湖南省岳陽(yáng)縣一中、湘陰縣一中新高考考前提分英語(yǔ)仿真卷及答案解析

湖南省岳陽(yáng)縣一中、湘陰縣一中新高考考前提分英語(yǔ)仿真卷注意事項(xiàng)1．考試結(jié)束后，請(qǐng)將本試卷和答題卡一并交回．2．答題前，請(qǐng)務(wù)必將自己的姓名、準(zhǔn)考證號(hào)用0．5毫米黑色墨水的簽字筆填寫在試卷及答題卡的規(guī)定位置．3．請(qǐng)認(rèn)真核對(duì)監(jiān)考員在答題卡上所粘貼的條形碼上的姓名、準(zhǔn)考證號(hào)與本人是否相符．4．作答選擇題，必須用2B鉛筆將答題卡上對(duì)應(yīng)選項(xiàng)的方框涂滿、涂黑；如需改動(dòng)，請(qǐng)用橡皮擦干凈后，再選涂其他答案．作答非選擇題，必須用05毫米黑色墨水的簽字筆在答題卡上的指定位置作答，在其他位置作答一律無(wú)效．5．如需作圖，須用2B鉛筆繪、寫清楚，線條、符號(hào)等須加黑、加粗．第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1．When________questionsinclass,oneshouldanswerthemasclearlyaspossible.A．a(chǎn)sking B．toask C．tobeasked D．a(chǎn)sked2．It's________mewhyAlicegaveupherjobandgotmarried.A．under B．a(chǎn)bove C．over D．beyond3．I_____upmymindwhatIwasgoingtosayintheseminar,butitwascancelled.A．havemadeB．hadmadeC．wasmakingD．wouldmake4．IntermsofMrs.Meng’sbeingarrestedwithoutsolidevidence,thewesternmediahas_____publicattentionawayfromwhereitshouldbe,thatis,theruleoflaw.A．transformedB．shiftedC．a(chǎn)ttractedD．changed5．Eachparty_______respectthearticlesofthiscontract,oradouble-sizedfinancialpunishmentisamust.A．will B．could C．shall D．should6．—youplaythepianoatthistimeoftheday?Ineedagoodrestfortomorrow’stest.—Sorry.A．Must B．Shall C．Can D．May7．ThedifferenceinthicknessandweightfromtheearlierversionmakestheiPad2morecomfortable_______.A．held B．holding C．beheld D．tohold8．Whatisyourmainreasonforchoosingonerestaurantanother?A．overB．ofC．fromD．for9．_____whattheysayaboutme,I’mgoingtocontinuemywork.A．Intermsof B．RegardlessofC．Insteadof D．Infavorof10．Whatimpressedmemostaboutthemoviewerethe________filmedinNewYork.A．scenery B．scenesC．sights D．views11．IfJoe’swifewon’tgototheparty,________.A．hewilleither B．neitherwillheC．heneitherwill D．eitherhewill12．Rosa_____thiswashingmachineformorethantenyears.Sheisthinkingaboutbuyinganewone.A．isusingB．usedC．hadusedD．hasbeenusing13．Asteachersweshouldn’taccepttheargumentgivenbysomepeople_______standardizedtestsrestricteducatorstoomuchandtakethejoyoutofteaching.A．where B．whatC．how D．that14．Whenwas_____youlastmetJennifer?Ihaven’tseenherforages.A．itthat B．it C．itwhat D．what15．Withoutyourhelp,I________thefirstprizeintheEnglishSpeakingContest.A．won’tget B．didn’tgetC．wouldn’tget D．wouldn’thavegot16．––Didyouhavetodomuchforthedinnerparty?––Helen________everythingbythetimeIgothome.A．finishedB．wasfinishingC．wouldfinishD．hadfinished17．We

need

aspiritualfaith,oraphilosophy,itshould

include

thistruth:ifyouchoosetofindthe

positive

ineverysituation,youwillbeblessed,andifyouchoosetofindtheawful,youwillbecursed.Aswithhappinessitself,thisis

