2025屆內(nèi)蒙古自治區(qū)普通高中高考考前提分英語仿真卷含解析

2025屆內(nèi)蒙古自治區(qū)普通高中高考考前提分英語仿真卷考生請注意：1．答題前請將考場、試室號、座位號、考生號、姓名寫在試卷密封線內(nèi)，不得在試卷上作任何標(biāo)記。2．第一部分選擇題每小題選出答案后，需將答案寫在試卷指定的括號內(nèi)，第二部分非選擇題答案寫在試卷題目指定的位置上。3．考生必須保證答題卡的整潔?？荚嚱Y(jié)束后，請將本試卷和答題卡一并交回。第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1．CanIparkmycarhere?Surenot,wedon’tallowhere.A．toparking B．park C．topark D．parking2．Iusuallygotherebytrain.Whynot________byshipforachange?A．totrygoing B．tryingtogoC．totryandgo D．trygoing3．—Anythingtodrink?Whataboutcoffee?—Er…IthinkI’llhaveacolddrinkcoffee.A．otherthan B．morethan C．lessthan D．ratherthan4．Itwasinthatsmallhouse________wasbuiltwithstonesbyhisfather________hespenthischildhood.A．that;where B．which;thatC．which;which D．that;which5．.Ididn’t________havingtodothecookingmyself,orIwouldhavelearntoneortwodishesfrommymom.A．expect B．a(chǎn)nticipateC．forecast D．preview6．WolfWarrior2,_______directorWuJingalsostarredintheleadrole,isafirst-classproduction,evenbyHollywoodstandards.A．where B．whichC．whom D．a(chǎn)s7．_____thatitwassoldoutwhenitcameout. A．Sowashersuccessfulbook B．Sosuccessfulwasherbook C．Soherbookwassuccessful D．Sosuccessfulherbookwas8．We’llgoearly．，wemaynotgetaseat．A．Otherwise B．Meanwhile C．However D．Besides9．Myfatherinsistedthateveryminute____madefulluseof_______theworkwell.A．be,todo B．hasbeen,doingC．be,doing D．hasbeen,todo10．Rentusually________upinthesummer,whencollegegraduatesaremovingoutoftheirdormitoriesandseekingfornewplacestomovein.A．willgo B．goesC．hasgone D．went11．﹣Mom，I'llstayintoaccompanymygrandpathisevening．﹣________!A．Withpleasure B．NevermindC．Suityourself D．Itdepends12．—Mummy,lookatmygloves.Ineedanewpair.—________.Iboughtthemforyouonlyaweekago!A．YoubetB．YousaiditC．Youdon’tsayD．Younameit13．youcanlearntoappreciatethechallengesinlife,youwillfindinnerstrength.A．WhenB．WhileC．BeforeD．Unless14．Aftertheflooding,peopleweresufferinginthatarea,________urgentlyneededcleanwater,medicineandsheltertosurvive.A．which B．whoC．where D．what15．Salesdirectorisaposition_______communicationabilityisjustasimportantassaleskills.A．which B．thatC．when D．where16．Totellthetruth,Ididn’texpectthatthereweresomanypeople______theidea.A．supportedB．supportingC．tosupportD．havingsupported17．Itwasthebelief________hecouldfindhis“root”inAfrica________madeAlexdecidetogotoGambia.A．that;where B．where;thatC．that;that D．how;which18．Bob’slecturescoveredafairlywiderangeandIcan’tsumupwhathesaysinafewsentences.A．covered B．conveyed C．considered D．commanded19．I’mafraidthecompanywillnothireme.Comeon,Bill,relax!Youhavealotofexperienceandfinereferencesandyourcollegeworkisidealbackgroundforthem.______________A．It'llbenosweat.B．Allgoodthingscometoanend.C．Wordspaynodebts.D．Don'tgivemeanyjaw.20．—Youknowquitealotaboutthefashionshow.—Well,Cathy________ittomeduringlunch.A．introducesB．introducedC．hadintroducedD．willintroduce第二部分閱讀理解（滿分40分）閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個選項中，選出最佳選項。21．（6分）WhenKatieStaglianowas9yearsold,shewasgivenaclassprojecttogrowherfirstcabbagefromjustoneseed.Shetookithomeandplanteditinherhomegarden.Itdidn’teventakeherlongtocomeupandbegintogrow.Butasfriendscameover,theypointedoutthatitwasbiggerthananyoftheirs.Anditgrewsomuchthatthecabbageendedupweighing40pounds!Katiethendecidedthatshecouldusethiscabbagetodosomethingniceforthecommunity.Soshetookthehugecabbagetoalocalsoupkitchen,wheretheyusedit,andcookeditwithhamandrice.Andbecauseofhercabbage,275peoplewerefed.Shebegantorealizethatgardeningandhelpingpeopleiswhatshelikestodomost.So,shedecidedtostartherfirstgardenonaplotoflanddonatedbyherschool.