湖北省孝感市七校教学联盟2025届高考冲刺模拟英语试题含解析

湖北省孝感市七校教学联盟2025届高考冲刺模拟英语试题请考生注意：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．Someschools,includingours,willhavetomake________inagreementwiththenationalsoccerreform.A．amusementsB．adjustmentsC．appointmentsD．achievements2．－Couldyoupossilbytaketotherailwaystationtomorrow?A．NowayB．NevermindC．NotatallD．Noproblem3．Whetherthebuildingsinthisareashouldbepulleddownhasremained____；peoplearestilllookingforotherpossiblesolutions.A．unchallenged B．relevantC．controversial D．contradictory4．Ifthetrafficsoheavy,Icouldhavebeenbackby6o’clock.A．hadn’tbeen B．wasn’tC．couldn’tbe D．hasn’tbeen5．Theteachertoldthechildren______quietinthemuseum.A．keepB．keptC．keepingD．tokeep6．Mytoothacheme.Ithoughtitwasgoingaway,butitisgettingworsenow.A．killsB．iskillingC．haskilledD．killed7．AlphaGo’sbeatingGograndmasterLeeSedol4-1has________aninternationaldebateaboutwhetherrobotswillcompletelytaketheplaceofhumans.A．giveoff B．workoutC．setoff D．putout8．Theaffairsofeachcountryshouldbebyitsownpeople.A．electedB．settledC．developedD．contained9．Ifpeoplekeeppollutingtheocean,nocreaturetherewillsurvive______.A．atallcost B．foralongwhileC．inthelongrun D．bynomeans10．Mr.Zhanggavealltextbookstoallthepupils,except____________whohadalreadytakenthem.A．theseB．onesC．thoseD．theothers11．Sheis____________beingpleasedaboutit;sheisveryangry.A．freefrom B．freeof C．outof D．farfrom12．Takingonlinereadingintoconsideration,wecanchallengetheassumption____readingforpleasurecontinuestodecrease.A．whether B．that C．where D．when13．Atonetime,sheisfine,________atanother,sheisabnormal.A．and B．or C．but D．so14．—NextweekIwillgotoajobinterview.willyougivemesomesuggestions?—Smilingisagreatwaytomakeyourself________.A．standout B．turnoutC．workout D．pickout15．Isthereanychanceofmybeingpromoted?Ifyouwantapromotion,you’dbetterratherthangetyourway.A．playthegame B．crossyourfingersC．raisetheredflag D．killthefattedcalf16．Johnonceworkedinaremotemountainvillageschool,whichis______onlyonfoot.A．accessible B．acceptable C．available D．appropriate17．Thedebatehasonlyafewmomentsthatmightbeinspiringtothosewho______thisissue.A．followed B．hadfollowed C．havebeenfollowing D．werefollowing18．MymotherisalwayswarningmewhenIgoout,“Don’tgetoffthebus________itisstopping.”A．untilB．whileC．beforeD．after19．“Couldweputoffthemeeting？”sheasked.“________.”Heansweredpolitely.“Thisistheonlydayeveryoneisavailable.”A．Notlikely B．NotexactlyC．Notnearly D．Notreally20．Ithinkyoucouldcomplain,_______,ofcourse,youarehappywiththewaythingsare.A．unless B．that C．which 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）Darwinnotedthatsomehumanemotionalexpressionsmighthavestartedaspartofaphysiologicalfunction:forexample,exposingtheteethtobitefood.Thefunction,however,tookonmeaningandbecameaformofcommunicationwhichsignalsanger.Thesamemaybetruefortheanimals.Babymonkeyscryforattention.Theyalsocrytosignaltoanadultthattheywanttobecarried.“Chimpanzeesdomakeupsetvoicewhentheyarebeingweaned(断奶)bytheirmothersorhavelosttheirmothersoranotherindividual,”saysAnnePusey,aprofessorattheUniversityofMinnesota.