________yourdecisiontomake.A．a(chǎn)bsolutelyB．totallyC．exactlyD．largely18．–Shewillfinishtheprojectwithinthreedays!--______________!Icoulddoitinthreehours.A．Youareright.B．I’mstuck.C．Oh,comeonD．Don’tmentionit.19．Inspring,thesceneonthetopofthehillissoappealingthatitis________mywords.A．a(chǎn)boveB．overC．beyondD．off20．Asthingsdidn’tworkoutthewaywe________,wefoundourselvestryingtoforcethemandstrugglingtofinishthem.A．planB．a(chǎn)replanningC．hadplannedD．willbeplanning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）1、WhatistheadvantageofFineways’newfoodlabels?A．Theyprovideextranutritionalinformation.B．Theywarncustomersaboutunhealthyfoods.C．Theyshowdifferentcustomers’nutritionalneeds.D．Theyremindcustomersoftheharmofunbalancednutrition.2、Accordingtothepassage,thenewlabellingsystemcanhelpto______.A．reducetheamountoffoodyoutakeB．followGDAsbymixingvariousfoodsC．makeyourchoiceofmoredeliciousfoodD．satisfythegrowingdemandsfornutrition3、Whereisthepassagemostprobablytakenfrom?A．Adinnermenu.B．Aresearchreport.C．Afashionmagazine.D．Anadvicebrochure.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）Eighteenyearsago,TerryGrahl,waspregnantwithherfourthchild.“Moneywasverytight.”Terryrecalls.Sowhenhermomcalledtoaskifshe'dliketogoshoppingatthelocalfabric(布料)storeforthecomingChristmas,shecouldn'tsaynobecausesheknewshebadlyneededsomefabricstomakenewclothesforherchildren.“1rememberwalkingaround,gazingatallthisbeautifulfabric,wonderingwhetherthereisanythingcheapthatIcouldafford.AndIcouldstillgetsomemoneylefttobuyChristmasgiftsformyfamily.”Well,Terry’smommusthaveknownwhatTerrywasthinking.Smilingkindly,shewhisperedtoTerry,“Youpickanyfabricsyoulike.It’syourChristmasgiftfromme.”Terry’seyeswerefilledwithtearsasthecartbegantooverflowwithmanyfabrics,butnotbecauseTerrywasplanningonmakingherselfaprettydressorapairofcurtainsforthekitchen.Rather,Terry’smom'skindnesshadinspiredsomeholidaygiftideasinTerry,anditdidn’ttakelongforTerrytofigureoutwhatshewasgoingtodowithallthatfabric.“Iwasgoingtomakemyfirstquilt.”Sheexplains.“EverynightIwouldworkonthisqueen-sizequilt.Witheverystitch(一針),Ithoughtaboutallthatmymomhaddoneformeoverthecourseofmychildhood,duringwhichwewerealwaysbattlinghomelessness,butMomsomehowmanagedtofillourliveswithloveandmakeeverythingokay.”O(jiān)nChristmasday,fivedaysafterherbabygirlwasborn,Terryhandedhermomagiftbox.Insidewasthequiltshehadsewn,fromthefabrichermotherhadgivenherasagift.1、438．WhatdoweknowaboutTerryeighteenyearsago?A．Terrymadealivingbymakingclothes.B．Terryhadabadrelationshipwithhermom.C．Terryandherfamilylivedahardlifeatthattime.D．Terryoftenwentshoppingatthelocalfabricstore.2、440．Whichofthefollowingwordsbestdescribeshermom?A．Strict.B．CriticalC．Faithful.D．Generous.3、442．WhatmadeTerrychangeherideaaboutChristmasgift?A．Thevalueofthefabric.B．Theresponsibilityforherfamily.C．Thememoryofherchildhood.D．Theendlesslovefromhermother.4、444．Whatisthebesttitleforthetext?A．AChristmasDayB．TheFirstQuiltC．ColorfulFabricsD．HardChildhoo24．