“Ithinkifmorekidsgettoexperiencegardeningtheywouldfindouthowcoolitisandhowmanypeoplecanbefedifyoudonateyourproduce,”saidKatie.Now,just9yearslater,Katieis18yearsold,andhassetupherownbusinesscalled“Katie’sKrops”withthehelpofherfamilyfriends.Butthisdoesn’tevencomeclosetotheotheramazingpart.Shehasraisedover200,000dollars!Andthereareover100Katie’sKropswithin33statesintheUnitedStates.Shelovesgardeningandlovesinspiringotherchildrentoexperiencethejoyofgardeningaswell.Asoftoday,herfirstgardenisstilldoingamazingandisevenresponsibleforsupplyingover3,000poundsofproducedonatedtolocalcharities.Hergoalnow?Toget500gardensacrossall50states.1、HowdidKatiedealwithherfirstcabbage?A．sharingitwithhercommunity.B．Presentingittotheschoolkitchen.C．Eatingitwithherfamily.D．Givingittoherfriends.2、WhatinspiredKatietohelpothersbygardening?A．Thesupportfromherschool.B．Thegardeningandsharingexperience.C．Theencouragementofcommunity.D．Theadmirationofherfriends.3、WhydoesKatiesuggestmorechildrenlearntogarden?A．Shethinksgardeningiscool.B．Sheneedsmorepeopletohelpher.C．Shehopestoearnmoremoney.D．Shewantsthemtoexperiencethejoy.4、Whatisthelastparagraphmainlyabout?A．ThebriefintroductionofKatie’sKrops.B．Theamazingbenefitsofgardening.C．Katie'sachievementandfutureaim.D．Thejoyofgardeninganddonation.22．（8分）Inaforeigncountry,amanvisitedalocalrestaurant.Hedidn’tspeaktheirlanguage.Heorderedsomethingindecipherableoffthemenu.Whenthewaiterbroughthimaplateofdeliciouslookingfriednoodles,hesmiledandmadeanOKsignatthewaiterwithhisthumbandforefingerlinkedinacircle.Lookingangry,thewaiterthenpickedupthedishandthrownittohislap.Whathedidwrong,hewondered.Well,nothingisquiteasitseemswhenitcomestousinghandgestureinanothercountry.Gestureshavebeenusedtoreplacewordsinmanycountries,andtheyareoftenspecifictoagivenculture.Gesturemaymeansomethingcomplimentaryinoneculture,butishighlyoffensiveinanother.Thegesture“thumb-up”iscommonlymisinterpreted.InEnglish,itispopularlyknownas‘thumbsup’,despitethefactthattheactioniscommonlyperformedwithonlyonehand.English-speakingCaucasiansuseittosignal‘OK’,whichisthesamemeaningasO.K.ringgesture.Thetwocaninfactbeusedalmostinterchangeably.AvoidusingthisgestureinSouthernSardinaorNorthernGreeceunlessyouwanttoinviteafight.WhileAmerican,BritishandAustralianwouldusethethumbuptosignalhitch-hikingtothedrivers,thismessagewillnotencourageaGreekdriverormotoristtostoptogivethemaride.Therearenorightorwrongsignals,onlyculturaldifferences.Lackofculturalunderstandingwillleadtodisharmonyamongpeoplefromdifferentcultures.Whenweknowwhattolookfor,suchencounterswithotherculturesareactuallyveryinteresting,fascinatingandfun.Itiscertainlyagreattopictodiscussoveracupofcoffeeandcakes.1、Whatdidthemaninthefirstparagraphdowrong?A．Hemisunderstoodthewaiter.B．Hedidn’trealizeculturaldifferences.C．Heorderedsomethingoffthemenu.D．Hemadethesignalinarudeway.2、Whatdoestheunderlinedwordinthesecondparagraphmean?A．Fullofadmiration.B．Fullofaggression.C．Fullofcomplexity.D．