北京九中2025屆高考英語(yǔ)五模試卷含解析

北京九中2025屆高考英語(yǔ)五模試卷注意事項(xiàng)1．考生要認(rèn)真填寫考場(chǎng)號(hào)和座位序號(hào)。2．試題所有答案必須填涂或書寫在答題卡上，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，滿分30分）1．—That'sthethirdtimeyou'vedonethat!—Yeah,_____?A．whatofitB．what’sonC．whataboutD．whatfor2．ItisalmostfiveyearssinceJimmytaughthighschoolstudentsandhe_____asaninterpreterinaforeignenterprise.A．servedB．hadservedC．isservingD．wouldserve3．Wearrangedtomeetatthecinemaat7:30,butJackfailedto______.A．breakupB．setupC．turnupD．giveup4．Thenewmeansoftransport________inthiscity,sowhetheritwillworkoutremainstobeseen.A．havenevertriedB．hasnevertriedC．haveneverbeentriedD．hasneverbeentried5．Thebusinessmanstudiedthemarketinhishometowntofindthe____forinvestment.A．potential B．reservation C．criterion D．a(chǎn)llowance6．Itgivesusgreatdelight______Chinesesciencefictionsarebecomingincreasinglypopular.A．how B．whatC．that D．why7．Thetwogirlsaregettingonverywellandshare_______witheachother.A．little B．much C．some D．none8．Itwasjustatthetimethebellranghefinishedthelastwordinhiscomposition. A．when;which B．that;when C．when;that D．that;which9．—Wouldyoumindmovingoveralittle?Ihavetopasshere.—________I’dliketohelp.A．Notintheslightest. B．Don’tmentionit.C．Nevermind. D．Atyourservice.10．Theeventthat_________inmymemoryhappenedonemorningin1983whenIwas14yearsold.Ithasneverescaped.A．stoodoutB．standsoutC．wouldstandoutD．hasstoodout11．—Bettergetdowntoyourwork,Tom.—_________.A．It’smypleasure B．Don’tmentionit C．MindyourownbusinessD．You’rewelcome12．Janeestablishedaprogram,____youngpeopletotakepartinactivities____promotegreaterconcernfortheenvironment．A．toencourage;where B．havingencouraged;whereC．encouraging;that D．encouraged;which13．ltwasinDecember,2018________ChairmanXiandPresidentTrumpmetinArgentina.A．when B．thatC．before D．since14．ThoughProfessorLiu____inNewYorkforsevenyears,hehasneverregrettedmovingbacktoShanghai,hishometown.A．lived B．haslived C．hadlived D．wasliving15．Ifyouseethingsinanegativelight,youwillfindfaultseverywhereandproblemswheretherearereally________．A．noneB．someC．manyD．nothing16．Thedoctor’streatmenthasworkedmarvels:thepatienthascompletely．A．repeated B．returned C．recovered D．reminded17．Ifyou___________tomyadvicecarefully,youwouldn’thavemadesuchaterriblemistake.A．listened B．havelistenedC．wouldlisten D．hadlistened18．Anoldladycametothebusstoponlythebushadgone.A．torun;tofind B．running;tofind C．a(chǎn)ndran;finding D．running;finding19．.HowdidyouFrench?IlivedinParisfortwoyearsbeforeIcametoEngland,soIgotlotsofpractice.A．gothrough B．pickup C．setup D．turnup20．“________Iwentthroughupsanddownsinlife，”Gordonsaid,“Ineverfoundtheimportanceofbeingself-disciplinedaswellasthesignificanceoflife.”A．IfB．SinceC．UntilD．Unless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(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。21．（6分）AgroupofscientistsisgatheringtodayintheU.K.todiscussathickpieceoficethat’scrackinginAntarctica,whichisofthesizeofDelaware.TheiceshelfiscalledLarsenC,anditnowhasa90-milecrackrunningthroughit.Thebigrift(裂縫)isslicingtheiceshelffromtoptobottom.Butthisisnotjustanothersadclimatechangestory.It’smorecomplicated.“Alotofthingsaregoingondeepinsidetheice,”saysAdrianLuckman,aglaciologist.Luckmansaysclimatechangeiscertainlyinfluencingthisregion.LarsenCusedtohavetwoneighborstothenorth,LarsenAandLarsenB．