湖北省宜昌第二中学2023-2024学年高三适应性调研考试英语试题含解析

湖北省宜昌第二中学2023-2024学年高三适应性调研考试英语试题注意事项：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．SheseemstopreferAmericanTVShowstotalkingtome．A．towatch B．tobewatching C．watching D．havingwatched2．Iwouldappreciateyoucouldcometomybirthdayparty.A．that B．thatit C．if D．itif3．—Startingaconversationisagoodwaytokilltimeonthetrain.—_______.Ialsoliketotalkwithstrangers.A．Thatistrue B．ItsoundslikefunC．Idon’tthinkso D．Youarekidding4．Mydaughter,_________allkindsofmeat,wouldnotliketoeatanyvegetable,whichworriesmealot.A．devotedto B．addictedto C．accustomedto D．exposedto5．Itiswhatyoudoratherthanwhatyousay__________matters.A．that B．whatC．which D．this6．Creatinganatmosphere______employeesfeelpartofateamisabigchallenge.A．where B．whoseC．that D．which7．—Oh,myGod!What’swrongwithyou?—Iwasgoingthenormalspeedlimitwhenatruckappearedinfrontofme________andIdidn'thavetimetostop.A．betweenthelines B．aroundtheclockC．outoftheblue D．overthemoon8．Herdoctorindicatedthatevenaddinga(n)_____amountofdailyexercisewoulddramaticallyimproveherhealth.A．modest B．equalC．exact D．considerable9．Ithinkyou’vegottothepointachangeisneeded,otherwiseyou’llfail.A．when B．which C．where D．there10．Itisdifficultforanyofustoeatbetter,exercisemore,andsleepenough,______weknowweshould.A．because B．evenifC．unless D．before11．Asadoctor,Ispendmostofthetimewithmypatients,andthat’s________itisinmyday.A．howB．whenC．whyD．where12．Thepolicehaveanyonewithinformationtocomeforwardandtalktothem.A．appealedtoB．attendedtoC．respondedtoD．attachedto13．--Theweatheristoocold___Marchthisyear.--Itwasstill___whenIcamehereyearsago.A．for;colder B．in;coldC．in;hot D．for;hotter14．ThoughthestoryofLiYunlongintheTVdrama“BrightSword”isafiction,muchof__________happenedishistoricallytrue.A．that B．what C．which D．it15．—AreyoucomingtoJeff’sparty?—I’mnotsure.I______gototheconcertinstead.A．must B．wouldC．should D．might16．－IhearIronManIIIisonrecently.Let’ssetoffforthecinematoappreciateitnow.－________It’sabout10PM.I’msotiredthatImustgotobed.A．Let’sfindsomeoftheaction.B．Howdoyoufindit?C．It’sentirelyuptoyou.D．Youcan’tbeserious.17．Theoldroadisindeedlessdirectandabitlonger.Wewon’ttakethenewone,_______,aswedon’tfeelsafeonit.A．somehowB．otherwiseC．thereforeD．though18．Ifyou___________tomyadvicecarefully,youwouldn’thavemadesuchaterriblemistake.A．listened B．havelistenedC．wouldlisten D．hadlistened19．WatchingbasketballgamesonTVathomeisonething,goingtowatchthem________liveisquiteanother.A．perform B．performing C．toperform D．beingperformed20．Itwasn’tuntilthen_______theirmarriagewasbreakingupbecausetheyhadlittleincommon.A.didIrealize B.thatIrealizedC.hadIrealize D.whenIrealized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）Springiscoming,anditistimeforthoseabouttograduatetolookforjobs.Competitionistough,sojobseekersmustcarefullyconsidertheirpersonalchoices.Whateverwearewearing,ourfamilyandfriendsmayacceptus,buttheworkplacemaynot.Ahighschoolnewspapereditorsaiditisunfairforcompaniestodiscouragevisibletattoos(纹身),noserings,orcertaindressstyles.Itistrueyoucan’tjudgeabookbyitscover,yetpeopledo“cover”themselvesinordertoconveycertainmessages.Whatwewear,includingtattoosandnoserings,isanexpressionofwhoweare.Justaspeopleconveymessagesaboutthemselveswiththeirappearances,sodocompanies.Dressstandardsexistinthebusinessworldforanumberofreasons,butthemainconcernisoftenaboutwhatcustomersaccept.Othersmaysayhowtodressisamatterofpersonalfreedom,butforbusinessesitismoreaboutwhethertomakeorlosemoney.Mostemployersdocareaboutthepersonalappearancesoftheiremployees,becausethosepeoplerepresentthecompaniestotheircustomers.AsahiringmanagerIampaidtochoosethepeoplewhowouldmakethebestimpressiononourcustomers.Thereareplentyofwell-qualifiedcandidates,soitisnotwrongtorejectsomeonewhomightdisappointmycustomers.EventhoughIamopen-minded,Ican’texpectallourcustomersare.Thereisnobodytoblamebutyourselfifyoursetofchoicesdoesnotmatchthatofyourpreferredemployer.Nocompanyshouldhavetochangetosatisfyacandidatesimplybecauseheorsheisunwillingtorespectitsstandards,aslongasitsstandardsarelegal.1、Whichofthefollowingisthenewspapereditor’sopinionaccordingtoParagraph2?A．People’sappearancescarrymessageaboutthemselves.B．Customers’choicesinfluencedressstandardsincompanies.C．Candidateswithtattoosornoseringsshouldbefairly-treatedD．Strangedressstylesshouldnotbeencouragedintheworkplace2、Whatcanbeinferredfromthetext?A．Candidateshavetowearwhatcompaniespreferforaninterview.B．WhattowearisnotamatterofpersonalchoiceforcompaniesC．Companiessometimeshavetochangetorespecttheircandidates.D．Hiringmanagersmakethebestimpressionontheircandidates.3、Whichofthefollowingwouldbethebesttitleforthetext?A．EmployeesMatter B．PersonalChoicesMatterC．AppearancesMatter D．HiringManagersMatter4、Theauthor’sattitudetowardsstrangedressstylesintheworkplacemaybestbedescribedas.A．enthusiastic B．negativeC．positive D．sympathetic22．（8分）Atfirst，MichaelSurrelldidn’tseetheblacksmokeorflamesshootingfromthewindowsofhisneighbors’home．Heandhiswifehadjustparkedaroundthecornerfromtheirownhouse，whentheygotacallfromoneofhisdaughters：“Thehousenextdoorisonfire!”Hewenttoinvestigate．That’swhenhesawtwowomenandagirlpanic-strickenontheirdoorway．“Thebaby’sinthere!”oneofthewomencried．Thoughthefiredepartmenthadbeencalled，Surrell，then64，instinctivelyraninside．“Thebaby”was8-year-oldTiara，thewoman’sgranddaughter．Enteringtheburninghousewaslike“runningintoabucketofblackpaint，”Surrellsays．Thethicksmokecausedhimtostruggleblindlyaround，burnedhiseyes，andmadeitimpossibletobreathe．Theconditionswouldhavebeenriskyforanyone，butforSurrell，whohaslungdisease，theywerelife-threatening．Afterafewminutesinthesmoke-filledhouse，hewithdrewoutsidetocatchhisbreath．“WhereisTiara?”heaskeddesperately．“Thesecondfloor,”Thewomanshoutedback．Takingadeepbreath，hewentinasecondtime．Thedarknesswasoverwhelming．Yetbecausethehousehadasimilardesigntohis，Surrellfoundthestairsandmadeittothesecondfloor．Hewasalreadyoutofbreath．Thenasoftbutdistinctmoanappeared．Hecrawledtowardthesound，feelingaroundforanysignofthegirl．Finally，hetouchedsomething．Ashoe，thenanankle．HepulledTiaraintohisarms．Turning，hefoughtthroughthesmokeandranblindlyintotheblackness．Thenextthingheknew，hewasatthefrontdoor，thenoutside．