甘肅省蘭州市七里河區(qū)蘭州五十五中2024年高考英語(yǔ)四模試卷含解析

甘肅省蘭州市七里河區(qū)蘭州五十五中2024年高考英語(yǔ)四模試卷注意事項(xiàng)1．考生要認(rèn)真填寫(xiě)考場(chǎng)號(hào)和座位序號(hào)。2．試題所有答案必須填涂或書(shū)寫(xiě)在答題卡上，在試卷上作答無(wú)效。第一部分必須用2B鉛筆作答；第二部分必須用黑色字跡的簽字筆作答。3．考試結(jié)束后，考生須將試卷和答題卡放在桌面上，待監(jiān)考員收回。第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿(mǎn)分30分）1．Allthedishesinthismenu，_____otherwisestated，willservetwotothreepeople.A．a(chǎn)s B．if C．though D．unless2．Weshouldbearinmindthatsocialdevelopmentandbalanceofnatureshouldgoin.A．company B．sympathy C．a(chǎn)ssociation D．harmony3．Nothavingworkedouttheprogram,________leavetheoffice.A．sohewasforbiddentoB．a(chǎn)ndhedidn’twanttoC．hislittlesoncouldn’tmakehimD．becouldn’tfreehimselfto4．Hedoesn'tspendanymoremoneyonclothingthanIdo,but________hemanagestolooksostylish.A．therefore B．somehowC．furthermore D．otherwise5．Someanalystssuspectedthattherebellionwas_______andfinancedbyawesterncountry.A．launchedB．backedC．evaluatedD．crushed6．_______moreenergytomystudyinsteadofbeingcrazyaboutcomputergames,Iwouldbesittinginacomfortableofficenow.A．IfIdevoted B．HadIdevotedC．WouldIbedevoted D．ShouldIbedevoted7．Myteacheraskedmetocopy_____article_____secondtime． A．a(chǎn)n;the B．a(chǎn)n;a C．the;a D．the;the8．Someoneisringingthedoorbell.Goandsee____.A．whoishe B．whoheisC．whoisit D．whoitis9．Thissemesterourschooloffersmanyoptionalcoursesforthestudents,_______appealstomanystudents.A．eachofwhich B．a(chǎn)llofwhomC．eachofwhom D．a(chǎn)llofwhich10．ThefilmMeiLanfang,LiMingplaysthestarringrole,hasagaindrawntheworld’sattentiontoourtraditionalChineseart.A．what B．that C．which D．where11．—Mum,isthepairofgloves________mine?—Yes.Youhavetowearanotherpair.A．washing B．havewashedC．beingwashed D．havingwashed12．InthevirtuallaboratoryenvironmentcreatedintheVRapp,studentscan________aparticularexperimentbeforedoingtheminareallab.A．revealB．reserveC．previewD．provide13．________backinhischair,themanbegantotellushisadventuresintheforests.A．SitB．SittingC．TositD．Sat14．Ithinkheropinion_________,becausesheisanexperiencedteacher.A．numberB．calculatesC．figuresD．counts15．Whatisyourmainreasonforchoosingonerestaurantanother?A．overB．ofC．fromD．for16．Theroomissoclean.He________havecleanedityesterdayevening.A．will B．needC．can D．must17．WeallChinesepeoplearecalledontolearnfromLeiFeng,_______wethinksetagoodexampletoallofus.A．whose B．whoC．that D．whom18．Whatimpressedmemostaboutthemoviewerethe________filmedinNewYork.A．scenery B．scenesC．sights D．views19．Nowadayswiththedevelopmentofscience,moreandmorenewtechnology____tothefieldsofIT.A．hasintroduced B．wasintroducedC．willintroduce D．isbeingintroduced20．Thedisabledguywasattendedthroughouthisschooldaybyanurse________toguardhim.A．toappoint B．a(chǎn)ppointedC．a(chǎn)ppointing D．havingappointed第二部分閱讀理解（滿(mǎn)分40分）閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。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．a(chǎn)dvocatereadingbooks2、Jianggotinspiredtostarttheprojectby_________.A．HarryPorterB．WechatmomentsC．EmmaWatsonD．Razor’sEdgeBookClub3、Theunderlinedword“spontaneous”isclosestinmeaningto__________.A．unplannedB．unwiseC．firmD．thoughtful4、Jiang’sattitudetowardsthefutureoftheprojectcanbebestdescribedas___________.A．positiveB．doubtfulC．reservedD．worried22．