Astheairandwaterwarmed,thoseiceshelvesstartedmeltingandthendisappearedin1995and2002.ButthecrackinLarsenCseemstohavehappenedonitsown,fordifferentreasons.LarsenChasmanycracks.Alliceshelvesdo.Thisparticularcrackhasbeenaroundsinceatleastthe1960s.Theunusualpartisthatin2014,thiscrack—andonlythiscrack—startedgrowingquickly.Why?“Well,thatisalittlebitofamysteryandthat'swhyitdrewitselftoourattention,”saysLuckman.Onepuzzlingaspectishowitmanagedtocutthroughareasofsoftericethatbind(連接)theicefromneighboringglaciersintoonegiantsheet.Startingin2014,thatsofticedidverylittletoslowdownthisrift.Scientistsaresplitonhowimportantthiscrackisforthestabilityofthewholeiceshelf.Somesayifthisgiantsectionbreaksoff,itwon’tmakeadifference.Othersdisagree.“IceshelvesarethegatesofAntarcticainaway,andthegatekeepersofAntarctica.Theiceshelvesarealreadyfloating,soiftheyfallapartitdoesnotimmediatelyaffectsealevels.It’swhattheyholdback-waterfromalltheinlandglaciers—thatcouldbeproblematic.Ifallthewaterpackedinthoseglaciersmadetheirwaytothesea,itcouldsignificantlyraiseglobalsealevels,”saysAlaKhazendar,ageophysicist.1、LarsenC’stwoneighborsdisappearedmainlybecauseof________.A．climatechange B．humanbehaviorC．thecrackinLarsenC D．someunknownreasons2、WhyisLarsenCspecial?A．Becauseitstillexists.B．Becauseithasmanycracks.C．Becauseoneofitscracksisgrowingrapidly.D．Becauseitisgettingbiggerandbiggerquickly.3、Whichoneistrueofsoftice?A．Itiseasytocutthrough.B．Itsformingisstillamystery.C．Itcanpreventcrackingtoadegree.D．Itexistsmainlyinsmallpiecesofice.4、HowdoesAlaKhazendarfeelabouttheinfluenceofthecrack?A．Heisverycurious. B．Heisunconcerned.C．Heisprettyoptimistic. D．Heiscautiouslyworried.22．（8分）TheChildrenandFamilyResearchCenter,locatedinIllinois,isanindependentresearchorganizationtopromotepublicchildwelfareresearchactivities.Thefollowingareour2018researchbriefs.TheChildEndangermentRiskAssessmentProtocol（CERAP）TamaraL.FullerCERAPisasafetyassessmentprotocol（協(xié)議）usedinchildprotectioninvestigationsandchildservicesinIllinois.Itisdesignedtoevaluatethepotentialharmtoachildandtakequickactiontoprotectchildren.Workersusetheprotocoltohelpfocustheirdecision-makingtodeterminewhetherachildissafewiththeirfamily,anddecidewhatactiontotaketoassurethechild’ssafety.10ThingstoKnowaboutChildWelfareSystemCatherine,Michael,andSteveInMarch2018,researchersMichaelandStevepartneredwithprofessorCatherinetopresentawebinar（在線研討會(huì)）titled10ThingstoKnowaboutChildWelfareSystem,focusedonexplainingthechildwelfaresystem.Topicsincludedprocessofmakingahotlinecall,waystosupportfamilieswhohaveexperiencedchildhoodsufferings.HighlightsfromtheChildDeathReviewTeamAnnualReportSteveandTamaraThisresearchbrieffocusesonthefindingsfromthemostrecentCDRTannualreportonchilddeathsinIllinoisin2016,presentingsummaryinformationaboutchilddeathsinIllinoisbyage,mannerofdeath,andcategoryofdeath,aswellasrecommendationstopreventchilddeaths.PromotingWidespreadImprovementinPracticeTedCrossandIritThisarticlebyCFRC’spsychologist（心理學(xué)家）TedCrossandDr.Iritexploresthecontributionofpsychologytochildprotectionandsuggestsopportunitiesforpsychologytocontributemore,choosing3selectedareas.Acrosstheseareas,psychologyhascontributedbothtotheknowledgebaseandtoavailableassessmentandintervention（干預(yù)）methods.1、Whicheventaimsatdeterminingthesafetyofchildrenwithinthefamily?A．