2026屆江蘇省無錫市錫山區(qū)天一中學高三英語第一學期期末達標檢測模擬試題注意事項:1．答題前，考生先將自己的姓名、準考證號碼填寫清楚，將條形碼準確粘貼在條形碼區(qū)域內。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．Therisinghousepriceandthehighincometaxratehavebecomethebiggest______oftheordinarypeopleinChinatoday． A.concern B.influence C.involvement D.occupation2．—NextweekIwillgotoajobinterview.willyougivemesomesuggestions?—Smilingisagreatwaytomakeyourself________.A．standout B．turnoutC．workout D．pickout3．Inordertofinishtheworktime,themaninchargedecidedtosomemoreworkers.A．giveup B．takeon C．lookafter D．findout4．_____gaspricesarerising,peoplearelookingforlessexpensivewaystogetaround.A．NowthatB．EvenifC．AlthoughD．Unless5．Theyaresmiling.There______muchtroublesolvingtheproblem.A．couldn’tbe B．mustn’tbeC．can’thavebeen D．mustn’thavebeen6．Fromhisexpression,Idon’tthinkhecouldhavefinishedhishomeworklastnight,_______?A．couldn’the B．doIC．didhe D．hasn’the7．Whilestudying,fixyourmindonwhatisreallyimportant,oryouwill_____rememberingnothing.A．endup B．takeupC．leadto D．stickto8．Thinkcarefullybeforeyouanswerquestionsonline.Youmaybe______intogivingawayveryimportantpersonalinformation.A．caught B．addictedC．seized D．trapped9．I________mycellphonelastnight.Nowthebatteryisrunningout.A．couldhavecharged B．mightchargeC．shouldhavecharged D．wouldcharge10．We’dbettertakeumbrellas—I’msureit________whenwearriveinLondon;it’salwayswetthereatthistimeofyear.A．willrain B．israiningC．willberaining D．wouldrain11．Juliahasgotapretty_deal—shewaslaidoffjustforbeinglateonce!A．roughB．toughC．illegalD．mean12．Whenfacedwithabigchallenge________potentialfailureseemstohideateverycorner,maybeyou'veheardthisadvicebefore:“Bemoreconfident.”A．where B．whose C．which D．ofwhich13．Ifthetrafficsoheavy,Icouldhavebeenbackby6o’clock.A．hadn’tbeen B．wasn’tC．couldn’tbe D．hasn’tbeen14．________IremindyouofistoreturnthebooktoourEnglishteacher.Iwillgiveittohim_________Iseehim.A．That;immediatelyB．What;themomentC．What;whileD．Whether;once15．Itwas______wewerereturninghome______Irealizedwhatagoodfeelingitwastohavehelpedsomeoneintrouble.A．when;before B．when;thatC．before;where D．how;that16．—Ithinkthepaperistakingyoualongtimetowrite.—I______onitforalmostamonthnow.A．workedB．wasworkingC．amworkingD．havebeenworking17．—Jenny，howdidyourmathexamgo?—IthoughtI________，butinfactIcameinthetop10%intheclass.A．mighthavefailed B．couldn’thavefailed C．shouldhavefailed D．mustn’thavefailed18．Itwasadifficultjobforhim.Hehadtriedeverythingbutitmadelittle________.A．use B．goodC．difference D．result19．—Doyoulikethebookyoufatherboughtyou?—Verymuch.It’sexactly______Iwanted.A．which B．thatC．what D．how20．Don’tworry.Anumberofeffortsarebeingmade______thewholesystemoperatingnormally.A．beingkept B．keptC．keeping D．tokeep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）Acrewofsixteenagegirlscompletedanine-daysailingtripintheUSrecently,afterbravingseasicknessandstrongwinds.Forthepastthreeyears，theSeaCadetteenagerswhosetsailwereallmale.RogerNoakes,whocaptainedtheboat，saidthiswasthefirsttimehe’dtakenoutanall-femalecrew.Thegirlsaskedforana11-girlstripinAugustthisyear.Thecrewsetsailalongwiththreeadults,NoakesandtwoSeaCadetrepresentatives.Theoriginalplanwasforthegirlstosail24hoursadayinrotatingshifts(輪流換班)alongthecoastandthenreturn.Thingsturnedoutdifferently，however.