湖北省荊州市沙市區(qū)高級中學(xué)2023-2024學(xué)年高三上學(xué)期10月月考英語試題（含答案無聽力音頻無聽力原文）

第第頁湖北省荊州市沙市區(qū)高級中學(xué)2023-2024學(xué)年高三上學(xué)期10月月考英語試題（含答案，無聽力音頻無聽力原文）沙市區(qū)高級中學(xué)2023-2024學(xué)年高三上學(xué)期10月月考

英語試卷

第一部分聽力(共兩節(jié)，滿分30分)

該部分分為第一、第二兩節(jié)，注意：回答聽力部分時(shí)，請先將答案標(biāo)在試卷上。聽力部分結(jié)束前，你將有兩分鐘的時(shí)間將你的答案轉(zhuǎn)涂到答題卡上。

第一節(jié)(共5小題；每小題1．5分，滿分7．5分)

聽下面5段對話。每段對話后有一個(gè)小題，從題中所給的A、B、C三個(gè)選項(xiàng)中選出最佳選項(xiàng)。聽完每段對話后，你都有10秒鐘的時(shí)間來回答有關(guān)小題和閱讀下一小題。每段對話僅讀一遍。

1．Whatdoesthemanplantodoforthesummervacation

A．StayinLondon.B．Gosightseeing.C．Seehisparents.

2．Whydidthewomanchangethereservation

A．Shecanceledtheparty.B．Shegotthedatewrong.C．Sheputoffherplan.

3．Whathappenedtotheman

A．Hefoundacarkey.B．Helosthiscarkey.C．Hegothiskeyring.

4．Whatarethespeakerstalkingabout

A．Thecomingtests.B．Thestressinlife.C．Thelearningmethods.

5．Whatistheweatherlikenow

A．Rainy.B．Stormy.C．Fine.

第二節(jié)(共15小題；每小題1．5分，滿分22．5分)

聽下面5段對話或獨(dú)白。每段對話或獨(dú)白后有幾個(gè)小題，從題中所給的A、B、C三個(gè)項(xiàng)中選出最佳選項(xiàng)。聽每段對話或獨(dú)白前，你將有時(shí)間閱讀各個(gè)小題，每小題5秒鐘；聽后，各小題將給出5秒鐘的作答時(shí)間。每段對話或獨(dú)白讀兩遍。

聽第6段材料，回答第6和第7題。

6．Whatwillthemandoforthewoman

A．Takehertotheairport．B．Helpherwiththebag．C．Waitforherinataxi．

7．Whendoesthewomanplantoarriveattheairport

A．Atabout4:00p.m.B．Atabout3:00p.m.C．Atabout2:00p.m.

聽第7段材料，回答第8至9題。

8．What'stheprobablerelationshipbetweenthespeakers

A．Classmates.B．Parentandchild.C．Brotherandsister.

9．Whatwillthespeakersdonext

A．EnjoyLinda'sdrawings.B．Dosomevolunteerwork.C．Drawsomeelderlypeople.

聽第8段材料，回答第10至12題。

10．Whatdoesthewomanwantthemantodo

A．Giveheraride.B．Takeataxiwithher.C．Joinameetingat10a.m.

11．Wherewillthespeakersmeet

A．Atameetingroom.B．Atahomeoffice.C．Atacoffeeshop.

12．Whatwillthespeakersdotogether

A．Havelunch.B．LeaveLondon.C．TalkwithMr.White.

聽第9段材料，回答第13至16題。

13．Whatisthemandoing

A．Havingabusinesstalk.B．Attendinganinterview.C．Listeningtoacollegelecture.

14．Whydoesthemanapplyfortheposition

A．Tomakemoney.B．Tofinishclasses.C．Togainexperience.

15．Whenwillthemanstartwork

A．InApril.B．InMay.C．InJuly.

16．Whatcanwelearnabouttheman

A．Hewastrainedbeforeforthejob.

B．Hemajorsincomputerscience.

C．Hedoesn'tcareaboutthepay.

聽第10段材料，回答第17至20題。

17．Whatmightthespeakerbe

A．Aguide.B．Aparent.C．Aplayer.

18．What'sextremelyimportanttothelisteners

A．Takingaquicktour.

B．Returningtothebusontime.

C．Rememberingthemeetingplace.

19．Whenwillthelistenershavetheirmeeting

A．Atnoon.B．Tomorrow.C．Thisafternoon.

