江苏省南京市2020-2021学年高二第一学期期中考试英语试题 Word版含答案

江苏省南京市2020-2021学年第一学期高二期中试卷
英语试题
阅读（共两节，满分50分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2.5分，满分37.5分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该项涂黑。

A
EReader IQ
Daily free e-books are the main feature on this site, and there are some fantastic titles to choose from,including a large number of children's books and young adult novels. The format is unique to Kindle though,so unless you have a conversion(转换）program, you might be out of luck if you're using a different e-reader.
Ereader Love
The majority of books on this site are in the science fiction and romance styles,but there are some jewels to be found in the other sections as well.Young adult readers may find some unique stories to dive into, and there are a few hundred mystery and horror novels to read through too. Project Gutenberg
This site deals only with older books such as classic novels and reference materials,and are free in the United States because their copyright has been out of date.Gutenberg has over 42,000 free e-books available, so any book lovers will have plenty of materials to refer to.
A great site for self-published authors,Scribd gives people the opportunity to upload their own work,and download books by other authors. There's a small catch: not all the books are free.You can read free short pieces of some novels and then purchase with a little money, but there are many impressive titles available for no charge whatsoever.
21. What can we learn from the passage?
A. E-books on EReader IQ are free of charge.
B.Up-to-date novels can be found in Project Gutenberg.
is for famous writers to upload their work.
D.Mystery and horror novels are in the majority on Ereader Love.
22.On which website can you probably find The Time Machine by H.G. Wells?
A.EReader IQ
B.Ereader Love
C.Project Gutenberg
23.What is the purpose of this passage?
A. To stress the importance of e-reading.
B.To compare the advantages of e-book websites.
C.To introduce searching techniques for e-reading.
D.To recommend some online resources of e-books.
B
Suck in capital city traffic with no clear way to avid the cars around is,an Oklahoma ambulance(教护车）was at the mercy of is surrounding rush-hour drivers as as I tried to make its way to a a series of emergency calls on Saturday-one involving a young girl with cancer, who had traveled all the way from London for her treatment.
That was until a certain 6-foot-9-inch do-gooder drove his car through the lanes and skillfully placed it so that the ambulance would be freed from the web of vehicles: Kevin Durant, a famous NBA player.
＂All of a sudden,I see a silver sports car making way for us to get through and guide all the Traffic,"Radford, a,doctor on the ambulance, said. "Once we actually get through all the traffic, this silver car comes over to the side and the driver waves to us."
According to Radford, Durant' s kindness led the doctors to make it to their second emergency call on time,too,enabling that young girl with cancer to get to her treatment safe and sound, For his part,Durant shied away from being regarded as a hero for his actions, saying what he did was entirely ordinary.
＂I just thought it was SO cool that someone like Durant would take the time to assist an ambulance getting to an emergency call," Radford said."Everything he did was amazing; Durant is the hometown hero.'”
For his heroism, Durant will be honored by the Oklahoma Emergency Medical Services Authority (OEMSA) as an “Everyday Hero”， an award that's given out four times a year.
＂Durant' s actions are exactly how we think citizens should help doctors reach their calls for emergencies. He is a great example of doing one's part to help those in need, and he handled it with such modesty,” an OEMSA representative said.
24. Kevin was regarded as a hero mainly because
A. he answered emergency calls for doctors
B.he cured a young girl from London of cancer
C.he guided an ambulance through rush-hour traffic
D.he solved the problem of traffic jam in Oklahoma
25.What do we know about Oklahoma from the passage?
A. It is widely known for heavy traffic.
B. It has poor emergency medical services.
C.It has the best cancer experts in the world.
D.It gives"Everyday Hero" award to citizens.
26.Which words can best describe Durant?
A. Warm-hearted and modest.
B. Quick-minded and careful.
C.Athletic and intelligent.
D. Merciful and reliable.
27.Which might be the best title for the passage?
A.Better City,Faster Service
B.Big Boy,Small Kindness
rger City,Heavier Traffic
D.Ordinary Girl,Good Luck
C
（Oct. 13th,2020,Reuters) The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020 to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna ”for the development of a method for gene editing”.
Charpentier and Doudna have discovered one of gene technology's sharpest tools: the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors. Using these, researchers can easily change the DNA of animals and plants. This technology has had a great impact on the life sciences. It is contributing to new cancer treatment and may make the dream of curing inherited diseases(遗传病）come true.
Researchers need to modify genes in cells if they want to find out about life's inner workings. This used to be difficult and sometimes impossible. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors, it is now possible to change the code of life in a few weeks.
The discovery of these genetic scissors was unexpected. During Charpentier's studies of Streptococcus pyogenes(酿脓链球菌），which cause the most harm to humans,she discovered a previously unknown molecule (分子）， tracrRNA. It kills viruses by breaking their DNA.
She started working with Doudna,an experienced biochemist in 2011. They then reprogrammed the genetic scissors. In their natural form, the scissors recognize DNA from viruses, but Charpentier and Doudna prove that they could be controlled so that they can cut any DNA molecule at a given site. Then it is easy to rewrite the code of life.
Since Charpentier and Doudna discovered the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors in 2012, their use has exploded. This tool has contributed to many important discoveries in basic research, and plant researchers have been able to develop crops that can fight pests and drought.Clinical trials(临床试验）of new cancer treatments are under way, and the dream of being able to cure inherited diseases is about to come true. These genetic scissors have taken the life sciences into a new page and, in many ways,are bringing the greatest benefit to humans.
28.In which field is CRISPR/Cas9 mostly used?
A.Life science.
B.Tool design.
C.Disaster prevention.
D. Chemistry industry.
29.Wha t does the underlined word "This” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Dealing with cancer.
B.Modifying genes in cells.
C.Curing inherited diseases.
D.Discovering life's inner workings.
30.How does CRISPR/Cas9 work?
A. It kills harmful viruses.
B.It damages human organs.
C. It makes DNA copying easier.
D.It cuts DNA molecule at a chosen spot.
31. The passage is a
A. science fiction
B.personal story
C.news report
D.book review
D
My grandma is the best pie maker in the world. So when she called me to say that one of her pies was missing, I knew that it was serious. I hurried to Grandma's house and suddenly realized that I hadn't visited her in a long time.
＂Start from the beginning,” I said. “I cut the pumpkin pie into six pieces,” she began. “A pumpkin pie! My favori te kind! This is even more serious than I thought.”
I took out a small notebook and a pencil. “Now, when did you last see this pie?” «You mean the whole? I baked it this morning,” said Grandma. “Then the doorbell rang. It was the leaf collector.”
＂Just as I suspected,” I said, writing down “leaf collector”。

