安徽省定远县民族私立中学2025届高三第二次模拟考试英语试卷含解析

安徽省定远县民族私立中学2025届高三第二次模拟考试英语试卷注意事项1．考试结束后，请将本试卷和答题卡一并交回．2．答题前，请务必将自己的姓名、准考证号用0．5毫米黑色墨水的签字笔填写在试卷及答题卡的规定位置．3．请认真核对监考员在答题卡上所粘贴的条形码上的姓名、准考证号与本人是否相符．4．作答选择题，必须用2B铅笔将答题卡上对应选项的方框涂满、涂黑；如需改动，请用橡皮擦干净后，再选涂其他答案．作答非选择题，必须用05毫米黑色墨水的签字笔在答题卡上的指定位置作答，在其他位置作答一律无效．5．如需作图，须用2B铅笔绘、写清楚，线条、符号等须加黑、加粗．第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1．So________sometimesintryingtoaccomplishsomethingbig_______wefailtonoticethelittlethingsthatgivelifeitsmagic.A．wegetcaughtup;asB．dowegetcaughtup;thatC．caughtupgetwe;asD．caughtupdoweget;that2．Peopleallthinkitstrangethattheboyshouldtellwhat’swrittenonthepaperinanotherroomwithoutlookingatit.Itreally________explanation.A．prevents B．challenges C．interrupts D．confuses3．Muchdisappointedasheisinthejobinterview,hestillkeepshisconfidence.A．tohavefailed B．failedC．havingfailed D．failing4．Attheendofthehistoricarea，Wilmingtondisplayedits________asaworkingportcity：largeware­housesandafewotherdatedofficebuildings．A．achievement B．reputationC．character D．standard5．Simplyraiseyourhand，andataxiappears________A．atnotimeB．atonetimeC．innotimeD．forthetimebeing6．Asheworksinaremotearea,hevisitshisparentsonly_____A．anxiouslyB．occasionallyC．practicallyD．urgently7．—SometimesIamevensleepyinclass.—It’sterrible.You_____aswellgotobedearlier.A．should B．willC．might D．can8．Thedraftregulationontheonlineprotectionofminors,________forpublicopinionsbythecyberspaceauthorities,hasdrawnwidepublicconcern.A．releasingB．havingreleasedC．toreleaseD．released9．Whatthecountrydid_____theinternationaltraderegulations,forwhichitwaswidelycondemned.A．approved B．violated C．bothered D．interrupted10．—Hi,Tom,haveyoucheckedtheaccountyet?—Certainly,I________itfivetimeseventhoughyoutoldmetodoittwice.A．checkedB．willhavecheckedC．havebeencheckingD．hadchecked11．It's________mewhyAlicegaveupherjobandgotmarried.A．under B．above C．over D．beyond12．—Astudysuggestsreducingenergydemandinthefuturemay________urbanareas.—That’strue.Citiesneedmoreenergythansmalltownsorotherruralareas.A．catchonB．actonC．hangonD．centeron13．—Don'tlookdownuponBob.Hehashisownadvantages.—Oh,yesothersareweak,heisstrong.A．Before B．WhenC．Where D．Though14．Myneighbourcametoaskmewhytherewassomuchnoiseinmyhouseyesterdayafternoon.ItoldherthatsomechildrenanEnglishsong.A．praticed B．wouldpractice C．havepracticed D．werepracticing15．AgrandbanquetwasheldbyElizabethII_____PresidentXi’scurrentstatevisittotheUK.A．intermsofB．inhonorofC．infavorofD．inmemoryof16．ItisbroadcastonTVthatthe88thAcademyAwardCeremonywasheldinDolbyTheatreseatsanaudienceofapproximately4,000.A．where B．whoseC．which D．when17．Thelanguageinthecompany’sstatementishighly________,thusmakingitsstaffconfused.A．ambiguousB．apparentC．appropriateD．aggressive18．Iwouldn’thavemissedthetrainifI______upearlier.A．got B．hadgot C．willget D．havegot19．Oncepublished,thenovelwasa(n)successandwassoontranslatedintonineforeignlanguages.A．occasionalB．instantC．constantD．individual20．Hissuggestion_______toseethefilmAvatarinterestedeveryoneofus.A．thatwego B．whichweshouldgo C．thatwewouldgo D．weshouldgo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）Youknowhowmuchyourtelephonehaschangedoverthepast10years?Yourcarwillchangeevenmorethanthatinthenext10years.Oneofthebigchangesisthatcarswilldrivethemselves.Somedayyoumaynotneedtodriveacar.Youwilljusttellthecarwhereyouwanttogoanditwilldriveitself.