“Thefirstnightwasroughbecausethewindwasreallyhard.Thewavesweregoingupanddown，”saidAbbyFairchild，16.“Everybodygotseasick.”Noakesgavethegirlstheoptionofjustsailinginthebayandnotgoingintoopenwater.“Buttheydecidedtheyweregoing.”Theteenagersthensailedalongwayovernightandsleptinshifts.“We’velearnedeverythingfromsteering(掌舵)theboatitselftoputtingupthesailstocookingwhilewehaveroughseas，”said15-year-oldOliviaWilcox.TheteenagersstoppedonlandinMassachusetts.Theydidn’tmakeittotheiroriginaldestinationinMaine，wheretheyweresupposedtohaveacelebratorydinner，duetotheweatherandwinds.Theysaidtheyweren’tdisappointed，however，asthey’dlearnedalot.“Theylearnedaboutboating，andaboveall，theybuiltconfidenceandcharacter，”saidNoakes.1、WhatwasspecialabouttheUSSeaCadettripthisyear?A．Itwasthelongestsailingtripever.B．Itwasthefirstall-female-crewsailingtrip.C．Itwasthemostdangeroussailingtripever.D．Itwasthefirstsailingtripforteenagers.2、Whathappenedonthecrew’sfirstdayofthetrip?A．Theyallgotseasick. B．Theyregrettedtakingthetrip.C．Theydecidedtostayinthebay. D．Someofthemwereinjured.3、Whichofthefollowingbestdescribestheseyoungsailors?A．Determinedandcooperative. B．Hard-workingandtalented.C．Understandingandcreative. D．Adventurousandskillful.4、AccordingtoNoakes，whatwasthesailors’greatestbenefitfromthetrip?A．Theyacquiredexcellentsailingskills.B．Theylearnedtoworkinteams.C．Theybuiltconfidenceandcharacter.D．Theyknewtheseabetter.22．（8分）IfyouliveinWashington,D．C．,orRedwood,Calif.,youmayhaveglimpsedasmall,boxyrobotrollingalongalocalsidewalk,mindingit’sownbusiness,butattractingtheattentionofmanyacuriousonlooker.TheautonomousmachineswerepartofapilotprogramlastyearbyStarshipTechnologiesfocusedondeliveringmealsfromlocalrestaurantsindozensofcitiesaroundtheworld.“Today,morethanever,peopleleadabusyanddiverselife,”LexBayer,Starship’sCEO,saidinastatementonline.“Thehassleofneedingtorearrangeyourlifeforadeliverywillbecomeathingofthepast.Youdon’thavetoswitchyourworkingfromhomeday,reschedulemeetings,visitalocker,drivetoapostofficeorcontactadeliverymanallbecauseofamisseddelivery.”Thepackagedeliveryserviceisnotavailabletoeveryonejustyet.Thecompanysaidit’srollingouttheserviceinMiltonKeynes,England.Thewheeledrobotshaveatopspeedof4mphandcandetectobstaclesfromasfaras30feetaway.“Therobotcanoperatethroughjustaboutanything,”NickHandrick,headofoperationsforStarship’sD．C．office,toldTheWashingtonPost'sMauraJudkislastyear.“Ifyouhadsomethingintheway—astick—it’sabletoclimbtheedgesofaroad.”Bygivingcustomerscontrolofwhendeliveriesoccur,StarshipTechnologiesisofferingitsserviceasawaytobattlepackagetheft.Initsannouncement,thecompanycitedstatisticsfromaWakefieldResearchPollforComcastlastyearthatfoundthat3in10Americanswholiveinhousesortownhouseshavehadpackagesstolen.Tosignupfortheservice,whichcostsalittlemorethan$10permonth,customersneedtodownloadthecompany'sapp.Customersthencreatea“StarshipDeliveryAddress,”auniqueaddressinsideaStarshipfacility,insteadofaresidence,wheretheycanhavepackagessentfromplacessuchasAmazon,com.OnceapackageisdeliveredtotheStarshipaddress,customersreceiveatextthatallowsthemtoscheduleahomedeliveryviarobot.1、Whichcanbestreplacetheunderlinedword“hassle”inparagraph2?A．