安徽省2023-2024学年高三第五次模拟考试英语试卷含解析

安徽省2023-2024学年高三第五次模拟考试英语试卷考生须知：1．全卷分选择题和非选择题两部分，全部在答题纸上作答。选择题必须用2B铅笔填涂；非选择题的答案必须用黑色字迹的钢笔或答字笔写在“答题纸”相应位置上。2．请用黑色字迹的钢笔或答字笔在“答题纸”上先填写姓名和准考证号。3．保持卡面清洁，不要折叠，不要弄破、弄皱，在草稿纸、试题卷上答题无效。第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1．Newenergy-sharingprojects_____indozensofcitiesacrossthecountrytofuelChina’ssharingeconomyinthenextfewyears.A．aretocarryout B．arebeingcarriedoutC．werecarriedout D．willhavebeencarriedout2．Hewasofferedapositionatthelocalchurchschool,_____hewenttotheCambridge.A．afterwhen B．sincewhichC．afterwhich D．sincewhen3．—I’vegotsomethingweighingonmymind.Couldyougivemesomeadvice?—______.TellmeallaboutitandI’lldowhatIcan.A．Don’tmentionit B．NowonderC．Mypleasure D．Noproblem4．Recently,aprogrammercriticizedthe“996”workschedule______employeesworkfrom9amto9pm,6daysaweek,withtheprospectofendingupinanintensivecareunit.A．where B．when C．which D．whose5．Thoughafarmer,Zhuzhiwenhasbecameahugesuccessasasinger,whosestoryisreally________ofgreatinspiration.A．everything B．nothing C．theone D．one6．—Shallweturntothebossforalongerholiday?—He’llprobablysayno,________it’sworthasking.A．soB．whileC．unlessD．though7．Thehouse______Iliveinisverysmall.A．thatB．whomC．whenD．what8．Daviddidn’tattendhisdaughter’sgraduationceremony,buthedoeswishhethere.A．shouldbe B．wouldbeC．hadbeen D．were9．Sometimes,thekindoffoodweserveapersonsuggests________weshowourgratitude.A．when B．whatC．why D．how10．Nowadays,moreandmoreyoungladies,figuresmostarefineenough,aregoingonadiet.A．who B．whoseC．ofwhose D．ofwhom11．Ifyouhaveajob,______yourselftoitandfinallyyou’llsucceed.A．dodevote B．todevoteC．devoting D．devoted12．I'llhaveallofthereadingsbytheendofthistermifmyplangoeswell.A．completing B．tocompleteC．completed D．beingcompleted13．——Whatwaswrong?Whydidn’tyougotothepicnicasscheduled?——I’msorry.I_________aseriously-injuredoldmantothehospital.A．woulddeliverB．deliveredC．haddeliveredD．wasdelivering14．Ourcompanyisseekingforamanager,especially________withcreativityandimagination.A．theone B．eachC．one D．that15．Asitseconomyismaturing，China’s_________agreaterroleincriticalissueslikeclimateanddevelopment.A．definingB．assumingC．guaranteeingD．assuring16．CanyouhelpmewithmyEnglishhomework?You'reagenius.__________,butI'lltrytohelpyou.What'syourproblem?A．Farfromit B．SoundsgoodC．Byallmeans D．It'soutofquestion17．_____________equalopportunities,bothFrankandBillymayaccomplishthetask.A．Given B．GivingC．Togive D．tobegiven18．Maybehereallyshoulddomoreexercisesfromnowon.____,Ihopehecouldgetoversoon.A．Somehow B．Somewhat C．Anyway D．Anywhere19．______flag-raisingceremonywasheldattheGoldenBauhiniaSquareonJuly1tocelebrate______17thanniversaryofHongKong’sreturntoChina.A．A;/ B．A;theC．The;the D．/;the20．I______tellyouwithcertaintythathewon’tbeabletofinishitbeforethedeadline.A．willB．mustC．canD．may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）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．worried22．（8分）Earlierthissummer,CarolLeReschegotthephonecallshe’dbeenwaitingfor.Atouristwaspickingzucchini(西葫芦)atThorneRiderPark.“It’sexactlywhatwehopedwouldhappenwhenweputinthefoodforest,”explainedLeResche,thepark’sfoodforestfounder.InMay,hereceiveda$3,500fund.Themoneywastohelpturnaformerparkintoanedible(可食用的)landscape.It’saplacewhereallofthefruits,vegetablesandnutsarefreeforthetaking.Unlikesomeparkswithstrict“nopicking”policies,foodforestsaredesignedtoprovidecolorfulcrops.Peopleareencouragedtoharvestthem.