20．Whatwillthelistenersdofirst

A．Havetheirlunch.B．Interactwithplayers.C．Touraroundthestadium．

第二部分閱讀(共兩節(jié)，滿分50分)

第一節(jié)(共15小題；每小題2．5分，滿分37．5分)閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C和D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中選出最佳選項(xiàng)。

A

BostonUniversity(BU)istest-optionalforfirst-yearinternationalapplicantsapplyingforfall2023．

StudentswillberequiredtosubmittheTOEFL,IELTSorDETtestscoresastheprimarymeansforevaluatingEnglishlanguagecapacity.Highschoolrecords,teacherevaluationandyourfinancialdocumentsshallalsobeincludedinapplicantchecklist.ApplicantsmustdecideforthemselveswhethertoincludestandardizedtestscoreswiththeirBUapplication.

StandardizedTestScores

BUacceptsself-reportedstandardizedtestscoresonyourapplication.Youmayalsosubmityourofficialtestscoresbythetestingagency,orthroughtheself-reportformontheMyBUApplicantPortal．

Pleasenote:Ifyousubmitself-reportedstandardizedtestscores,anofficialscorereportfromthetestingagencywillberequiredbeforeregisteringatBU.Ifthescoresonthosedifferevenslightlyfromthescoresyouself-reportedearlier,yourapplicationwillmostlikelybedisqualified.

HighSchoolReports

Officialcopiesofyourhighschoolreportsmustbesubmittedbyaschoolofficial.Ifyouareadmittedinaninternationalcoursewithnationalexams,pleaseseeourHighSchoolCredentials(資格證書)pageforhowtosubmittheseofficialresults.

FormostBUprograms,therecommendedhighschoolcoursesareasfollows:4yearsofEnglish3-4yearsofmathematics3-4yearsoflaboratoryscience3-4yearsofhistoryand/orsocialscience.

21．WhichisoptionalinapplyingtoBU

A．Financialdocuments.B．Highschoolrecords.

C．Standardizedtestscores.D．Teacherevaluationreports.

22．Whatmaycauseafailureinyourapplication

A．Updatingapplicantinformation.

B．Submittinginconsistenttestresults.

C．TakingdifferentEnglishlanguagetests.

D．ReportingscoresontheMyBUApplicantPortal.

23．Whoisthetextintendedfor

A．Testorganizers.B．Primarystudents.

C．Collegeprofessors.D．Internationalapplicants.

B

BeforejoiningtheWNBA,NapheesaCollierwonanationalchampionshipasakeyplayerduringtheUniversityofConnecticut'sundefeated2023season.Collierisalsoonanotherteam:She'sanEcoAthleteschampion.EcoAthletesisanonprofitlaunchedjustoverayearago,withthemissiontoinspireandcoachathletestoleadclimateaction．Initsfirstyear,34currentandretiredprofessionalathleteshavejoinedtheteam,fromawiderangeofsportsandcountries.

"MyteammatesandItalkaboutalotofissues,butwehaven'tgottenintoitonclimateyet,"saysCollier."Twothingsmyteammatesdotalkaboutareracialandeconomicinjustice.Iknowthatclimatechangemakestheseissuesmuchmoredifficulttodealwith.IhopeEcoAthletescanhelpmebringpeople'sattentiontoitandtoactonpositivesolutions."

Althoughthere'salonghistoryofathletestakingastandonsocialjusticeissues,theyhavebeenmorehesitanttospeakoutaboutclimatechangeforanumberofreasons,explainsLewisBlaustein,thefounderofEcoAthletes."First,someathletesprefertonotpubliclyengageinpolities,whichiscommontoarangeofadvocacywork.Second,whenitcomestoclimate,athletesworriedaboutcommunicatingthesciencepoorly.Finally,fearsofbeinglabeleda'climatefake(冒充者)'alsostoodintheway."

Toovercomethesechallenges,EcoAthletesoffersathletesaccesstoaresourcecenterandorganizeseventsforathletestolearnfromclimatescientistsandotherclimateexperts.Inturn,athletescansharetheirpassionfortheenvironmentwiththeirfans,getinvolvedinmoredirectactionandevenadvocateforpolicychange.