PromotingWidespreadImprovementinPracticeB．10ThingstoKnowaboutChildWelfareSystemC．TheChildEndangermentRiskAssessmentProtocolD．HighlightsfromtheChildDeathReviewTeamAnnualReport2、Whowroteareportaboutpreventionofchilddeaths?A．SteveandTamara.B．Catherine,Michael,andSteve.C．TamaraL.Fuller.D．TedCrossandIrit.3、Whichofthefollowingdealswithchildprotectioninapsychologicalway?A．HighlightsfromtheChildDeathReviewTeamAnnualReportB．10ThingstoKnowaboutChildWelfareSystemC．TheChildEndangermentRiskAssessmentProtocolD．PromotingWidespreadImprovementinPractice23．（8分）StephenHawking’sfinalfearwasthatDNAmanipulationwouldleadtoamasterraceofsuperhumans.Thephysicist,whodiedaged76inMarch,2018,thoughtthedevelopmentcoulddestroytherestofhumanbeings.HislastpredictionisrevealedinanewbookofhiscollectedarticlesandessayscalledBriefAnswerstoBigQuestions.Hawkingfearedrichpeoplewouldsoonbeabletoedittheirchildren’sDNAtoimproveattributeslikememoryanddiseaseimmunity.Andhesaidthatwouldposeacrisisfortherestoftheworldevenifpoliticianstriedtoillegalizethepractice.Inanextract(摘錄)publishedbyTheSundayTimes,hewrote:“Iamsurethatduringthiscenturypeoplewilldiscoverhowtomodifybothintelligenceandinstinctssuchasaggression.“Lawswillprobablybepassedagainstgeneticengineeringwithhumans.Butsomepeoplewon’tbeabletoresistthetemptationtoimprovehumancharacteristics,suchasmemory,resistancetodiseaseandlengthoflife.”Andhesaidthatwouldcausehugeproblemsforhumanswhohavenotundergonethesameprocess,leavingthemunabletocompete.Theprofessorevenwarneditcouldleadtotheextinctionofhumanityasweknowit.Hesaidofnormalhumans:“Presumablytheywilldieout,orbecomeunimportant.Instead,therewillbearaceofself-designingbeingswhoareimprovingatanever-increasingrate.”TheBriefHistoryofTimeauthoralsoreferstotechniqueslikeCrispr,whichenablesscientiststomodifyharmfulgenesandaddinothers.Andalthoughsuchprocedurescouldbeaboostformedicalscience,somecriticsareworriedthattheycouldcauseaeugenics-style(優(yōu)生方式)movement,wheretheweakareweededoutofsociety.Thenewbook,publishedbyHodder&StoughtononTuesday,alsocollectshiswritingsonwhathethoughtwerethebigquestionsfacingscienceandwidersociety.Init,heexamineswhetheraliensexist,colonizespaceandwhetherhumanswillevergobeyondourSolarSystem.1、StephenHawking’sviewsdon’tinclude_________.A．DNAmanipulationcouldleadtotheextinctionofhumanbeings.B．Thereexisttechniquestomodifyharmfulgenesandaddingoodgenes.C．Peoplecannotresistthetemptationtoimprovehumancharacteristics.D．Humanswhohaven’tundergonegeneticengineeringmaydieout.2、WhichoneisthehookpublishedbyHodder&Stoughton?A．BriefAnswerstoQuestions. B．TheSundayTimes.C．TheBriefHistoryofTime. D．SolarSystem.3、What’sStephenHawking’sattitudetowardshumangeneticengineering?A．Supportive. B．Impartial. C．Favorable. D．Concerned.4、Whatdoesthetextmainlywanttotellus?A．Crisprcanenablescientiststogetharmfulgeneschanged.B．DNAmanipulationwillcreateamasterraceofsuperhumans.C．HumanswillcolonizespaceandgobeyondourSolarSystem.D．DNAmanipulationmayleadtotheextinctionofhumanbeings.24．（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．a(chǎn)dvocatereadingbooks2、Jianggotinspiredtostarttheprojectby_________.A．HarryPorterB．WechatmomentsC．EmmaWatsonD．Razor’sEdgeBookClub3、Theunderlinedword“spontaneous”isclosestinmeaningto__________.A．unplannedB．unwiseC．firmD．