“Wethinkit’simportanttoputpublicfoodinpublicspaces,”shesaid.Thedesiretoknowmoreaboutwhereourfoodcomesfromisoneofthereasonsthereisarealtrendtowardagricultureintoneighborhoodsandcommunities.There,peoplecanparticipateintoursandclassesorrelaxamongthefruittrees.Foodforestsprovidedifferentkindsoffreshproducemorethanwecanbuy.Foodforestsarebasedonamodelvaluingsustainableandmostlyself-sufficientagriculturalproduction.Thefoodforestmodelrequireslesschemicalfertilizerandlesslaborthantraditionalagriculture.Anedibleforestisdesignedtodevelopwithoutpesticidesorweeding.Sincetheconceptisrelativelynew,andittakesatleastthreeyearsforfruitandnuttreesandberrybushestostartproducingmeaningfulamountsoffreshfood,it’shardtoknowwhetherfoodforestswillhaveanimpactonfooddeserts.Volunteer-drivenprojectscanfallapartifthegrouplosesinterest.Lackoffundingcanalsobeproblematic.Pestsalsoareanoften-citedconcern.Afterallandaboveall,LeRescheexplained,foodforestsareaboutalotmorethanfood.“Wealsowanttoprovideagatheringspacethatisproductiveandbeautifulwherepeoplecandeveloparelationshipwitheachotherandgetconnected.”1、Comparedwithcommonfoodbought,whatisspecialaboutthefoodinedibleforests?A．Ittastesbetter.B．Ithasmorevarieties.C．Ithasfunnyappearances.D．It’sproducedfreeoffertilizer.2、WhatisstressedinParagraph4?A．Foodforestsmaydisappearsoon.B．Foodforestshavealongwaytogo.C．Foodforestswastelotsofnaturalresources.D．Foodforestsseemimaginaryandimpossible.3、AsforLeResche,whatisthemostimportantroleoffoodforests?A．Awaytorelaxandentertain.B．Awaytosolvefoodshortage.C．Awaytobethankfulfornature.D．Awaytomeetandmakefriends.4、Whatistheauthor’spurposeinwritingthetext?A．Tocallhelp.B．Toraisemoney.C．Tocompareandargue.D．Toinformandintroduce.23．（8分）Haveyoueverfoundyourselfinthissituation:Youhearasongyouusedtosingwhenyouwereachild—abitofnostalgia(怀旧)or“blastfromthepast,”aswesay.Butitisnotadistantchildhoodmemory.Thewordscomebacktoyouasclearlyaswhenyousangthemallthoseyearsago.ResearchersattheUniversityofEdinburghstudiedtherelationshipbetweenmusicandrememberingaforeignlanguage.Theyfoundthatrememberingwordsinasongwasthebestwaytorememberevenoneofthemostdifficultlanguages.Hereiswhattheydid.Researcherstook60adultsandrandomlydividedthemintothreegroupsof20.Thentheygavethegroupsthreedifferenttypesof“listen-and-repeat”learningconditions.Researchershadonegroupsimplyspeakthewords.Theyhadthesecondgroupspeakthewordstoarhythm,orbeat.Andtheyaskedthethirdgrouptosingthewords.AllthreegroupsstudiedwordsfromtheHungarianlanguagefor15minutes.Thentheytookpartinaseriesoflanguageteststoseewhattheyremembered.WhyHungarian,youask?ResearcherssaidtheychoseHungarianbecausenotmanypeopleknowthelanguage.ItdoesnotshareanyrootswithGermanicorRomancelanguages,suchasItalianorSpanish.Afterthetestswereover,thesingerscameoutontop.ThepeoplewholearnedthesenewHungarianwordsbysingingthemshowedahigheroverallperformance.Theydidthebestinfouroutoffiveofthetests.Theyalsoperformedtwotimesbetterthanthosewhosimplylearnedthewordsbyspeakingthem.Dr.KatieOverysayssingingcouldleadtonewwaystolearnaforeignlanguage.Thebrainlikestorememberthingswhentheyarecontainedinacatchyormemorabletune.Dr.Ludkesaidthefindingscouldhelpthosewhostruggletolearnforeignlanguages.OntheUniversityofEdinburgh’swebsiteDr.Ludkewrites,“Thisstudyprovidesthefirstexperimentalevidencethatalisten-and-repeatsingingmethodcansupportforeignlanguagelearning,andopensthedoorforfutureresearchinthisarea.”1、The“song”mentionedinthefirstparagraphisintendedto________.A．