2024屆江蘇省淮安市田家炳中學(xué)高三一診考試英語試卷含解析

2024屆江蘇省淮安市田家炳中學(xué)高三一診考試英語試卷注意事項(xiàng)：1．答題前，考生先將自己的姓名、準(zhǔn)考證號(hào)填寫清楚，將條形碼準(zhǔn)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(qǐng)按照題號(hào)順序在各題目的答題區(qū)域內(nèi)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(zhǔn)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．Ifthenewsecuritysystem______intoeffect,suchaccidentswouldneverhavehappened.A．wouldbeput B．wereput C．shouldbeput D．hadbeenput2．—Listeningtolanguagerecordinginbedseemslikeaneasywayto_______somenewvocabulary.—Butdoesthislearningmethodactuallywork?A．polishupB．makeupC．pickupD．buildup3．語音知識(shí)(共5小題；每小題l分，滿分5分)從A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，找出其劃線部分與所給單詞的劃線部分讀音相同的選項(xiàng)。并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。4．Mycousininsistedthatshe______toAustraliaforfurtherstudy.Butthecompanyrefusedherapplication.A．sends B．willbesentC．besent D．wouldbesent5．----Hi,Maria!Igotthefirstplaceintheexam.----______!EveryoneknowsyoucheatedandyoujustcopiedTony's.A．CongratulationsB．ComeonC．GoodluckD．Cheerup.6．—What’stherecentprogressinXiong’anNewArea,firstannouncedtwoyearsago?—It_____increasingattentionfromforeigncompaniesgivenitshugedevelopmentpotential.A．hasbeenattracting B．hadattracted C．wouldbeattracting D．wasattracting7．Somepre-schoolchildrengotoadaycarecenter,__________theylearnsimplegamesandsongs.A．then B．there C．while D．where8．I'mcallingtoenquireabouttheposition__________inyesterday'sChinaDaily.A．a(chǎn)dvertised B．tobeadvertised C．a(chǎn)dvertising D．havingadvertised9．Thecompanyandtheeffectbroughtaboutdidgreatgoodtoourbusinessinthemarket.A．it B．whichC．that D．what10．___________andtheywillfinishoffthechallengingjob.A．Inaweek B．Aweeklater C．Afteraweek D．Anotherweek11．____theplayerIcameacrossinthestadiumspoke,Ihadn’trealizedshewasforeign.A．Until B．Unless C．Since D．Although12．Theconferenceaimstodevelopbusinessandletpeoplethinkabout_______theycanhaveapositiveinfluenceontheplanet.A．whyB．thatC．whatD．how13．________yourgeneroushelp,IdobelieveIhaveabetterunderstandingofyourcountryandculture.A．Butfor B．OutofC．Thanksto D．Asto14．Thenewsupermarkethasannouncedthatthefirsttopurchasegoodsontheopeningday________getabigprize.A．must B．shallC．would D．could15．Afghansusedtoholdbigweddings,costingthousandsofdollars,inacounty_____theaverageannualincomeislessthan$400.A．whichB．whoseC．whereD．what16．WorldFoodDayisheldeachyeartounderlinetheprogressthat________againsthungerandthatstillneedstobemade.A．ismade B．wasmadeC．hasbeenmade D．willbemade17．Don’tbesodiscouraged.Ifyou________suchfeelings,youwilldobetternexttime.A．carryonB．getbackC．breakdownD．putaway18．Ifyouwanttogofurtherinthenewsport,thebestwayisto______andpractisemorefrequently.A．diveinB．dropoutC．catchonD．springup19．Thebusdroppedmeoffandpulledaway_____IrealizedIhadleftmybagonit.A．whileB．beforeC．a(chǎn)fterD．since20．Inordertofinishtheworktime,themaninchargedecidedtosomemoreworkers.A．giveup B．takeon C．lookafter D．