Surrellwokeupinthehospitalacoupleofdayslater，havingsufferedsevereburns．Tiarawasreleasedfromthehospitalafterafewdays．“It’sasmallpricetopay,”Surrellsays．“I’ddoitagaininaheartbeat．Wouldn’tgiveitasecondthought．”1、WhatdidSurrelldoatthesceneofthefire?A．Calledhisdaughter． B．Parkedhiscartosafety．C．Rangthefiredepartment． D．Rushedintotheburninghouse．2、WhatismainlydiscussedinParagraph3?A．Howspecialthehousewas．B．Howdangerousthesituationwas．C．HowSurrellsufferedlungdisease．D．HowSurrellranbackoutside．3、HowdidSurrellmanagetofindTiaraeventually?A．Byfeelingwiththeaidofhersound．B．ByansweringtoTiara’sloudcrying．C．Byshoutinghernamedesperately．D．Bycatchingsightofhershoes．4、WhatcanbeinferredaboutSurrellfromthetext?A．Heisunwillingtotalkabouttherescueagain．B．Heisdisappointedtosufferseveralburns．C．Hewilldothesamewithouthesitation．D．Hewillthinktwicebeforeacting．23．（8分）Itwasnotyeteleveno’clockwhenaboatcrossedtheriverwithasinglepassengerwhowasluckytobeabletocrosstheriveratthatunusualhourbypromisingtopaysomeextramoney.Whiletheyouthstoodinthelightplacesearchinghispocketsformoney,theboatmanliftedalamp,withthehelpofwhich,togetherwiththenewlyrisenmoon,hetookacarefullookatthestranger.Hewasayoungmanofabouteighteenyears,clearlycountrybroughtup,andwas,asitseemed,onhisfirstvisittotown.Hewaswearingaroughgreycoat,whichwasingoodshape,andwhichhadseenmanywintersbeforethisone.Thejacketunderhiscoatwasmadeofleatherandtrousersfittedtightlytoapairofstronglegs;hisstockingsofblueyarn(毛绒)musthavebeentheworkofamotherorsister,andonhisheadwasahat,whichinitsbetterdayshadperhapsprotectedthegrayerheadoftheyoungman’sfather.Inhislefthandwasawalkingstick,andonhisstrongshouldershungaleatherbag.Brownhair,well-shapedfeatures,bright,cheerfuleyeswerenature’sgifts.Theyouth,whosenamewasRobin,paidtheboatman,andthenwalkedforwardintothetownwithalightstep,asifhehadnotalreadytraveledmorethanthirtymilesthatday.Ashewalked,helookedaroundaseagerlyasifhewereenteringLondonorNewYorkinsteadofthelittlecityinNewEngland.1、Whichofthefollowingstatementsistrue?A．Thisboywasrich.B．Thisstorytookplaceonacoldsnowynightinwinter.C．Theboatmanwouldn’tliketosendtheyoungmanacrosstheriveratfirst.D．Theboatmanknewthattheyoungman’snamewasRobin.2、Thestockingsthattheyoungmanworewere__________.A．WornoutB．veryexpensiveC．muchtoobigD．madebyhand3、Theyouthwaswearingahat,which__________.A．wasausedoneB．hisfatherhadboughtforhimC．hehadboughthimselfD．wasmadebyhismotherorsister4、Thecoattheyoungmanwaswearing__________.A．wasnewandingoodshapeB．wascutoutverywellC．hadbeenusedforalotofyearsD．fittedhimwell24．（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．worried25．（10分）Theresearcherssayapersonlosestwomonthsforeverykilogramoverweighttheyare—andsevenyearsforsmokingapacketofcigarettesaday.Unusually,theEdinburghuniversityteamfoundtheiranswersbyanalysingdifferencesinpeople’sgeneticcodeorDNA．