2023-2024學年湖北省武漢市部分學校高考適應性考試英語試卷含解析

2023-2024學年湖北省武漢市部分學校高考適應性考試英語試卷注意事項：1．答題前，考生先將自己的姓名、準考證號填寫清楚，將條形碼準確粘貼在考生信息條形碼粘貼區(qū)。2．選擇題必須使用2B鉛筆填涂；非選擇題必須使用0．5毫米黑色字跡的簽字筆書寫，字體工整、筆跡清楚。3．請按照題號順序在各題目的答題區(qū)域內作答，超出答題區(qū)域書寫的答案無效；在草稿紙、試題卷上答題無效。4．保持卡面清潔，不要折疊，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．AlthoughJaneagreeswithmeonmostpoints,therewasoneonwhichshewasunwillingto______.A．giveout B．giveinC．giveaway D．giveoff2．Mysistermethiminthestreetyesterdayafternoon,sohe______yourlecture.A．shouldn’thaveattended B．couldn’thaveattendedC．mustn’thaveattended D．needn’thaveattended3．ltwasinDecember,2018________ChairmanXiandPresidentTrumpmetinArgentina.A．when B．thatC．before D．since4．Shesatonthetopofthestairs_____herheadonhercrossedarmsandcried.A．for B．when C．with D．while5．Theconditionsinthelocalschoolwerefairly_____,noelectricityandnobasicteachingfacilitiesavailable.A．unique B．typicalC．Primitive D．Stable6．Whilewewerelisteningtothespeechattentively,avoice_____toannouncetheresultoftheelection.A．brokein B．brokeup C．brokeoff D．brokedown7．Janerealizedher____tobecomethefirstwomantorunthe10,000metreswithin30minutes.A．achievementB．commitmentC．competitionD．ambition8．Hello,Tom.ThisisMaryspeaking.Whatacoincidence!I_________aboutyou.A．justthought B．wasjustthinkingC．havejustthought D．wouldjustthink9．MyGod!Ihaven’tpreparedthefilesforthenewprojectyet!_______.Thebosswon’tneedituntilnextFriday.A．There’snodoubt B．There’snopanic C．Goodluck D．Soundsgood10．Thelivingroomiscleanandtidy,withadiningtablealready__________foramealtobecooked.A．laid B．layingC．tolay D．beinglaid11．–Whichdriverwastoblame?--Why,______!Itwasthechild’sfault,clearandsimple.Hesuddenlycameoutbetweentwoparkedcars.A．both B．eachC．either D．neither12．Youwillhavetostayathomeallday______youfinishallyourhomework.A．if B．unless C．whether D．because13．Historicsitesimpresswriterswiththeiramazingbeauty,whichareagreatsourceof________.A．inspirationB．compositionC．occupationD．combination14．—I’dratherhavesomewine,ifyoudon’tmind.—______.Don’tforgetthatyou’lldrive.A．Byallmeans B．AnythingbutthatC．Takeiteasy D．Iwouldn’tsaynotothis15．ThefarmersaidthePLAmencametorescuetimelywhenthey_____inthesnowstorm.A．weretrappingB．werebeingtrappedC．aretrappingD．arebeingtrapped16．Johnhadplannedtomakeacompromise,buthechangedhismindatthelastminute.A．anyhow B．otherwiseC．therefore D．somehow17．Thepolicehaveanyonewithinformationtocomeforwardandtalktothem.A．appealedtoB．attendedtoC．respondedtoD．attachedto18．TheEnglishinthisstoryhasbeensimplifiedtomakeiteasier_______.A．tobeunderstood B．understood C．understanding D．tounderstand19．Oneofthemostimportantquestionstheyhadtoconsiderwas___________ofpublichealth.A．whatB．thatC．thisD．which20．--Theweatheristoocold___Marchthisyear.--Itwasstill___whenIcamehereyearsago.A．for;colder B．in;coldC．in;hot D．for;hotter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）WelcometoFraserIslandYouradventureunfoldsOncedepartingRainbowBeachwestartfromInskipPointbyvehicleferry.Watchoutfordolphins.Northwardbound—travelby4WD(4wheeldrive)alongtheendlessgoldenhighwayof75MileBeach.SwimatcrystalclearfreshwaterLAKEMCKENZIE—famousforitsturquoisecolorsandwhitesands.Delicious“Aussiestyle”sizzlingbushBBQwithicycolddrinks.Primitiverainforest—luxuriantcanopyofpalmsandvines.EliCreek—timeforalazydip.ShipwreckoftheSSMaheno-builtinScotland1904-apermanentfixturetotheNorthernBeachsince1935.IntriguingColoredSandsformations—partofthisWorld’slargestsandisland.