（8分）BillieHolidaywasanAmericanjazzsingerandsongwriter.NicknamedLadyDaybyherloyalfriendandmusicalpartner,LesterYoung,Holidayhadagreatinfluenceonjazzandpopsinging.Hervoicedstyle,stronglyinspiredbyjazzinstrumentalists,pioneeredanewwayofcontrollingtempo(節(jié)奏).Aboveall,shewasadmiredforherdeeplypersonalanddirectapproachtosinging.Sheco-wroteafewsongs,andseveralofthemhavebecomejazzstandards,notablyGodBlesstheChild,Don’tExplain,andLadySingstheBlues.Shealsobecamefamousforsingingjazzstandardswrittenbyothers,includingEasyLivingandStrangeFruit.Herearlycareerishardtotrackdownwithaccuracy.Butshelatergainedworksinginginlocaljazzclubsbeforebeingspottedbyatalentscout(星探),JohnHammondin1933.Hervoiceandrecordingswerelovedforthedepthofemotionandintensityshecouldbringtoclassicstandards.Herrangeofvoicewasnotthegreatest,butherextraordinarylowroughvoicewassoontobecomeveryfamousandinfluential.Shewasanimportanticon(偶像)ofthejazzeraandinfluentialinthedevelopmentofjazzsinging.Inthelate1930s,shebegansingingacivilrightssongcalledStrangeFruit,asongwhichtoldthetaleofalynching(用私刑處死)ofablackmanintheDeepSouth.Itwasverycontroversialforthatperiodanditwasnotplayedonradios.ItwasrecordedforCommodoreRecordsandsheperformeditmanytimesoverthenext20years.BillieHolidayhadadifficultupbringingwhichinfluencedherattitudetowardlife.Sheexperiencedmanyviolentrelationships.Shealsobecameincreasinglydependentonvariousdrugswhichcontributedtoherearlydeathin1959,agedjust44.1、WhatmadeHolidaydevelopanewwayofcontrollingtempo?A．Hermusicalpartner.B．Hervoicedstyle.C．Jazzinstrumentalists.D．Herdirectapproachtosinging.2、WhywasthesongStrangeFruitbannedonradios?A．Itwasaboutacruelstory.B．Itwasrecordedverybadly.C．Itconcernedcivilrights.D．Itwasperformedmanytimes.3、ItcanbelearnedfromthetextthatHoliday_____.A．hadthegreatestrangeofvoiceB．wasgiftedandhadahappychildhoodC．wroteafewsongsincludingEasyLivingD．wasfamousforhervoiceandwayofsinging4、WhichofthefollowinghadagreateffectonHoliday?a.JohnHammondb.Herindependencec.Jazzinstrumentalistsd.HerhardexperiencesofgrowingA．a(chǎn),b,cB．a(chǎn),b,dC．a(chǎn),c,dD．b,c,d25．（10分）Electricdevicescanseemlikea“thirdparty”insomerelationshipsbecausesomepartnersspentmoretimeonthemthanwitheachother.WhenAmandaGao,a26-year-oldwhitecollarworkerinBeijing,wenttoahotpotrestaurantwithherboyfriendonFridaynightseveralweeksago,sheexpectedthattheywouldhaveagoodtimetogether.Toherdisappointment,however,itdidnotturnoutthatlater.Assoonastheywereledtotheirseatsandshebegantoorderdishes,heburiedhimselfinhismobilephone.“Itseemedthathisphonewasmakingitswaybetweenus.AdatethatshouldhavebelongedtousturnedintoonewheremyboyfrienddatedathirdpartyandIfeltleftout.”Gaosaid.Somepeople,likeher,havefoundelectronicshavebeensabotaging(破壞)theirromanticrelationships.Astudy,publishedinthejournalPsychologyofPopularMediaCulture,inApril,2017,questionednearly200collegeagedadultswhowereincommitted(真誠(chéng)的)relationshipstoreportontheirandtheirpartner’ssmartphonedependency.Theresultsshowedpeoplewhoweremoredependentontheirphoneswerelesssureabouttheirrelationships,andpeopleconsideredtheirpartnersexcessively(過度地)dependentontheirdeviceswerelesssatisfiedintheirrelationship.LinYuan,arelationshipadvisorinBeijing,notedthatasmoreandmoreelectronicscomeoutandspiceuppeople’slives,theyareatthesametimebecomingathirdpartyinrelationships,especiallyforyoungpeople.Linsaidsheknewofsomepeoplewhosuggestthatelectronicsshouldbekeptoutofbedrooms,whichsheconsideredchallengingandhardtobeputintopracticeformostcouples.Sherecommendedthatifpeoplearefeelingneglectedintheirrelationship,theyneedtorespectfullylettheirpartnersknowtheirfeeling.