findout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）ThesemessagesarepostedtoHomestayWebHostsbygueststhroughouttheworld.MessageboardforadvertisementsfromguestsMessageboardforadvertisementsfromguestsKanaeMasuda*IwillstudyCantonese(粵語)inCUHKfromthisSeptember.I’mlookingformyroomduringtheperiodbeforethesemesterbegins(10-14Sep.)...moreOgataMisa*Hi,I’mMisaandI’m23yearsold.I’macollegestudentinNewYork.I’mmovingtoSeattleinSeptemberandamlookingforahostfamily…moreMinhPhan*Hi,mynameisMinhPhanandI’mafemaleinternationalhighschoolstudent(arisingsophomore).IgotoaprivateschoolinMansfieldandsoIwould…moreIslamNassar*Sohere,inJapan,Iwilltellyoumoreaboutmyselfandmyinquiry.IamIslamfromEgypt,a24-year-old(male)whoisgoingtostart…moreJulie*IwanttofindahomestaynearWinterParkHighSchoolorHagertyHighSchoolformy14-year-olddaughter.Wehopethehomestayfamilycanprovidemeals…moreMasayukiMoriyama*Hello.I’m23yearsold.I’manexchangestudentandI’meagertohaveabetterunderstandingofEnglishculture.SoIamgladifyoucanteachEnglish...moreMegumiMatsule*Nicetomeetyou.I’mMegumiMatsuie.IhaveaplanaboutworkingonholidaywithmyfriendinAustraliaforSep.2,2017.Ifyouwouldn’t...more600、Whydopeopleplacethoseadvertisements?A．Tohuntforjobs. B．Toseekhostfamilies.C．Toapplytouniversities. D．Tolearnforeignlanguages.1、Whomightprefertoliveinyourhomeifyou’reanexperiencedEnglishteacher?A．MinhPhan. B．IslamNassar.C．KanaeMasuda. D．MasayukiMoriyama.2、Whereisthepassagelikelytoappear?A．Inanewspaper. B．Inashow.C．Onawebsite. D．Inamagazine.22．（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(cè)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$300billion23．（8分）Microplasticsaresmallplasticpiecesthathaveaccumulatedinthemarine(海洋的)environmentfollowingdecadesofpollution.Thesepiecescancausesignificantissuesformarinecreaturesthatingestthem,includinginflammation(炎癥),reducedfeedingandweight-loss.Microplasticpollutionmayalsospreadfromorganismtoorganismwhenonecreatureiseatenbyothers.Sincethepiecescanbindtochemicalpollutants,theseassociatedpoisonscouldaccumulateinpredatorspecies.Mesopelagic(中層的)fishserveasafoodsourceforalargevarietyofmarineanimals,includingswordfish,dolphins,sealsandseabirds.Typicallylivingatdepthsof200—1,000meters,thesefishswimtothesurfaceatnighttofeedandthenreturntodeeperwatersduringtheday.Throughtheseuprightmovements,mesopelagicfishplayakeyroleinthecyclingofcarbonandnutrientsfromthesurfacetothedeepsea—aprocessknownasbiogeochemicalcycling.Thismeanstheycouldspreadmicroplasticpollutionthroughoutthemarineecosystem,bycarryingmicroplasticsfromthesurfacedowntodeeperwaters,affectingdeep-seaorganisms.Toinvestigatethisfurther,researcherssetouttocatchfishinaremoteareaoftheNorthwestAtlanticOcean.Theresearcherscaughtmesopelagicfishatvaryingdepths,andthenexaminedtheirstomachsformicroplasticsbackinthelab.Theyusedaparticularairfiltersoasnottointroduceplasticfibersintheairfromthelabenvironment.Theteamfoundalotofmicroplasticsinthefishstomachs.Astheresearcherswereextremelycarefultoclearpollutionwithfibersfromtheair,theywereconfidentthatthefishhadeatenthefibersintheseaallovertheworld.Theresearchersplanfurtherstudiestolearnmoreabouthowthesefishareingestingandspreadingmicroplastics.Itwillbeparticularlyinterestingtoseewhetherthefisheatthesemicroplasticsdirectlyasmistakenfoods,orwhethertheyeatthemthrougheatingotherspecies,whichhavepreviouslyeatenthemicroplastics.1、Whatdoestheunderlinedword“ingest”inparagraph1mean?A．