（8分）In2013，areportfromTheNeroEnglandJournalofMedicineshowedthatincreasedbodyweightisrelatedtothedeathrateforallcancers.Thisisbasedonastudyinvolvingabout900,000people,spanningmanyyears.Thestudy,startedin1992bytheAmericanCancerSociety,includedmenandwomenfromall50states.Theyoungestparticipantswere30yearsold,andtheaverageagewas57.ByDecember2008,24%oftheparticipantshaddied,justaquarterofthemfromcancers.Inanalyzingtheresults,researchersattemptedtotakeaccountofsuchpotentialfactorsassmokingdrinkingalcohol,takingaspirinandawidevarietyofotherfactorsthatmightotherwiseaffecttheresults..Theresultsareclear:themoreyouweigh,thegreateryourriskofdyingofcancerwillbe(upto52%higherformenand62%forwomen).Inmenaswellaswomen,theonlycancersthatdidnothaveastrongconnectionwithweightwerelungcancerand-braincancer.Forwomen,thestrongestcorrelationwithweightwasuterinecancer(子宮癌),whichis6.5timeshigherforwomenwithaBMI(BodyMassIndex)of40ormore.Formen,itwaslivercancer,whichis4.5timeshigherinmostobese(肥胖的)men.Smokerstendtobemoresuccessfulinkeepingweightoffthannon-smokers,slightlyreducingtherisk.Butmanyofthemdon’thavegoodlungs.Thus,inanotherway,theyalsofacerisks.Asforwhyextraweightleadstoexcesscancerdeathrate,there’snoclearagreement.ButthedecreaseinvitaminDinobesepeopleseemsalikelyfactor.VitaminDisknowntohavearoleinpreventingcancer.Also,thereisasimplefactthatobesitymakesthemanagementofcancermoredifficult.Althoughfornowthereisnosimpleanswertowhyobesityincreasesaperson’scancerrisk,allweknowforcertainisthattheriskisreal.1、Thepassageismainlyconcernedwiththerelationshipbetween________.A．dietandcancerB．bodyweightandcancerC．sexandcancerD．smokingandcancer2、Theauthordevelopsthepassagemainlythrough________.A．timeorderB．spaceorderC．a(chǎn)nalysisandcomparisonD．figuresandexamples3、Theunderlinedword“spanning”inthefirstparagraphprobablymeans“________”.A．lastingB．includingC．happeningD．changing4、Accordingtothepassage,whatcanwelearnaboutthestudy?A．Thereisaclearexplanationconcerningwhyobesityleadstomorecancers.B．Generallyspeaking,womenfacefewerrisksofdyingofcancerthanmenC．WomenwithaBMIof40dyingofuterinecanceraremorethanotherwomen.D．Smokersarestilllikelytofacerisksofdyingofcancerthoughkeepingweightoff.23．（8分）Althoughtheideaof“zeroemission,netcarbon-positive,sustainable(可持續(xù))”developmentwaspromotedworldwide,mostcitiesareatalosswhattodoorevensomehaveobjectedtoit.ButinLiuzhou,acityinsouthernChina,attitudescouldnotbemoredifferent.TheLiuzhouMunicipalityUrbanPlanningBureauhassignedupItalianarchitectStefanoBoeri,thefatheroftheforestcitymovement,tobuildaself-containedcommunityforupto30,000people.Heisthego-tomanforsuchprojectsthankstothesuccessofhis“verticalforests”,tworesidential(住宅的)towers.Completedin2014,theyremoveupto17.5tonsofsoot(煤煙)fromtheaireachyear,andayearlateroneofthemwasnamedBestTallBuildingWorldwide.TheLiuzhouprojectisamuchmoreambitiousundertaking,however.Itshomes,hospitals,hotels,schoolsandofficeswillbebuiltona340-acresiteinwhatBoericallsthefirstattempttocreatean“urbanenvironmentthatisreallytryingtofindabalancewithnature”.Its100speciesofplantlifeareexpectedtoabsorbalmost10,000tonsofcarbondioxideand57tonsofpollutantsperyear,whileatthesametimeproducing900tonsoflife-givingoxygen.Althoughthearchitectshaven’tpublishedthecostoftheforestcity,theMilantowerscostonlyfivepercentmorethantraditionalskyscrapers.TheconstructionofhisforestcityatLiuzhouissettobeginin2020,andthereisstillagreatdealofplanningandresearchrequiredbeforeaprojectedcompletiondatecanbeset.However,Boeriremainsoptimisticabouttheprojectandhasconfidenceinthesoundnessofhisvision:“Ireallythinkthatbringingforestsintothecityisawaytodealwithglobalwarming.”1、What’sLiuzhou’sattitudetowardsthesustainabledevelopment?A．Approving. B．Cautious. C．Unfavorable. D．Doubtful.2、WhyisStefanoemployedfortheLiuZhouproject?A．Hevolunteeredtodotheproject.B．Heisafamousarchitectintheworld.C．Heisthefatheroftheforestrecovery.D．Hehasgainedexperienceinsimilarprojects.3、Whatdoestheunderlinedword“they”referto?A．Thearchitects. B．Thetwotowers.C．Forestsinthecity. D．Theresidentsofthecity.4、What’sthepurposeofLiuZhouproject?A．Toprovidemorejobs. B．Tobringforestintocity.C．Tosolvehouseshortage. D．Toimprovetheenvironment.24．（8分）Weareenrolledinthefull-timeschoolcalled“l(fā)ife”.Everydayinthisschool,wehaveopportunitiestolearnnewlessons.Nomatterwhetherweliketheselessonsornot,wehavetotakethem,becausetheyareourlessons.Whyarewehereinthisworld?Whatisthepurposeoflife?Humanshavetriedtodiscoverthemeaningoflifeforthousandsofyears,butfailedtogettheanswer,becausethemeaningoflifeisdifferentfrompersontoperson.Eachoneofushashisorherspecialpurposeandpath,uniqueanddifferent.Aswetravelonourlifepath,wewilllearnmanygreatlessonsinordertofulfillthatpurpose.Learningourlessonswellisthekeytodiscoveringtherealmeaningofourownlife.Aswetravelthroughourlifetime,wemaybetaughthardlessonsthatothersdon'thavetoface,whileothersspendyearsstrugglingwithproblemswedon’tneedtodealwith.WemayneverknowwhyweloveEnglish,notphysics,whichindicatesthatourpathisdifferent.Whiletravelingonourownpath,sometimesalone,weshould,firstofall,takeabasiclessoninopenness.Opennessmeansbeingreceptive.Lifewillpresentuswithsomanylessons,noneofwhichareusefultousunlesswecanrecognizethemandareopentotheirvalues.Theselessonsarcnoteasytolearn,butweshouldregardthemasgifts.Buthowcanwerecognizetheselessons?Itisamatterofwhat“glasses”wearewearingatthetime.Itisnotdifficulttospotthemifwetakethemasopportunities.Sowhenwearenotopentolearningourlessons,failingaweeklyEnglishtestmightbelikeadisasterratherthananopportunitytous.Ofcourse,thehardlessonsmaynotbefun,buttheycanactuallybethebiggestgiftswereceivefromlife.1、Theauthormaybeinfavoroftheviewpointthatallmenareborn.A．equalB．differentC．tolearnlessonsD．readyforchallenge2、Theexampleof“weloveEnglish,notphysics"ismentionedtoshowthatwe.A．chooseourownpathinlifeB．needtofacesomehardlessonsC．discoverthemeaningofourownlifeD．realizethenecessityofopenness3、Whetherwecanseelifelessonsasgiftsdependsuponour.A．a(chǎn)nglesofviewB．commonvaluesystemC．experiencesfromlifeD．willingnesstofacechallenge4、Whatwouldbethebesttitleforthepassage?A．LifeandlessonB．LifeasSchoolC．LifeSchoolandStudentsD．GiftsfromLife25．