recallthepast B．amusethereadersC．introducethetopic D．comparethepastwiththepresent2、Accordingtothepassagewhichlanguagedoesn’tsharethesamerootwithGermanicorRomancelanguages?A．Hungarian B．SpanishC．Italian D．English3、Fromthelasttwoparagraphs,wecanconcludethat________.A．singingisthebestwaytolearnaforeignlanguageB．brainprobablyworksbestwhenforeignlanguagelearnerssingthewordsC．alisten-repeatmethodisveryeffectiveforanylanguagelearnerD．Dr.KatieOveryandDr.Ludkedisagreewitheachother4、What’scorrectaboutthestudyundertakenbytheresearchersattheUniversityofEdinburgh?A．Altogethertwentyadultsweretestedinthestudy.B．Peopleinthe3rdgroupperformedaswellastheother2groups.C．Peopleinthe2ndgroupwereaskedtospeakthewordstoabeat.D．Inthestudy60adultsweredividedinto3groupsaccordingtoabilities.5、Inwhichsituationcanthefindingoftheresearchbeapplied?A．Amotherisgoingtoteachherbabyhowtospeak.B．Achildisgoingtohavehisfirstmusiclesson.C．AstudentisgoingtolearnanewEnglishsong.D．AnAmericanisgoingtolearnsomeChinese.24．（8分）Americancollegestudentsarebecomingmoreadventuresomeastheystudyabroad,showinglessinterestsinEnglish-speakingdestinationssuchasGreatBritainandAustraliaandmoreinsuchcountriesasChina,India,ArgentinaandBrazil.Britainremainedthemostpopularstudydestinationin2005,accordingtoannualfiguresfromtheInstituteofInternationalEducation,followedbyItaly,SpainandFrance.ButthenumberofAmericanstudentsstudyinginBritainandAustraliadescendedalittle,evenasthenumberofAmericanstudentsabroadroseby8%.Thegrowthcameinnon-EnglishspeakingEuropeancountriesandinAsia.ChinaisnowtheeighthmostpopulardestinationforAmericanstudents,attractingnearly6,400in2005,up35%fromthenumberoftheyearbefore.ArgentinaandIndiasawincreasesofmorethan50%.AllanGoodman,presidentoftheInstituteofInternationalEducation,saidthatarangeoffactorscontributedtothetrend,fromgrowingawarenessofglobalizationaftertheterroristattacksonSeptember11,2001,toprogramssuchasformerPresidentBush’sNationalSecurityLanguageInitiative,whichtrainssoldiers,intelligenceofficersanddiplomatsinforeignlanguages.“WhatAmericansaredoingiswakingupanddiscoveringthere’saworldoutthere,”hesaid.Otherfiguresshowedtheflowofstudentsintheoppositedirection,fromforeigncountriesintoAmericanuniversities.Theinstitutefoundthatinternationalenrollment(入学)inAmericanhighereducationremainedsteadyatabout565,000.Thefiguresareofkeeninteresttouniversities,whichdependonforeignstudentsforteachingandresearchhelp,andtopolicy-makers,whoconsideritimportant,asfutureforeignleadersmaybefamiliarwiththeUnitedStates.Theyearof2005sawbigincreasesinstudentsfromSouthKorea,MexicoandTaiwanofChina.IndiasendsthemoststudentsandChinaisNo.2.OthercountriesthatshowlargepercentageincreasesinthenumberofstudentssenttotheUSincludeNepalandVietnam,whileJapan,TurkeyandMalaysiasawdeclines.About58%ofinternationalstudentsintheUScomefromAsia.1、Whatdoestheunderlinedword“descended”inParagraph2means?A．Changed.B．Declined.C．Multiplied.D．Increased.2、WhydomoreAmericanstudentsstudyinAsia?A．Theyexpecttogetmoreteachingandresearchhelp.B．TheyloseconfidenceinEnglish-speakingcountries.C．