Attack. B．Swallow.C．Ignore. D．Avoid.2、Whatdoesparagraph2mainlytalkabout?A．Howdeep-seafishfeedthemselves.B．WhyMesopelagicfishareimportant.C．Howmicroplasticsspreadtodeepsea.D．Howdangerousmicroplasticsaretothesea.3、Whatconclusiondidtheresearchersdrawfromthestudyonmesopelagicfish?A．Fishintheremoteareaaresafetoeat.B．Plasticfibersintheairmayenterfish.C．Theyareallpollutedbymicroplastics.D．Mesopelagicfishliveatvaryingdepths.4、Whatwillfurtherstudiesfocuson?A．InwhatwaymicroplasticsenterMesopelagicfish.B．Howseriouslymicroplasticsaffectseacreatures.C．Whetherfishwithmicroplasticsharmhumans.D．Howmicroplasticsspreadinthedeepocean.24．（8分）Theytrainfourhoursaday,oftenwakingupat4:30or5forbefore-schoolpractices.Theireveningsandweekendsareeatenupbytwice-weeklytravelgames.Everydayisthesame;there’snobreak.No,thesearen’tOlympicathletes;they’rekids.Thebenefitsofsportsareobvious.So,it’snotsurprisingthat,accordingtoCNN,41millionAmericanchildrenplaycompetitivesports.Butwhendoesthisbecometoomuchofagoodthing?Sevenyearsago,asurveyinSportingKidmagazinefound84percentofathletes’parentshadobservedbelligerentbehaviorinotherparentsatgamesandthat2percenthadbeentargetsofthisbehavior.Whatdoesthissayaboutsportsculture,andourcultureasawhole?Someparentshavebecomesocrazyabouttheirchildren’swinningthattheydon’tstoptothinkaboutwhatexampletheyaresetting.Ifathletesareconstantlysurroundedbyadultswhoscreamatcoachesandattacksportsofficials,theymaythinkthatthisisacceptablebehavior.They’lltrytowinatallcosts.Inotherwords,theywon’tknowhowtoacceptdefeat,andlearnfromit.Theamountoftimesomeathletesspendpracticingcanbedangerous.AccordingtoSportsIllustrated,over3.5millionathletesyoungerthan15sufferedfromasports-relatedinjury—that’snearlyoneinten!Manyinjuriescausepermanent(永久的)damageifnottreated.Sowhatcanwedoaboutthissituation?Somearguethatthereisnoproblem,becausesportshasalwaysbeenandwillalwaysbecompetitive.Butdidyourgrandparentsspendhourseachdaypracticingtennisorvolleyball?No,theyprobablyplayedwiththeneighborhoodkidsafterschool,notworryingaboutwinning.Alltheywantedwastohavefun.Andthat’swhatweneedtochangeinyouthsports—focusonenjoyment.1、Whatdoestheunderlinedword“belligerent”referto?A．Aggressive.B．Mild.C．Elegant.D．Reasonable.2、What’stheconsequenceofadults’badexamples?A．Youngathletes’scoreswillbeaffected.B．Youngathletes’performancewillsuffer.C．Youngathleteswon’tknowhowtosucceed.D．Youngathleteswon’tdealwithfailureproperly.3、Whatisthetoneofthetext?A．Relaxed.B．Critical.C．Objective.D．Humorous.4、Whichisthebesttitleforthetext?A．Morepractice,lessfailureB．FightforvictorytothelastsecondC．Enjoymentfirst,competitionsecondD．Prohibitkidsfromcompetitivesports25．（10分）TheannualWorldEconomicForumtookplaceinDavos,Switzerland,inJan.23-26,2018.WhatdidChineseentrepreneurs（企業(yè)家）speakintheforum?Aretheresomequotablequotesforyou?★JackMa,founderandexecutivechairmanofAlibabaGroup“Ithinkglobalizationcannotbestopped—noonecanstopglobalization,noonecanstoptrade.Iftradestops,theworldstops.Tradeisthewaytodissolve(結(jié)束)thewarnotcause