“He stole the pie.” “Oh, no,”Grandma said. “He just wanted me to know that he was finished. I gave him a piece for his good job.” I put a line through "leaf collector"."Then what happened?"
“When I went outside with his piece, the mail carrier was there. She told me she could smell that pie all the way. “Aha!” I wrote down “mail carrier”。

“She stole the pie.”“No, I gave her a piece myself.” “Go on, please.” I said.
＂Then the phone rang, and it was my neighbor, Gloria Ketchum with the cats." I nodded and wrote "G.K.”。

“She calls me every day to see if I need anything. So I invited her and her daughter over for some pie.”
“Grandma! No one stole the pie. You gave away all the pieces. One to the leaf collector. Another to the mail carrier. You and Gloria each had one. And her daughter's is five.”
＂Altogether six pieces!” Grandma said. “Maybe it was one of Gloria' s cats, or maybe a monster took it.” Grandma hid her face in her handkerchief; I couldn't tell if s he was laughing or blowing her nose.
I had to search for more clues.
I opened the door of the refrigerator and asked “What's this?” Grandma looked surprised.“That's it!” She said, “I'll just warm it up. You must be hungry from the work, Jane!”
I did find the pie. And it was delicious, just as I suspected.
32. Who got a piece of pie for bringing Grandma's groceries?
A. The leaf collector.
B. The mail carrier.
C.The neighbor.
D. The author.
33. What is Grandma's real reason for calling the author?
A. She found a piece of her pumpkin pie missing.
B. Someone was needed to look into the strange case.
C.The author did well in making the right judgement.
D. She wanted to find a good excuse to meet the author.
34. Why didn't the author open the fridge at first?
A. Because she believed the pie was stolen.
B. Because she didn't know where the pie was.
C.Because she didn't want to ruin the game.
D.Because she thought Grandma made a mistake.
35. What does the passage mainly tell us?
A. He who laughs last laughs best.
B. You are the apple of my eye.
C. Honesty is the best policy.
D.Observation is the best teacher.
第二节（共5小题；每小题2.5分，满分12.5分）
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。