Finallytheythinkitwillshownewwaysofhelpingustolivelonger.Thegroupusedthegeneticcodeofmorethan600,000peoplewhoaretakingpartinanaturalexperiment.Ifsomeonesmokes,drinks,dropsoutofschoolandisoverweight,itcanbedifficulttoidentifytheimpactofonespecificunhealthybehavior.Instead,theresearchersturnedtothenaturalexperiment.Somepeoplecarrymutations(变异)intheirDNAthatincrease(食欲)ormakethemmorelikelytoputonweight,soresearcherswereabletocomparethoseprogrammedtoeatmorewiththosewhowerenot.TheresearchteamalsofoundspecificmutationsinhumanDNAthatalterlifespan(寿命).●Mutationsinagene(asetofinstructionsinDNA)thatisinvolvedinrunningtheimmunesystemcouldaddsevenmonthsoflifeonaverage.●Peoplewithamutationthatincreasedlevelsofbadcholesterolknockedeightmonthsofflifespan.●Araremutationinagene—APOE—linkedtodementiareducedlifespanby11months.●Andonethatmadesmokingmoreappealingcutlivesbyfivemonths.DrJoshisaysthatwhilegenesdoinfluencelifespan,“you’vegotevenmoreinfluence”throughthechoicesyoumake.DrJoshisaid,“Wehopetodiscovergenesaffectinglifespantogiveusnewinformationaboutageingandconstructtreatmenttorageing.”Therearealsosomediseasemutationsthatclearlyaffectlifespanandtodestructiveeffect,suchastheHuntington’sgene.PeoplewithHuntington’softendieintheir20s.However,inordertofollowpeopleuntiltheendoftheirlives,manyofthepeoplestudiedwerebornbefore1940.1、Whatisthemostdifficultfortheresearcherstofind?A．Thedifferencesinpeople’sgeneticcode.B．Thereasonswhypeopleputonweightveryeasily.C．Theresultsofmanynaturalandmassiveexperiments.D．Onebadbehaviour’seffectonpeoplewithmanybadbehaviours.2、Whichofthefollowingmutationsaffectslifespanmostgreatly?A．Onelinkedtocontrollingimmunesystem.B．Oneincreasingunhealthycholesterol.C．OnecalledAPOEinvolvedindementia.D．Onemakingsmokingmoreattractive.3、What’sthemeaningofDrJoshi’sstudy?A．Tohelpstopmutations.B．TOfinddiseasesearlier.C．TOmakepeoplelivelonger.D．TOreducetheeffectsofgenes.4、Whydidresearchersmainlystudypeoplebornbefore1940?A．Tofollowthemuntiltheydie.B．TOeducatethemanextrayear.C．Toshowtheyaremoreimportant.D．Tomakethemlivehappier.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）CominghomeafterworkingoutforawholedayIhadmypurselost．I1ithadslippedoutmybackpackasIwasbeing2．Whileitwasprobablyveryclosetomyapartmentitstillfailedtocomeinto3andIhadno4buttocancelmydebitcards．I’dhadthepurseformorethanadecadeasitwasaChristmaspresent,whichwasabright,redleather,CheekyMonkeypurse,soprobablynotentirelyfora36-year-old5butIwasveryupsettohavelostit!EveryoneIspoketo6Imightgetthepurseback7butthemoneyandvouchersinitwouldverylikelydisappear．Ihad8writtenoffthe9ofthepurseandwasevenconsideringwhethertomoveonandgo“grown-up”whenIwasseekinga10．Icamehomelatethefollowingnightandmymonkeypursewasonmymat!Icheckedthecontentsandeverythingwas11includinganythingofcashvalue．IwasastoundedwhenIreadthe12notewhichread,“Icameacrossthislastnight．Itwastoodarkto13itthen,soIcamebacktonight．Igotyour14fromyourlicense．Sorry．Iain．”Notonlyhadthismanreturnedmypursebuthethoughthe15meanapologyfornotbringingitbacksooner!Ihavetoldalmostallmyacquaintances,whoalmostrespondedwithasimilarstandardanswer,“Itrestoresyour16inhumannature”andit17lotsofstoriesaboutsimilar18experiences．Therewerenocontact19soIamunabletogetintouchtosaythankyoutoIain,butIhopehewillbe20ofhowgratefulIam!1、A．doubted B．suspected C．proved D．recognized2、A．putoff B．setoff C．