江西省南昌市新建縣一中2023年高考英語一模試卷含解析

2023年高考英語模擬試卷考生須知：1．全卷分選擇題和非選擇題兩部分，全部在答題紙上作答。選擇題必須用2B鉛筆填涂；非選擇題的答案必須用黑色字跡的鋼筆或答字筆寫在“答題紙”相應(yīng)位置上。2．請用黑色字跡的鋼筆或答字筆在“答題紙”上先填寫姓名和準(zhǔn)考證號。3．保持卡面清潔，不要折疊，不要弄破、弄皺，在草稿紙、試題卷上答題無效。第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1．Theirproductsenjoy30percent________ofthemarketinthiscountrybecauseboththequalityandtheirservicearefine.A．featuresB．sharesC．interestsD．sales2．____________thefiercecompetitioninjobseeking,manyuniversitygraduateshavenochoicebuttoreducetheirowndemandforthesalary.A．FacedB．FacingC．TofaceD．Havingfaced3．Ithinkheropinion_________,becausesheisanexperiencedteacher.A．numberB．calculatesC．figuresD．counts4．—Thelectureabout3Dtechnologywasveryinteresting.—It’sapity.HowIwishI________timetoattendit.A．had B．have C．hadhad D．havehad5．Markdriveshiscartoofastand,what’smore,verycarelessly,worrieshismother.AasA．what B．it C．which6．—Iamjustwonderingwhichteam,ChicagoBullsorWashingtonWizards,wonthegamelastnight?—________Idon’treallylikeeitherteam.A．Don’tmentionit.B．Noproblem.C．Whocares?D．Whybother?7．—Hi,Tom,haveyoucheckedtheaccountyet?—Certainly,I________itfivetimeseventhoughyoutoldmetodoittwice.A．checkedB．willhavecheckedC．havebeencheckingD．hadchecked8．Andycangotothecinematogetherwithushehasfinishedthetask．A．unless B．a(chǎn)ssoonas C．until D．a(chǎn)slongas9．--Theweatheristoocold___Marchthisyear.--Itwasstill___whenIcamehereyearsago.A．for;colder B．in;coldC．in;hot D．for;hotter10．Withoutmyparents’encouragementandsupportIdefinitely______whereIamtoday.A．wasn’t B．hadn’tbeenC．wouldn’tbe D．wouldn’thavebeen11．—Iamafraidthispairofshoesisalittleexpensive．—Ifyoureallywanttobuythem,Iwillgiveyoua____of10percent．A．quantity B．a(chǎn)mount C．discount D．a(chǎn)ccount12．Forathird-culturekid,itisofteneasiertoanewforeigncountrythantotheir"home"country.A．movingB．tomoveC．moveD．moved13．Notevenwhen_____throughthedarkestvalley_____beafraid,foryouarealwaysclosebesideme.A．doIwalk;willIB．doIwalk;IwillC．Iwalk;IwillD．Iwalk;willI14．--Whenwillyoucomehomefordinner?I’llprepareitforyou.--Don’t________it.I’lleatoutwithmyfriends.A．careabout B．worryabout C．botherabout D．talkabout15．Thoughafarmer,Zhuzhiwenhasbecameahugesuccessasasinger,whosestoryisreally________ofgreatinspiration.A．everything B．nothing C．theone D．one16．Morewildtigershavebeenseenintheforestaroundthisarea,____thereusedtobeveryfew.A．when B．where C．what D．which17．You________havebookedtheticketsinadvance;therewereplentyleft.A．needn’t B．can’tC．shouldn’t D．mustn’t18．Keepingaregularsleepscheduleisimportantforsettingababy'sbodyclock,_______researchersnoteshouldbeinplacebyabout4monthsofage.A．whose B．which C．when D．where19．Thepartinthefilmthemanbrokedownthedoormadesomeoftheaudiencegiveacry.A．which B．who C．where D．whom20．AsurveysuggeststhattheroyalweddingofPrinceWilliamandKateMiddleton_____agreatboostforBritisheconomybecausealargenumberofvisitorsareexpectedtogo.A．willbe B．hasbeen C．was D．