thoughtful4、Jiang’sattitudetowardsthefutureoftheprojectcanbebestdescribedas___________.A．positiveB．doubtfulC．reservedD．worried25．（10分）Ithurtstokeepsecrets.Secrecy(保密)isassociatedwithlowerwell-being,worsehealth,andlesssatisfyingrelationships.Researchhaslinkedsecrecytoincreasedanxiety,depression,symptomsofpoorhealth,andeventhemorerapidprogressionofdisease.Thereisaseeminglyobviousexplanationfortheseharms:hidingsecretsishardwork.Youhavetowatchwhatyousay.Newresearch,however,suggeststhattheharmofsecretsdoesn’treallycomefromthehidingafterall.Therealproblemwithkeepingasecretisnotthatyouhavetohideit,butthatyouhavetolivewithit,andthinkaboutit.Tobetterunderstandtheharmsofsecrecy,researchersfirstsetouttounderstandwhatsecretspeoplekeep,andhowoftentheykeepthem.Theyfoundthat97%ofpeoplehaveatleastonesecretatanygivenmoment,andpeoplehave,onaverage,13secrets.Acrossseveralstudies,researchersaskedparticipantstoestimatehowfrequentlytheyhidtheirsecretduringconversationswithothers,andalsohowfrequentlytheythoughtaboutthesecretoutsideofsocialinteractions.Theyfoundthatthemorefrequentlypeoplesimplythoughtabouttheirsecrets,thelowertheirwell-being.Followingupthisresearch,anewpaperrevealswhythinkingaboutsecretsissoharmful.Turningthequestionaround,theconsequencesoftellingsecretsareexamined.Researchersfoundthatwhenapersonrevealsasecrettoathirdparty,itdoesnotreducehowoftentheyhavetohidethesecretfromotherswhoarestillkeptinthedark.Rather,itreduceshowoftentheirmindwanderstowardthesecretinirrelevantmoments.Therefore,ifyouchoosetostillkeepsomethingsecret,talkingtoanotherpersoncanmaketheworldofdifference.Secretsdon’thavetohurtasmuchastheydo.1、Whichisnotoneoftheharmsofkeepingsecrets?A．Beingphysicallysick. B．Mentalproblems.C．Harmedrelationships. D．Hidingsomewhere.2、Whyiskeepingsecretssoharmful?A．Becauseyoumusthidethem.B．Becauseyouoftenthinkaboutthem.C．Becauseit’sdifficulttokeepsecrets.D．Becauseyoumustwatchwhattosay.3、Howcanpeoplereducetheharmofkeepingsecrets?A．Byworkinghard. B．Bykeeping13secrets.C．Bythinkingaboutthesecrets. D．Bytellingsecretstoathirdperson.4、Whichisthetextprobablytakenfrom?A．Anadvertisement B．AresearchreportC．Abiologytextbook. D．Atravelbrochure.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）Mr.Bardisthemanagerathisfamily'sshoecompany.Hereally1competenceinhisworkers.Healwaystellsthe2andhard-workingemployeesthatheis3ofthem.ButMr.Barddoesnotonlyshowhisappreciationthroughwords.Themostcompetentworkersarealsopaid4.Mr.Bardthinkswhenan5worksharderandproduceshigherqualityshoes,thecompanyearnsmoremoney.6,theemployeeshouldalsoearnmore.Butmanyofthelesscompetentworkers7.“Weareequal,”theyprotest（抗議）.“Wedothesamejob,soweshouldgetthe8pay!”Heisakindman,butheisalso9.Ifhekeepshiringthelesscompetentworkers,thewholecompanywill10,andperhapsallemployeeswilllosetheirjobs.Itwillalsobebadforhisfamilyandforthecompanyis11.To12thesituation,Mr.Bardcreateseveningworkshops（工作坊）tohelp13theemployeeswhoarenotworkingatcompany14.Theywatchthemostcompetentworkers,whoreceiveaspecialbonusfor15theirco-workers,andmakelotsofnotes.Theyinspecttheproductionline,asklotsofquestions,and16untiltheyareskilledand17.Productionatthecompany18,andthecustomersarehappierwiththehigh19shoes!Assalesincrease,Mr.Bardisabletopayhisworkersbetter.And20thecompany’ssmartpaysystem,themostcompetentworkerscanbehighlyrewarded.1、A．a(chǎn)ppreciatesB．