"Alotofitistryingtoeducateourfollowersandtalkaboutclimatechange,"saysCollier."CaringabouttheEarthshouldn'tbeahobbyoranidentity,butaresponsibilitythateveryonerecognizesastheirown.Oncethathappens,sustainabilitywillbecomeavalueineverydaydecisionmakingandallthoseactionswilladdup."

24．WhywasEcoAthletessetup

A．Topromoteeco-friendlysports.

B．Toprovideaplatformforworldleaders.

C．Toappealtoathletestotakeclimateaction.

D．Toinspirecoachestoleadclimateactivities.

25．Whichofthefollowingmaypreventathletesfromengaginginclimateissues

A．Higheconomicpressure.B．Lackofrelatedknowledge.

C．Poorinterpersonalrelationships.D．Worryaboutbreakingsportsrules.

26．WhatwillathletesgetfromjoiningEcoAthletes

A．Accesstosportsskills.B．Waystoattractfollowers.

C．Chancestolearnclimatescience.D．Rightstodraftclimatepolicies.

27．Whatcanwelearnfromthetext

A．Responsibilityfallsonclimateexperts.B．Greatnesscomesfromsmallbeginnings.

C．Thespiritsofsportsmakegreatathletes.D．Activeengagementmakesadifference.

C

Haveyoueverfelttheurgetoinputcriticalfinancialinformationonanot-so-familiarbusiness'swebsiteWouldyoudaretoentrustyourcreditcarddetailsorpasswordstopotentiallyunsafetradingplatforms

ResearchersfromtheUniversityofViennahavetackledthisdilemmabydesigninganunconditionallysecuresystemforconductingtradeinsuchsituations.Thissolutionis"quantum(量子)-digitalpayments"whichcombinescrystallographic(加密的)methodswiththepropertiesofquantumlight.

Intoday'spaymentecosystem,customers'sensitivedataisreplacedbysetsofrandomnumbers,andtheuniquenessofeachtradeissecuredbyaclassicalcrystallographicmethod.However,companieswithpowerfulcomputationalresourcescanbreakthesecodesandrecoverthecustomers'privatedata,andforexample,makepaymentsintheirname.

AresearchteamledbyprofessorPhilipWaltherfromtheUniversityofViennahasshownhowthequantumpropertiesoflightcanensuresecurityfordigitalpayments.Inanexperiment,theresearchersdemonstratedthateachtradecannotbecopied.Theyreplacedclassicalcrystallographictechniqueswithaquantumprotocol(協(xié)議)usingsinglephotons,aunitofenergy.Duringthecourseofaclassicaldigitalpaymenttrade,theclientsharesaclassicalcodecalledcryptogramwithhispaymentprovider.Thiscryptogramisthenpassedonbetweenthecustomer,businessmen,andpaymentprovider.Inthedemonstratedquantumprotocolthiscryptogramisgeneratedbyhavingthepaymentprovidersendingparticularlypreparedsinglephotonstotheclient.

Theresearcherssuccessfullyconductedquantum-digitalpayments,connectingtwouniversitybuildingsindowntownVienna.Digitalpaymentscurrentlyoperatewithinafewseconds."Atpresent,ourprotocoltakesafewminutesofquantumcommunicationtocompleteatrade.Thisistoguaranteesecurityinthepresenceofnoiseandlosses,"saysPhilipWalther."However,thesetimelimitationsareonlyoftechnologicalnature.Wewillwitnessthatquantum-digitalpaymentsreachpracticalperformanceintheverynearfuture."

28．Whatdotheunderlinedwords"thisdilemma"inParagraph2referto

A．Needforfinancialservices.B．Urgetogetridofcreditcards.

C．Fearofdigitalpaymentsafety.D．Concernaboutfalseinformation.

29．Whatisadisadvantageofthepresentpaymentsystem

A．Theconvenienceofpaymentcan'tbeenjoyed.B．Theuniquenessoftradecan'tbeensured.

C．Customers'privatedatamaybeleaked.D．Customerpaymentchoicesarelimited.

30．WhatdoesParagraph4mainlytalkabout

A．Howquantum-digitalpaymentworks.B．Howdigitalpaymentprovessafer.

C．Whysinglephotonsarenecessary.D．Whatisimportantforonlinetrade.

31．WhatisPhilip'sattitudetowardsquantum-digitalpayment

A．Confident.B．Doubtful.C．Unclear.D．Conservative.

