2024屆四川省綿陽市西平中學(xué)高三六校第一次聯(lián)考英語試卷含解析

2024屆四川省綿陽市西平中學(xué)高三六校第一次聯(lián)考英語試卷注意事項:1．答題前，考生先將自己的姓名、準(zhǔn)考證號碼填寫清楚，將條形碼準(zhǔn)確粘貼在條形碼區(qū)域內(nèi)。2．答題時請按要求用筆。3．請按照題號順序在答題卡各題目的答題區(qū)域內(nèi)作答，超出答題區(qū)域書寫的答案無效；在草稿紙、試卷上答題無效。4．作圖可先使用鉛筆畫出，確定后必須用黑色字跡的簽字筆描黑。5．保持卡面清潔，不要折暴、不要弄破、弄皺，不準(zhǔn)使用涂改液、修正帶、刮紙刀。第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1．Thepartylastmonthreallygavemealotoffun.Socanwehavethismonth,Mr.James?A．a(chǎn)ny B．one C．a(chǎn)nother D．theother2．Notuntiltheendoftheperformance________thechancetotakephotoswiththerespectableactor.A．theaudiencegot B．theaudiencehadgotC．didtheaudienceget D．hadtheaudiencegot3．—Oh,HannahjusttoldmethatshewasunabletotranslatethereportintoEnglish.—________？Sheoncespent10yearslivinginLondon.A．Guesswhat B．Whynot C．Sowhat D．Howcome4．EgyptianPresidentdecidedto______onFridayafternoonafteran18-daycampaignagainsthim,endinghisthirty-yearrule.A．stepdown B．breakin C．breakdown D．stepin5．China'sBeidouNavigationSatelliteSystemhasstartedprovidingglobalservices,________tobecomecompletearound2020.A．beingscheduled B．scheduled C．toschedule D．scheduling6．Thedeal，nextweek，willallowCharneytomakeagreatfortuneinthestockmarket.A．completed B．beingcompletedC．tobecompleted D．havingbeencompleted7．Hi,Mark.Howwasthemusicalevening?Excellent!AlesandAndyperformed_________andtheywonthefirsprize.A．skillfully B．commonly C．willingly D．nervously8．—Didyouenjoytheparty?—Yes.We___________wellbyourhosts.A．weretreated B．wouldbetreatedC．treated D．hadtreated9．Becauseoftheheavysnow,wehadtodelaythevisituntilthisweekendtotheartgallery____inthecenterofourcitythesedays.A．beingheld B．holding C．tobeheld D．held10．“Couldweputoffthemeeting？”sheasked.“________.”Heansweredpolitely.“Thisistheonlydayeveryoneisavailable.”A．Notlikely B．NotexactlyC．Notnearly D．Notreally11．Thecouplewasinitiallylookingforwardtohavinganoverseasweddingbuthadtodroptheideaafterfacing________fromparents.A．recognition B．tolerationC．opposition D．proportion12．Withsomesnowontopofit,theYellowMountainlookedfantasticthiswinter.Actually,IdoubtwhetherwecouldvisitmountaininChina.A．a(chǎn)mostbeautiful B．themostbeautifulC．a(chǎn)morebeautiful D．a(chǎn)beautiful13．—Whatitbe?—Itbeaman,foritisnotmoving.Itbeadustbin,Ithink.A．can;may;must B．can;can’t;mustC．can;must;can D．may;maynot;could14．–What’sthatnoise?–Oh,Iforgottotellyou.Thenewmachine______.A．wastested B．willbetestedC．isbeingtested D．hasbeentested15．Itrainedthismorning,_____actuallydidn’tbothermebecauseIlikewalkingintherain.A．what B．whenC．where D．which16．WhereismyChinesebook?IrememberIputithereyesterday.You_________itinthewrongplace.A．mustput B．shouldhaveputC．mighthaveput D．mightput17．Onlywhen_________hard__________makeyourdreamcometrue.A．doyouwork;youcan B．youwork;youcanC．doyouwork;canyou D．youwork;canyou18．Andycangotothecinematogetherwithushehasfinishedthetask．A．unless B．a(chǎn)ssoonas C．until D．a(chǎn)slongas19．WaterKnowsAnswersbyaJapaneseauthor,________into16languages,hasbecomeabest-sellerallovertheworld.A．havingtranslated B．tobetranslatedC．beingtranslated D．translated20．Atschool,itisessentialthateverychild______equallyregardlessoffamilybackground.A．