be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）ResortsofeverykindhavesprunguptocatertotheEnglishman^needtospendapartoftheyear,howeverbriefly,bytheseaside.NotowninBritainismorethaneightymilesfromtheseaandthereareseasideresortsallroundthecoast.OnasummerSundaymostoftheroadsthatleadtotheseaaxecongestedwithcarsfullofpeopleeagertogetabreathofseaair.Intheeveningwheneveryoneisfulloffood,ice-creamandlollypops,thereisthelongslowdrivehomeonroadscrowdedwithreturningcars.BrightonBrightonisoneofthebest-knownsouthcoastresortsandisverypopularfordaytripexcursions.ItisonlyfiftymilesfromLondonandcanbereachedbyfasttraininanhour.Attheweekendthepebbledbeachesarethrongedwithpeoplesunbathingorpickingtheirwaytothewater’sedgeforadip.BournemouthLocatedahundredmilesfromLondon,thebeachesarewideandsandy.Whitehouseslinetheclifftopsandnarrowvalleys,denselywoodedwithpinetrees,reachdowntotheshore.TheareaneartothetownofTorquayontheDevoncoastissometimescalledBritainsRivieraandtheclimateissomildthatpalmtreesgrowalongtheseafront.BlackpoolOnthenorth-westcoast,apopularresortforthepeopleintheindustrialnorth,Blackpoolisagay,noisytown,famousforitsamusementfacilitiesandthemagicallights.Atnightpeopletravelfrommilesaroundtoseetheextravaganzaoflightsdecoratingtheseafront.SouthendOntheeastcoastatthemouthoftheThames,Southendis,likeBrighton,oneofthefavoriteresortsofLondoners.ThepierhereisthelongestinBritainandoffersagreatvarietyofdifferingentertainments.1、Whydopeopleoftenhavealongslowdrivehomeonroadsinsummer?A．Becauseitisextremelyfarfromthesea.B．Becausepeoplearefulloffood,ice-creamandlollypops.C．Becausetoomanyreturningcarsoftenmakeatrafficjam.D．Becausepeopleareattractedintheresortssotheyleaveslowly.2、Whichresortisfamousforitsentertainmentsandgrandlights?A．Blackpool.B．Bournemouth.C．Briton.D．Southend.3、WhichofthefollowingstatementsisNOTtrue?A．TherearepalmtreesgrowingnearBournemouth.B．SouthendhasthelongestpierinBritain.C．Peoplecrowdedintothewater’sedgeatBritonforaquickswim.D．SouthendisabetterpreferredresortthanBritonbyLondonlocals.22．（8分）David,aFrenchpriest(牧師)ofthirty-six,wassenttoChinabythechurchin1872.Hedidwellinthenaturalandsocialsciencebesideshisreligiousactivities(宗教活動)。HewasalsoveryinterestedintherarewildanimalsandplantsinChina.OnMay4th,1879,aftersearchinghalfamonthinthewesternpartofBaoxing,Sichuanthehuntershired(雇用)byDavidsucceededinbringinghima"black-and-whitebear"."Thebearisextremelylovely",hewroteinhisdiaryexcitedly.Meanwhile,hefeltitmightbeanewspecies(物種)neverdiscoveredbyscientists.HethendecidedtosendittoParisforafurtherstudy.Unfortunatelythepoor"black-andwhite"beardiedofJolts(顛簸)ofthemountainroadsandtheclimatic(氣候)change.Hehadtosenditspelt(皮毛)totheNationalMuseuminParisfordisplay(展覽)。Infact,theso-called"black-andwhite"bearwasneitherabearnoracat.Afteracompletestudy,MillaEdwards,headofthemuseum,judgedthatitwasanewspecies.Hegavethe"giantpanda".ThediscoverymadetheworldexcitedandBaoxingwasalsomadefamousfor"homeofthegiantpanda"1、FromthepassagewecanseethatDavidmainlycametoChinato____.A．learnChinesescienceandhistory B．lookforapandaforchurchC．dosomethingonreligion(宗教) D．studythewildanimalsandplantsinChina2、Theword"rare"inthispassagemeans____.A．veryhardtofind B．worthnomoneyC．easytofind D．runningveryfast3、Thefirstgiantpandawascaught____.A．byDavid,aFrenchpriest B．quitebyaccidentC．withalotofdifficulty D．a(chǎn)fterthehuntersfolloweditforhalfamonth4、Whichofthefollowingisnottrueaccordingtothepassage?A．Thegiantpandadiedwhenitwasondisplay.B．Davidhadneverseenagiantpandabefore.C．Millawassuretheanimalwasneitherabearnoracat.D．Thediscoverymadetheworldexcitedwithinterest23．