Fullofcertainty.3、WhatwillhappenifyoumakeathumbuptowardamaninNorthernGreece?A．Hewillstoptogiveyoualift.B．Hewillgetannoyedandfightagainstyou.C．Hewillaskyoutogivehimalift.D．Hewillmakethesamesignaltowardyou.4、What’sthepurposeofthepassage?A．Toexplainthemeaningofdifferentgestures.B．Totellstoriesaboutdifferentcultures.C．Toadviseustohaveanunderstandingofculturaldifferences.D．Topersuadepeoplefromdifferentcountriesliveinharmony.23．（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．a(chǎn)dvocatereadingbooks2、Jianggotinspiredtostarttheprojectby_________.A．HarryPorterB．WechatmomentsC．EmmaWatsonD．Razor’sEdgeBookClub3、Theunderlinedword“spontaneous”isclosestinmeaningto__________.A．unplannedB．unwiseC．firmD．thoughtful4、Jiang’sattitudetowardsthefutureoftheprojectcanbebestdescribedas___________.A．positiveB．doubtfulC．reservedD．worried24．（8分）YoumightthinkpeopleallovertheUnitedStateshaveWi-FiwirelessInternetserviceandmobilephones.ButthereisnosuchserviceinGreenBank,WestVirginia,atinytownfourhoursfromtheU.S.capital,WashingtonD．C．Fewerthan150peopleliveinGreenBank,whichhastwochurches,anelementaryschoolandapubliclibrary.Itisalsohometothelargestradiotelescopeintheworld.Thereisaban(禁令)onWi-FiinGreenBank,alongwithanythingelsethatcancreateelectromagnetic(電磁的)waves.Officialssaythewavescoulddisturbthesignals(信號)thetelescopereceives.FormanyAmericans,avisittoGreenBankisalittlelikereturningtothe1950s.Togetthere,youmustreadroadsignsbecausethereisnoGPSserviceinthetown.PeoplecanconnectwiththeInternetthroughtelephones,butwirelessserviceisnotallowed.Theobservatory(天文臺)isoneofthelargestemployersinthearea.ThefederalNationalScienceFoundation(NSF)spendsabout$8.2millionayeartooperatetheobservatory,telescopeandeducationalcenter.JonahBausermanisatechnician.Ifhesupposesthereisasignalthatisnotallowedinthezone,hedrivestothehousewherethesignaliscomingfromandchecksit.butonceaweek,whenthedeviceiscleaned,comebanneddevicesareallowednearit.Peopleinthetownrespecttheworkofthescientists.AndtheysaytheyarehappytolivewithoutWi-Fiandmobilephones.“Youknow,insteadofsittinghereonourphonesandotherdeviceswe’reoutfishingandhuntingandgoingtoeachother’shouses.”Everyoneknowseachotherandcommunicationisalmostalwaysface-to-face.1、WhatwillyouareseewhenyoupayavisittoGreenBank?A．GPSserviceB．Radio-controlledtoysC．CellphonetowersD．Guideposts2、WhatisJonahBauserman’sdutyinhiswork?A．FollowingsignalsfromcellphonesB．CleaningthetelescopeonceaweekC．ListeningforsignalsfromouterspaceD．Protectingthetelescopefrombeingaffected3、Whathasthetelescopebroughttothelocalpeople?A．GreatwealthB．AhealthierlifestyleC．ManyjobchancesD．Muchdifficultyinlife4、Whatmaybethebesttitleforthistext?A．AnAmericanTownWithoutWi-FiandMobilePhonesB．GoodRelationshipsBetweenpeopleinanAmericanTownC．TheLargestRadioTelescopeintheWorldD．ABetterLifeWithoutWirelessDevices25．