（10分）Onemorningmorethanthirtyyearsago,IenteredtheTrackKitchen,arestaurantwhereeveryonefromthehumblest(卑微的)tothemostpowerfulcameforbreakfast.Inoticedanemptychairnexttoanelderly,unshavenman,wholookedsomewhat_____.Hewaswearingaworn-outhatandwasalone.IaskedifImightjoinhim.HeagreedquietlyandIsatdowntohavemybreakfast.Wecautiouslybeganaconversationandspokeaboutawiderangofthings.Weneverintroducedourselves.Iwasconcernedthathemighthavenomoneyandnotbeabletoaffordsomethingtoeat.SoasIrosetogobacktothecounterandbuyasecondcupofcoffee,Iasked,“MyIgetyousomething?”“Acoffeewouldbenice.”ThenIboughthimacupofcoffee,Wetalkedmore,andheacceptedanothercupofcoffee,Finally,Irosetoleave,wishedhimwell,andheadedfortheexit.AtthedoorImetoneofmyfriends.Heasked,“HowdidyougettoknowMr.Galbreath?”“Who?”“Themanyouweresittingwith.HeischairmanoftheBoardofChurchillDowns.”Icouldhardlybelieveit.Iwasbuying,offeringafreebreakfast,andfeelingpityforoneoftheworld’srichestandmostpowerfulmen!MyfewminuteswithMr.Galbreathchangedmylife.NowItrytotreateveryonewithrespect,nomatterwhoIthinktheyare,andtomeetanotherhumanbeingwithkindnessandsincerity.1、Whatdoestheunderlinedword“disheveled”mean?A．Unfriendly.B．Untidy.C．Gentle.D．Kind.2、TheauthorboughtcoffeefortheoldmanbecauseA．hethoughttheoldmanwaspoorB．hewantedtostartaconversationC．heintendedtoshowhispolitenessD．hewouldliketothanktheoldman3、Howdidtheauthorprobablyfeelafterhetalkedwithhisfriend?A．Proud.B．Pitiful.C．Surprised.D．Regretful4、Whatisthemessagemainlyexpressedinthestory?A．Weshouldlearntobegenerous.B．Itishonorabletohelpthoseinneed.C．Peopleinhighpositionsarenotlikewhatweexpect.D．Weshouldavoidjudgingpeoplebytheirappearances第三部分語(yǔ)言知識(shí)運(yùn)用（共兩節(jié)）第一節(jié)（每小題1.5分，滿(mǎn)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(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)．26．（30分）MadisonWilliamswasstudyinginherbedroomwhenthedoorburstopen.Hermother,Leigh,hurriedintoherdaughter’sroom,makinga(n)1:“Canyouhelp?”Madisonandhermotherrantoaneighbor’syard,wheretheyfounda2womanandotheradults3aseptictank(化糞池)openingafewinchesabovethelawn.Aboy,agedonlytwo,had4aneight-foot-deeptank.Madisonquickly5thesituation.Sheknewshewastheonlyonewhocould6throughthesmallhole.Without7shetoldtheadultstolowerherin.Leighandothersheldherwaistand8.Madisonshookherarmsandshouldersuntilshegotthroughthe9intothedarkandsmellytank.Intheprocess,she10onehandseverely.Ratherthantendtoherinjury,Madisonscannedthe11ofthewater,hopingtofeeltheboy.Everyonceinawhile,shecouldseehislittle12inthewaterbutfailedtocatchhisfoot.Minutestickedbybeforeshesawthe13ofhisfootagain.Madisonshothergoodhandoutandgraspedthefoot14.Thenbothofthemwereliftedout.Buttheboywasn’toutof15.Hehadbeenshortofoxygensolongthathewasn’t16.Hewasplacedonhisside,andanadult17himhardonthebackuntiltheboycoughedupfluids.Thentheywererushedtothehospital.IttookMadisonlongerto18thantheboy,whoreturnedhomesoon.She,19.stayedthereforherinjury.“Madison’sahero,”theboy’smothersays,“Whatotherteenagegirlswill20togointoaseptictank?”1、A．orderB．commentC．requestD．plan2、A．puzzledB．disappointedC．delightedD．worried3、A．surroundingB．diggingC．watchingD．blocking4、A．brokenupB．slippedintoC．takenoverD．runacross5、A．createdB．controlledC．examinedD．disturbed6、A．walkB．fitC．flyD．look7、A．a(chǎn)rgumentB．commentC．a(chǎn)pplicationD．hesitation8、A．clothesB．shoesC．legsD．hands9、A．openingB．bushC．yardD．crowd10、A．lostB．injuredC．treatedD．held11、A．depthB．surfaceC．colorD．taste12、A．hairB．hatC．fingersD．toes13、A．