选项中有两项为多余选项。

Since the DISEASE officially began in March,we've been told staying home is the best way to avoid catching Covid-19.But being homebound(居家隔离）for so long affects the body,weakening the heart and lungs and even damages the brain. 36 This is what half a year of staying home can do to your body.
A week homebound,whether you are working,eating or sleeping, seems to give you a sense of comfort. 37 That's because it can take months to build muscle and just one week to lose it. When you lose muscle, you're not necessarily losing shape, but you are losing strength. The stronger we stay, the easier it is for us to live longer.
If you're not exercising,you're not raising your heart rate. And when your heart isn't pumping
as hard, it gets weaker. 38 Many patients have felt their breathing function become worse, because they're no longer conditioned to exercise.Exercise is the only key to improving both heart and lung function. If it's not safe to leave the house,doctors recommend dancing or finding household objects for home strength training.
39 Exercise produces certain chemicals in the brain that break down toxins in the blood and even prevent them from going to the brain, where they can kill brain cells.
The effects of homebound are hidden-like the DISEASE,the physical reactions after months of staying home often aren't obvious until they become harmful or extreme. Keeping your mental and physical health while staying home requires some work, but it's a better preparation for uncertainty until Covid-19 is over. _ 40
A. But actually, it can ruin hard-won fruit.
B. Possibly, you can work out in the gym.
C. This kind of lifestyle can slow your brain, too.
D. The effects may stay with us beyond DISEASE' s end.
E. And when it's safe to live fully again,you'll be prepared.
F. The same thing happens to your lungs when you're inactive.
G. Hopefully, the day will come when the DISEASE is swept away.
第三部分语言运用（共两节，满分30分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题1分，满分15分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该项涂黑。

“I had a lovely dream last night,”my mum said, a wide smile filling her face. “All you grownup kids were there. We were 41 together , all of us under one roof.”
“Oh,”I replied.“You 42 you had a nightmare(梦魇）.”
Perhaps it's an Asian thing, but if it was up to my mum I would 43 live at home.I see her most weeks and we speak almost daily, but it's never 44 . Whenever I look for a new flat to rent, she sends me 45 : all a two-hour ride from work, yet just a five-minute walk from her house.Once,she even saved her address as “ 46 ”in my satnav(导航）。

“Think of the money you spend on rents," she said."You could 47 it and live with me.”
However, like many young people, I need space to 48 and to make mistakes. At Mum's, there was never enough space. I 49 at 18 and have only had three flat requirements since: cheap rent; 50 enough o Mum's for regular visits; far enough that they are not too regular.
51 something happened recently.I fell ill and was home alone. Mum came as soon as she could, and only at that time I felt her 52 I wished then,strongly, that she lived a little nearer, a “stone's throw away” 53
I have no plans to move back in with Mum,but I've come to learn there might be some method to her madness:my 54 flat will be the closest to her. We all need 55, but ideally we stay near enough to someone who will help pick up the pieces.
41. A. talking B.reading C.working D.living
42.A.pretend B. mean C.admit D.hope
43.A.still B.also C.even D.thus
te B.enough sting D.tiring
45.A.connection B.explanations C.suggestions D. information
munity pany C.park D.home
47.A.save B.earn C.pay D.share
48.A.play B.advance C.grow D.exercise
49.A.left B.paid C.graduated D.hesitated
50.A.expensive B.cheap C.far D.close
51.A.Or B.And C.So D.But
52.A.worry B.absence C.strength D.effort
53.A.reason B.chance C.distance D.direction
54.A.only B.next C.final D.private
55.A.space B.guidance C.support D.attention
第二节（共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分）
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Shi Chengchuan,a hearing-impaired(听力受损的）young businessman,was selected for the Forbes(福布斯）list of 30 Under 30 Asia 2020. So far, the story of his success 56_____（inspire) many young people in Guangzhou,capital of Guangdong Province.
Two years ago,Shi had to type to communicate with others. But 57_____（fortunate),he is able to chat with people and answer phone calls 58_____ the help of a cochlear implant(人工耳蜗植入）and an app he developed.The app, _ 59____ went online in 2017, has now attracted more than 600,000 hearing-impaired users.
Despite the success of the app, Shi is determined to come up with more 60_____（create) to help hearing-impaired people."I want to help more people who have impaired hearing to regain their hearing functions in the years 61______(come)." he said. He is expecting more than one million hearing-impaired people nationwide to be using his app in four years.
Shi uses the app to practice 62_____(speak) for more than 30 minutes every day, no matter 63 ______busy he is. After two years of practice, he said his spoken Mandarin has become much 64_____（good).
His business partner and former university classmate,Chen Guoqiang, said he was willing to team up with Shi as he had determination.“Shi has65_____ strong passion for work and determination to help the masses of hearing-impaired people,"Chen said.
第四部分写作（共两节，满分40分）
第一节应用文写作（满分15分）
假定你是李华，最近你的网友David因网上的一道汉语考试题而苦恼，感慨汉语太难理解。