（10分）Japanisagingfasterthananyothernation.Bytheendofthisdecade,therewillbethreeretireesforeverychildunder15andbeforelong,oneinsixpeoplewillbeover80.Itspopulationwillsoonbefallingbynearlyamillionpeopleeveryyearandsomepeoplepredictthat,sometimeinthenextcentury,thelastJapanesepersonwilldie.Othercountriesareencouragingimmigrationtodealwiththeirdemographicwoes.ButnotJapan,whichisusingdifferentwaystoreducepressureputonhealthcareandsocialservices.TheToto-madetoilet,commoninJapanesehotels,canpushuptohelptheelderly.NowTotoisworkingwithDaiwaHouse,Japan’slargesthousebuilder,toequiptoiletsforretirees.Thesehavemedicalsensorsthatmeasurebloodsugarlevels,thebloodpressureandbodyfatoftheuser.ThedataisemailedtothelocalGPthroughabuilt-ininternetdevice(裝置).Somakesureyoueatyourgreensandstayregular,orthedoctorwillbeintouch.Theover-75saccountformorethanaquarterofthedeathsincaraccidentsonJapaneseroads.ToyotaisworkingwithProfessorKawashima,whodevelopedbraintraininggamesforNintendo,tocreateintelligentcarsthatmonitorbrainactivityintheelderly.Othertechnologiescouldalsoworktokeepelderlydriverscautious.Japanhastwiceasmanypetsasithaschildren.Butrealanimalsaredifficulttolookafterastheirownersage.Paroisafurrywhitebabysealrobotwhichrespondstopettingbymovingitstailandopeningandclosingitseyes.Itshowsemotionssuchassurprise,happinessandanger,andhassoldwellinnursinghomeswhereitisreportedtostimulate(刺激)responsesamongthosewithdementia(癡呆).Japan’sInstituteofPhysicalandChemicalResearchhasdevelopedRiba,anursingcarerobotthatcanlifttheelderlyoutofbed.1、Whatdoestheunderlinedphrase“demographicwoes”referto?A．Retirementage.B．Publicfinance.C．Populationproblems.D．Employmentdifficulties.2、What’sthemainfunctionofthetoiletsforretirees?A．Givingthemfirstaid.B．Monitoringtheirhealth.C．Helpingthemsendemails.D．Sendingthemoffthetoilet.3、Whatdoweknowaboutthesealrobot?A．Itishardtolookafter.B．Itsellswellinnurseries.C．Itonlymakesapositiveresponse.D．Itiswellreceivedinnursinghomes.4、HowdoesJapanimprovethehealthcarefortheelderly?A．Byadvocatingcompaniesworktogether.B．Byswitchingtolife-longtrainingclasses.C．Bydevelopinghi-techproductsandservices.D．Bycorrectingmedicalpersonnel’sserviceattitudes.第三部分語言知識運用（共兩節(jié)）第一節(jié)（每小題1.5分，滿分30分）閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的A、B、C和D四個選項中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項．26．（30分）Haveyouevernotwantedtodosomethingsobadly?Well,that’showI1aboutjoiningMadcaps,amothersanddaughters’clubassistingphilanthropies(慈善事業(yè)).2,myfeelingchangedfinally.NowIbelieveifyouadoptan3attitude,youmightjust4enjoyingit.Sixmonthsago,mymomtoldmetheclubaskedustoworkas5atSaintVincentdePaulHomelessshelter.ThatmeantIhadto6inthedirtyhomelessshelterforatleast20hours.Thefirsttimewewentthere,aladyledustothekitchenwherewe7myfivefellowMadcapsclassmates—theyalsoworethesameexpression.SinceI’musuallysocially8,Ihadnevertalkedwithanyofthemearlier.Worsestill,mymomwasaskedtohelpoutsidethekitchen,leavingmetotally9toservefoodwiththem.Soonlargenumbersofhomelessfamilies10inlikerushingriver.Alittlegirl,around5yearsold,walkeduptome.I11heracoldsandwich.Shetookitandjoinedherfamilyquickly.Asshewalkedaway,I12shewaswearingacoat,clearlytoobigforher,hanging13onherthinbody,andcouldn’thelpthinkinghowmuchIhad14withher.Itsuddenlystruckmethathow15Iam.AfterthatmomentIhada16ofheart.NowIloveMadcapsanddon’tmissonemeeting.Ihave17awkwardnesswhencommunicatingandhavemanyfriends.AndthisyearIamsureIwilldomorethanthe1820hoursofphilanthropies.SothatishowIhavemadea19bydoingonethingIdon’twanttodo.Ifyouhaveanopen20aboutthingsyoucanaccomplishmoreandbecomeawell-rounded(全面的)person.1、A．felt B．worried C．heard D．brought2、A．Otherwise B．Besides C．Therefore D．However3、A．a(chǎn)ggressive B．ordinary C．optimistic D．honest4、A．endup B．giveup C．