treatingB．treatedC．betreated D．istreated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）ForanincreasingnumberofstudentsatAmericanuniversities,Oldissuddenlyin.Thereasonisobvious:thegrayingofAmericameansjobs,coupledwiththeagingofthebaby-boomgeneration,alongerlifespanmeansthatthenation’selderlypopulationisboundtoexpandsignificantlyoverthenext50years.By2050,25percentofallAmericanswillbeolderthan65,upfrom14percentin1995.Thechangeposesprofoundquestionsforgovernmentandsociety,ofcourse.Butitalsocreatescareeropportunitiesinmedicineandhealthprofessionsandinlawandbusinessaswell.“Inadditiontothedoctors,we’regoingtoneedmoresociologists,biologists,urbanplannersandspecializedlawyers,”saysProfessorEdwardSchneideroftheUniversityofSouthernCalifornia’s(USC)SchoolofGerontology（老年學(xué)）.Lawyerscanspecializein“elderlaw”,whichcoverseverythingfromtrustsandestatestonursing-homeabuseandagediscrimination.Businessmenseehugeopportunitiesintheeldermarketbecausethebabyboomers,74millionstrong,arelikelytobethewealthiestgroupofretireesinhumanhistory.“Anystudentwhocombinesanexpertknowledgeingerontologywith,say,anMBAorlawdegreewillhavealicensetoprintmoney,”oneprofessorsays.MargariteSantosisa21-year-oldsenioratUSC．Shebegancollegeasabiologymajorbutfoundshewas“reallyboredwithbacteria.”Soshetookaclassingerontologyanddiscoveredthatshelikedit.Shesays,“Ididvolunteerworkinretirementhomesanditwasverysatisfying.”1、WiththeagingofAmerica,lawyerscanbenefit________.A．fromtheadoptionofthe“elderlaw”B．frompresentingtheirprofessionalservicestotheelderlyC．byenrichingtheirprofessionalknowledgeD．bywinningthetrustoftheelderlytopromotetheirowninterests.2、Whocanmakebigmoneyinthenewcenturyaccordingtothepassage?A．Retireeswhoarebusiness-minded.B．Thevolunteerworkersinretirementhomes.C．collegegraduateswithanMBAorlawdegree.D．Professionalswithagoodknowledgeofgerontology.3、Whycanbusinessmengainprofitintheemergingeldermarket?A．Retireesaremoregenerousinspendingmoney.B．Theycanemploymoregerontologists.C．Theelderlypossessanenormouspurchasingpower.D．Therearemoreelderlypeopleworkingthanbefore.22．（8分）Theyhadadozenchildren,sixboysandsixgirls,inseventeenyears.OnereasonDadhadsomanychildrenwasthathewasconfidentanythingheandMotherteameduponwassuretobeasuccess.OurhouseatMontclair,NewJersey,wasasortofschoolforscientificmanagementandtheremovalofwastedmotions—or“motionstudy,”asDadandMothernamedit.Dadtookmovingpicturesofuschildrenwashingdishes,sothathecoulddeterminehowwecouldreduceourmotionsandthushurrythroughthetask.Eachchildwhowantedextrapocketmoneyputforwardanoffersayingwhathewoulddothejobfor.Thelowestbiddergotthecontract(合約).Dadputprocessandworkchartsinthebathrooms.Everychildoldenoughtowrite—andDadexpectedhischildrentostartwritingatayoungage—wasrequiredtosigntheirnamesonthechartsinthemorningafterhehadbrushedhisteeth,takenabath,combedhishair,andmadehisbed.Atnight,eachchildhadtoweighhimself,markthefigureonagraph,andsigntheprocesschartsagainafterhehaddonehishomework,washedhishandsandface,andbrushedhisteeth.Motherwantedtohaveaplaceonthechartsforsayingprayers,butDadsaidasfarashewasconcernedprayerswerevoluntary.Itwasstrictmanagement,allright.Yes,athomeoronthejob,Dadwasalwaystheefficiencyexpert.Hebuttonedhisvestfromthebottomup,insteadoffromthetopdown,becausethebottom-to-topprocesstookhimonlythreeseconds,whilethetop-to-bottomtookseven.Heevenusedtwoshavingbrushestomakehisfacesmoothenough,becausehefoundthatbysodoinghecouldcutseventeensecondsoffhisshavingtime.Forawhilehetriedshavingwithtworazors,buthefinallygavethatup.