D

Scientistshavetransfusedlab-maderedbloodcellsintoahumanvolunteerinaworld-firsttrialthatexpertssayhasmajorpotentialforpeoplewithhard-to-matchbloodtypesorconditionssuchassicklecelldisease.Theresearchcouldsomedaymeananendtolongsearchesforcompatibledonorsordangeroustransfusionreactions.

TheexperimentaltransfusionwasdoneatAddenbrooke'sHospitalinCambridge,England,aspartofacollaborativeeffortamongUKscientiststounderstandhowlab-madebloodtransfusionscouldwork.

ThescientiststookwholebloodfromdonorsinaUKdatabaseandseparatedoutthestemcells.Thesearethebody'srawmaterialsthecellsfromwhichallspecializedcells,likearedbloodcell,cangenerate.Theresearchersgrewredbloodcellsfromthosestemcellsandtransfusedthemintotwohealthyvolunteers.Thetransfusionsinvolvedonlyatinyamountofblood:theequivalentofoneortwoteaspoons.Astandardbloodtransfusionwouldinvolvemanyhundredtimesthatamount.Thisstageofthetrialinvolvestwominitransfusionsatleastfourmonthsapart,onewithastandarddonationofredcellsandtheotherwithlab-madecellsfromthesamedonor.

Theresearchersarecloselymonitoringthevolunteerstodeterminewhethertheprocesswassafe.Theysaytherehavebeenwith"nosideeffects"sofar.They'realsowatchinghowlongthelab-growncellslastcomparedwithaninfusion（注入）ofstandardredbloodcells.Redbloodcellstypicallylastabout120days,butatransfusionfromastandarddonationcontainscellsthatareavarietyofagesbecausethebonemarrow（骨髓）continuouslymakesthesecells.

Previoustestshaveshownthatmanufacturedcellsfunctionlikenormalcellsandthattheselab-madecellsarelikelytosurvivelongeroverallwhileincirculation.Thisstudywilldetermineforthefirsttimewhetherthat'strue.Furthertrialswillbenecessarytodeterminewhethertherecouldbeaclinicaluseofthislab-grownproduct.

Theresearchcouldeventuallymakeadifferencetopeoplewithsicklecelldisease,thosewhodevelopantibodies（抗體）againstmostdonorbloodtypes,orthosewithgeneticdisordersinwhichtheirbodycan'tmakeredbloodcellsorthebloodcellstheymakedon'tworkwell.

32．Whatfunctionisexpectedofthelab-maderedbloodcellstransfusion

A．Itmaymakeiteasiertogetblooddonors.

B．Itmaygrowredbloodcellsfromthestemcells.

C．Itmayendthedangeroustransfusionreactions.

D．Itmaydevelopantibodiesagainstmanydonorbloodtypes.

33．Whatcanbeinferredabouttheexperimentalprocedure

A．Itiswidelyconsiderednotsafedespitemanyexperiments.

B．Thetwominitransfusionsshouldn'tbecarriedoutcloselytogether.

C．Theresearcherstransfusedstemcellsintovolunteerstomonitorthem.

D．Astandardbloodtransfusiononlyneedtoinvolveatinyamountofblood.

34．WhichofthefollowingstatementsisTRUE

A．Theprocessoflab-madebloodtransfusionsprovessafesofar.

B．Lab-madecellssurvivelongeroverallthannormalcellsincirculation.

C．Therearetwominitransfusionswithlab-madecellsintheexperiment.

D．Thestemcells,asthebody'srawmaterials,can'tproduceredbloodcells.

35．What'sthepassagemainlyabout

A．Asmallamountofbloodcanmakeadifference.

B．Lab-madecellsoutweighnormalcellsinatransfusion.

C．Lab-madecellscancontributetoblood-relateddiseases.

D．Lab-madecelltransfusionscanreplacenormalblooddonations.

第二節(jié)(共5小題；每小題2．5分，滿分12．5分)

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的選項(xiàng)中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)。選項(xiàng)中有兩項(xiàng)為多余選項(xiàng)。

ConsumersintheUnitedStatesspentnearly$3.7millionondishwashingsoapin2023togettheirdishesclean.Thatsetsthequestion:DowereallyneeddishwashingsoaptogetourdishescleanTheshortansweris:No.__36__

HowcanwegetourdishescleanwithoutusingdishwashingsoapHotwaterisaneffectiveandtime-testedmethod.Alotofwhatweeatiswater-solubleandcansimplybewashedawaywithveryhotwater.__37__.Theyneedanalkali(堿)tobreakthemdown.So,ifyou'reoutofdishsoapandhaveathickoilypantowash,you'llneedtomakeyourownsoapbyaddinganalkalitohotwater.