Theyareafraidthatterroristattackswillhappenagain.D．Theyprefertoexploreadifferentworldfromtheirown.3、WhereweremostforeignstudentsinAmericafromin2005?A．China.B．India.C．Argentina.D．Britain.4、Whatcanweinferfromthepassage?A．Therewere6,400AmericanstudentsstudyinginChinain2005.B．ChinesestudentstoAmericawilloverpassIndiansinthefuture.C．InternationalenrollmentinAmericanhighereducationchangedalot.D．AsianstudentsaccountforalargepartofforeignstudentsinAmerica.25．（10分）Whilestaringoutofthewindowduringaflight,noteveryonewillthinkcarefullyaboutthequestionwhyairplaneshaveroundedwindowsratherthansquareones.Overtheyears,aerospaceengineeringhasmadehugestepsinairplanetechnology,meaningplanescancarrymorepassengersandgofaster.Theplaneshavealsochangedshapetoincreasesafety—includingthewindows.Ascommercialairtraveltookoffinthemid－20thcentury,airlinecompaniesbegantoflyathigheraltitudestolowertheircost—theairdensity(密度)islowerupthere,creatinglessdrag(阻力)forairplanes.However,higheraltitudescamewithproblems,likethefacthumanbeingscan’treallysurviveat30，000feet.Tomakethatpossible,thecabinwaschangedtoacylindrical(圆柱体)shapetosupportthepressureinside.Butatfirst,planebuildersleftinthestandardsquarewindowsandthisexpansionmeantdisaster.Thede__Havilland__Cometcameintofashioninthe1950s.Withaclosedcabin,itwasabletogohigherandfasterthanotheraircraft.However,wherethere’sacorner,there’saweakspot.Windows,havingfourcorners,havefourpotentialweakspots,makingthemlikelytocrashunderstress—suchasairpressure.Bycurvingthewindow,thestressthatwouldeventuallybreakthewindowcornerisdistributedandthechanceofitbreakingisreduced.Roundedshapesarealsostrongerandresistdeformation(变形),andcanthussurvivetheextremedifferencesinpressurebetweentheinsideandoutsideoftheaircraft.Fortunately,designersfiguredoutthelackofdesignprettyquick.Nowwehavenice,roundedairplanewindowsthatcanresistthepressureoftravelingaltitude.Itgivesbeingabletogazeoutofyourwindowtotheworldfrom35，000feetawholenewoutlook,doesn’tit?1、Whydidairlinesaimtoflyathigheraltitudes?A．Toincreasesafetyoftheplane.B．Tohelptheplanetotakeoff.C．Tosavemoneyforlessdrag.D．Tocarrymorepassengersandgofaster.2、Whatdoestheunderlinedwords“deHavillandComet”inParagraph2referto?A．Aplanet. B．Aband. C．Anaircraft. D．Adesign.3、Whichistheadvantageoftheroundedwindow?A．Itreducesthepossibilityofbreakingup.B．Itweakensthestrengthofairpressure.C．Itincreasestheairpressure.D．Ithelpstosurvivetheextremeweather.4、Wheredoesthistextcomefrom?A．Anewspaperonsafedriving. B．Amagazineonfashiondesign.C．Awebsiteonsurvivalskills. D．Asciencebookonflying.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）Oneday,LukeFortunedrovefromOregontoPortland,whereheparkedhiscarinapaidgarageovernight.Thenextmorning,he1thecar’swindowhadbeenbroken,alongwithhis2forthefuture:Hiscomputerwas3.“Everythingimportanttomewasonthatcomputer,”saidFortune.“Ifelt4.”Twodaysafterthe5,anotheryoungmancalledFortune.MasoudAlmazroueiwasanexchangestudentfromtheUnitedArabEmirates.He’dbeen6byamanwhosaidhehadacomputerforsale.Only$200.Almazrouei7acomputer,soheboughtit,tookithome,andturnediton.Withinseconds,hesawfilesandphotographs.“Iwonderedwhowould8acomputerwithallofthisonit,”hesaid.“I9itcouldbestolen.”Almazroueifoundwhatappearedtobetheowner’sphonenumberandcalledit10.