“Theywhimper(呜咽)andcryandscream.Whenwehearthesecalls,theemotioninvolvedseemsobvious.However,theydonotweepinthesenseofproducingtears.Ihaveseenanadolescentmalewhimperingwhenhelostsightofhisolderbrotherwithwhomhehadbeentraveling.”Babiesofmanymammalianspecies,includingrats,cry.Moreover,whenababyratcries,oftenhismotherbringsthefallenpupbackintothenest.Thisisprobablyastraightforwardcommunication,asitiswithhumans.However,psychologistsattheUniversityofIowaaren’tconvinced.TheIowanresearcherscancausethesamecryingsoundsbyproducinglargedecreasesandthenincreasesinbloodflow.Thebloodflowalsogoesdownwhenbabyratsgetcold.Thus,theyconcludebabyratscryinthesamewaythatwesneeze.Ofcoursetheratbabycouldbecryingbecausehe’scoldandwantshismothertoknow.“Allyoungmammalsmakecrieswhenseparatedfromtheirmother,”saysJaakPanksepp,apsychologistatBowlingGreenStateUniversity.“Ifyou’rewillingtocallthiscrying,thencertainlyotheranimalsshowthisemotionalresponse.”hesays,“Someofustakeseriouslythatanimalsdohaveemotions.”1、Accordingtothefirstparagraph,whatkindofemotiondoes“exposingtheteeth”express?A．Disappointment. B．Excitement.C．Anger. D．Happiness.2、Whichisoneprobablereasonwhyyoungchimpanzeesmightbecrying?A．Theymeettheirbrother.B．Theyhavenothingtoeat.C．Theyarebeingbreast-fed.D．Theyarepartedfromtheirmother.3、Underwhatcircumstancewillbabyratscryjustlikehumans’sneeze?A．Theirbloodflowisdecreased.B．Theyfeelcoldandlongforaffection.C．Theirbloodflowisincreased.D．Theirmotherbringsthembackhome.4、Whereisthepassagemostlikelytakenfrom?A．Ananimaljournal. B．Aphysiologybook.C．Ahealthmagazine. D．Aculturalnewspaper.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）AteamofengineersatHarvardUniversityhasbeeninspiredbyNaturetocreatethefirstroboticfly.Themechanicalflyhasbecomeaplatformforaseriesofnewhigh-techsystems.Designedtodowhataflydoesnaturally,thetinymachineisthesizeofafathousefly.Itsminiwingsallowittostayintheairandperformcontrolledflighttasks.“It’sextremelyimportantforustothinkaboutthisasawholesystemandnotjustthesumofabunchofindividualcomponents,”saidRobertWood,theHarvardengineeringprofessorwhohasbeenworkingontheroboticflyprojectforoveradecade.Afewyearsago,histeamgotthego-aheadtostartpiecingthecomponentstogether.“Theaddeddifficultywithaprojectlikethisisthatactuallynoneofthosecomponentsareofftheshelfandsowehavetodevelopthemallonourown,”hesaid.Theyengineeredaseriesofsystemstostartanddrivetheroboticfly.“Theseeminglysimplesystemwhichjustmovesthewingshasanumberofinterdependenciesontheindividualcomponents,eachofwhichindividuallyhastoperformwell,andthenhastobematchedwelltoeverythingit’sconnectedto,”saidWood.Theflightdevicewasbuiltintoasetofpower,computation,sensingandcontrolsystems.Woodsaysthesuccessoftheprojectprovesthattheflyingrobotwiththesetinycomponentscanbebuiltandmanufactured.Woodsaysthedesignoffersanewwaytostudyflightmechanicsandcontrolatinsect-scale.Yet,thepower,sensingandcomputationtechnologiesonboardcouldhavemuchbroaderapplications.“Youcanstartthinkingaboutusingthemtoansweropenscientificquestions,youknow,tostudybiologyinwaysthatwouldbedifficultwiththeanimals,butusingtheserobotsinstead,”hesaid.“Sotherearealotoftechnologiesandopeninterestingscientificquestionsthatarereallywhatdrivesusonadaytodaybasis.”1、Whatwasthedifficultyforengineerstomaketheroboticfly?A．