“Wedefinitelyhavethetechnologyforitnow,”saysAndrewPoliakofautomotivetechnologysupplierQNX.“Weexpectself-drivingcarstobeamainstreamthingbetween2020and2025.”TheAmericancompanyGooglehasbeenworkingonaself-drivingautomobileforyears.ThesecarsarealreadyontheroadsintheUnitedStates,mainlyinCalifornia.Googlecarsaretrulyself-driving.Thesecarshavenosteeringwheels(方向盘）orpedals.Lastweek,policeorderedoneofGoogle’scarstostopfordrivingtooslowlyonapublicroad.Thecarwasnotdisobeyinganylaw,sonoonewaspunished.Butpolicedidspeakwiththeoperatorsofthevehicle.AccordingtoGoogle,itsself-drivingcarshavebeendrivennearly2millionkilometers.Thatisequaltothedistancetheaveragepersondrivesin90years.Sofar,noGoogleself-drivingcarhasgottenatrafficticket.Someofthemhavebeeninaccidentswhenothercarshitthem.Othercompaniesareworkingonself-drivingcars.Mercedes-Benz,Audi,BMW,VolvoandToyotaallhaveplansforsuchvehicles.AcompanycalledBestMileplanstooperateselfdrivingbusesinSwitzerlandnextspring.Thebuseswillholduptoninepeopleandwillbetestedfortwoyears.Mercedes-Benzisdevelopinglargeself-drivingtrucksforlongtrips.Thesetrucksusedriverstocontrolthem.1、WhatAndrewPoliaksaidsuggeststhat.A．hetakesprideintheirtechnologyonself-drivingcarsB．heiseagertoselltheirtechnologyonself-drivingcarsC．heisoptimisticaboutthedevelopmentofself-drivingcarsD．hefeelssurepeoplewillsoonhavethetechnologyforself-drivingcars2、WhydidthepoliceorderoneofGoogle’scarstostoplastweek?A．Becauseitsspeedwastoolow.B．Becauseitdisobeyedlocallaws.C．Becausetheoperatorsbehavedbadly.D．Becausethereexistedtechnologicalproblems.3、WhatcausedsomeofGoogle’sself-drivingcarstohaveaccidents?A．Lackofexperience. B．Highspeed.C．Othercars’faults. D．Toomuchtraffic.4、Whatcanbethebesttitleforthetext?A．Self-drivingCarsB．HowtoDevelopSelf-drivingCarsC．TheAdvantagesofSelf-drivingCarsD．OwningASelf-drivingCarIsFashionable22．（8分）Teensdon’tunderstandthebigfuss(小题大做).Asthefirstgenerationtogrowupinawiredworldtheyhardlyknowatimewhencomputersweren’taround,andtheyeagerlycatchthechancetospendhoursonline,chattingwithfriends,sowhat?Butresearchersnationwideareincreasinglyworriedthatteensarebecomingisolated,lessskillfulatperson-to-personrelationships,andperhapsnumbtothecheatingsthataresomuchapartofthee-mailworld.“Andateen’ssenseofselfandvaluesmaybechangedinaworldwherepersonalconnectionscanbelimitless,”saidShettyTurkle.Anotherresearcher,RobertKraut,saidhe’sworriedaboutthe“opportunitycosts”ofsomuchonlinetimeforyouths.Hefoundthatteenswhousedcomputers,evenjustafewhoursaweek,showedincreasedsignsoflonelinessandsocialisolation.“Chattingonlinemaybebetterthanwatchingtelevision,butit’sworsethanhangingoutwithrealfriends,”hesaid.Today’steens,however,don’tseeanythingstrangeinthefactthatthecomputertakesupacentralplaceintheirsociallives.“Schoolisbusyandfullofpressure.There’salmostnotimetojusthangout,”saidParkerRice,17“Talkingonlineisjusttocatchtime.”Teenssaytheyfeelgoodaboutwhattheysayonlineortakingthelimetothinkaboutareply.Someteensadmitthataskingsomeoneforadate,orbreakingup,canbeeasierinmessageform,thoughtheydon’twanttodoso.Buttheyinsistthere’snoharm.1、Theresearchersarguethat.A．