“Hetoldmethestoryandsaiditwashisfault.Ithoughtitwasa11.Itoldhimifhereallyhadthe12,heshouldtakeittothepolice.”Fortunesaid.13,apoliceofficercalledFortunetosaythatamanhaddroppedthecomputeroffandhadsaidhewas14.Hepassedontheman’snumber.FortunecalledandthankedAlmazroueiand15payinghimarewardof$200—themoneyhewasout.Almazrouei16.Whenareportaboutthetwoyoungmen’sstorymadeittothelocalpapers,Almazroueireceiveda(n)17fromWimWiewel,thepresidentoftheuniversitywhereAlmazroueiisstudying.Impressedwithhisstudent’s18,WiewelgaveAlmazroueianewcomputer.“Wethoughtsinceyou19thecomputer,weshouldgiveyouacomputersothatyou’llhaveone,”Wieweltoldhim.“We’revery20you.”1、A．expectedB．concludedC．discoveredD．remembered2、A．dreamsB．skillsC．decisionsD．imaginations3、A．robbedB．hiddenC．brokenD．gone4、A．specialB．sadC．absurdD．regretful5、A．theftB．conflictC．adventureD．emergency6、A．inspiredB．remindedC．interviewedD．approached7、A．operatedB．neededC．possessedD．assessed8、A．returnB．likeC．sellD．throw9、A．realizedB．predictedC．admittedD．guaranteed10、A．unwillinglyB．cautiouslyC．immediatelyD．automatically11、A．mistakeB．catastropheC．misunderstandingD．trick12、A．chanceB．computerC．braveryD．experience13、A．BesidesB．HoweverC．AfterwardsD．Therefore14、A．sorryB．movedC．luckyD．terrified15、A．enjoyedB．practicedC．succeededinD．insistedon16、A．ignoredB．refusedC．hesitatedD．withdrew17、A．invitationB．apologyC．warningD．call18、A．honestyB．achievementC．independenceD．determination19、A．tookbackB．paidbackC．gavebackD．heldback20、A．tiredofB．proudofC．curiousaboutD．concernedabout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）Thebestandmostamazingthingaboutlifeisthatnomatterwhathappensorhowharditmayget,orhow1．(use)youfeel,staypatient.Allyouneedtofocus2．isdoinggood,evenifitmaybethesmallestthing,likegreetingsomeonewith3．smile.Itcanbrightenupsomeone’sday,andyouwillhavemadethesmallest4．biggestdifferencetotheirlife.Itall5．(start)withyoursmallbutsinceresmile!Ilearnedpatiencethehardway.Ihadbeentryingtorushthroughliferapidly,always6．(compare)myselftomyfriendsandfamilyandwonderingwhenmylifewouldchange.Iwastoobusytryingtospeedthingsup,butthingsjustweren’tmoving,soIfinallygaveup.However,whenIcontinuedtohelppeopleanddolittle7．(thing)Icouldeveryday8．(make)adifference,lifepaysmeback.Therefore,keepyourintentionssincere,nomatterhowunjustpeoplearetowardsyou.Ibelieveyouwillbesuccessful,becauseeverythinghasitsownspecialtime9．everythinggoeswell,and10．(you)isdefinitelycoming.Youjustneedtowaitalittlelonger.It’snoteasy,butitwill.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。Theoldsaying“Theearlybirdcatchestheworm”showustheimportanceofplanning,workinghardandtryingconstant、Toachieveoutstandingresults,themostpeoplemustplanaheadandworkhardtoovercomeallkindofdifficulties、Thathasbeenmyownexperience,either、WhenIfirststartedathighschool,Iseldompassedmyexams,soIneverpreparedwell、Later,myteacher,MrBlack,advisedmeplaneverythinginadvance、Sheaskedmetostudyhardaswell、Afterayearofputtinghisadvicetopractice,Icannoweasilypassallmyexams、Therearenodirectroadstosucceed、第二节书面表达（满分25分）29．（25分）假如你是李华，上周你在海外购物网站Amazon上购买了一个书包，但是寄到后发现存在质量问题，请你给该网站负责人Smith先生写一封信，内容包括:1.反应质量问题2.你的诉求注意:1.词数60--80词左右；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、B2、C3、D4、A5、D6、D7、A8、C9、D10、C11、A12、C13、D14、C15、B16、A17、A18、C19、B20、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、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.“Thanksforther