※Rememberthisisa4WDsafariandmaynotbesuitableifpregnantorifyouhaveabadback.※Dresscomfortably—it’snotafashionparade!Bringyourswimmersandcamera.ComplimentarycolddrinksPrime250gRibFilletSteakORlocalawardwinning100%beefsausagesandonionsORFish—delicatewhitefilletswithlemon,ORVegetarian.Burger—specialblendseasonalvegetables.GENERALCONDITIONS:Toursmayvaryduetotidalorweatherconditions.Asweareasmallcompanyandprepareourownfood,cancellationfeeshavetoapply.NOTRECOMMENDEDFORYOUNGCHILDREN.CodfordPty.Ltd.TradingasFraserIslandNatureToursABN80010870729361、WhichofthefollowingismentionedaboutFraserIsland?A．Considerablesizeandcheapsouvenirs.B．Authenticfoodandimpressivefood.C．Targetvisitorsandmodernarchitecture.D．Convenienttransportationandlonghistory.1、Accordingtotheleaflet,visitorsshould.A．dresstheirfashionableclothes B．provideahealthcertificateC．payextramoneyforcancellation D．followthefixedtripplans22．（8分）CocoaBeach/JupiterSurfCamp—SummerSummerSurfCampiscentrallylocatedontheBestWesternseashoreinCocoaBeach&JupiteratCarlinBeachParkwithaccommodations(住宿)attheHolidayInnExpressinJunoBeach.SummerSurfCampDates:●SurfCamp-Session1May27th-30thFamilySurfWeek(AllAges)●SurfCamp-Session2June2nd-6thFamilySurfWeek(AllAges)●SurfCamp-Session3June9th-13thTeenWeek(Ages12-17)●SurfCamp-Session4June16th-20thFamilySurfWeek(AllAges)●SurfCamp-Session5June23rd-27thAdultsOnly(18andover)●SurfCamp-Session6June30th-July3rdFamilySurfWeek(AllAges)●SurfCamp-Session7July7th-11thFamilySurfWeek(AllAges)●SurfCamp-Session8July14th-18thWomen’sCamp(18andover)●SurfCamp-Session9July21st-25thFamilySurfWeek(AllAges)●SurfCamp-Session10July28th-August1stAdultsOnly(18andover)*A20%discountwillbeappliedtothe4-DaySurfCampWeeks.*Parentsarealwayswelcometosignupandjointheirchildrenduringtheteenweeksurfcampsessions.SummerCampDetails:●Usecoupon(優(yōu)惠券)code:“CAMP5”atcheckouttogetthe5%discount*DailyRate:$125.00/person*SurfCampRuns:9:30am-2:30pm●Pleasenote:Wedon’tsupervise(指導)thecampersafter2:45pm.*DirectionstoCamp:clickhereContactUs:888-672-4887info@395、Wheredoesthispassageprobablycomefrom?A．Anewspaper. B．Amagazine.C．Awebsite. D．Aguidebook.1、IftheSmithswiththeir11-year-oldsonwanttojoinintheSummerSurfCamp,they’dbettergothereon________.A．June10th B．June23rdC．July29th D．July22nd2、WhoareallowedtotakepartinSession5andSession8?A．MrJohnsonandhiswife.B．Acouplewithoutchildren.C．MrBlackandhis19-year-oldson.D．MrsBlackandher21-year-olddaughter.3、IfMrandMrsBrownhavea“CAMP5”couponandwanttojoinintheSummerSurfCampfromJune30thtoJuly3rd,howmuchshouldtheypay?A．$760. B．$600.C．$800. D．$950.4、Whatcanweknowfromtheform?A．Thecampersaresupervisedallday.B．AcouplecansignupandjoinintheCampbyfax.C．ParentscantakepartinSession3togetherwiththeirchildren.D．AnadultcanjoinintheSummerSurfCamponanydayinJune.23．（8分）NEWDELHI—InIndia’sspacecenteronthebarrierislandofSriharikota,thewhite-jacketedscientistsheldtheirbreaths.Thecountry’strustyred-and-whitesatellitelaunchvehiclehadliftedoffmomentsbeforeandblastedintoorbit.ThePolarSatelliteLaunchVehicleC-37wasabouttoperformadelicatemaneuver(操縱，任務)—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．