“Communicationisalwaysthebestandthemostefficientway.”shesaid.1、WhatisGao’sfeelingwhenenteringtherestaurantwithherboyfriend?A．Expectant.B．Disappointed.C．Annoyed.D．Uneasy.2、WhichofthefollowingmayLinYuanagreewith?A．Gao’sboyfriendmustbeaddictedtoplayinggames.B．Mostcouplescanpracticekeepingelectronicsoutofbedrooms.C．Partnersshouldcommunicatemoretounderstandeachotherbetter.D．Couplesshouldrestricttheuseofelectronicstoavoidpossibleproblems.3、WhywasthecaseofAmandaGaomentioned?A．Toexplainwhothe“thirdparty”is.B．Tostresstheimportanceofelectronicdevices.C．Tomakeadvisorsknowmoreaboutthematter.D．Tointroducepeoples’dependenceonelectronics.4、Whichofthefollowingcanbethebesttitleforthetext?A．Athirdparty—electronicdevicesB．Areelectronicdeviceskillingromance?C．Dosmartphonesruinpartnership?D．Couplesandsmartphones第三部分語(yǔ)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）HowtoBePoliteataDinnerParty?It’snotpolitetoarriveatadinnermorethan15to20minuteslate.Thehostorhostessusuallywaitsforallthe1toarrivebeforeservingthemeal.Ifsomeoneislate，thefoodmaybespoiled(變味)，and2maythehostorhostess’spirits．Ifyouhavetobe3，callandtellthemtostart4you．It’sevenworsetobeearly!Thehostorhostesswillprobablynotbe5．Ifyouareearly，driveorwalkaroundtheblockafewtimes，orjustsitinyourcaruntiltherighttime．Thoughit’soften6toarriveatapartyontime，ontheotherhand，thehostorhostess7gueststoarriveandleavebetweencertaintimes，soyoucan8atanytimebetweenthetimesheorshegivesyou．It’snicetobringanemptystomach，butit’sevennicertobring9present．Thepresentshouldnotcostalot，oryoumightmakethehostorhostess10．Flowers，wine，oraboxofcandywillbefine．11bringmoneyasapresent．Inanintroduction，the12ofanameis：(1)thegivenname；(2)thefamilyname．Inother13，thegivennamecomes14.It’simportantnotonlytolearnandremember15，buttorepeatthemofteninconversation．Aftertheintroduction，weusuallycallfriendsbytheir16names．Olderpeoplemaywantyoutocallthembytheirtitlesandfamilynames，suchas“Mrs.Smith”，“Mr.Johnosn”，“Dr.Brown”.Amaiden(閨女)nameisa17familynameatbirth.IntheUnitedStatesandCanada，afterawoman18，shetakesthefamilynameofher19．Itisnowbecomingcommon，however，forwomento20theirmaidennamesaftertheygetmarried,1、.A．guests B．visitors C．customs D．passengers2、.A．or B．so C．but D．yet3、.A．tired B．hungry C．1ate D．early4、.A．without B．for C．with D．a(chǎn)fter5、.A．a(chǎn)wake B．ready C．up D．friendly6、.A．useless B．impossible C．unable D．important7、．A．forces B．invites C．begs D．orders8、.A．play B．fly C．a(chǎn)rrive D．start9、.A．a(chǎn)big B．a(chǎn)small C．a(chǎn)good D．a(chǎn)nexpensive10、.A．pleased B．satisfied C．interested D．uneasy11、.A．Never B．Always C．Do D．Besureto12、.A．spelling B．