“Icansaveforty-fourseconds,”hecomplained,“butIwastedtwominutesthismorningputtingthisbandageonmythroat.”Itwasn’ttheinjuredthroatthatreallybotheredhim.Itwasthetwominutes.1、Whywastheauthor’shouseconsideredasortofschool?A．Ithadateamoftwelvechildrenthere.B．Thechildrenweretaughthowtoworkwellinit.C．Theparentscouldteachtheirchildrenbetterathome.D．Theparentscouldhavethechildren’sdailyactivitiesrecorded.2、Whatisthepurposeofsigningthecharts?A．Tohelptodothingsefficiently.B．Tomanagethebigfamilyeffectively.C．Tolookafterthechildrenbetter.D．Toremindthechildrentoobeytherules.3、Whatdidthefathercomplainaboutonemorning?A．Heshouldhavegivenupshaving.B．Hisbleedingthroatbotheredhim.C．Hecouldn’tshavewithtworazors.D．Hefailedtocutshorthisshavingtime.4、Wecanweinferfromthetext?A．Thekidshadtobidforeverythingtheywanted.B．Theauthortookprideinhisfather’smanagement.C．Thecouplewerealwaystroubledbytheirchildren.D．Thefather’sworkwastoteachthechildrenathome.23．（8分）HenryclosedthedoorslowlyasKatelefthometovisithermother.Expectingawholedaytorelax,hewasthinkingwhethertoreadthenewspaperorwatchhisfavoriteTVtalkshowonhisfirstdayoffinmonths.“Thiswillbelikeawalkinthepark,”he’dtoldhiswife.“I’lllookafterthekids,andyoucangoandvisityourmom.”Thingsstartedwell,butjustaftereighto’clock,histhreelittle“goodkids”—Mike,Randy,andAlex—camedownthestairsintheirnightclothesandshouted“breakfast,daddy.”Whenfoodhadnotappearedwithinthirtyseconds,RandybeganusinghisspoononAlex’sheadasifitwereadrum.Alexstartedtoshoutloudlyintimetothebeat(節(jié)拍).MikechantedWhere’smytoast,where’smytoast”inthebackground.Henryrealizedhisnewspaperwouldhavetowaitforafewseconds.Lifebecameworseafterbreakfast.MikeworeRandy’sunderwearonhishead.Randylockedhimselfinthebathroom,whileAlexshoutedagainbecausehewasgoingtowethispants.Nobodycouldfindcleansocks,althoughtheywerebeforetheirveryeyes.Someonenamed“NotMe”hadspilledawholeglassoforangejuiceintothebasketofcleanclothes.Henryknewthetalkshowhadalreadystarted.Byteno’clock,thingswereoutofcontrol.Alexwaswonderingwhythefishinthejarrefusedhisbreadandbutter.Mikewastryingtoshowoffhistalentdecoratingthekitchenwallwithhiscolorpencils.Randy,thankfully,appearedtobereadingquietlyinthefamilyroom,butcloserexaminationshowedthathewaseatingapplejamstraightfromthebottlewithhishands.Henryrealizedthatthetalkshowwasoverandreadingwouldbeimpossible.Atexactly11:17,Henrycalledthedaycarecentre(日托所).“Isuddenlyhavetogointoworkandmywife’saway.CanIbringtheboysoverinafewminutes?”Theanswerwasobviously“yes”becauseHenrywassmiling.1、Henryexpectedtowhenhiswifelefthome.A．gohikingnearhishomeB．readthenewspapertohischildrenC．enjoyhisfirstdayoffD．watchTVtalkshowwithhischildren2、WhichofthefollowingdidAlexdo?A．Drawingonthewall.B．