（8分）NewWaytoExperienceDentistryHaveyoueverhadyourhandheldduringadentalprocedureyoufeeluneasyabout?Whataboutadentalofficethatmimics（模仿）thespiritofDisneyland?Ifyou'relookingforadentalofficethatprovidesthebestcareandthebestenvironment,you'relookingforDr.Licking'sofficeinSunnyvale.OfficemanagerJudy,whohasworkedwithDr.Lickingfor38years,speakshighlyofhiskindness.Shebelievesthattheofficeis“theDisneylandofdentistry”.Everyonefromchildrentotheirgrandparentslovestheenvironmentandcaretheyreceivefromthiswelcomingoffice.Dr.Lickingisknownasthebestdentalcareproviderforanyonewhofearsfacingappointmentswiththedentaloffice.Thestaffgoesoutoftheirwaytomakepatientsfeelcomfortableandatease.Dr.LickingandJudysetthestandardwiththeirsaying,“whensomeonecomestoyourhome,youstandupandwelcomethem,likeanoldfamilyfriend.”Dr.Licking'sofficehasall.Theyrecentlyrelocatedtoputthenewequipmentintotheirpractice.Theofficeisequippedwithanintra-oralvideocamera,andasapatientyoucangetpicturesofyourteethasyou'rewalkingoutthedoor.Settinghimselfapartfromotherdentists,Dr.Lickingcontinueshiseducationbeyondwhatisrequired.Forthisreason,heisoneoffewdentistsinthecountrywhooffersozonetreatment.Ozonecannaturallystopdecay(蛀蝕)initstracks.Formoreinformationonthisnewtechnology,visittheirwebsiteat.Dr.Licking'sofficeisDiamondCertified,anhonorgivenonlytocompanieswiththehigherqualityafterextensiveandcontinualresearch.Dr.Licking'sofficeextendsaninvitationtoyoutomeettheirgentlestaffandoffersyouafreeofficevisit,includingx-raysandanexam.Theofficeholdsextendedhoursrangingfrom7a.m.to8p,m.,MondaythroughThursday.Don'tworryifyouhaveanemergency.Dr.Licking’sofficerespondstoallemergenciesandurgentcalls.JOHNLICKING,D．D．S.Cosmetic&FamilyDentistrysince1970408—736—6235877W.FremontAve.SuiteC3,Sunnyvale1、Whatisspecialaboutthedentaloffice?A．Itusesthemostadvancedequipment.B．ItisdecoratedlikeDisneyland.C．Ithasacaringenvironment.D．Itprovidesserviceforbothkidsandoldpeople.2、WhatdoweknowaboutDr.Licking?A．Hehasdevelopedozonetreatment.B．Heisthebestdentistalloverthecountry.C．Hehasbeenstudyingdentistrycontinuously.D．Hehasworkedasadentistfornearly38years.3、Thepassageiswrittento______.A．introduceafamousdentistB．showanewtreatmentfortoothdecayC．a(chǎn)dvisepeopletohavetheirteethexaminedD．invitepeopletovisitDr.Licking'soffice24．（8分）NEWDELHI—InIndia’sspacecenteronthebarrierislandofSriharikota,thewhite-jacketedscientistsheldtheirbreaths.Thecountry’strustyred-and-whitesatellitelaunchvehiclehadliftedoffmomentsbeforeandblastedintoorbit.ThePolarSatelliteLaunchVehicleC-37wasabouttoperformadelicatemaneuver(操縱，任務(wù))—carefullysending104satellitesintotheheavens,thehighestnumbereverattemptedinonemission.OneIndianspaceanalystontelevisionlikenedthecomplicatedmaneuvertodroppingchildrenatdifferentbusstops.About10a.m.Wednesday,theannouncementcame:Allthesatelliteshadbeensuccessfullylaunched.Thescientistsbreathedacollectivesighofrelief,andbackslappingandapplausefollowed.“Thisisagreatmomentforeachandeveryoneofus.Todaywehavemadehistory,”projectmanagerB．