內蒙古呼和浩特市重點名校新高考英語倒計時模擬卷及答案解析

內蒙古呼和浩特市重點名校新高考英語倒計時模擬卷注意事項：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．IhadbeenbetrayedbythosewhoItrustedseveraltimes,______inasuspiciousattitudetowardseverythingandeveryone.A．resulted B．havingresulted C．resulting D．toresult2．Somepeopleusehand-writtenletters______typingbecausethey’remorepersonalandrepresentyoursincerity.A．inpreferencetoB．inprocessofC．inreferencewithD．insearchof3．---I’llsendyouthesignedcontractpersonallythistimetomorrow.---Sorry,I______ameetingthen.A．amattending B．attendedC．haveattended D．willbeattending4．_____areceptiontocelebratethe68thanniversaryofthefoundingofthePeople'sRepublicofChina，vicepremierLiuattachedimportancetomutuallybeneficialcooperationbetweenUSAandChina．A．Addressing B．AddressedC．Beingaddressed D．Toaddress5．—WhatdoyouthinkofyourjourneytoYunnan?—Everythingisveryfantastic，especiallyitsfreshair.Itispleasant________.A．breathedB．beingbreathedC．tobebreathedD．tobreathe6．Agoodgovernmentisnottopicktechnologies,buttoestablishconditions________innovationissupportedandencouragedintothemarketplace.A．when B．thatC．as D．where7．—Amazing!Youwearslippersatwork.—Don’tyouknowit’safashion?A．must B．should C．can D．may8．I_________tohelpyoutodohomeworkbutIcouldn'tspareanytime.I________acompositionlastnightandI'llfinishittomorrow.A．wanted；wrote B．hadwanted；waswritingC．hadwanted；wrote D．wanted；havebeenwriting9．—Ihavebeenconsideringcancellingtheprojectbecauseitseemshardtogofarther.—Butit'stooearlyto________now.There'sstillmuchhope.A．pickupthepieces B．throwinthetowelC．gothroughyourpaces D．jumpdownyourthroat10．Thenationalparkhasalargecollectionofwildlife,________frombutterfliestoelephants.A．torange B．rangeC．ranging D．ranged11．Ifyou___________tomyadvicecarefully,youwouldn’thavemadesuchaterriblemistake.A．listened B．havelistenedC．wouldlisten D．hadlistened12．---I’mafraidthecompanywillnothireme.---Comeon,Bill,relax!Youhavealotofexperienceandfinereferencesandyourcollegeworkisidealbackgroundforthem.______________A．It'llbenosweat.B．Allgoodthingscometoanend.C．Wordspaynodebts.D．Don'tgivemeanyjaw.13．WolfWarrior2,_______directorWuJingalsostarredintheleadrole,isafirst-classproduction,evenbyHollywoodstandards.A．where B．whichC．whom D．as14．worriesthepublicthatairpollutionisbecomingmoreandmoreseriousthesedays.A．It B．That C．What D．This15．Allchildrenshouldgetaccesstoahigh-qualityeducation________theirrace,zipcodeorfamilyincome.A．dependingon B．regardlessofC．dueto D．apartfrom16．Advertisingoftenfunctionsasanindicatorfor______societyconsiderstobesociallyacceptableanddesirableatthetime.A．what B．whetherC．how D．which17．IamsorryIamverybusynow.IfItime,Iwouldcertainlygotothemovieswithyou.A．have B．hadC．havehad D．hadhad18．It’s_______forpeopletoblametrafficjams,thecostofgasandthegreatspeedofmodernlife.A．reasonable B．availableC．accurate D．cautious19．It's________mewhyAlicegaveupherjobandgotmarried.A．under B．above C．over D．beyond20．Oncehemakesuphismindtodosomething,seldom______giveitup.A．hewill B．doesheC．wouldhe D．willhe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）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$300billion22．（8分）AfterIvisitedmyeldersister’shouse,Iwasremindedjusthowdifferenttheapartmentlivingwithachildwas.Shehasanicebighousewithafewfloors,abigbackyardandlotsoftoys.HerhouseismysonTom’slittlepieceofheaven.Atherhousetherearelittletoys,bigtoys,adollhouse,aplayhouseandmore!Therearebedroomstockedwithtraintables,ride-ontoysandbigtrucks.Themaindifferenceaboutbeinganapartmentmomisthatyoucannotbecomeacollectorof“things”.Icontinuallygetridofanythingtoolarge.WhenTomwasborn,wemadearulethattherewouldneverbeanystuffedanimalsinourapartmentthatwerelargerthanhimatthattime.Wealsomadearulethatwewouldonlyeverhaveatmostfivestuffed“anything”atonetime.Sofarthishadworkedoutwellforus.TheserulesleftTomwithafewspecialsoftcreaturestoplaywith,butthatcanbeeasilyputaway.Sincewewanttokeeptheappearanceofbeingcleancitydwellers,wehavelimitedTom’splaythingstoonetoybasketinthemainlivingspaceandonebigstoragebininhisbedroom.IamconstantlythinkingaboutlivingspacewhenIbuyanythingforourlittleTom.WelovethestoragebininTom’sroom.Itisfilledwithfunplaythings.Itisaplacetokeephistoysandeverythinggetspulledinandoutdaily.Anythingthatdoesn’tfitisoftenweededouttocreatespace.Tomabsolutelylikesgoingtohisaunt’shouseandpullingouteverysingletoyavailabletohim.Ofcourse,Tomdoesnotnoticethatwhenhereturnshomeheonlygetsonebasketoftoysinsteadofmanyroomsoftoys.RightnowTomlivesfullyinhis1,100-square-footapartmentandseemsverysatisfiedwithhisbasketoftoys.1、ByParagraph1thewritermainlywantstotellusthathersister________.A．lovesbuyingtoysforherselfB．hasseveralchildrenC．livesinahousewithmanytoysD．doesn’tkeepherhousetidy2、Whatdoestheunderlinedpart“weekendout”inparagraph3mean?A．removedB．washedC．storedD．played3、Thelastparagraphshowsthat________.A．thewriterwantstoliveinabighouseB．Tomdoesn’tlikethetoysinhistoybasketC．Tomdoesn’tlikethetoysinhisaunt’shouseD．thewriter’srulesabouttoysworkoutverywel23．（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,b,cB．a,b,dC．a,c,dD．b,c,d24．（8分）Myfatherwasalwaysagoodgardener.Oneofmyearliestmemoriesisstandingwithoutshoesinthefreshlytilled(翻耕的)soil,myhandsblackenedfromdiggingintheground.Asachild,IlovedfollowingDadaroundinthegarden,IrememberDadpushingthetiller(耕作機)aheadinperfectlystraightlines.Dadlovedgrowingallsortsofthings:yellowandgreenonions,watermelonsalmostasbigasme,rowsofyellowcom,andourfavorite―redtomatoes.AsIgrewintoateenager,Ididn’tgetsoexcitedaboutgardeningwithDad.Insteadofmagicallandofpossibility,ithadturnedintosomekindofprison.AsDadgrewolder,hisloveforgardeningneverdisappeared.Afterallthekidsweregrownandhadstartedfamiliesoftheirown,Dadturnedtogardeninglikeneverbefore.Evenwhenhewasdiagnosedwithcancer,hestilltookcareofhisgarden.Butthen,thecancer,bitbybit,invadedhisbody.Ihadtodothethingsheusedtodo.WhatreallyconvincedmethatDadwasdyingwasthestateofhisgardenthatyear.Therowsandrowsofmulticoloredvegetablesweregone.Tootiredtoweedthem,hesimplyletthembe.Heonlyplantedtomatoes.Forthefirstfewyearsafterhedied,Icouldn’tevenbeartolookatanyone'sgardenwithouthavingstrongmemoriespourovermelikecoldwaterfromabucket.Threeyearsago,Idecidedtoplantmyowngardenandstartedoutwithjustafewtomatoes.Thatmorning,afterbreakingupafairamountofsoil,somethingcaughtthecomerofmyeyeandIhadtosmile,Itwasmyeight-year-oldsonNathan,happilyplayinginthefreshlytilledsoil.1、Whydidtheauthorlikethegardenwhenhewasachild?A．Thegardenwasplantedwithcolorfulflowers.B．Thegardenwasjustfreshlytilledbyhisfather.C．Helovedwhathisfathergrewinthegarden.D．Heenjoyedbeinginthegardenwithhisfather.2、Whenallthekidsstartedtheirownfamilies,theauthor’sfather.A．devotedmoretogardeningB．turnedtootherhobbiesC．stoppedhisgardeningD．focusedonplantingtomatoes3、Whathappenedtothegardenwhentheauthor’sfatherwasseriouslyill?A．Theauthor’ssontookchargeofit.B．Noplantgrewinthegardenatall.C．Thegardenwasalmostdeserted.D．Itbroughttheauthoragreatharvest.4、Wecaninferfromthelastparagraphthat.A．theauthor’ssonplayedhappilyinthegardenB．theauthor’ssonremindedhimofhisownfatherC．theauthor’ssonwasverygladtohelptheauthorD．theauthor’ssonwillcontinuegardeningaswell25．（10分）2017TFKPoetryContestCallingallpoets!TIMEForKidshasachallengeforyou:Writeafunny,rhymingpoem.Itmustbeanoriginalpoemthatdoesnotcopyanotherpoet’swork.EnteritintheTIMEForKidsPoetryContest.Asfewerandfewerchildrenareinterestedinwritingpoetryoftheirown,TIMEForKidsdecidestoorganizeandsponsorsuchacontesttochangethesituation.ContestRules1.Howtoenter:Thiscontestbegins12:01amonMarch6,2014andends11:59pmonJuly24,2014.Toenter,mailthefollowinginformationto1271AvenueoftheAmericas,32ndFloor,NewYork,NewYork10020:(a)anoriginalandpreviouslyunpublishedpoemthatishumorousandhasarhyme