failure B．expectation C．safety D．trouble2、Whatproblemisthedeliveryrobotfacing?A．Thereisalimittoitsservicearea.B．Ittakeslongertodeliverpackages.C．Itcoversashortdistanceeachtime.D．Itcan’tsensethebarriers20feetaway.3、Howdoesthepackagebyarobotavoidbeingstolen?A．Thecompanyshortensthedeliveryhour.B．Thepackageisdeliveredtothehousedirectly.C．Itsdeliverytimeisinthecontrolofcustomers.D．Thecustomersareinformedofitsdeliverytimeinadvance.4、WhatcanbeinferredaboutStarshipDeliveryAddressinthelastparagraph?A．Itisarealhomeaddressofthecustomers.B．Itcanarrangedeliveryrobotsforthecustomers.C．Itisacheapersolutiontothedeliveryofpackages.D．Itsendsthepackagesmainlytosomeshoppingplatforms.23．（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．worried24．（8分）AteamofengineersatHarvardUniversityhasbeeninspiredbyNaturetocreatethefirstroboticfly.Themechanicalflyhasbecomeaplatformforaseriesofnewhigh-techsystems.Designedtodowhataflydoesnaturally,thetinymachineisthesizeofafathousefly.Itsminiwingsallowittostayintheairandperformcontrolledflighttasks.“It’sextremelyimportantforustothinkaboutthisasawholesystemandnotjustthesumofabunchofindividualcomponents,”saidRobertWood,theHarvardengineeringprofessorwhohasbeenworkingontheroboticflyprojectforoveradecade.Afewyearsago,histeamgotthego-aheadtostartpiecingthecomponentstogether.“Theaddeddifficultywithaprojectlikethisisthatactuallynoneofthosecomponentsareofftheshelfandsowehavetodevelopthemallonourown,”hesaid.Theyengineeredaseriesofsystemstostartanddrivetheroboticfly.“Theseeminglysimplesystemwhichjustmovesthewingshasanumberofinterdependenciesontheindividualcomponents,eachofwhichindividuallyhastoperformwell,andthenhastobematchedwelltoeverythingit’sconnectedto,”saidWood.Theflightdevicewasbuiltintoasetofpower,computation,sensingandcontrolsystems.Woodsaysthesuccessoftheprojectprovesthattheflyingrobotwiththesetinycomponentscanbebuiltandmanufactured.Woodsaysthedesignoffersanewwaytostudyflightmechanicsandcontrolatinsect-scale.Yet,thepower,sensingandcomputationtechnologiesonboardcouldhavemuchbroaderapplications.“Youcanstartthinkingaboutusingthemtoansweropenscientificquestions,youknow,tostudybiologyinwaysthatwouldbedifficultwiththeanimals,butusingtheserobotsinstead,”hesaid.“Sotherearealotoftechnologiesandopeninterestingscientificquestionsthatarereallywhatdrivesusonadaytodaybasis.”1、Whatwasthedifficultyforengineerstomaketheroboticfly?A．Lackingenoughengineers.B．Lackingready-madecomponents.C．Starlingtostudythesystemtoolate.D．Havingnowaytofixcomponentstogether.2、Whatwasthesystemoftheroboticflylike?A．Itwashugebutsolid.B．Itwassmallandchangeable.C．Itwascomplexbutprecise.D．Itwasfixedandtraditional.3、Whatcanbeinferredfromthelastparagraph?A．Engineerswillfixthesystemonsomeanimals.B．Thesystemoftheroboticflywillhaveagreateffectonourdailylife.C．Thesystemoftheroboticflywillfacelotsofscientificquestions.D．Engineerswillusethefindingsofthesystemtodofurtherresearch.4、Whatcanwelearnfromthetext?A．RobertWooddidtheresearchonhisown.B．Woodwillproducethesystemtoputitontothemarket.C．Theroboticsystemcanhavesomedifferentfunctions.D．Engineersmadethesysteminordertostudypowertechnologies.25．