Feedingthefish.C．Eatingapplejam.D．Readinginaroom.3、Whydidthefatheraskthedaycarecentreforhelp?A．Becausehewantedtowatchafootballgame.B．Becausehehadtotakecareofhismotherinhospital.C．Becausehefoundithardtomanagehiskids.D．Becausehesuddenlyhadtogotohiscompany.4、Thistextisdeveloped.A．byspaceB．bycomparisonC．byprocessD．bytime24．（8分）LastnightMr.andMrs.Rojasstayedhome.Itwascoldandrainyandtheydidn’twanttogooutinthebadweather.Mrs.Rojasmadesomepopcornandicetea.At8:00,Mr.andMrs.Rojaswentintothelivingroom,satonthesofaandbeganthemovieandateanddrank.At8:15,Mr.andMrs.Rojasrealizedtheyalreadywatchedthemovielastyearandtheydidn’twanttowatchitagain.“Nowwhat?”askedMr.Rojas.“Let’splaycards!”answeredMrs.Rojas.At8:30Mr.andMrs.Rojasstartedtoplaycards.Theywereplayingforabout10minuteswhenMr.Rojaslookedoutthewindow.Therainchangedtosnowandthetreeswerecoveredinbeautifulwhitesnow.“I’mhappywestayedhometonight.Itlooksbeautifuloutsidebutthisweatherisverydangeroustodrivein.”saidMr.Rojas.“You’reright,”saidMrs.Rojas,“butI’mbored.Let’splaysomemusicanddance.”Mr.Rojaswassurprised.“Dance?ButIreallydon’t….”“Ohcomeon!”Mrs.Rojasinsisted.SheputonaromanticCDandtheybothstartedtodance.Theyweredancingforabout1minutewhensuddenlythemusicstoppedandthelightswentout.Mrs.Rojaslaughed.“We’rejustnotveryluckytonight,arewe?”shesaid.Mr.Rojassaid,“Ofcoursewe’relucky!Wearetogether!”Hekissedherandcontinuedtodancewithher,inthedarkandwithoutmusic.1、WhydidMr.andMrs.Rojasstayathomelastnight?A．Theywantedtostaytogether.B．Theweatherwassoterrible.C．Theyhadadinnerathome.D．Theyplannedtowatchamovie.2、Whenitstartedtosnow,Mr.andMrs.Rojaswere_________.A．makingpopcornB．watchingamovieC．playingcardsD．dancingtothemusic3、Wecaninferfromthepassagethat.A．ItwasarainydayinsummerB．Mrs.RojascookedverywellC．Mr.RojaslovedtodanceatfirstD．Mr.Rojaswasinlovewithhiswife25．（10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．worried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）Alongtimeago,therewasanemperor(皇帝).Onedayhetoldhishorsemanthatifhecouldrideonhishorseand1asmuchlandareaasheliked,hewouldgivehimtheareaoflandhehadcovered.2enough,thehorsemanquicklyjumpedontohishorseand3asfastaspossibletocoverasmuchlandareaashecould.He4ridingandriding,whippingthehorsetogoasfastaspossible.Evenwhenhewas5ortired,hedidnotstop6hewantedtocoverasmuchareaaspossible.Whenheatlastcoveredalargeamountofland,hewasexhaustedandwas7.Thenheaskedhimself,“WhydidI8myselfsohardtocoversomuchlandarea?NowIamdyingandIonly9averysmallareato10myself.”Theabovestoryis11tothejourneyofour12.Wepushourselvesveryhardeverydaytomakemore13,togainpowerorrecognition.Weneglect(疏忽，忘記)our14,timewithourfamilyandtoappreciate(欣賞)thesurrounding15andthethingswelovetodo.Oneday16welookback,wewill17thatwedon’treallyneedthatmuch,18thenwecannotturnbacktimeforwhatwehave19Lifeisnotaboutmakingmoney.Lifeisdefinitely(肯定地)notaboutwork!Workisonly20tokeepuslivingsoastoenjoythebeautyandpleasuresoflife.1、A．use B．cover C．work D．get2、A．Good B．Strange C．Sure D．Interesting3、A．rode B．ran C．expanded D．struggled4、A．kepton B．a(chǎn)skedfor C．gaveup D．succeededin5、A．sad B．excited C．confused D．hungry6、A．