scheme(韻律);(b)

Entrant’sfirstnameonlyandaparent’smailaddress.Limitoneentryperperson.Byentering,Entrantpromisesthattheentry(1)isoriginal,(2)hasnotbeenpublishedinanymediumand(3)hasnotwonanaward.2.Judging:AllentrieswillbejudgedbypoetKennNesbitt,basedonthefollowingcriteria:creativityandoriginality(50％),useoflanguageandrhyme(25％)andappropriatenesstothethemeofthecontest(25％).Thelengthoftheentrywillnotbetakenintoconsideration.3.Prizes:Ourjudgewillselectfoursemifinalists(半決賽選手)fromwhichonegrand-prizewinnerandthreefinalistswillbechosen.Theonegrand-prizewinnerwillreceiveanonlineclassvisitfromChildren’sPoetKennNesbittandasignedcopyofhisnewestbookofpoetry,

TheArmpit

ofDoom:FunnyPoemsforKids,approximatelyvalue:$275.ThethreefinalistswilleachgetasignedcopyofNesbitt’snewestbookofpoetry,TheArmpitofDoom:

FunnyPoemsforKids,andboththeirpoemsandthatofthegrand-prizewinnerwillbepublishedat

.4.Eligibility(參賽資格):Opentolegalcitizensofthe50UnitedStatesandtheDistrictofColumbiawhoareprimaryschoolstudentsandare8to13yearsoldattimeofentry.5.Winner’slist:Fornamesofthewinnerandfinalists,visit