thewar,”saidMainDavos,“Google,Facebook,AmazonandAlibaba—wearetheluckiestcompaniesofthiscentury.Butwehavetheresponsibilitytohaveagoodheart,anddosomethinggood.”★RichardLiu,founderandchiefexecutiveofficerofJD“Businessisnotonlyawaytomakemoneybutalsoawaytocontributeyourself,tohelppeople,”LiusaidinaspeechinDavos.“Howcanwefacethefractured(分化的)world?That’sthetopicsoftheDavosthisyear.Ithinkaveryimportantthinginbusinessiscooperation.Ifwecanunite,worktogether,ifweworkveryclosely,Ithinkwecanbringmorehopetothepeopleandwecanbuildmoretrustbetweenthepeople,countriesandcompaniesandpartners,”hesaid.★JaneSun,CEOofCtrip“Tourismisasunriseindustry.SinceIenteredCtrip,everyyeartherearenewcomers,which,firstofall,showsthattourismisbooming.”SuntoldSinDavos.“WeinvestedheavilyinABC．AreferstoAI,Bisbigdata,andCiscloudcomputing.Aswecontinuetoexpandoverseas,thesethreewillbeverygoodweaponsforus.Sowethinkthosemeanopportunity,”shesaid.★HuXiaoming,presidentofAliyun“In2018,peoplewillseethedevelopmentinvariouscountriesmorecloselyconnectedwithcloudcomputing.Moremanufacturingenterprisesandfinancialinstitutionswillstarttouse‘cloud’,andcloudcomputingwillincreasetheefficiencyoftechnologyandfinance,”HutoldXinhuainDavos.1、WhatdoChineseentrepreneurslikeJackMaandRichardLiufocusmoreon?A．Earningmoremoney. B．Thejoinedeffortsofmankind.C．Reducingproductioncosts. D．Theroleofscienceinbusiness.2、WhatisthemainbusinessofCtrip?A．Tourism. B．ThecreationofAI.C．Computer. D．Financialserviceonline.3、WhatdoesHuthinkwillpromoteglobaleconomicdevelopment?A．Economyrecovery. B．TheWorldEconomicForum.C．Cloudcomputing. D．Financialefficiency.第三部分語言知識(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）IhavelearntalotaboutChineselifeandculturewhileteachinginFirst,familylifequite1inChinafromthatintheUSA．IntheUSA,manyyoungpeople2homeaftertheyfinishtheireducationandstartworking.However,inChina,itis3forpeopletolivewiththeirparentsuntiltheygetmarried.4,manyofmyChinesefriendstoldmethattheir5livedwiththemandhelpedtakecareofthemwhentheywerechildren.ItseemsthatAmericansthinkindependenceismoreimportant6theChinesethinkfamilyrelationshipsaremoreimportant.Bargainingisanother7thatIhavetriedtolearn.IntheUSA,pricesare8andyoucan’taskforalowerprice.HoweverinsomesmallChinesestoresandtouristplaces,youare9tobargain.MyChinesefriendstaughtmetoaskfor40percentor50percent10theoriginalprice.Ifthesalespersondoesn’tagreetomyprice,Ishould11toleaveandhemightletmecomebackandsellmetheitem.Itisaskillthatyouhaveto12ifyouliveinChina.Tippinghasn’tbeeneasierto13.IntheUSA,manypeopleintheservice14wanttoget15