（10分）Whenyou’rehavingahardtimewithyourhomeworkorwhenyou’repreparingforyourtermpaper,thesestudent-focusedwebsitescanhelpyouwithjustaboutanythingyouneed.Thekeytogettingthemostoutoftheseonlineresourcesistoknowhowtheycanbestbeusedtoyouradvantage.FacebookAlthoughFacebookcanbeoneofyourbiggesttime-wastersanddistractionswhenyouaresupposedtobegettingworkdone,itcanalsobeoneofyourmostvaluableresources.MostofyourclassmateswillprobablyhaveaFacebookaccount,soanyoneyouneedtoconnectwithaboutaclassyoumissedoraboutaproblemisusuallyjustafewclicksaway.SparkNotesWithafreelibraryofhistorytimeline,philosophystudyguidesandlibrarysummaries,SparkNoteshascoveredjustaboutanyreading-relatedjamyoufindyourselfin.Justrunasearchforthebook,play,orshortsummaryofthematerialyouaresupposedtoread.ADoyoufinisheverytermwithmanyexpensivetextbooksyouwillneveropenagain?Insteadoflettingthemoneyspentgotowaste,getbacksomeofyourcashbysellingyourbooksonAmazon.RateMyPChoosingnewclassescansometimesbeliketryingtopickoutyourclothesinthedark,atotalguessinggame.Whichteachergivesoutthehardestproblemsets?Howmuchhomeworkwillthathistoryprofessorgiveyoueveryweek?AtRateMyP,studentsalloverthecountryratetheirprofessorsonquality,helpfulness,andhowhardtheirclassesare.WikipediaWhileWikipediaisn’taimedspecificallyatstudents,itisdifficulttothinkofanotherwebsitethatdoesmoretoreducethepainofpaperwritingandresearching.Wikipediagivesyouaquickwaytofindsourcesandgetthedetailsofalmostanytopicyouneedtoresearch—allwithoutwalkingtothelibrary.1、Thepassagewasmainlywrittento.A．explainsomewebsitesforparentsB．comparesomeeducationalwebsitesC．introducedifferentpartsofawebsiteD．offersomewebsitesthatmayhelpstudents2、Whileyouaretakinggreatpainstowritearesearchreport,canmostprobablybeahelp.A．FacebookB．SparicNotesC．AD．Wikipedia3、RateMyPisaplace.A．whereyoucanmakefriendsalloverthecountryB．whereyoucancommunicatewithyourprofessorsC．thatgivesyouinformationaboutprofessorsinadvanceD．thatgivestipsonhowtogetalongwithyourprofessors4、Whichofthefollowingwillyoumostprobablyreferto,ifyouneedbriefideasordiscussioninreading?A．Wikipedia.B．Facebook.C．SparkNotes.D．A.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）Theroomintheworkhousewheretheboyswerefedwasalargestonehall.Atoneendthemaster,inhiscook’suniform,andtwowomenservedthefood.This1abowlofthinsoupthreetimesaday,withapieceofbreadonSundays.Theboysate2andwerealwayshungry.Thebowlsneverneeded3.Theboyspolishedthemwiththeirspoonsuntilthey4.Afterthreemonthsofthisslowstarvation,oneoftheboystoldtheothersthatsohungrywashe5onenighthemighteatthe6sleepingnexttohim.Hehadawild7eye,andtheotherboys8him.Afteralong9,theydecidedthatoneofthemshouldaskformorefoodaftersupperthatevening,andOliverwas10.Theeveningarrived:thesoupwasserved,andthebowlswere11againinafewseconds.Oliverwentuptothemaster,withhisbowlinhishand.Hefeltvery12,butalso13withhunger.“Please,sir,Iwantsomemore.”Themasterwasafat,healthyman,butheturnedverypale.Helookedatthelittleboyinfrontofhimwith14.Nobodyelsespoke.“What?”heaskedatlast,ina15voice.“Please,sir,”repliedOliver,“Iwantsomemore.”Themaster16himwiththeservingspoon,thenseizedOliver’sarmsand17forthebeadle(執(zhí)事).Thebeadlecamequickly,heardtheterriblenews,andimmediatelyrantotelltheboard.