teensdevelopadifferentsenseofvaluesB．nothingiswrongwithteens’chattingonlineC．teenscanmanagetheirsocialconnectionsD．spendinghoursonlinedoesmuchgoodtoteens2、Teensthinkthattalkingonlinecanhelpthem.A．usecomputersproperlyB．improvetheirschoolworkC．developaninterestinsocialskillsD．reducetheirmentalpressures3、Thetextmainlydealswith.A．teens’pleasantonlineexperienceB．teens’computerskillsandschoolworkC．theeffectsofthecomputerworldonteensD．differentopinionsonteens’chattingonline4、WhichofthefollowingisTRUE?A．Teensaremoreskillfulatperson-to-personrelationships.B．Teensshoweddecreasingsignsoflonelinessandsocialisolation.C．Chattingonlineisworsethanhangingoutwithrealfriends.D．Askingsomeoneforadate,orbreakingcanbemoredifficultinmessageform.5、Thepurposeofthetextisto.A．describecomputerresearchresuitsB．drawattentiontoteens’computerhabitsC．suggestwaystodealwithproblemteensD．discussproblemsteenshaveatschool23．（8分）Theyear2117willbeaneventfuloneforart.InMayofthatyearinBerlin,thephilosopher-artistJonathonKeats’“centurycameras”—cameraswitha100-year-longexposure(曝光)time—willbebroughtbackfromhidingplacesaroundthecitytohavetheirresultsdevelopedandexhibited.Sixmonthsafterthat,theFutureLibraryinOslo,Norway,willopenitsdoorsforthefirsttime,presenting100booksprintedonthewoodoftreesplantedinthedistantpastof2017.AsKatiePaterson,thecreatoroftheFutureLibrary,putsit:“FutureLibraryisanartworkforfuturegenerations.”Theseprojects,morethanacenturyinthemaking,arepartofanewwaveofslowartintendedtopushviewersandParticipantstothinkbeyondtheirownlifetimes.Theyaimtochallengetoday’sshort-termthinkingandthebriefattentionspansofmodernconsumers,forcingpeopleintoconsideringworksmoredeliberately.Intheirway,too,theyarefightingagainstmodernculture—notjustregardingmoney,butalsothewayinwhichartisticworthismeasuredbyattention.Inasimilarfashion,everyAprilonSlowArtDay,visitorsareencouragedtostareatfiveworksofartfor10minutesatatime—atoughtaskfortheaveragemuseumvisitor,whotypicallyspendslessthan30secondsoneachpieceofart.LiketheFutureLibrary,thecenturycamerasareverymuchaprojectforcities,sinceit’sincitiesthattimerunsfastestandthepaceoflifeisfastest.“SinceIstartedlivinginacity,I’vesomehowbeenquitedisconnected,”AnneBeateHovind,theFutureLibraryprojectmanager,whodescribedhowworkingonthelibrarydrewherbacktothePaceoflifesheknewwhenshewasgrowinguponafarminheryouth,toldTheAtlanticmagazine.1、Accordingtothefirstparagraph,whatwillNOThappenin2117?A．Acamerawhichwasproduced100yearsagowillbeexhibited.B．TheFutureLibrarywillbe0pentothepublicforthefirsttime.C．Photoswitha100-yearexposuretimewillbedevelopedandexhibited.D．Booksprintedonthewoodoftreesplantedin2017willbedisplayed.2、Whatcanwelearnabouttoday’speople’sattitudetowardworksofart?A．Theyconsiderworksdeliberately.B．TheyspendlittletimeonWorks.C．Theyspendmuchmoney0nworks.D．Theystareatworksfor10minutesatatime.3、Whatisthepurposeofthewaveofslowart?A．Toadvocatecreatingworksofartslowly.B．Toprotectworksofartfrombeingdamaged.C．Topromoteworksofartformodernculture.D．Toencouragepeopletopaymoreattentiontoworksofart.4、HowwouldAnneBeateHovindfeelaboutthecitylife?A．It’sdiscouragingB．It’sdullC．Itsdeveloped.D．It’sbusy24．