outlineB．smellC．pictureD．shadow14、A．strangelyB．clearlyC．tightlyD．carefully15、A．troubleB．workC．shapeD．sympathy16、A．talkingB．laughingC．cryingD．breathing17、A．tappedB．hitC．pushedD．supported18、A．wakeB．succeedC．recoverD．a(chǎn)djust19、A．moreoverB．thereforeC．otherwiseD．however20、A．fearB．volunteerC．pretendD．long第二節(jié)（每小題1.5分，滿(mǎn)分15分）閱讀下面材料，在空白處填入1個(gè)適當(dāng)?shù)膯卧~或括號(hào)內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。27．（15分）LastsummerourfamilytookatripwestthroughArizona.Oneeveningatastop,ourfathersufferedanoldpaininhisback.1．nextdaywe2．(stop)atthePaintedDesert,inArizona.Dadtriedtogetoutoftheare,but3．(fortunate)hecouldn’tmovewithpain.Hesatinthecarforthenexthourwhiletherestofthefamilywalkedamongthegloriouslayerscolorsofthedesert.Atthevisitor’scenter,Isawasmallglassglobe4．(fill)withmulticoloredsandfromthedesert.ThenIboughtit5．a(chǎn)dollar.6．(see)ourreturningtothecar,Dadwaseagertohearabout7．we’dseen.ItoldhimIwantedhimtohavesomememoriesofthevisit,eventhoughhedidn’tgettoseeit8．(him).Igavehimtheglobe,9．hestudiedforalongtime.Thenhelookedatmewithasmile,tearsinhiseyesalthoughIpretendednot10．(notice).第四部分寫(xiě)作（共兩節(jié)）第一節(jié)短文改錯(cuò)（滿(mǎn)分10分）28．（10分）假定英語(yǔ)課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文，請(qǐng)你修改你同桌寫(xiě)的以下作文。文中共有10處語(yǔ)言錯(cuò)誤，每句中最多有兩處。每處錯(cuò)誤僅涉及一個(gè)單詞的增加、刪除或修改。增加:在缺詞處加一個(gè)漏字符號(hào)(∧)，并在其下面寫(xiě)出該加的詞。刪除:把多余的詞用斜線(xiàn)(\)劃掉。修改:在錯(cuò)的詞下畫(huà)一橫線(xiàn)，并在該詞下面寫(xiě)出修改后的詞。注意：1、每處錯(cuò)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(jì)分。Theotherday,wemovedtothenewschoolyard,whereliesinthefarnorthofthecity、Wewereallonhighspirits、Itismuchbigthantheoldone、Theclassroomsarebrightandclean、Wehavealotofmodernequipment,makingconvenientforstudentstolearneverysubject、Nowwecanhavealotofafter-classactivityonthenewplayground、Ourteachersoftenplaythebasketballandsoccertogetherwithus、Asspringapproached,theflowersnewlyplantingintheyardhavejustcomeout、Withsuchmanygreentreesandfragrantflowersaround,wefeelitlesshardlytostudyandourschoollifemoreenjoyable、第二節(jié)書(shū)面表達(dá)（滿(mǎn)分25分）29．（25分）假定你是李華。你的筆友林濤來(lái)信說(shuō)，因?qū)W習(xí)忙、鍛煉少，最近經(jīng)常生病，影響學(xué)習(xí)。請(qǐng)根據(jù)提示寫(xiě)一封英文回信。要點(diǎn)包括：1.鍛煉的重要性；2.鍛煉有利學(xué)習(xí)；3.提出鍛煉建議。注意：1.詞數(shù)100左右；2.可適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié)，以使行文連貫。3.信的開(kāi)頭和結(jié)尾已為你寫(xiě)好。DearLinTao,Sorrytohearthatyouhavebeensickfordaysandhopeyouarebetternow._____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Sincerelyyours,LiHua

參考答案第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿(mǎn)分30分）1、D2、D3、D4、B5、B6、B7、C8、C9、A10、D11、C12、C13、B14、D15、A16、D17、B18、B19、D20、B第二部分閱讀理解（滿(mǎn)分40分）閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。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.“Thanksfortheride.”Hesaidextendinghishand.Itookhispalmanditwasfreezingcoldlikehejuststeppedoutofthefreezer.“Notaproblem,Mr.Cloud,anddon’tworryaboutthefee.It’sonthehouse.”HenoddedhisheadingratitudelikeallusTexansdoandwalkedaway.Itwasn’tuntilthenthatInoticedthathewassoaked(浸；泡)totheboneindrippingwaterandwehadnotasingledropofraininamonthormore.Ijustshookmyheadandclosedthedoorbehindhim.WhenIturnedaround.DiscoveredamazinglyhowfastCloudhadgoneaway!Afewda