calling C．order D．pronunciation13、.A．words B．1etters C．idioms D．sentences14、.A．1ast B．first C．finally D．inthemiddle15、.A．expressions B．a(chǎn)ppearances C．names D．a(chǎn)ddresses16、.A．given B．family C．middle D．pen17、.A．gentleman’s B．boy’s C．woman’s D．man’s18、.A．works B．marries C．bears D．dies19、.A．husband B．mother C．father D．sister20、.A．stop B．giveup C．keep D．find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）Theglobaltourismindustryisdeveloping1．(quick).In2017,itcontributedeighttrilliondollarstotheeconomy,andaccountedfor10percentofemploymentworldwide.Americansusedtobe2．biggestmoversintheindustry.Nowit'stheChinese.Lastyear,moreChinesepeople3．(travel)andspentmoremoneydoingsothananyothernationality.4．middleclassesgetwealthierinemerging-market(新興市場(chǎng))countries,theirtravelbudgetsgrow.ThenumberofIndiantravelersisalsorising,withcountrieslikeJordan,AustraliaandIsrael,5．(make)iteasierforIndianstogetvisas.AlthoughonlysevenpercentofChinesecitizenshave6．(passport),by2030,Chinesetripswillaccountforaroundaquarterofallinternationaltourism.ThailandisthetopinternationaldestinationforChinesetravelers.Mexicoisthenumberone7．(choose)forAmericanpeople.Europeans,meanwhile,tendtostayinEurope,accountingforaround90percentofnights8．(spend)bytouristsintheEU.Tourismisincreasinginmostareasoftheworld,9．oneremarkableexception.TravelbansonpeoplefromMuslimcountries,morevisachecksanda10．(strong)dollarhavemadetheUnitedStateslesspopularwithinternationalvisitors.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(yǔ)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處語(yǔ)言錯(cuò)誤，每句最多有兩處。每處錯(cuò)誤僅涉及一個(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。WangLeiandIareneighboursandwegotothesameschool.Wehavebeengoodfriendsincechildhoodandhaveagreatdealtosharewitheveryday.however,oneday,WangLeicopiedmyhomework,whichmademesuchangrythatIdidnotwanttobefriendwithhimanylong.OneMondaymorningIrundownstairswithoutrealizingitwasraining,buttherewasnotimetoreturnhometofetchumbrella.IthappenedwhenWangLeiwasjustaroundthecornerandofferedtoshareherumbrellawithme.Hemadeanapologytomeinagentlyvoice.Iforgavehimbutgavehimahug.第二節(jié)書面表達(dá)（滿分25分）29．（25分）假設(shè)你是李津，你的美國(guó)朋友彼得希望成為中國(guó)第十屆殘運(yùn)會(huì)志愿者，他向你寫信詢問殘運(yùn)會(huì)的相關(guān)情況，并求助怎樣學(xué)好漢語(yǔ)。請(qǐng)用英語(yǔ)給他寫一封回信。要點(diǎn)：1、收到來(lái)信，獲悉求助；2、殘運(yùn)會(huì)的相關(guān)情況（時(shí)間：2019年8月25日；地點(diǎn)：天津；意義）；3、學(xué)好漢語(yǔ)的兩條建議。注意：1、詞數(shù)不少于100；2、可適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié)，以使行文連貫。參考詞匯：第十屆殘疾人運(yùn)動(dòng)會(huì)the10thNationalGamesforPersonswithDisabilitiesDearPeter,_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yours,LiJin

參考答案第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1、D2、D3、B4、B5、C6、A7、D8、A9、B10、B11、B12、D13、D14、A15、D16、D17、D18、C19、C20、C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、1、A2、B3、D22、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'dneverwornahelmetbefore.ThenIgotonthebike.Afteradifficultstart,IfeltexactlyasIwasonthatlong-agodayonSpringfieldAvenue:free.SoonIwasridingalong,watchingthewavesbreak