Lackingenoughengineers.B．Lackingready-madecomponents.C．Starlingtostudythesystemtoolate.D．Havingnowaytofixcomponentstogether.2、Whatwasthesystemoftheroboticflylike?A．Itwashugebutsolid.B．Itwassmallandchangeable.C．Itwascomplexbutprecise.D．Itwasfixedandtraditional.3、Whatcanbeinferredfromthelastparagraph?A．Engineerswillfixthesystemonsomeanimals.B．Thesystemoftheroboticflywillhaveagreateffectonourdailylife.C．Thesystemoftheroboticflywillfacelotsofscientificquestions.D．Engineerswillusethefindingsofthesystemtodofurtherresearch.4、Whatcanwelearnfromthetext?A．RobertWooddidtheresearchonhisown.B．Woodwillproducethesystemtoputitontothemarket.C．Theroboticsystemcanhavesomedifferentfunctions.D．Engineersmadethesysteminordertostudypowertechnologies.24．（8分）Inashockingupset,70-year-oldRepublicancandidateDonaldTrumprodeawavetovictoryasvoterselectedhimthe45thPresidentoftheUnitedStatesinNovember,2016.Actually,alotofexpertshadpredictedthatDemocraticcandidateHillaryClintonwouldcomeoutontop.Throughoutthecampaign,oneofTrump’smainchallengeswastopersuadevotersthathehastheattitude,knowledgeandjudgmenttobepresident.Intheend,hewasabletoattractmorethanenoughvoterstohisside.HillaryClintonadmittedtheelectiontoTrumpinaphonecallataround2:30am.“Hillaryhasworkedverylongandveryhardoveralongperiodoftime,”Trumptoldhissupportersduringhisvictoryspeech.“Weoweheramajordebtofgratitudeforherservicetoourcountry.”HillaryClintondeliveredherspeechlaterintheday.“Wemustacceptthisresultandthenlooktothefuture,”shetoldherdisappointedsupporters.“DonaldTrumpisgoingtobeourpresident.Weowehimanopenmindandthechancetolead.”Trump’srisetothepresidencycomesafteralongcareerasarealestatedeveloper.Hebuiltskyscrapers,resortsandgolfcourses.Healsoriskedotherbusinesses,introducingTrumpSteaks,TrumpNaturalSpringWater,andanairlinecalledTrumpShuttle.In2004,hebecameaTVstarwiththerealityshowTheApprentice.NowTrumpandhisteamwillhavetofacemanydifficultthings.They’llhavetoworktobringthecountrytogetherafteradivisivecampaignthatupsetmillionsofAmericans.Throughoutthecountry,millionsofAmericansareoutofworkandstrugglingtomakeendsmeet.Thenewpresidentmustalsoaddressinternationalissues.Theyincludethewaronterrorismandtherefugeecrisis.Still,Trumpsaysheseesabrightfutureahead.“EverysingleAmericanwillhavetheopportunitytorealizehisorherfullestpotential,”hetoldhissupporters.1、WhatshouldmanyexpertsthinkofTrump’svictory?A．Itisexpected.B．Itissatisfying.C．Itisannoying.D．Itissurprising.2、HowoldwasDonaldTrumpwhenhebecameaTVstar?A．50yearsold.B．54yearsold.C．58yearsold.D．62yearsold.3、WhatcanbelearnedaboutDonaldTrumpfromthepassage?A．Hewasabusinessman.B．Hehasbeenservingingovernment.C．HethoughtbadlyofHillaryClinton.D．HeisworriedaboutAmerica.4、Whatisthelastparagraphmainlyabout?A．TheproblemswithAmerica.B．ThechallengesTrumpwillface.C．Trump’sideasabouthisfuturework.D．ThedecisionsTrumpwillhavetomake.25．