Jayakumarsaidafterward.Thetotalnumberofsatellitesfaroutstripped(超過)thepreviousrecord—37atthesametimesentintospacebyRussiain2014.Wednesday’slaunchwasanothersuccessfortheIndianSpaceResearchOrganization(ISRO),whichisrapidlygainingareputationgloballyforitseffectiveyetlow-costmissions.Indiahadalreadysentupdozensofsatellites,including20inonelaunchlastyear.In2014,IndiabecamethefirstAsiannationtosendaprobe(探測器)intoorbitaroundMars,a$74millioneffortthat,asPrimeMinisterNarendraModinotedatthetime,costlessthanwhatittooktomaketheHollywoodspacemovie“Gravity”.ThefiercenationalpridethatresultedafterthatsuccesssenttheMarsproberocketingontothefaceofthecountry’snew2,000rupee($30)currencynote(鈔票)inNovember.“NowIndiaisshowingitscompetitivenessinthe$300billionglobalspacemarket,”saidRajeswariPillaiRajagopalan,headoftheNuclearandSpacePolicyInitiativeattheObserverRearchFoundationinNewDelhi.1、Whatdoestheunderlinedword“l(fā)ikened”meaninthe3rdparagraph?A．contributedB．comparedC．preferredD．tied2、WhatdoesIndia’sPrimeMinisterModiimplyaccordingtothe8thparagraph?A．The104-satellitemaneuvercostlessmoneythanthefilm“Gravity”did.B．Shootingafilmisalwaysmoreexpensivethanlaunchingarocket.C．TheMarsproberocketingischaracteristicofbeinglowincost.D．Allrealexplorationsarecheaperthanvirtualones.3、ThewayIndiaadoptedtoshowthesignificanceoftheMarsproberocketingisequaltothewayChinesegovernmentuse________inChina.A．ChairmanMaoZedong’sportraitB．a(chǎn)pictureoftheLong-marchrocketC．a(chǎn)pictureoftheThree-gorges(峽谷)projectD．PresidentXiJinping’sportrait4、Itcanbeinferredthatafterthesuccessinthe104-satellitelaunch,Indiawill________.A．becomeNo.1intheglobalspacemarketB．takeupalargermarketshareinthefutureC．showitsabilityamonglocalcompetitorsD．haveanorderof$300billion25．（10分）ResearchersinChinaandtheUnitedStateshavedevelopedanewcataract(白內(nèi)障)treatmentwithcellsthathasrestoredvisioninbabiesinatrialandmayeventuallybeusedinadults.Thetreatment-bydoctorsandstaffmembersattheUniversityofCalifornia,SanDiegoSchoolofMedicineandSichuanandSunYat-senuniversitiesinChina-waspublishedinMarch9editionofthescientificjournalNature.Acataractisacloudingofthenormallyclearlens(晶體)ofaneye.Typicalcataractoperationinvolvestheremovalofthecloudylensandtheinsertionofanartificialone.Thenewoperationhasbeentestedinanimalsandduringasmall,humantrial.Itresultedinfewercomplications(并發(fā)癥)thanthecurrentharmfuloperation,andinregrownlenseswithsuperiorvisualfunctioninall12ofthebabycataractpatientswhoreceivedtheprocedure.Acongenitalcataract-lenscloudingthatoccursatbirthorshortlyafter-isimportantcauseofblindnessinchildren.Inthenewresearch,KandZhang,headofophthalmicgeneticsatUSSanDiego’sShileyEyeInstitute,andhiscolleaguesreliedontheregrownpotentialofendogenous(同源的)stemcells.AccordingtoZhang,endogenousstemcellsaredifferentfromotherstemcellsthataretypicallygrowninalaboratory,transplantedintoapatient,andcanhaverisksofimmune（免疫的）rejection,infectionorcancers.ZhangtoldCBSNews,“Weinventedanewoperationtomakeaverysmallopeningatthesideofacataractouslensbag,removethecataractinside,allowtheopeningtoheal,andpromotepotentiallensstemcellstoregrowanentirelynewlenswithvision.”Thehumantrialinvolved12babiesundertheageof2whoweretreatedwiththenewmethod,while25babiesreceivedthestandardoperationcare.Thelattergroupexperiencedahigherincidenceofpost-operationdanger,early-onseteyehighbloodpressureandincreasedlensclouding.Thescientistsreportedfewercomplicationsandfasterhealingamongthe12babieswhohasthenewprocedure.1、Whatisthetextmainlyabout?A．Anewcataracttreatmentwithstemcells.B．Theconceptofthecataract.C．Badeffectsofpost-operationinthecataract.D．Thereasonswhythecataractcomesintobeing.2、Whichofthefollowingbestdescribethenewcataracttreatmentaccordingtothepassage?A．Convenient.B．Comfortable.C．Safe.D．Cheap.3、Whatcanwelearnaboutthenewcataracttreatment?A．Itmaybeusedwidely.B．Ithasmorerisks.C．Ithasbeenputintopracticewidely.D．Itcanonlyrestorevisioninbabies.4、Whatdoestheunderlinedword“congenital”inthefourthparagraphmean?A．Strange.B．Born.C．Serious.D．Dangerous.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）Hittingheavilyonthekeysinfrustration,Iturnedawayfromthepiano,tryingtofightthetearsthatwerealreadywellingupinmyeyes.Afteranhourof1,Istillcouldn’tgettherhythmquiterightonaMozartpiecethatIhadto2tomypianoteacherthefollowingday.Itwasfrustratingtohavespentsucha(n)3timeonapianosongandstillbeunabletoplaythepiececorrectly.Tome,thepiecehadatfirstseemedeasy.But,nomatterhow4Itried,Ijustcouldn’tseemtoplayitthewaythatitwas5tobeplayed.Idecidedtotakea6.Forthemostpart,afteralittlebitofwork,Icould7learnthesongratherquickly.However,itwasalwaysthatonesong,whichmighthaveappearedsimplebutwas8,thatalwaysannoyedme.Thesetypesofsongsalwaysmademe9myselfwhetherIcouldbeapianist.Afterhavingdinner,Idecidedtocomebacktothepiano.Placingmy10onthekeys,Ichosetoplaythepieceslowlyandcarefully,payingattentiontohittingthecorrectnotes11tryingtoplaythepiecequickly.Usingthisnewmethodofpracticing,I12agreatdealofpatience,somethingthatIoftenhad13with.Insteadofthinkinghowhardtherhythmwas,IthoughtabouthowIcould14myself,littlebylittle.Finally,Icouldslowlyseemyselfgettingbetter.15,Ididn’tevengettherhythmrightuntilaweeklater.Ialso16animportantlesson—sometimes,babystepsarethebestwayto17agoal.I’manimpatientpersonwholikestothinkthatIcanget18byleapsandbounds.But,inthecaseofpiano,Icouldn’tmoveforwardandimprove19Isloweddown,believedinmyself,andtookitonestep20.1、A．waitingB．practicingC．cryingD．singing2、A．contributeB．donateC．representD．present3、A．limitedB．extraC．longD．short4、A．hardB．wellC．carefullyD．efficiently5、A．offeredB．supposedC．designedD．organized6、A．tryB．chanceC．breathD．break7、A．usuallyB．neverC．sometimesD．occasionally8、A．importantB．difficultC．necessaryD．useful9、A．ignoreB．regardC．doubtD．believe10、A．mindB．fingersC．notesD．piece11、A．insteadofB．inspiteofC．a(chǎn)swellasD．incaseof12、A．expressedB．encouragedC．evaluatedD．exercised13、A．confusionB．contactC．troubleD．control14、A．a(chǎn)djustB．persuadeC．comfortD．improve15、A．HoweverB．ThereforeC．OtherwiseD．Moreover16、A．gaveB．missedC．learnedD．taught17、A．setB．identifyC．developD．reach18、A．somewhereB．nowhereC．whereverD．everywhere19、A．a(chǎn)sB．untilC．whenD．if20、A．a(chǎn)llthetimeB．a(chǎn)ttimesC．a(chǎn)tatimeD．a(chǎn)tonetime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(dāng)?shù)膯卧~或括號內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。27．（15分）語法填空Valentine’sDayisknownasadayofloveandromanceonFebruary14theveryyear.Thereareafewdifferentversionsofitsoriginandhistory,oneofwhichdatesback1．a(chǎn)nancientRomanfestival,Lupercalia,2．(celebrate)onFebruary15th.Onthisday,youngsinglewomenwouldplace3．(they)namesinahugecontainerandyoungbachelorsofthetownwouldcomeanddrawanamefromit.Theyoungmanandthewoman,4．namewaspickedwouldbecomepartnersforthe5．(follow)years.Manyofthesecoupleswouldeventuallyget6．(marry).It7．