（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）Justayearago,thecolorswerebrightunderthewaves.Nowit’sgray—theMaldivianreefisdead.Thecoraliskilledbythepressureofrisingtemperatures.Coralreefsareareasunderwaterwheresmallcreatureslive.Thecoralishardmaterialformedonthebottomoftheseabytheskeletonsofthosecreatures.Buttheworldhaslostabouthalfitscoralreefsinthelast30years.Scientistsareworkingtopreventtheirdestruction.Duetoglobalwarming,over90percentofcoralsareexpectedtodieby2050.“Tolosecoralreefsistofundamentallyunderminethehealthofaverylargeproportionofthehumanrace,”saidRuthGates,directoroftheHawaiiInstituteofMarineBiology.Whyarecoralreefsimportant?Coralreefssupportafourthofallmarinespecies,aswellashalfabillionpeopleworldwide.Theyserveasbarrierstoprotectcoastlinesfromthestorms.Theyprovidebillionsofdollarsfromtourism,fishingandothertrade.Theyarealsousedinmedicalresearchforcuresfordiseases.“Everyoneshouldbeconcerned,”saidbiologistOveGuldbergatAustralia’sUniversityofQueensland.“Thisisnotjustsomedistantdivedestination.Thisisthebasicstructureoftheecosystemwedependon.”Theoceanisgettingwarmer.ArisingtemperatureofjustonetotwodegreeCelsiuscanforcecoraltoexpelthealgae(驱逐海藻)thatlivethere.Thisleavestheirwhiteskeletonsuncovered.Itisaprocesscalled“bleaching”.Sixteenpercentoftheworld’scoralsdiedofbleachingin1998.Theproblemhasbecomemuchworseinrecentyears.“We’velost50percentofthereefs,butthatmeanswestillhave50percentleft,”saidRuthGates,whoisworkinginHawaiitobreedcoralsthatcanbetterwithstandincreasingtemperatures.Sheisalsotryingto“train”coralstosurviverisingtemperatures.Gatessaysitistimetostart“thinkingoutsidethebox”—findcreativewaystohelpthem.1、Theunderlinedword“undermine”inparagraph2means___________.A．weaken B．regain C．promote D．overlook2、What’sthemajorconcernofthescientistslikeOveGuldberg?A．Peoplewon’tfindadivedestinationinthefuture.B．Theefforttosavecoralswillturnouttobefruitless.C．Thedestructionofcoralreefswillaffecttheearthecosystem.D．Thebrightseahaslostitscharmbecauseofthosedeadcorals.3、Thefourthparagraphismainlyabout___________.A．theharmofalgae B．theprocessof“bleaching”C．theimportanceofcoralreefs D．thechangeofoceantemperature4、RuthGates’attitudetowardstheprotectionofcoralsis___________.A．proud B．cautious C．optimistic D．casual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）IwasinthesixthgradeandhasjustmovedtoCaliforniafromAlaskawhenImetMs.LindaJones.Mostofmyteachersseemedto1me;Iwasonemorestudentamonghundreds.Ms.Jones,however,tooka2interest.“Youcanwrite,”shesaid,explainingthatshewantedtomovemeintothehonorsEnglishclass.SodidI.Adecadelater,whenmyfirstnovelwas3,IwentbacktoMs.Jones’sclassroom,handingheracopyofmybook.“AndI4thisforyou.”Ms.Jonesbegantocry5.She’dbeenconsideringearly6,shesaid,7shefeltshewasn’thavingenoughofaneffect8herstudents.Ididn’tknowhowtomakeMs.Jonesunderstandwhatshe’ddoneforme:9her,IfellinlovewithShakespeare.Ilearnedhowtocomposeanessay.Itwasher10inmethatgavemetheconfidencetobecomeawriter.I11her.Fifteenyearslater,whenIheardthatshewas12readytoretire,Iattendedher13party.AllMs.Jonesneededtodowassayafewwordsthankinghercolleaguesforcoming.14,shestoodupandmadeanexciting15thatbeganlikethis:“Forthoseofyoucomplainingthat16havechanged,andthatit’shardertoteachthesedays.You’regetting17andlazy.Thesekidshaven’tchanged.Youhave!Donot18thesekids!”Whenshefinishedhertalk,everyone19hands!IwentuptoMs.Jonesandthankedherforchangingmylifeallthoseyearsago.I20thatnightthatIwasstill,andwouldforeverbe,herstudent.1、A．