(afterAugust1,2017,availableforaperiodof10days).1、Thepurposeofthecontestisto__________.A．encouragechildrentolearnfromotherpoetsB．helpchildrenrealizethedreamofpoetrywritingC．encouragechildren’sinterestinpoetrywritingD．encouragechildrentoreadmoreoriginalpoems2、Whichofthefollowingcharacteristicsofapoemisvaluedmostinjudging?A．BeingcreativeandoriginalB．UsingapropernumberofwordsC．UsingproperlanguageandrhymeD．Beingappropriatetothecontesttheme3、Accordingtothecontestrules,____________.A．poemscanbesenttotheorganizersbye-mailB．allchildrenhavetherighttotakepartinthecontestC．thenumberofpoemstoenterthecontestisnotlimitedD．theresultofthecontestwillbeunknownbeforeAugust,2017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）Regardlessoftheweatherorthedistance,PaulWilsonwillmakesurelow-incomestudentsinhisneighbourhoodarriveattheircollegeclassesontime.Aretiredengineer,76-year-oldWilsonhasbeen1freeridestocollegestudentsforthepasteightyears.Sincehefirststarted2hiscartotheyoungpeople.Wilsonhas3anastonishing64,000miles,andhashadcountlesspleasantandoftenhumorous4withthestudentshetransportstoandfromschool.Thestudentswhohe’s5havegoneontobecomephysicians,teachersandengineers,butwhatthey’vealsogotoutoftheirtimeinschoolisfindingarolemodelandafriendinWilson.Somestudents6callhim“Grandpa”.TinaStern7ridesfromWilsonforallherfouryearsincollege,andthetripsmeantmuchmoretoherthanjustfree8.“It’snotjustaride;you’renotjustsittingtherein9silenceorwithyourheadphoneson.”Sternsaid.“Heasksyouquestionsandactually10theanswers,sothenexttimeyouridewithhim,he’ll11thosethings.”Wilsonfirstworkedasadriverthroughastudent-supportprogrammeofthenon-profitorganisation.OnPointforCollege.Althoughthe12asksthemembersonlytodrivestudentstoandfromtheirclasses,Wilsonoftengoes13toensurethewelfareandsafetyofthestudents.Iftheyhaveproblemswithregistration,Wilsonisthereto14them.Iftheyrunoutofcertaindailynecessities,Wilsonwilldrivetotheneareststoreandpurchasewhat’sneeded.Ifastudentgetshungryonthelongdrivestoandfromschool,Wilsonnever15tobuythemameal.Formanystudents,Wilson’shelpisnotonlyappreciated,it’salsoentirely16forthemtobeabletocompletetheircollegeeducation.Somestudentsdon’thaveareliablecar,whileothershaveto17vehicleswithparentswhoworksixdaysaweek.Forthem,ridingwithWilsonhas18themtocompletetheireducation—butaccordingtoWilson,hebenefitsjustasmuchfromthe19.“IjustlovedrivingandIlovethesekids,”Wilsonsaid.“It’ssucha(n)20tobeapartofthesekids’lives,evenjustforafewhours,gettingtoknowthemandhearingtheirstories.”1、A．linking B．sending C．offering D．distributing2、A．donating B．lending C．delivering D．volunteering3、A．paved B．covered C．measured D．wandered4、A．arguments B．interviews C．negotiations D．conversations5、A．met B．driven C．addressed D．greeted6、A．even B．ever C．once D．already7、A．earned B．received C．assessed D．demanded8、A．transportation B．style C．time D．communication9、A．forced B．awkward C．ridiculous D．suspicious10、A．selects B．recites C．guesses D．remembers11、A．acton B．settleon C．checkon D．agreeon12、A．club B．league C．college D．programme13、A．far B．around C．beyond D．forwards14、A．assist B．watch C．urge D．warn15、A．expects B．attempts C．manages D．hesitates16、A．extra B．unusual C．necessary D．adequate17、A．share B．fuel C．repair D．exchange18、A．required B．allowed C．reminded D．convinced19、A．experience B．arrangement C．appreciation D．employment20、A．effort B．ambition C．privilege D．convenience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）Friendshipisvery1．(importance).Everyone2．(need)friendship.Inallourliveswecan’tlivewithoutfriendshipjustaswecan’tlivewithoutair3．water.Friendshipmakesusgetonwell4．oneanothertogoaheadunderdifferent5．(kind)ofdifficultiesinfrontofus.But6．(really)friendshipisnoteasytocomeby.Truefriendshipmustbesincereandbebasedon7．(understand)eachotherbutnotonbenefitsofeachother.Agoodfriendcanalwaysbeagoodteacherto8．(we).Byhisadvicewearepersuaded9．(go)therightway.Therefore,10．moregreatfriendswehave,thebetterwecanimproveourselves.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：在錯的詞下劃一橫線，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。Yesterdaywetookpartatreeplantingactivityorganisedbyourclass、Early-inthemorning,wesetoutforBantouReservoirinXiamen,Whenwewerearrivedthere,webegantoworkimmediately、Firstly,wedugholesthatareslightlylargerthantherootballs、Next,wegentleplacedthetreesintoournewhomes、Afterthat,werefilledtheholesuseenoughsoiltosupporttheroot、Finally,wewateredthetrees、Threehourspassedbyafterweknewit、Tiredaswewere,wefeltexciting,talkingandlaughingallthewayhome、Howanunforgettableexperience!6第二節(jié)書面表達（滿分25分）29．（25分）假如你是李華，你的父母最近計劃生第二胎。給你校的外籍老師Lucy寫信談談你的看法。字數(shù)120左右；參考詞匯：sibling兄弟姐妹DearLucy,Ican’twaittotellyouthedecisionmyparentshavejustmade._____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________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、C2、A3、D4、A5、D6、D7、B8、B9、B10、C11、D12、A13、A14、A15、B16、A17、B18、A19、D20、D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、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,ithaswidertiresthanmyoldbikeandsevengears.Butitisgreen—abrightergreenbike.Still,Iwasabitworried;Iwasalotolder.Ibroughtthebikehomeandputonmyhelmet—I'dneverwornahelmetbefore.ThenIgotonthebike.Afteradifficultstart,IfeltexactlyasIwasonthatlong-agodayonSpringfieldAvenue:free.SoonIwasridingalong,watchingthewavesbreak.ItseemedthateveryoneIpassedsmiled.AndIknewtheyallrememberedtheirfirstbikeandhowithadsetthemfree.Iwantedtocallbacktothem,"Its