Youcanalsorunyourdishwasherusingonlytherinse(漂洗)cycle．Simplyremovetheremainsandpretenseyourdishesthoroughlybyhandandloadasusualinthemachine.Addwhitevinegar,asharp-tastingliquidusedincooking,tothecleaningcup.__38__.Setyourdishwasherontherinsecycleandyouwillgetclean,shinydishes.

Ifyou'reacamperorafarmer,plantandwoodashes—remainsofburntplantsandwood—arereadilyavailableintheremainsofyourcampfire,whichhaveservedasdishwashingsoapforalongtime.Gathersomeashesfromyourcampfireandputtheminapot.Inaseparatepotboilsomewater.Slowlypourhotwaterovertheashes,justenoughtomakeamixture.__39__Whilewoodashesmaynotwinthegoodhousekeepingsealofapproval,they'llcleanyourpanandgetitreadyforairdrying.

__40__Sowhetheryoufindyourselfdowntothelastdropofyourdishwashingsoapathome,forgettobringitalongonyourcampingtriporjustwanttotryaneco-friendly,naturalalternative,turntothesethingstohelpyou.

A．Wecangetalongwithoutit.

B．Aneco-friendlycleaningsolutioniscreated.

C．Animalfatsandproteins,however,aretheopposite.

D．Peopleusedunusualthingsinthenaturalworldaroundthem.

E．Dishwashingsoaphasonlybeenaroundsincethemid-20thcentury.

F．It'sgoodtoknowthatthere'realternativestomakeyourdishesclean.

G．Theacidwillwipeouttheharmfulthingsandkeepthedishesfromspotting.

第三部分語言運(yùn)用(共兩節(jié)，滿分30分)

第一節(jié)(共15小題；每小題1分，滿分15分)

閱讀下面短文，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)。

InSanAntonio,athemeparkcalledMorgan'sWonderlandhaswelcomedvisitorsacrosstheglobe.It'safully41spacedesignedforpeoplewhohavespecialneeds,anditallbeganwithonedadwhowantedtomakehisdaughterMorganHartman42.

MorganHartmanwasbornwith43.Onafamilyvacationbackin2023,Morgan'sfather,Gordon,noticedherbeing44byagroupofchildrenshewastryingtoplaywithatahotelswimmingpool.

"ItleftMorganwithapainfulexperience.Allshewantedwasto45,"Gordonsaid.So,likeanygoodfatherwhoseeshischildbeinghurtinsomeway,he46tocreateaspacewhereeveryonefeltwelcome.Fouryearsand$35millionlater,Morgan'sWonderlandwas47andopenedtotheworld.Thenonprofitthemepark4825fancyattractionsandoffersfreeadmissiontoanyonewithadisability.

Morgan'sWonderlandisa49thatthegovernmentisactivelyencouragingthewidercommunitytoadoptaswell.Allitsfacilitiesforthedisabledare50integratedwiththesurroundings,sotheyneverattractunnecessaryattentiontotheir51.Inadditiontoridesandgames,Morgan'sWonderlandalsooffersan52calledtheHomeLab,wherethedisabledcanpracticedailyactivitiessuchaspreparingfood,gettingdressedandsocializinginasafe,comfortablesettingusing53technology.

GordonisclearthatMorgan'sWonderlandsuppliesanopportunityforthechildrenwhohavespecialneedswiththekindofinteractionshesawhisdaughter54ofsomanyyearsago,nomatterwhattheir55maybe.

41．A．movable42．A．calm43．A．dreams44．A．takenin45．A．participate46．A．hesitated47．A．designed48．A．rents49．A．model50．A．likely51．A．brand52．A．object53．A．a(chǎn)ssistive54．A．suspected55．A．futureB．privateB．happyB．talentsB．caredforB．challengeB．beggedB．donatedB．featuresB．planB．perfectlyB．qualityB．a(chǎn)dventureB．educationalB．deniedB．cultureC．a(chǎn)ccessibleC．strongC．disabilitiesC．watchedoverC．escapeC．a(chǎn)greedC．completedC．discoversC．chanceC．partlyC．structureC．experienceC．militaryC．warnedC．beliefD．cleanD．proudD．a(chǎn)ddictionsD．leftoutD．a(chǎn)daptD．determinedD．repairedD．exploresD．recordD．basicallyD．existenceD．inventionD．medicalD．remindedD．condition

第二節(jié)(共10小題；每小題1．5分，滿分15分)

閱讀下面短文，在空白處填入1個(gè)適當(dāng)?shù)膯卧~或括號內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。

Chinahasauniqueandtime-honoredarchitecturaltradition,datingbacktotheZhouDynasty.Sinceancienttimes,severaltypesofarchitecturehavebeen56(traditional)builtbytheChinese.Eachofthesekindsofconstructionhasdifferentfeatures.