but B．so C．because D．if7、A．sleeping B．a(chǎn)rguing C．dying D．smiling8、A．push B．make C．destroy D．prove9、A．need B．have C．find D．show10、A．live B．bury C．support D．sleep11、A．useful B．certain C．similar D．special12、A．future B．past C．history D．life13、A．friends B．progress C．discoveries D．money14、A．health B．career C．honor D．freedom15、A．things B．condition C．people D．beauty16、A．before B．when C．unless D．since17、A．realize B．regret C．a(chǎn)pologize D．explain18、A．or B．until C．however D．but19、A．saved B．missed C．reduced D．won20、A．possible B．probable C．necessary D．suitable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）Chineseoracle-boneinscriptions(甲骨文)wereincludedintheUNESCOMemoryoftheWorldRegister.Oracle-boneinscriptionsarethe1．(early)documentaryevidencefoundinChina,unearthedfromtheYinruinsinAnyangcity,Henanprovince.Theseinscriptionsprovide2．(record)ofdivination(占卜)andprayerstogodsfrompeoplein3．lateShangdynasty.Overtheyears,oracle-boneinscriptions4．(develop)intomodern-dayChinesecharacters,5．(show)thecontinuousevolutionofChinesecivilization.Oraclebonesserve6．importantmaterialsforstudyingthelong-standingandbrilliantChinesecivilization.TheMemoryoftheWorldProgramme,7．(establish)byUNESCOin1992,aimstorescuethegraduallyaging,worsening8．disappearingdocumentaryheritageintheworld,9．(strengthen)protection,andtoraisepublicawarenessofthesignificanceofdocumentaryheritage.Theprogram10．(take)placeeverytwoyears,andlasttime,China’ssubmissionof“ArchivesoftheNanjingMassacre”wasincludedintheMemoryoftheWorldRegister.Sofar,ChinahasalreadyhadmanyexamplesofdocumentaryheritageincludedintheMemoryoftheWorldRegister.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，請你修改同桌寫的以下作文。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：在錯的詞下劃一橫線，并在該詞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。Nowadays,itiscommoninChinathatsomepeopletendtoruntheredlightingroupwhencrossedthestreet、Actually,runningtheredlightarequitedangerous、Therearetwomainreasonswhichpeopleruntheredlight、First,somepeopleareinsuchthehurrythattheyignorethetrafficlights、Otherstookitforgrantedthatdrivershavetostopbecausesomanypeoplecrossthestreettogether、Inordertopreventfromthisdangerousbehavior,moreoverpasses(立交橋)shouldbebuilttomakeeasierforthepublictocrossthestreet、Besides,peopleshouldbeeducatetofollowthetrafficrulesandwhoeverbreaksthetrafficrulesshouldbeseverepunished、158第二節(jié)書面表達(dá)（滿分25分）29．（25分）假定你是李華。你的美國朋友Sam得知你最近參加了由學(xué)校組織的研學(xué)旅行活動，來信向你咨詢相關(guān)情況，請你給他回信，內(nèi)容包括：1.活動目的；2.活動地點和內(nèi)容；3.活動感受。注意：1.格式已為你寫好，不計入總詞數(shù);2.詞數(shù)：100左右。參考詞匯：研學(xué)旅行studytripDearSam,_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yours,LiHua

參考答案第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1、C2、C3、D4、A5、B6、C7、A8、A9、A10、D11、C12、C13、B14、C15、D16、C17、D18、D19、D20、C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、B2、D3、C22、1、B2、A3、D4、B23、1、C2、B3、C4、D24、1、B2、C3、D25、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.DiscoveredamazinglyhowfastCloudhadgoneaway!AfewdayslaterIwasreadingabookabouttheBattleoftheAlamowhenIdiscoveredthemostshockingthingIhadeverdiscovered.Thenamesofthe183defendersofthe