考题如下：
一个女孩给男朋友打电话：“到了吗？如果你到了，我还没到，你就等着吧。

如果我到了，你还没到，你就等着吧！”请解释划线句。

请给他写一封信，内容包括：
1.表示安慰；
2.简要解释两个划线句的含义；
3.提出学习汉语的建议。

注意：
1.词数80左右；
2.文章中不得出现汉语；
3.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
4.开头和结尾已经给出，不包含在词数内。

Dear David,
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________ Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
第二节读后续写（满分25分）
阅读下面材料，
根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Barry, a promising young man,made a hit recently. His boss awarded him a nice car for the contribution he made to the company, With the new car shinning, he could not wait to have a ride, and try its speed.
Barry was used to a fast-paced life and did not like the way his parents lived."Slow down."
＂Watch your step."These words, in his eyes, mean nothing to a big guy in big cities. He really had benefited a lot since he left his hometown for this city: houses, money,and this prize car. For these, he had to work around the clock.
While driving, he recalled the days and nights that made what he was now."Busy hours behind, cozy life ahead. Bug beneath the mud, rocket in the sky." Being a happy man, he rapped all the way and drove his car fast down the neighborhood street.
Everything went quite smoothly at first, but then the road was becoming rougher.
＂Nothing to worry about, man." Barry said to himself, speeding down the street.
“Watch out!" There seemed a shout somewhere.
“I am good!” Barry comforted himself as he always did in such situations.
Suddenly, he noticed a figure,who was trying to throw something at him. The next moment,a stone crashed into its back door on the right. Shocked, he pulled up and jumped out,only to find a large dent(凹坑） in his car. A few steps away stood an old man.
“What's wrong with you?" Barry shouted at him. “Oh, my car!"
“Calm down, young man." Old man replied.
“Calm down? You made that dent in my car!"
＂Sorry, nothing else I could do." Old man pointed over Barry' s shoulder,"Look!”
Barry turned around, and was surprised to find a big hole on the wall of a house a few yards away. “This road is not designed for speeding. The other day, a car rushed into the house," Old man added, "No one was dead,but the driver of' your age was badly hurt."
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Staring at the big black hole, Barry broke into a cold sweat.
Back to the office, Barry threw himself into his armchair, deep in thought.
2021年南京市高二上期中考试解析
听力：略
阅读21-23 ABD 24-27 CDAB 28-31 ABDC 32-35 CDCB
7选5阅读36-40 DAFCE
完形填空41-45 DBABC 46-50 DACAD 51-55 DBCBA
语法填空56. has inspired 57. fortunately 58. with 59. which 60. creations 61. to come
62. speaking 63. how 64. better 65. a
A篇主要讲四个供你下载不同类型书籍的网站推荐，主要是根据四个小标题以及每个小段的第一句话可以概括出来。