apictureoftheLong-marchrocketC．apictureoftheThree-gorges(峽谷)projectD．PresidentXiJinping’sportrait4、Itcanbeinferredthatafterthesuccessinthe104-satellitelaunch,Indiawill________.A．becomeNo.1intheglobalspacemarketB．takeupalargermarketshareinthefutureC．showitsabilityamonglocalcompetitorsD．haveanorderof$300billion24．（8分）Peopleoftenfeelanonymous(匿名)ontheInternet.Theybelievetheirbrowsingbehaviorsandwhattheybuyorwritecanbeprivateastheywant.Infact,that’sfarfromtrue,anewstudyfinds.Websitesusuallyofferastatementthatdescribeswhattheymayormaynotdowithdataaboutauser’sactivities.Youmightbeattractedtoreadthroughthatentiredocument.Butbepreparedfordisappointment.Thesedocumentstendtolistonlyasmallpartofthewebsiteswhichareallowedtohaveaccesstoyourdata.Therefore,it’simpossibleforuserstomakeinformedjudgmentsabouthowprivatetheironlineactivitiesare.Thenewresearchexploredthedisclosureondata-sharingby200,000websites.TheseincludedtheArkansasstategovernmenthomepageandtheCountryMusicsite.Thestudyanalyzedhowthesesitesshareddatawiththirdparties.Suchrecipientsofyourdatacouldbeadvertisersorcompaniesthatmakemoneybysellingpersonaldata.Thestudyalsoexaminedhowthosesiteshaddescribedtheirpolicyforprotectingthedataprivacy.TimothyLibert,whoworksatOxfordUniversity,studiesdataprivacy.Forthisanalysis,heusedasoftwaretoolcalledwebXray.Ittracked1.8milliondatasharedbyeachofthosewebsiteswiththird-partydatacollectors.Only14.8%ofthosedatawenttothirdpartiesthatwerenamedinthesitesprivacypolicies.Datathatweretransferredtowidelyfamiliarthirdparties—Google,FacebookandTwitter—weremorelikelytobeleakedthanthoseweretransferredtounknownparties.Libertfoundthat38.3%ofdatasenttoGooglehadbeenleaked.Evenifawebsitelistedallofthethirdpartiesitsharedyourdatawith,usersstillmightneverlearnhowwidelytheirdatahadbeenshared.Why?Thirdpartiesthatreceivedatacanlatersharethosedataagain.Thinkofyourdatanowbeingtransmittedtoanonymousfourthandfifthparties.Gettingonlineis“sortoflikethrowingbeansintheair,”Libertconcludes.“There’snowaytoknowwhereyourdataendup.”1、Whataspectofthewebsitesstatementswilldisappointpeople?A．Thelengthofthedocuments. B．Thereliabilityoftheinformation.C．Thereadabilityofthecontents. D．Theaccuracyofthelanguage.2、Whatdoestheunderlinedword“disclosure”inparagraph3probablymean?A．Reveal. B．Money.C．Disappointment. D．Advertisement.3、WhatdidLibertfindinhisstudy?A．Morethanaquarterofdata-sharingwenttounnamedthirdparties.B．ThedataontheInternetisalwayskeptsecretbythirdparties.C．Widelyfamiliarthirdpartiescouldcollectusers’datamoredifficultly.D．Widelyfamiliarthirdpartiesweremorelikelytoleakoutusers’onlinedata.4、Whatisthebesttitleforthetext?A．FamouswebsitesarenolongersafeB．PrivatedatacannolongerbeprivateC．Data-sharingisbecomingveryunpopularD．Largecompaniesmakemoneybysellingpersonaldata25．