragingpipelines,leadpoisoningcancausedelaysinphysicalandmentaldevelopment.WithRaobelievingthatthe“purposeofscienceistomakeadifference”,herincredibleinventioncouldmakeadifferencetomillionsofpeopleintheUnitedStates.1、WhatdoweknowaboutRao’sdevice?A．It’scheapandquick.B．It’scheapandinaccurate.C．It’sexpensiveandreliable.D．It’sportableandtime-consuming.2、WhatmadeRaohavetheideaofdesigningthedevice?A．Herparents’suggestions.B．ThenameoftheGreekgoddess.C．Herinterestinsettlingrealproblems.D．ThewaterpollutionlitigationinFlint.3、Whatdothecarbonnanotubesfunctionas?A．Sendingimmediatesignals.B．Recordingthereactionresults.C．Detectingthepresenceoflead.D．Showingthewaterqualityresults.4、WhatdoestheauthorthinkofRao’sinvention?A．ItwillleadRaotomakeafortune.B．ItwillhelpmillionsofAmericansdrinksafewater.C．ItwillpromotethedevelopmentofscienceinAmerica.D．Itwillsoonsettlethelead-pollutedproblemthoroughly.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）Somecolorspeopleseelateatnightcouldcausesignsofclinical(临床的)depression(沮丧).Thatwasthefindingofastudythatbuildsonearlierstudyfindings.Theyshowthatindividuals(个人)wholiveorworkinlowlevelsoflightovernight(整夜)candevelopclinicaldepression.Doctorsusetheword“clinicaldepression”todescribesevereformofdepression.Signsmayincludelossofinterestorpleasureinmostactivities,lowenergylevelsandthoughtsofdeathorsuicide.Inthenewstudy,Americaninvestigatorsdesignedanexperimentthatexposedhamsters(仓鼠)todifferentcolors.Theresearcherschosehamstersbecausetheyarenocturnal,whichmeanstheysleepduringthedayandareactiveatnight.Theanimalswereseparatedintofourgroups.Onegroupofhamsterswaskeptinthedarkduringtheirnight-timeperiod.Anothergroupwasplacedinfrontofabluelight,athirdgroupsleptinfrontofawhitelight,whileafourthwasputinfrontofaredlight.Afterfourweeks,theresearchersnotedhowmuchsugarywaterthehamstersdrank.Theyfoundthatthemostdepressedanimalsdranktheleastamountofwater.RandyNelsonheadstheDepartmentofNeuroscienceatOhioStateUniversity.Hesaysanimalsthatsleptinblueandwhitelightappearedtobethemostdepressed.“Whatwesawisthattheseanimalsdidn’tshowanysleepuneasiness(不安)atallbuttheydidmessupbiologicalclockgenesandtheydidshowdepressivesignwhileiftheywereinthedim(微弱)redlight,theydidnot.”RandyNelsonnotesthatphotosensitive(感光)cellsintheeyeshavelittletodowitheyesight.Hesaysthesecellssendsignalstotheareaofthebrainthatcontrolswhathasbeencalledthenaturalsleep-wakecycle.Hesaysthere’salotofblueinwhitelight.Thisexplainswhythebluelightandwhitelighthamstersappeartobemoredepressedthanthehamstersseeingredlightordarkness.1、Researchersusehamstersintheexperimentbecause__________.A．theyaresimilartohumansindealingwithcolorsB．theyareeasytoobserveandstudyC．theyaresensitivetocolorslikehumanbeingsD．theyareactiveatnightandsleepduringtheday2、Whatsignshowsthatthehamstersarebeingdepressed?A．Theydrinklesssugarywater.B．Theydon’tsleepwell.C．Theireyesightbecomesworse.D．Theirenergylevelbecomeslow.3、__________tendstocausehamsterstobedepressed.A．Dimlight B．RedlightC．Bluelight D．Darkness4、Whatcanhelppeoplewhoworklateatnighttoavoidbeingdepressed?A．Notbeingexposedtodimredlightwhenusingcomputers.B．Equippingtheircomputerscreenstoputitmoreinthereddishlight.C．Livingorworkinginlowlevelsoflightovernight.D．Goingtoseedoctorsofclinicaldepressionregularlyforhelp.24．（8分）Themostanticipatedfilmsof2018ThankstomovieslikeWolfWarrior2,NeverSayDie,Youth,TheFateoftheFuriousanDangal,the2017boxofficegross(票房收入)hasreachednewheights.Meanwhile,audiencehavebeenfedupwithHollywood’slongdependenceonsequel(续集)films.Alackoforiginstorieshasbeencriticizedforawhile.Asweembracethenewyear,let’slooktothefuture,andthemostanticipatedfilmsintfollowingyear.GuardiansofTheTombCountry:ChinaandAustraliaReleaseDate:Jan19,2018Director:KimbleRendallStars:LiBingbing,KellanLutz,WuChun,KelseyGrammerAninnocentdiscoveryofawell-preservedmummifiedEmperorfrom200BCChinaunearthsa2000-year-oldnightmare—asecretthatshouldhaveremainedburied.MonsterHunt2Country