describesC．a(chǎn)bsorbsD．a(chǎn)grees2、A．excitedB．skilledC．bornD．considerate3、A．worriedB．confusedC．proudD．painful4、A．worseB．lessC．degreeD．more5、A．employerB．employeeC．degreeD．guarantee6、A．HoweverB．OnthecontraryC．InotherwordsD．Therefore7、A．disagreedB．dislikedC．disappearedD．discouraged8、A．highB．sameC．lowD．distant9、A．sillyB．likelyC．wiseD．simple10、A．selectB．shakeC．sufferD．scold11、A．driversB．teachersC．cooksD．customers12、A．improveB．putupC．postponeD．comeup13、A．forgetB．sellC．trainD．harm14、A．standardsB．limitsC．bordersD．patience15、A．pickingB．teachingC．toleratingD．weighing16、A．warnB．sneezeC．sobD．practice17、A．productiveB．a(chǎn)ffectedC．strictD．straight18、A．goesdownB．goesawayC．goesagainstD．goesup19、A．quantityB．a(chǎn)bilityC．qualityD．equality20、A．regardlessofB．thankstoC．insteadofD．inspiteof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(gè)適當(dāng)?shù)膯卧~或括號(hào)內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。27．（15分）AtestofvalueslearnedMygirlfriendandIwereatthegrocerystorerecently,andherwallet1．(steal)fromourcart.Ofcourse,wewerebothveryupsetatthetime,forsheworkedinapizzashop2．Ihaddroppedmostofmysavingsintobuyingourownhouse.Afew3．(hour)afterwegotbackhome,thegrocerystore4．(manage)calledandtoldusthatthewallethadbeenturnedin.Hercashwasofcoursenotthere.AtleasttheyleftherSocialSecuritycardandlicense.Aboutfivedays5．(late).Iwasdeliveringtoagrocerystoreformyjob.IhappenedtoglanceoveracartbesidewhereIparkedmytruck.Andtheresatawoman’swalletinthebackofit.Ipickeditup,ofcourse6．(think)ofwhathadhappenedtomygirlfriend’swallet.Aquickthoughtofjusttaking7．thingflewacrossmymind.Myparent’sandgrandparent’svoicespopped（出現(xiàn)）inmyheadandtoldmeotherwise.Infact,thewalletbelonged8．a(chǎn)singlemotherwhocamebackinthegrocerystorelookingforit.I’mnottellingthisstorytopraisemyself.Iwouldjustlikeotherparents9．(know)thattheexamplesyousetforchildrencan10．(real)makeadifference.第四部分寫作（共兩節(jié)）第一節(jié)短文改錯(cuò)（滿分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。錯(cuò)誤涉及一個(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)(∧)，并在其下面寫出該加的詞。刪除：把多余的詞用斜線(\)劃掉。修改：在錯(cuò)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(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。DearMr、Brown,I’mverythankfultoyouforinvitemetostaywithyouinLondoninthecomingvacation、IhavebeendreamedofseeingyouagainsothatIcangetmorehelpfromyouinmineEnglishlearning、AndI’mafraidIcan’tgotoyourplaceinthissummer、BecauseIhavepromisedmygrandmother,shelivesinthecountry,tospendthesummerwithher、ShemissesmetoomuchthatIfindthatdifficulttorefuseherrequest、I’mbusynowpreparingforseveralexaminations、Iplantovisityouinwinterifitconvenienttoyou、Bestwishes、LiMing第二節(jié)書面表達(dá)（滿分25分）29．（25分）假如你是李華，你校英語(yǔ)校報(bào)就“時(shí)間管理”這一話題舉辦了一次征文活動(dòng)。請(qǐng)你根據(jù)以下要點(diǎn)，寫一篇英語(yǔ)短文投稿。1.時(shí)間管理的重要性2.舉出管理時(shí)間的措施和建議。要求：1.詞數(shù)100左右；2.可以適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié)，以使行文連貫。_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

參考答案第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1、A2、C3、C4、Ｄ5、A6、C7、B8、C9、A10、B11、C12、C13、B14、A15、A16、C17、D18、B19、B20、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(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。21、1、A2、C3、C4、D22、1、C2、A3、D23、1、C2、A3、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.”Henoddedhisheadingratitud