“Heaskedforme?”Mr.Limbkins,thefattestboardmember,askedin18.“Isthisreallytrue?”19,Oliverwasledawaytobelockedup,anda(n)20offivepoundswasofferedtoanybodywhowouldtakehimawayandusehimforwork.1、A．belongedto B．turnedto C．accountedfor D．consistedof2、A．nothing B．cleaning C．buying D．something3、A．washing B．cleaning C．buying D．changing4、A．finished B．starved C．shone D．slept5、A．that B．until C．when D．before6、A．boy B．master C．bowls D．spoons7、A．big B．bad C．angry D．hungry8、A．hated B．feared C．believed D．trusted9、A．quarrel B．bargain C．argument D．discussion10、A．elected B．chosen C．determined D．recognized11、A．full B．empty C．broken D．available12、A．shy B．brave C．worried D．frightened13、A．pleased B．hopeful C．desperate D．exhausted14、A．amusement B．amazement C．intension D．appreciation15、A．calm B．clear C．faint D．cautious16、A．hit B．treated C．greeted D．warned17、A．begged B．sent C．shouted D．asked18、A．horror B．sadness C．curiosity D．frustration19、A．Besides B．Therefore C．However D．Eventually20、A．award B．praise C．reward D．punishiment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?shù)膯卧~或括號內單詞的正確形式。27．（15分）Whenwetalkaboutpaper,wethinkofnewspapersandbooks.Butthereissomepaper1．(use)inmanyotherways.Onlyhalfof2．world’spaperisusedforbooksandnewspapers.Paper,on3．weusuallywriteanddraw,isverygoodforkeepingyouwarm.Youhaveperhapsseenhomelessmenasleeponalargenumberofnewspapers.InFinland,itissometimes-40°Cinwinter.Thefarmerswearpaperbootsinthesnow.Nothingcouldbe4．(warm).Eachyear,moreandmore5．(thing)aremadeofpaper.Wehavehadpapercupsandplatesforalongtime.Butnowwehearthatchairs,tables,andevenbedscan6．(make)ofpaper.Withpaperbootsandshoes,youcanalsowearpaperhats,paperdresses,andpaperraincoats.7．youhaveusedpapercupsonce,youthrowthemawayandbuynew8．(one).Thelatestuseofpaperseemstobepaperhouses.Thesearenotsmallhousesforchildren9．(play)in,butreal,bighousesforpeopletolivein.Youcanbuyahousewiththreeroomsforabout500dollars.Youcanputitupbyyourselfinafewhours,10．youcanuseitforaboutfiveyears.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，請你修改你同桌寫的以下作文。文中共有10處語言錯誤，每處中最多有兩處。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。Lasttermourclassholdameaningfulactivitywhichrequiredustoformthegoodhabitin100days、Ipairedupwithmydeskmate、First，wediscussedwhathabitthatwewoulddevelop、Allofusagreedtoreadforhalfanhoureachday、Thenwemadealistofthebookswewereinterested、Fromthenon，wemanagedtosparehalfanhoureverydaytoreadingbooks，howbusywewere、Besides，wetookalotofnotesandoftenexchangedidea、Intheend，weaccomplishedourgoalofreadingfor100days、Howproudlywewere!Moreimportantly，duetotheactivity，readingbookshavebecomeanessentialpartofourlife、第二節(jié)書面表達（滿分25分）29．（25分）假如你是高三學生李華，畢業(yè)后想去康奈爾大學（CornellUniversity）深造。請結合以下要點給康奈爾大學的負責人寫一封電子郵件，希望獲得獎學金。1.自我介紹，包括英語水平、獨立生活的能力以及與人溝通的能力；2.希望獲得獎學金；3.希望得到答復。注意：1.詞數(shù)100左右，開頭和結尾已給出，不計入總詞數(shù)；2.可以適當增加細節(jié)，以使行文連貫。DearSirorMadam,I’mLiHua.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yourssincerely,LiHua

參考答案第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1、A2、A3、B4、A5、C6、C7、A8、D9、C10、C11、A12、A13、A14、B15、B16、D17、A18、C19、B20、D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、A3、A4、C22、1、D2、A3、C4、B23、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’tuntilthe