B篇讲凯文杜兰特在繁忙的交通运输中为救护车开道，导致一个女孩能够及时接受救治。

杜兰特特别低调，他被评为了每日英雄。

C篇是一篇关于基因编辑的科学报导，讲述了Charpentier和Doudna关于基因编辑的发现，本文学术性较强，可能给学生阅读造成障碍。

D篇讲述了我的祖母因为找不到自己做的南瓜派打电话给我，让我帮忙寻找的故事，故事整体脉络比较清晰，重点在于体会人物感情。

龚露老师详细解析：
A篇
第21题 A 根据第一段的第一句话daily free e-books are the main feature on this site可知这个网站上的图书是免费的
第22题 B 因为time machine是科幻，所以应该是E reader love.
第23题 D 主要是根据四个小标题以及每个小段的第一句话可以概括出来。

此文主要讲四个供你下载不同类型书籍的网站推荐。

B篇
第21题C 根据第一段，可知救护车堵在繁忙的交通堵塞之中，根据二三两段可知，杜兰特为救护车开道。

第22题 D 根据倒数第二段，可知Oklahoma 会给自己的居民评“每日英雄”奖。

第23题A 杜兰特路见不平拔刀相助，是warm-hearted, 帮助之后又非常低调，因为最后一段说he handled it with much modesty ，可知杜兰特不张扬，所以选A。

24题 B 主人公应该是杜兰特，身形高大，但是内心温暖，从小小的善举中我们可以看到他善良的心。

C篇
第28题A 本题考察了CRISPR/Cas9的作用，定位到第二段，可以看到这是一把基因剪刀‘genetic scissors’, 科学家可以通过它改变动物和人的基因来治愈疾病，因此答案选择A，生命科学。

第29题B 本题考察‘this’ 的含义，定位到第三段第一句，前一句提到了‘modify genes in cells’,这里this就是指代这个技术，说明这个技术在过去是很难实现的，因此本题答案为B。

第30题D 这里考察CRISPR/Cas9 是如何作用于人体的，定位到第五段第三句，这两个科学家已经证明了基因剪刀是可以被控制用来‘cut any DNA molecule at a given site’这和选项D的表述一致，因此本题答案为D。

第31题 C 本题考察文体，可以看到这是一篇有关于科学的报导，第一段还有报导时间和
记者名字，本题答案为C。

D篇
第32题C 本题考察的是谁因为给祖母带来了杂物而得到了一片南瓜派，这里可以定位到文章中来过祖母家的人，可以得知邻居每天给祖母打电话，看看她需要什么东西，答案为C 。

第33题D 本题考察祖母给我打电话的正真原因。

通读全文以及我的反应，比如第一段suddenly realized that I hadn’t visited her in a long time和文中出现的几次as I suspected 可以得知祖母找我的真正原因不是让我来找南瓜派，而是想要见我，因此本题答案为D。

第34题C 本题考察为什么我在一开始的时候不打开冰箱，从文章来看作者是一开始就识破祖母的真正意图，即作者很久没有来看祖母了，祖母想念外孙女，但是因为羞于面子，不好意思说，所以设计了馅饼丢了这一局，作者也很配合祖母出的局，所以她不打开冰箱查看，不想破坏了祖母的好意，所以本题答案为C。

第35题B 本题考察文章主旨选项A 笑到最后的人笑的最好 B你是我的掌上明珠 C诚实为上策 D观察使最好的老师通读全文可以发现我的祖母把我视为掌上明珠，因此B选项最为符合，本题答案为B。

7选5阅读答案：36-40 DAFCE
本文分析了因为疫情长期居家在家，对我们身体的伤害，所以我们要动起来，强身健体，增强抵抗力！这篇7选5大部分都是原词重现和同类相关词。

详细解析：
第36题D 这里是these effects 代指的前句的affects the body, weakening the heart and lungs and even damages the brain. 能够与前文形成很好的衔接。

第37题 A hard-won fruit 代指的是后文的months to build muscle and just one week to lose it. 也就是运动得来的成果很不容易，但是毁灭起来超快。

第38题F 这里的lungs 与前句的Heart形成一种并列关系，而且lungs与后文的breathing 是同类相关词。

第39题C 根据选项中的brain以及后句中的they can kill brain cells可知，这里讲的是居家在家对大脑的损害。

运动能够减少有毒物质对大脑细胞的损害。

第40题 E 根据prepared一词，我们可知它与上句的it is a better preparation for uncertainty until the Covid-19 is over.
03完形填空答案：41-45 DBABC 46-50 DACAD 51-55 DBCBA
本篇文章讲述了作者和母亲之间的关系，她认为自己需要成长的空间不应该再和母亲住在一起，而母亲则是希望我和她同住一个屋檐下。