（10分）DearKoko,I’velearnedaboutyoufrommyamazingteacher.Ithinkit’sfunthatyoucancommunicatewithushumansbyusingthesignlanguage.I’vespentalotoftimewatchingyouindifferentvideosandloveyoufromthebottomofmyheart.It’sheartbreakingtolearnaboutallofthecruelthingsdonetogorillas(大猩猩).InAfrica,forexample,thekillersusegunstokillyourfellowsformeat.Theydon’tunderstandtheinfluencetheiractionsarehavingongorillas.Anotherthingisthelossofgorillas’naturalhome,whichiscausedbytheimprovedinfrastructuresuchasbuildingroadsandairports.Whenwecutdowntrees,youbecomehomeless.Wetakeawayyourshelterandsourcesoffood,leavingyouwithverylittlechanceofsurvival.Someofmyclassmatesarewritingtotherelevantdepartmentsabouttheseseriousproblems.Hopefullytheseletterswillmakeadifferenceduringyourlifetime.Overthepastthreemonths,myclasshasbeenresearchingongorillas,andI’velearnedsomanythings.Forexample,I’velearnedthatyouhavealotoffeelingssimilartomineandyouarealwayssocarefulwitheverythingyoudo.Ithinkthatyouarereallyworthsaving.We’vecomeupwithmanyideastohelpyouandyourfellows.OneofthebestideasistocommunicatewiththePresidentoftheWorldBankandhavehimgivemorefinancialsupporttotheorganizationsforgorillas.Anotherideaistomakepubliclawsonthekillers.Ialsothinkweneedtokeepeducatingpeopleaboutgorillas.Ilovewritingtoyouandhopeyoucanunderstandhowimportantyou’vebecometoourclass.Woulditbetoomuchtoaskforareturnletter?Mike1、Accordingtothepassage,Kokoisprobably______.A．akillerofgorillas B．amemberofthegorillafamilyC．anexpertongorillas D．agovernorinchargeofgorillas2、Whatismainlytalkedaboutinthesecondparagraph?A．Theproblemsgorillasfaceatpresent.B．Thedangergorillascauseforhumans.C．Theuniquecharacteristicgorillashave.D．Thenaturalenvironmentgorillaslivein.3、Theauthorsuggeststhat______.A．gorillasshouldbeprotectedinnaturereservesB．killersforgorillasshouldbelegallyresponsibleC．organizationsshouldbesetuptoprotectgorillasD．peopleshouldmakedonationstogorillaprotection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）MyTeacherintheSchoolofLifeIspenttheopeningdayofschoolthisyearatDeMathaCatholicHighSchoolinmuchthesamewayIspentthefirstdayofclasses130yearsago;IsatinDrCharlesE.Offutt’sBritishliteratureclass,listeningtohim2whathisseniorswouldlearnandgetthemexcitedaboutthejourneytheywould3I’mtheprincipal(校长)oftheschoolnow,butforafewminutesIwasbackin1975,4whatthefutureheld.IhavebeenlearningfromDrOffuttfor30ofthe51yearshehadbeenteachingatDeMatha.Henotonlytaughtmetothink,he5me,asmuchbyexampleas6thatitwasmymoraldutytodosoandtoserve7.Neitherofuscouldknowhowour8woulddevelopovertheyears.WhenIfirstcamebacktoDeMathatoteachEnglish.IworkedforDrOffutt,thethendepartmentchair.Afterseveralyears,Iwas9departmentchair,andourrelationshipchanged10.Ithoughtthatitmightbe11chairingthedepartment,sinceallofmyformerEnglishteacherswerestillthere,butDrOffutt12methroughout.Heknewwhentogiveme13aboutcurriculum,textsandpersonnel,andwhentoletmedesignmyowncourse.In1997,IneededhisadviceaboutleavingDeMathatobecomeprincipalatanotherschool.IfhehadaskedmetostayatDeMatha,Imighthave.14,heencouragedmetoseizethenew15Fiveyearsago,Ibecamethe16ofDeMatha.Onceagain,DrOffuttwasthereforme,lettingmeknowthatIcould17onhimasItriedtofillsuchbigshoes.I’velearnedfromhimthatgreatteachershavea(n)18wealthoflessonstoteach.19hisstudentsdon’tknowityet,Iknowhow20theyare;I’mstilloneofthem.1、A．mostlyB．exactlyC．onlyD．simply2、A．explainB．predictC．