:ChinaReleaseDate:Feb16,2018Director:RamanHuiStars:BaiBaihe,JingBoran,TonyLeungChiu-waiMonsterHuntwasahugecommercialsuccess,breakingnumerousboxofficerecords.Thefilmtookplaceinthedistantpast,whenthehumanraceexistedalongsidetheMonsterrace.MonsterHunt2isthesequelofit.Avengers:InfinityWarCountry:UnitedStatesReleaseDate:May4,2018Director:AnthonyRusso,JoeRussoStars:RobertDowneyJr.,JoshBrolin,MarkRuffalo,TomHiddleston,ChrisEvansTheupcomingAmericansuperherofilm,basedontheMarvelComicssuperheroteamtheAvengers,isthesequelto2012’sMarvel’stheAvengersand2015’sAvengers.HotelTransylvania3:SummerVacationCountry:UnitedStatesReleaseDate:July13,2018Director:GenndyTartakovskyStars:AdamSandler,AndySamberg,SelenaGomez,DavidSpadeThis3Danimatedcartoonmovie,thesequelofHotelTransylvania2,isafantasy-comedyforyourwholefamilytoenjoy.1、Whatthefirsttwofilmshaveincommonisthat_______.A．theyareproducedbyChinesecompaniesonlyB．theyaresequelsoftheirformeronesC．theyarereleasedinthesamemonthD．theyarerelatedtostoriesfromthepast2、AfanofMarvelComicswouldprobablygotosee________.A．MonsterHunt2B．Avengers:InfinityWarC．GuardiansofTheTombD．HotelTransylvania3:SummerVacation3、WhichofthefollowingistrueaboutthefilmHotelTransylvania3:SummerVacation?A．RobertDowneyJr.starsinit.B．ItisdirectedbyAdamSandler.C．Itissuitableforthewholefamilytosee.D．Youcanseeitinthefirsthalfoftheyear.25．（10分）Beginninglifeatcollegenaturallydevelopsbothexcitementandanxietyformanyreasons.Forsome,thisfeelingisquicklyovercomeastheyadapttoanewenvironment;forothersthechangetakeslongerandsometimesappearsashomesickness.Ifyouarehomesick,youmightnoticeanincreasein:Lowenergyormotivation.Troublesleeping.Increases/decreasesinappetite.Havingdifficultywithschool.Increaseduseofdrugsoralcohol.Lackofinterestorinvolvementinnewsurroundings.CAUSESThedistancefromhome—thefartheryougo,theworseitmaybe.Unhappinesswhenthingsaredifferentfromyourexpectationsofstudentlife.Youhavefinallyarrivedatcollegeafterworkingtowarditforsolong.Aheavyworkload.Studentswhoarehomesickoftenfeeltheyhavenocontrolovertheirenvironment.WHATMIGHTHELP?Keepingoodcontactwiththepeopleyouhaveleftbehind,butalsogiveyourselftimewithintheuniversitytobegintogetinvolvedhere.Berealisticaboutwhattoexpectfromstudentlifeandfromyourself.Setupabalancebetweenworkandleisure.Ifworkisprovingtoodifficult,youmayneedtoimproveyourstudyskillsoryourorganizationoftime.Remembertogetenoughfoodandsleep!Theseaffectyouemotionallyaswellasphysically.Makecontactsandfriendsthroughsharedactivitiessuchassportsorotherinterests.Ifyoustopbeingabletodonormalsocialandacademicthings,seekprofessionalhelpeitherfromyouradvisorordeanorthecounselingservice.1、Whatmightbeasignoffeelinghomesick?A．Feelinglikequarrelingwithsomeoneelse.B．Becominginterestedinstudythaneverbefore.C．Findingfoodorfruitlessattractive.D．Participatinginalmostallactivitiesincollege.2、Newcollegestudentsmightbehomesickbecause________.A．theyareneverfarawayfromtheirparentsB．theyfeelupsetaboutsomethingunexpectedC．theysuddenlydonothaveanythingtodoD．theydonotliketheuniversitytheyarein3、Whichofthefollowingmeasuresmightbehelpfulforhomesickstudentsaccordingtothetext?A．Keepingtheiroldfriendsleftbehind.B．Remindingthemselvestokeepbusyandforgetit.C．Forcingthemselvestostayintheirdormsonweekends.D．Goinginforsportswiththeirfriends.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）Signscansometimesbeseenattheentranceofahouse,expressingthatatramp（流浪汉）haspassed．