（10分）Sleeprepairsthebodyandthemindandhelpspreventdiseasebystrengtheningtheimmunesystem.However,manyadultsdonotgeteighthoursofsleepeachnight.Theaverageadulttodaygetsonly6.4hoursofsleep.Onlyinrecentyearshavehealthprofessionalsbeguntorealizetheseriousnessofsleepdeprivationintheworkingpopulation.Asignificantnumberofpeopleworkatnight,worklonghours,orsufferfromsleeplessnessorjetlag.Studiesshowthatthebrainisnegativelyaffectedbysleepdeprivationbecausecertainpatternsofelectricalandchemicalactivitythatoccurduringsleepareinterruptedandthebraincannotfunctionnormally.Inonestudy,thirteenhealthyadultsubjects(實驗對象)whousuallyhadnormalsleeppatternswerekeptawakeandcarefullymonitoredinalabduringaperiodof35hours.Duringtheexperiment,thesubjectswereaskedtoperformseveraltasks,suchasmathematicsandwordproblems,whileundergoingscansoftheirbrainactivity.Theresearchersfoundthatthetemporallobe(顳葉)ofthebrain,theregioninvolvedinlanguageprocessing,wasactiveduringspeechtasksinrestedsubjectsbutnotinsubjectswholackedenoughsleep.Afterseveralhourswithoutsleep,therewasnoactivitywithinthisregion.Severalstudiesshowthatgettingfewerthansixhoursofsleepcandamageshort-termmemoryandreactiontime—thuscausingaseriousriskofaccident.Inonestudyofdrivers,researchersreportedthatsleepdeprivationhadthesameeffectsasbeingdrunk.Theyfoundthatpeoplewhodroveafterbeingawakefor17hoursperformedworsethanthosewithabloodalcohollevelof0.5percent,thelegallimitfordrunkdrivinginmostwesternEuropeancountries.Theresearchersconcludedthatcountrieswithdrunkdrivinglawsshouldconsidersimilarrestrictionsagainstsleep-depriveddriving.1、Theunderlinedword"deprivation"inthefirstparagraphisclosestinmeaningto_______.A．weaknessB．lossC．discomfortD．pain2、ThepassagementionsallofthefollowingascausesofsleepdeprivationEXCEPT______.A．jetlagB．longworkhoursC．boringworkD．workingatnight3、ThepurposeofthestudydescribedinParagraph2wastodetermine_________.A．howmanyhourspeoplecansurvivewithoutsleepB．howpeoplereactwhentheirsleepisinterruptedC．thechangesinbrainactivitythatoccursduringsleepD．theeffectsofsleepdeprivationonbrainactivity4、WhydoestheauthormentionbloodalcohollevelinParagraph3?A．Toshowhowsleepdeprivationreducesthebloodalcohollevel.B．Toshowthatsleepdeprivationhasthesamedangerouseffectsasbeingdrunk.C．Tosuggestthatsleep-depriveddriversarealsolikelytodrink.D．Toargueagainstraisingthelegallimitfordrunkdriving.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）GreenbergwasaluckyguytoenterColumbiaUniversityonfullscholarship．Butjustbeforejunioryear，Greenberg's1changed．Onedayhisvision"2up"andlaterhewasdiagnosed（診斷）withglaucoma（青光眼）．ThendoctorsoperatedonGreenberg'seyes．3，thesurgerydidn'twork．Greenbergwasgoingblind．Hewasso4thatherefusedtoseeanyone．AsGreenberg'sbestfriend，ArthurpersuadedGreenbergtogobacktoColumbiaand5tobehisreader．Arthurread6tohimeveryday，takingtimeoutfromhisownstudy，andGreenberg7scoringstraightA's．Still，hewas8aboutgettingaroundaloneandreliedonhisfriend．Then，oneafternoon，GreenbergandArthurwenttoMidtownManhattan．Whenitwastimetogobacktocampus，Arthursaidhecouldn't9himbecauseofanappointment．Greenberg10Theyargued，andArthurwalkedoff，11GreenbergaloneinGrandCentralTerminal．Greenberg，whowascompletely12，stumbled（蹣珊）throughtherush﹣hourcrowd．HetookashuttletrainwesttoTimesSquare，andthentransferredtoanuptowntrain．Fourmileslater，he13attheColumbiaUniversitystop．Attheuniversity'sgates，someone14him．"Oops，excuseme，sir．"Greenberg15thevoice．ItwasArthur's．Greenberg'sfirstreactionwas16，butinthenextsecond，herealizedwhathehadjust17﹣andrealized，too，whohadmadeitpossible．18，Arthurhadbeenwithhimthewholeway，usingoneofthemost19strategies．Blindnessdoesn'tmakeGreenbergfailtoappreciatethe20oflife．