speakD．teach3、A．keepB．achieveC．chooseD．take4、A．preparingB．discoveringC．wonderingD．realizing5、A．assistedB．remindedC．advisedD．convinced6、A．wordsB．actionC．explanationD．models7、A．theothersB．everyoneC．othersD．anyone8、A．relationshipB．positionC．situationD．condition9、A．pointedB．namedC．givenD．taken10、A．alreadyB．yetC．stillD．again11、A．foolishB．surprisingC．uncertainD．challenging12、A．promotedB．acceptedC．supportedD．welcomed13、A．adviceB．informationC．noticeD．thought14、A．OtherwiseB．ThereforeC．FurthermoreD．Instead15、A．choiceB．opportunityC．occupationD．possibility16、A．teacherB．principalC．officerD．clerk17、A．liveB．lookC．dependD．take18、A．richB．littleC．valuableD．endless19、A．OnceB．EvenifC．UnlessD．Until20、A．fortunateB．curiousC．innocentD．satisfied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）Macwascyclingalongaroad.Withaheavycampbag,hewasn'tmovingveryfast.Suddenlyheheardloudbreathingbehindhim.1．(look)tohisside,hewas2．(terrify)tofinditwasn'tadogbutawolfthatwasrunningafterhim.Hereached3．thesprayinthebag.Withonehandonthehandlebar,hefiredit.Abrightredcolorcoveredthewolfanditfellbackshakingitshead.Butaminute4．(late)itwasbyhissideagain.Hesprayed5．secondtime,thewolffallingbackagainbutonlytoquicklyrestart6．(it)attack.Thewolfwasgettingcloser.Macwavedandyelledatpassing7．(motorist)butmeanwhilerodehard.Heknewclearlyhemustbecarefulnottoslowdown.8．(fortunate),PaulandBeckyweredrivingalongthesameroadwhentheyspottedthescene.TheydrovetowardMac.Whenthecarwasinfrontofhim,Macjumpedoffthebikeanddashedforthebackdoor.Paul9．(open)thedoorsoastoletMacin.Itwasquiteawhile10．Macbecamecalmandthankedthem.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短文。短文中共有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：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在此符号下面写出该加的词。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、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。Thesentencefromourteacherstellusthatweshouldn'tbediscouragedafterfailures、Definitelyweshouldkeeptryingwithdetermine、Successliesintheabilitytocontinueeffortsdespitefailures、Attheageoftwelve,Igetanicebikeasabirthdaygift、SoexcitedwasIthatIcouldn'twaittotrymyhandatridingit、Besides,itwasharderthanexpecting、ThebikeseemedtooheavyformetocontrolandIfelloffthebikeoverandoveragain、Iwasabouttogiveupwhilemyfathercameandencouragedmetokeepgoing、Withmorepractice,Ifoundmedoingbetterandbetter、Lookingback,IfeelIwouldnotbeabletoridebikeifIhadlostmyheart、Honestspeaking,wecan'tavoidfailing、Whatmattersmostisthatweshouldsticktoit、第二节书面表达（满分25分）29．（25分）假如你是李华,准备下月去英国某中学作交换生。你从网上看到该校附近从业多年的史密斯夫妇

愿意提供食宿,请给他们写封电子邮件。要点包括：1.介绍个人情况；2.询问注意事项；3.表达寄宿期望。注意：1.词数100左右；2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯：3.开头和结尾己给出，但不计入总词数。DearMr.andMrs.Smith,IamaChinesehighschoolstudent.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I

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参考答案第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1、B2、D3、C4、A5、D6、B7、C8、B9、C10、C11、D12、B13、C14、A15、A16、A17、C18、B19、D20、A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、C2、D3、B4、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’tuntilthenthatInoticedthathew