moneyforservingcustomers.TippingisnotapartofChineseculture.16Itriedtotipataxidriver.Helookedalittle17andrefusedtotakethemoney.Indinners,perhapswhatsurprisesanAmericanvisitormostisthatsomeoftheChinesehostsliketoputfoodintotheplatesoftheir18.Actually,thisisa19oftruefriendshipandpoliteness.MyChinesefriendtoldmeifIdidn’twanttoeatit,Ishouldjust20thefoodintheplate.1、A．uniqueB．differentC．privateD．harmonious2、A．comeB．buildC．leaveD．a(chǎn)bandon3、A．regularB．trueC．commonD．usual4、A．AlsoB．HoweverC．ThereforeD．Although5、A．parentsB．relativesC．babysittersD．grandparents6、A．whileB．sinceC．whenD．a(chǎn)s7、A．wayB．customC．lessonD．habit8、A．madeB．a(chǎn)greedC．chargedD．set9、A．expectedB．taughtC．suggestedD．required10、A．upB．a(chǎn)wayC．offD．on11、A．promiseB．pretendC．decideD．hope12、A．tolerateB．understandC．practiseD．consider13、A．a(chǎn)djusttoB．turntoC．refertoD．stickto14、A．a(chǎn)reaB．departmentC．branchD．industry15、A．easyB．extraC．pocketD．prize16、A．OftenB．OnceC．SometimesD．Before17、A．excitedB．satisfiedC．frightenedD．confused18、A．ownB．childrenC．neighborsD．guests19、A．signalB．markC．signD．feature20、A．leaveB．remainC．putD．taste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）Englishisnowthefirstlanguageofabout400millionpeople,themotherlanguageof12countriesandtheofficiallanguageofone-fifthofthelandareaoftheworld,1．meansone2．everysevenpeopleintheworldspeaksEnglish.Moreandmorepeoplehavefounditimportant3．(learn)Englishwellinrecentyears.InItaly,forexample,Englishisamustformanytechnicaljobs.InChina,Englishisthe4．(important)foreignlanguagethatislearnedatschool.TheEnglishlanguagehasneverstoppedchanging.Italwaysborrowswordsandphrasesfromotherculturestoenlarge5．(it)vocabulary.6．(actual),modemEnglishisquitedifferentfromwhat7．(use)hundredsofyearsago.Englishissowidelyusedthatithasbecomethestandardlanguagefor8．(communicate)internationally.About75%oftheworld’smail9．(be)inEnglish.About60%oftheworld’stelephonecallsaremadeinEnglishandabout60%oftheworld’sradioprogramsarebroadcastinEnglish.What’smore,overhalfoftheworld’sbooksandmagazinesarewritteninEnglish.In10．word,Englishisnowtheworld’sfirstlanguage.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。OneeveningIwentoutwithmyfriendsWangYiforamealinacountrypub、Weleftat9:30andIwasofferedtotakeWangYihome、Weweredrivingalongwhen,suddenly,acardrovepastusoutofcontrol、Thecarcrashedandbeforethatitburstintoflames、Werantotheburningcarquickly、Whenwegetthere,wesawthreepeopletrappinginside、Theywerescreamingandweknewwehadtogetthemin、Itwasextremehotasweopenedthedoors,andwesavedthemsuccessfully、It'snicefeelingtoknowtheyhavehelpedtosavethosepeople、第二節(jié)書面表達(dá)（滿分25分）29．（25分）假設(shè)你是某報(bào)社的編輯Peter，最近收到了一個(gè)叫Sunny的中學(xué)生給你寫的信，在信中她提到不知道該如何與朋友處理好關(guān)系，所以向你尋求建議。請(qǐng)根據(jù)以下提示，給她寫封回信。1.經(jīng)常與朋友交談，跟他們分享你的快樂與悲傷；2.互相幫助；3.學(xué)會(huì)欣賞（appreciate.v）朋友的長(zhǎng)處。注意：1.開頭，結(jié)尾已給出2.詞數(shù)100左右；3.可以適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié)，以使行文連貫。DearSunny，______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yours,Peter

參考答案第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1、D2、C3、regularA．productionB．1anguageC．popularD．minute2．weightA．heightB．ceilingC．foreignD．neighbour3．specialA．musicalB．oceanC．medicineD．biscuit4．perfectA．electB．preventC．effectD．problem4、C5、B6、A7、D8、A9、A10、D11、A12、D13、C14、B15、C16、C17、D18、A19、B20、B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、600、B1、D2、C22、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,