Thewoodenarchitecturehasdistinctivefeatures57changedlittlefromtheZhouDynasty.Thebuildings58(construct)strongenoughtosurvivenaturaldisastersandwereeasiertorebuild.A59(notice)featureofthewoodenbuildingswasroofswithwideeaves(屋檐)andslightlyupturnedcorners.Thebuildersconsidered60importanttocoverwoodenbuildingswith61(overhang)roofs.Thiswastoprotectthebuildingfromweatheringsincewoodgotdamagedmuch62(fast)whenitwaswet.

Anotherfeatureisthesouthfacingorientation(方向).Whencourtyardswerebuiltwithtallerbuildingsinthenorth63shorterwallsfacingeastandwestinthesouth,itallowedthemaximumamountofsunlight64(warm)thebuildingduringthewintermonths.Thiswas65thedoorandwindowsofthemainbuildingfacedsouthwardsandopenedovertheinnercourtyard.

第四部分寫作(共兩節(jié)，滿分40分)

第一節(jié)(滿分15分)

你校英語社團(tuán)的微信公眾號正在開展“中國符號”主題征文活動(dòng)。請你寫一篇短文投稿，內(nèi)容包括：

1．你心目中的中國符號；

2．簡要介紹；

3．說明理由。

注意：1．詞數(shù)80左右；

2．可以適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié)，以使行文連貫。

ASymbolofChina

第二節(jié)(滿分25分)

閱讀下面材料，根據(jù)其內(nèi)容和所給段落開頭語續(xù)寫兩段，使之構(gòu)成一篇完整的短文。

Beatruerunner

Forme,itwasnormaltofeellostattheinter-camptrack.Fourcampsofkidswerereadytoleadtheirteamstoablueribbonandwintheday.Notme.Iwastoolittletobetheleaderandtooskinnytobeanathlete.IknewthisbythetimeIwastwelve,becausemycampcounselors（輔導(dǎo)員）andtheotherkidsremindedmeofiteverychancetheygot.Sowhenourcampneededafourthrunnerinthetwo-mileracearoundthelake,IknewIwasnoone’sfirstchoice.

Ihidintheshadeofamapletreeastheycalledthenamesoftherunners,mybodytensedasIheardacounselorcall,“Fred!WhereisFred!Heisinthisrace!”ItwasBarry.Hespottedmeunderthetree.“Fred!Weneeda12-year-oldwhohasn’tbeeninothereventstorunthetwo-mile!”

Hegavemeapushtowardsthestartingline.Havingnoconfidenceandtryingtosavemyselffromtheshameoftakingthelastplaceasfourcampswatched,Ipleadedwithhim.

“ButIdon’tknowthewayaroundthelake!”

“You’rein.JustfollowBill!”Barrysmiled.

Billwasmyfriendandthefastestrunnerinourcamp.AndthenBarrysaid,“Whenyoumakeittothelaststretch（最后一程）onthefield,justthrowyourheadbackandrun.”

Atthestartingline,IstoodnexttoBillandtrembled.

“Onyourmark…Getset…”Theguncrackedandsixteenofustookoff.IstayedcloseonBill’sheels,alittletoocloseforBill,Iguess.Heshoutedatme,“Backoff!”

Idid.Twoguyspassedme,butIkeptmyeyesonBill．

Itwastiring.ThedistancewaswideningbetweenBillandme.Wemadetheturnfromthedustyroadontothemuddy,woodedtrailthatwouldgoaroundthelakebacktothefield.Throughthetrees,IsawBilltripoveratreerootandfall.Arunnerfromanothercamppassedhim.

Inamoment,Billwasupandrunningagain.____________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Ididn’trealizethatIhadcrossedthefinishline._________________________________________

___________________________________________