Thisspecialsign-languageisfrequently1bytrampstoinformtheir2whetherthehostofacertainhouseisfriendlyorunfriendly,andto3themthetroubleofmakingunnecessarycalls.Quite4oneday,Icameacrossarealtramp.HewassuchararesightthesedaysthatIstoodsomedistanceawayandwatchedhim.Hewasdressedjustasatrampshouldbe5,oldworntrousers,andajacketmanysizestoobigforhim.Onhisheadtherewasabatteredoldhatandhisbootsweresooldandworn;theywerealmostcominginto6Butthemanhimselflookedcheerfulasifhehadnotbeena7intheworld.Herubbedhisnosewithhisforefinger,8afunnyturn,laidasmallparcelbythefrontgate,andbegan9asignmadebyaformercaller.Althoughthesignwasmeaninglesstome,itmusthavebeen10,forthetramp’sfacelitupwith11Heenteredthefrontgateconfidentlyandrangthebell.Whenthedooropened,Isawhim12hishatbutcouldn’thearhiswords.The13wasveryshortindeed,fornosoonerhadhespokenafewwordsthanthedoorclosedfiercelyinhisface.Ifelt14forhimashewalked15outofthehouse.Butjustasquickly,hisfacelitupagainandhemovedquicklytowardsthegate.Therehestopped,lookedatthesign,and16hisheadseriouslyasifhehadmadeabadmistake.17deeplyintohispockets,heproducedapieceofchalk,rubbedoutthe18signandmadeanewoneinitsplace.Hestaredatitforamomentsmilingtohimself,thengatheredhis19,pushedbackhishatandbeganwalkingtowardsthenexthouseatanunhurried20,whistlingashewentalong.1、A．employed B．made C．taken D．putup2、A．parents B．classmates C．fellows D．friends3、A．share B．save C．give D．put4、A．inaway B．bymistake C．bytheway D．bychance5、A．with B．in C．by D．on6、A．afashion B．adesign C．pieces D．blocks7、A．success B．care C．failure D．family8、A．gave B．got C．set D．made9、A．drawing B．kissing C．correcting D．studying10、A．pleased B．strange C．funny D．exciting11、A．surprise B．satisfaction C．worry D．disappointment12、A．rise B．puton C．raise D．throw13、A．conversation B．introduction C．quarrel D．greeting14、A．happy B．frightened C．worried D．sorry15、A．cheerfully B．sadly C．bravely D．eagerly16、A．waved B．swung C．shook D．nodded17、A．Digging B．Stealing C．Putting D．Looking18、A．appearing B．moving C．shining D．existing19、A．belongings B．clothes C．umbrella D．stick20、A．step B．position C．pace D．situation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）InrecentyearsmanyTVshowshavebecomeextremelypopularamongChineseaudience.Thoseprograms,ranging1．talentordatingshowstorealityshows,2．(receive)bothcommercialsuccessandpublicattention.Theirpopularityis3．(main)basedonsimplefacts.First,theycareaboutsocialconcerns.Second,withoutexception,theyexploreaperfectbalancebetweentheinternationalformsandChineseexpressions.Despiteapparenthighlights,muchroom4．(leave)forimprovement.Aboveall,commercialinterestsoftenoutweigh5．(education)purposes,causingmany6．(complain)abouttheunbearableadvertisements.Inaddition,somesharpremarks,7．theyareeye-catching,mayhavemisleadingeffects8．theyouth.Inmyopinion,suchshowsshouldshouldermoreresponsibilityinsteadofmerely9．(entertain)thepublic.10．isexpected,theseprogramsshouldbepositiveintheirformsaswellasfunctions.Meanwhile,themediashouldalsosafeguardthevaluesofoursociety.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一下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。没出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：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。注意：1、没出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。Aswintercomes,therearemuchrainandsnowinmanypartsofourcountryincludingourcity、Itistoocoldthatanincreasingnumberofstudentscatchacold、Evenworse,somestudentsfelldownandhurtthembecausetheicyroads、Soweshouldprotectourselvesfromcoldweatherandtherearemanythingswhatareofhelp、First,weshouldputupmoreclotheswhengoingoutside、Thentoremembernottorunorwalktoofastonslipperyroads、Luckily,somemeasureshavebeentakingtopreventusfromfallingdown、Forexample,somematshavebeenplacedonthestepoftheteachingbuilding、Ihopeeveryoneissafeandhealth、第二节书面表达（满分25分）29．（25分）假设你是李华,你的美国朋友Peter对你的家乡特别感兴趣。现在请你给他写一封邮件向他介绍你的家乡。内容要点:1.近几年发生的变化；2.介绍家乡的旅游胜地；3.邀请他暑假来游玩。注意:1.词数100左右；2.可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯；3.信的开头和结尾已给出,不计入总词数。DearPeter,I’mverygladtohavereceivedyouremail.NowI’dliketotellyousomethingaboutmyhometown._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Bestwishes!Yours,LiHua

参考答案第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1、D2、B3、A4、D5、C6、D7、C8、C9、A10、D11、A12、C13、C14、B15、D16、D17、B18、D19、B20、D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、A2、D3、C4、B22、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.”Henoddedhisheadingratitude