Healwayssaysheistheluckiestmanintheworld．1、A．faith B．attitude C．fortune D．reputation2、A．lit B．steamed C．cleared D．cheered3、A．Otherwise B．Moreover C．Therefore D．However4、A．shy B．desperate C．selfish D．nervous5、A．offered B．pretended C．happened D．learned6、A．letters B．newspapers C．textbooks D．magazines7、A．endedup B．carriedon C．imagined D．considered8、A．curious B．confident C．excited D．tentative9、A．abandon B．rescue C．comfort D．accompany10、A．compromised B．panicked C．explained D．apologized11、A．leaving B．finding C．consulting D．serving12、A．tired B．amused C．confused D．satisfied13、A．gotoff B．pulledover C．lookedaround D．ranaway14、A．turnedto B．shoutedat C．knockedinto D．quarreledwith15、A．raised B．lost C．controlled D．recognized16、A．anger B．pleasure C．relief D．sorrow17、A．missed B．questioned C．ignored D．achieved18、A．Gradually B．Finally C．Obviously D．Strangely19、A．brilliant B．familiar C．defensive D．complex20、A．magic B．beauty C．wisdom D．truth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）根據(jù)上下文填寫空白處所需的內容或所提供單詞的正確形式，所填寫詞語不得多于3個單詞。EveryThanksgivingmyfamilyandI,alongwithothers,prepareandserveThanksgivingmealsforthepeopleinoursmallmountaincommunity.MyhusbandandIalsobringmealstothedisabled.ThisThanksgivingwedid1．same.Afterdeliveringthemtosomeindividualapartments,wewenttothe2．(centre)diningroom.WeputtheboxesfilledwithTurkey,ham,mashedpotatoesandsomeotherfoodsonthetables.Peopleinvited3．(we)tostay,andthankedus,4．wehadotherdeliveriesandhadtoleave.Aswestartedtogoout,Iturnedaroundandsawthemall5．(watch)us.ThenIasked,“Wouldanybodylikeahug?”Theylinedup.Therewassomuch6．(warm)ineachhug.Myeyes7．(fill)withtearsandmyheartwithlove.NowIvisitnowandthen8．(chat)and,ofcourse,hug.ThisyearatmyThanksgivingdelivery,whentheylineup9．theirhugs,Iamgoingtohavethemturnaroundandhugeachother.ThesepeoplehavenofamilyatThanksgiving--whatcouldbe10．(good)forthemthanhugs!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，每句中最多有兩處。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。Asteenagers,weshouldattachgreatimportanttoreading、Readingcanbenefitfromusteenagersagreatdeal、Firstly,readingimprovesourschoolgrades、Secondly,readinghelpsusexpandingourhorizons、Thirdly,readingmaycontributetofindingsolutionstotheirownproblems、Finally,readingisaenjoyableexperience、Itisstronglysuggestedthatoursparetimeismadefulluseofreadasmuchaspossible、Weteenagersshouldstaydevotedtoreadwhatweareinterestedin、Besides,weshouldactiveparticipateinsomeactivitiesthatarerelatedtoreading,whatwecannotonlygetourknowledgeenrichedbutalsogainalotofpleasure、第二節(jié)書面表達（滿分25分）29．（25分）假設上周三你校在圖書館報告廳舉辦了一次為窮困山區(qū)學生的捐贈愛心活動。請寫一篇報道，介紹此次活動。內容包括：1.捐贈的時間、地點和目的；2.學生捐贈的物品；3.此次活動對學生的影響。注意：1.詞數(shù)：80左右2.可以適當增加細節(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、B2、B3、B4、C5、C6、A7、D8、A9、B10、A11、D12、B13、A14、B15、B16、D17、A18、D19、B20、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、361、B1、C22、395、C1、D2、D3、A4、C23、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(學校),Isimplyrodewhateverbikesitsgraduateshadleftbehind.Irodearoundthelittletownonbikeswithgearsandbrakesthatoftenfailed.IdidnottakeanyofthosebikeswithmewhenImovedsouthtothecoastaltownwhereInowlive.ButafterawhileImissedriding.Finally,onafallday,Iboughtabike.Calledacomfortbike,ithaswidertirestha