ignoreB．discoverC．admireD．hate2、A．typicalB．practicalC．specialD．complicated3、A．soldB．finishedC．testedD．published4、A．boughtB．didC．wroteD．drew5、A．madlyB．bitterlyC．shylyD．happily6、A．choiceB．retirementC．behaviorD．change7、A．thoughB．butC．unlessD．because8、A．onB．forC．aboutD．off9、A．RegardlessofB．AccordingtoC．ThankstoD．Intermsof10、A．beliefB．ideaC．mottoD．talent11、A．believedB．owedC．helpedD．congratulated12、A．graduallyB．frequentlyC．constantlyD．finally13、A．going-upB．bringing-inC．going-awayD．get-together14、A．StillB．InsteadC．MoreoverD．Therefore15、A．noticeB．appointmentC．decisionD．speech16、A．teachersB．kidsC．writersD．schools17、A．oldB．proudC．smartD．greedy18、A．letdownB．playjokesonC．giveuptoD．putpressureon19、A．clappedB．wavedC．raisedD．shook20、A．heardB．hopedC．provedD．realized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）FuXuewei,a25-year-oldgirlfromChengdu,China1．（recent）sharedabeautifulsetofweddingphotosontheInternet.However,there'sadebateonthephotographs2．nogroom（新郎）seemstobefoundinthephotos.Infact,theonlypeoplefeaturedinthephotosareMs.Fuandher87-year-oldgrandfather.Despitehavingnoplansofgettingmarriedanytimesoon,Fudecided3．（wear）theweddingdressforhergrandfather.ThemanfellseriouslyilllastSeptember,withdoctorswarningthathecouldpassaway4．anytime.5．(fear)hemightnevergettofulfillthedreamofwalkingherdowntotheMr.Right,Fuarrangedthesurprisephotoshoot.Keepingherplansasecret,shetook6．（she）grandfatherforaregularhospitalcheck-up,onlytorevealthattheyweregoingtotakepictureslaterandheagreed.Ms.Fu7．（raise）byhergrandparentsfromtheageoften,8．makesthemmeanalottoher.Sheinsistsontakingcareoftheminreturn.Theyoungwomaneven9．（have）atattoo（纹身）ofhergrandfather.“Ihadmygrandfather'sappearancetattooedonmyarmbecauseIwantallmynew10．（friend）toknowwhathelookslikeinthefuture,”shesaid.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、删改或修改。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）不计分。ItwasMondaymorning,andthewritingclasshadjustbegin、Everyonewassilent,waittoseewhowouldbecalledupontoreadhisandherparagraphaloud、Someofuswereconfidentandeagertakepartintheclassactivity,otherswerenervousandanxious、IhaddonemyselfhomeworkbutIwasshy、Iwasafraidthattospeakinfrontofalargergroupofpeople、Atthatmoment,Irememberedthatmyfatheroncesaid,"Theclassroomisaplaceforlearningandthatincludelearningfromtextbooks,andmistakeaswell、"Immediate,Iraisedmyhand、第二节书面表达（满分25分）29．（25分）你们班最近进行了一次讨论，关于妈妈是否应该外出工作，对此意见各异，请你根据下表提示，给21st英文报写一篇题为Doyouagreewithmumsworkingoutsidethehome?的作文，并表明自己的观点。65%赞成35%反对1、有权外出工作1、没有必要工作2、可以补贴家用2、没人做饭3、增添自豪感3、没人打扫4、对社会有利4、家政服务贵你的观点….注意:1、词数150左右1.标题和开头已给，但不计入总词数；2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。Doyouagreewithmumsworkingoutsidethehome?Recentlyourclasshashadaheateddiscussionaboutwhether___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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、C5、C6、B7、C8、D9、B10、A11、D12、D13、B14、D15、B16、C17、A18、B19、B20、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、A3、C4、A22、1、A2、D3、D4、C5、B23、1、A2、B3、D4、D24、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’tuntilthenthatInoticedthathewass