(believe)thatthemonthofFebruaryisperfectforromance.Valentine’sDaywasoriginallycelebratedinEurope,butinrecentyearsitisalsocelebratedinChina,8．(especial)amongyoungpeople.Interestingly,ChinahasitsownValentine’sDay,QixiFestival,onthe7thdayofthe7thmonthofourlunarcalendar.Itisinmemoryofadayonwhichthelegendarycow-herderandweaving-maid9．(allow)tobetogether,afterbeingseparatedbytheMilkyWayforawholeyear.What10．interestingstory!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處錯誤，每句中最多有兩處。錯誤涉及一個單詞的增加、刪除或修改。增加：在缺詞處加一個漏詞符號(/\)，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：

在錯的詞下畫一橫線，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。Amongthefourseasonsinayear,summerismyfavorite,thatmakesmefree,excitedandenergy.Whensummervacationcameeveryyear,wecandoallthatwecan’tdoduringourschooltime,goshoppingwithfriends,swimminginwarmwaterandevenhikingandcampinginthedeepvalleys.Theseactivitiesleadmetoenjoyfullfree.Wecanfindusinanexcitingworldeveryday,withthesunshiningbright,treesgrowingbetterandflowerscomingoutofwithallkindsofcolors.SummermakesmefullofenergyandwefeelIhavethestrengthtodomostdifficultthingsinmylife.Ilikesummerbetter,andwhataboutyou?第二節(jié)書面表達（滿分25分）29．（25分）第二屆“一帶一路”國際合作高峰論壇（theBeltandRoadForumforinternationalCooperation）將于2019年在中國舉辦。組委會向全球征集志愿者。假設(shè)你是李華，請按下面的要求給組委會寫一封自薦信。內(nèi)容應(yīng)包括：1.個人情況：年齡、性別、學(xué)歷；2.個人條件：性格、興趣愛好、語言能力等；3.個人優(yōu)勢:如熟悉中國傳統(tǒng)文化，了解“一帶一路”政策等;4.其他…注意：1.詞數(shù)100左右；2.可以適當(dāng)增加細節(jié)，以使行文連貫；3.開頭語和結(jié)束語已為你寫好。DearSirorMadam,Thankyouforreadingmyletter.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Iamlookingforwardtoreceivingyourreply.Yours,LiHua

參考答案第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1、B2、B3、D4、C5、D6、C7、A8、D9、A10、C11、C12、B13、D14、C15、D16、B17、A18、B19、C20、A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、C2、A3、D22、1、C2、A3、B4、A23、1、C2、C3、D24、Maybenooneforgetstheirfirstbikeandthereisnoexceptiontoawomanlikeme.MinewasaSchwinncoasterbike,second-hand,paintedredandyellowbyitspreviousowner.IrememberridingtoofastdownthebighillonSpringfieldAvenue.Iknewatoncethattheworldwasminetoexplore.Acoupleofyearslater,whenIwas11,mygrandmothervisitedfromEngland,bringingmeabike.Itwasadarkgreenone,withthreegears(齒輪)andhandbrakes.AstheownerofthefirstEnglishbikemyfriendshadeverseen,Iwasalmostfamous.Unlikemycoasterbike,itwaslight—ridingitfeltlikeflying.Irodepastbigstonehouseswiththeirhugeyardsandtrees.Irodepastbrickrowhouses.Irodealoneandwithgroupsoffriends.Thatbelovedbikewentwithmetocollege,carryingmetothelibraryandtoclasses.Beyondtransport,itwasoftenaprop(道具):PushingitalongasIwalkedthecollegepathsmademefeellessself-conscious.Somehow,conversationflowedmoreeasilyoneithersideofabike.Aftercollege,Ilivedabroadforawhile.ReturningfromLondon,Idiscoveredtomyhorrorthatmyparentshadsoldmybike.Foryearsafterthat,Ididn'thaveabikethatwasreallymine.TeachinginaNewEnglandprepschool(學(xué)校),Isimplyrodewhateverbikesitsgraduateshadleftbehind.Irodearoundthelittletownonbikeswithgearsandbrakesthatoftenfailed.IdidnottakeanyofthosebikeswithmewhenImovedsouthtothecoastaltownwhereInowlive.ButafterawhileImissedriding.Finally,onafallday,Iboughtabike.Calledacomfortbike,ithaswidertiresthanmyoldbikeandsevengears.Butitisgreen—abrightergreenbike.Still,Iwasabitworried;Iwasalotolder.Ibroughtthebikehomeandputonmyhelmet—I'dneverwornahelmet