keepon D．insiston5、A．members B．clerks C．friends D．volunteers6、A．wander B．serve C．teach D．walk7、A．lookedfor B．caredabout C．raninto D．passedby8、A．excited B．fragile C．scared D．a(chǎn)wkward9、A．a(chǎn)lone B．doubtful C．a(chǎn)fraid D．patient10、A．joined B．broke C．dropped D．poured11、A．handed B．returned C．a(chǎn)warded D．bought12、A．thought B．guessed C．discovered D．concluded13、A．neatly B．loosely C．constantly D．carelessly14、A．covered B．connected C．compared D．competed15、A．eager B．strong C．proud D．lucky16、A．relief B．change C．surprise D．loss17、A．overcome B．realized C．remembered D．developed18、A．a(chǎn)llowed B．finished C．included D．required19、A．sacrifice B．promise C．difference D．mistake20、A．mind B．plan C．study D．question第二節(jié)（每小題1.5分，滿分15分）閱讀下面材料，在空白處填入1個適當(dāng)?shù)膯卧~或括號內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。27．（15分）Mobilephonesarebecomingmoreandmorepopularnotonlywith1．(grown-up)butalsowithstudents.Meanwhile,theyalso2．(become)aproblemformiddleschoolsinthepastfewyears.Somechildrenhavegotmobilephones3．Christmasorbirthdaygifts,andmorewillstillwantthem.ManylikeSMSbecauseitis4．(ease)andquick.Someparentsfelthappybecausetheycouldcommunicatewiththeirchildren.Someteacherssaidmobilephoneuse5．(be)adistraction（分心的事）tostudentsduringschoolhoursand6．a(chǎn)lsogavethemmuchtroubleintheirclassrooms.Sometimesstudentsmightusephonemessages7．(cheat)duringexams.Anewstudyfoundthatsometeenagerssendingmessagesinclassevenhurttheirfingersbecausetheycan'tstop8．(send)SMS.Manyteacherssuggestedthatstudentsshouldnothavephonesatschool,butiftherewasagoodreason,theycouldleavetheirphonesatschooloffice.Andeventheycanusethetelephoneintheteachers’officeinstead.Manypeoplethinktheyunderstandthereason9．parentswouldwanttheirchildrentohavethem,buttheyagreeschoolsshouldtellthestudents10．(use)theirmobilephonesatpropertimes.第四部分寫作（共兩節(jié)）第一節(jié)短文改錯（滿分10分）28．（10分）假定英語課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文，請你修改你同桌的以下作文。文中共有10處語言錯誤，每句中最多有兩處，每處錯誤僅涉及一個單詞的增加、刪除或修改。增加：在缺詞處加一個漏字符號(∧)，并在其下面寫出該加的詞。刪除：把多余的詞用斜線(\)劃掉。修改：在錯的詞下劃—橫線，并在該下面寫出修改后的詞。注意：1、每處錯誤及其修改均僅限一詞；2、只允許修改10處，多者（從第11處起）不計分。WhenIwasinJuniorMiddleSchool,IoncequarrelwithmyfavoriteteacherMr、Yangbecausehecriticizedmestrictly、Beforethat,IwassoashamedthatIhadnocouragestoseehimagain、Tomysurprised,Mr、Yangfoundmeorapologizedtomeforhissharpwordsthenextday、HehadsaidhecouldunderstandwhyIwassoangryatthatmoment、Mr、YangalsohopedIcouldunderstandthathewassostrictwithmeifhethoughtIshouldhavebehavedbetter、Howhehadsaidmademeverytouching、Therefore,Iwasdeterminedtolethimdownanylonger、第二節(jié)書面表達（滿分25分）29．（25分）假如你是李華，在你校學(xué)習(xí)的美國交換生David和你成為了好朋友，并且在他的幫助下你的英語學(xué)習(xí)取得了很大的進步。在他結(jié)束學(xué)習(xí)回國之后，請用英語給他寫一封感謝信。內(nèi)容應(yīng)包括：1.表達思念；2.感謝幫助；3.希望保持聯(lián)系。注意事項：1.不得透露真實姓名和學(xué)校；2.詞數(shù)：100左右；3.開頭和結(jié)尾已寫出，不計入詞數(shù)。DearDavid,Howtimeflies!It’sbeenatotalweeksinceyouleftourschool.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Bestwishes.Yourssincerely,LiHua

參考答案第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1、D2、D3、D4、B5、B6、A7、B8、A9、A10、B11、C12、C13、A14、B15、D16、B17、C18、A19、A20、B第二部分閱讀理解（滿分40分）閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個選項中，選出最佳選項。21、1、A2、B3、D4、C22、1、B2、A3、B4、C23、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.Discoveredamaz