droppedoff D．leftoff3、A．effect B．appearance C．view D．attention4、A．ability B．thought C．alternative D．decision5、A．grownup B．broughtup C．takenon D．appliedto6、A．decided B．doubted C．prayed D．exposed7、A．previously B．approximately C．regularly D．eventually8、A．however B．therefore C．otherwise D．though9、A．value B．contents C．name D．lists10、A．process B．comfort C．judgment D．replacement11、A．undamaged B．lost C．checked D．reserved12、A．appealing B．thrilling C．accompanying D．entertaining13、A．lookover B．goover C．getthrough D．seethrough14、A．name B．phonenumber C．address D．card15、A．forgot B．made C．paid D．owed16、A．faith B．reputation C．quality D．justice17、A．adapted B．inspired C．described D．expanded18、A．fantastic B．worthy C．priceless D．positive19、A．tracks B．outlines C．details D．accounts20、A．proud B．sensitive C．aware D．certain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）Scientistshavediscoveredthat1．(stay)inthecoldcouldhelpusloseweight.ResearchersattheUniversityofCaliforniafoundthatexposuretothecoldincreaseslevelsofaproteinthathelpsformbrownfat--thetypeoffatthatproducesheatandkeepsuswarm.Brownfatburnsenergy,2．helpsusloseweight.Whitefatstoresextraenergy,whichresults3．weightgain.Theresearcherssaidthatbecauseairconditioningandheatinggiveusconstant,4．(comfort)temperatures,ourbody’sneedforbrownfathasdecreased.Theyfoundthat:“OutdoorworkersinnorthernFinlandwho5．(expose)tocoldtemperaturehave6．significantamountofbrownfatwhen7．(compare)tosame-agedindoorworkers.”Theresearchwasconductedontwodifferentcontrolgroupsofmice.8．groupwasinjectedwiththeproteinthathelpscreatebrownfat.Thisgrouplatergained30%lessweightafterbothgroupswerefedhigh-fatdiets.Theresearcherssaythiscouldbegoodnewsinthefightagainstobesity.Peoplewhoareobesehave9．(low)levelsofbrownfatthanthinnerpeople.HeadresearcherHeiSookSulsaid,“Thisproteincouldbecomeanimportanttargetforresearchintothetreatmentandpreventionofobesityandobesity-relateddiseases.”Sheadded,“Ifyoucansomehowincreaselevelsofthisprotein,youcould10．(possible)losemoreweightevenifeatingthesameamountoffood.”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。错误涉及单词的增加、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）不记分。Recentlywehaveheldaclassmeetingtodiscusswhatisconsideringtobehonorable

behaviorandwhichisshameful、Tobefrank,somestudentsdon’trespecttheirteacherorparents、Somedon’ttaketheirstudiesseriousandcheatinexams、Stillsomelitteraround,maketheschooldirty、Itwasreallyapitytoseethesethingsinourschool、Wethinkhonorabletoobeythelawandcaremuchofourclass、Itisalsoworthofpraisetostudyhard、Ontheotherhand,itisshamefultobreakschoolrules,tobeselfishortomakealittleefforttoachievesuccess、第二节书面表达（满分25分）29．（25分）书面表达某中学生英文报正举办“TheSeasonILikeBest”的征文活动。请用英文写一篇短文投稿，内容包括：1.你最喜欢的季节；2.你喜欢该季节的两条理由（如：气候、景色、活动、感受……）。注意：1.词数100左右；2.题目已为你写好；3.行文连贯，语篇完整；4.文中不得透露个人真实信息。

参考答案第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1、C2、D3、A4、B5、A6、A7、C8、A9、C10、B11、A12、A13、A14、B15、D16、D17、D18、D19、D20、Ｂ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、B3、C4、B22、1、D2、B3、A4、C23、1、C2、D3、A4、C24、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?”Iasked