本篇考察前后的呼应较多，需要认真阅读文章。

详细解析：
第41题 D 母亲做梦，梦到她的孩子们都主要一起，通过后一句‘all of us under one roof’可以推测出答案为living。

第42题B 这里考察动词的含义，这里想要表达‘你的意思使你做了一个噩梦？’，选择mean。

第43题A 这里作者说如果是母亲来决定的话，那作者应该还是住在家里，因此本题选择A选项Still。

第44题B 这里的主语是it 指的是作者和母亲之间的相处和谈话，说的是他们之间的相处怎么也不够，这里选择enough。

第45题C 这里说到每次作者寻找一个新的公寓，她的母亲都会给她发来建议，认为作者的公寓距离工作的地方太远，而母亲的家却离工作地方很近。

第46题 D 这里讲到作者的母亲甚至把她的地址在我的导航里设置成‘家’home。

第47题A 我的母亲告诉我，你可以把租房子的钱省下来‘save it’然后搬过来和我住在一起。

48题 C 但是我像很多年轻人一样，我需要成长和犯错的空间，因此这里选择grow。

第49题A 前文讲到我需要成长的空间，在18岁的时候我从家里搬了出来，这里选择动词left。

第50题D 这里讲到作者搬出来以后选择公寓的三个标准，房租低，距离比较近所以我的母亲可以常常来看我，但是又不能太近，让她来的次数太多，因此答案为close。

第51题D 这里讲到作者生病了，虽然不想母亲来看我，但是最近我生病了，一个人待在家里，这里选择but。

第52题B 我生病之后母亲以最快的速度赶来了，只有在这个时候我才能感受到她的缺席，说明作者此时是很需要他的母亲的，选择absence。

第53题C 生病之后我希望母亲可以住的离我进一点，是石头可以扔到的距离，这里答案选择distance。

第54题B 虽然我还是不打算搬回去，但是我想我可以搬的距离母亲近一些，所以这里选择next，作者决定下一个公寓就搬的丽母亲家里近一点。

第55题A 这里讲到，我和我的母亲的都需要空间，但是我们可以住的近一些来互相帮忙，这里选择空间space。

04语法填空答案：
56. has inspired 57. fortunately 58. with 59. which 60. creations 61. to come
62. speaking 63. how 64. better 65. a
此篇语法填空没有难题。

龚露老师原创作文
1、应用文写作：
Dear David,
I feel sympathetic towards your frustration in learning Chinese. Actually, it is a natural process in acquiring a foreign language. Please don't lose heart and just keep going.
The first “你就等着吧” means if I haven't arrived yet, please wait for me. The second “你就等着吧” means if you don't wait for me, you shall suffer from my severe punishment, whatever form it takes.
To learn Chinese well, firstly, you need to read newspaper or magazines which will enormously enlarge your vocabulary and activate your word reserve in real life. Secondly, hang out with native Chinese who will get across to you the meaning of common slangs and idioms, which will deepen your understanding of some everyday phrases and collocations.
Hope the above suggestions work.
Yours sincerely，
Li Hua
2、读后续写
Staring at the big black hole, Barry broke into a cold sweat. He might have run into the house like the badly injured driver had it not for the old man's kind reminder. He thanked the old man a million of times. As they parted, the old man gently squeezed Barry on th e shoulder and said softly, ‘young man, learn to slow down and a host of careless accidents can be avoided.’ ‘Absolutely, I will keep that in mind.’ Barry nodded heavily as he turned away. Back to the office, Barry threw himself into his armchair, deep in thought. The old man's words kept ringing by his ear, which he felt made a huge sense. In fact, so quick-paced was he that Barry hardly noticed the No Speeding sign on the roadside, in which case, He might have crashed into the same hole and knocked the house down, whose ruins would swallow his car as a whole and bury him alive. At the thought of this, Barry felt the familiar cold sweat returned. “Slow down,” he jotted down the two words on his note sticker and put it up where he could see it easily. Total word count: 170。