2025屆四川省成都實驗外國語學校高考英語一模試卷請考生注意：1．請用2B鉛筆將選擇題答案涂填在答題紙相應位置上，請用0．5毫米及以上黑色字跡的鋼筆或簽字筆將主觀題的答案寫在答題紙相應的答題區(qū)內(nèi)。寫在試題卷、草稿紙上均無效。2．答題前，認真閱讀答題紙上的《注意事項》，按規(guī)定答題。第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1．ThepossibilitythatFrankwaslying______throughmymind.A．swallowed B．masked C．flashed2．Iwouldn’thavemissedthetrainifI______upearlier.A．got B．hadgot C．willget D．havegot3．Eithersideseemstohavea(n)_________position;therearestillmanyuncertaintiesonthisissue.A．a(chǎn)mbiguous B．delicate C．explicit D．confidential4．—DidyoumeetMr.Smith?—Yes.WhenIarrived,he________forNewYorktoattendapressconference.A．wasjustleaving B．justleftC．justleaves D．hadjustleft5．ChinesePresidentHuJintaocalledforanimmediatecease-fireinLibya_____anevenworsehumanitariancrisisinthecountryattheBRICSSummitinHainanProvince.A．toprevent B．tohaveprevented C．preventing D．havingprevented6．—Allthecontainershavebeenunloaded!CanithavebeendonebyFrank?—Impossible!He________hiscarlastnight.A．hasfixedB．hadfixedC．wouldfixD．wasfixing7．I’mverygratefultomyhighschoolteachers,without______helpIwouldn’tbesoexcellent.A．whom B．their C．which D．whose8．Oncehemakesuphismindtodosomething,seldom______giveitup.A．hewill B．doesheC．wouldhe D．willhe9．Shedidnotfeelabitnervousthoughitwasthefirsttimeshe___________inpublic.A．spoke B．havespokenC．hadspoken D．werespeaking10．Myteacheraskedmetocopy_____article_____secondtime． A．a(chǎn)n;the B．a(chǎn)n;a C．the;a D．the;the11．Itisnothowmuchmoneyyouwillgiveusbutthatyouarepresentattheceremony______reallymatters.A．which B．it C．what D．that12．_______youhearfrommetothecontrary,expectmeonFridayatabout6pm.A．Unless B．UntilC．While D．Although13．Facetheproblembravelyandyou______anewwaytosuccess.A．findB．foundC．willfindD．havefound14．HowwasyourtriptoXi'anlastmonth？--_____________.Itwasrainingcatsanddogsduringmystaythere.A．Wonderful B．ExcitingC．Notbad D．Itcouldn'tbeworse15．—Mike,it’sreallyimpossibleforustogettotherailwaystationintime!—HowIwishIcouldstopthetrain________it.A．catchB．tocatchC．catchingD．caught16．—Iamsearchingoneonlineshoppingsiteafteranotherforacomputer.—So__________IbeforeIdecidedtobuyanewcamera.A．had B．have C．a(chǎn)m D．would17．Sheissuchanirritatingwoman,Idon’tknowhowyoucan______her.A．putup B．standwith C．standupto D．putupwith18．Johnonceworkedinaremotemountainvillageschool,whichis______onlyonfoot.A．a(chǎn)ccessible B．a(chǎn)cceptable C．a(chǎn)vailable D．a(chǎn)ppropriate19．--Whoisdancingtomusicinthenextroom?--________thechildren.A．Itis B．Theyare C．Thatis D．Thereare20．______metomorrowandI’llletyouknowthelabresult.A．Calling B．Call C．Tocall D．Havingcalled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）AccordingtoaPewResearchCenterreportfromNovember2013,“71%ofthose10-18turntotheinternetasamainnewssource.”AnotherPewreportfoundfrom2012saysthatonanaverageday,29percentofyoungpeoplewere“newsless”meaningtheydidnotgetanynews,fromtraditionalplatforms,mobilephones,orevensocialnetworks.DespitethefactthatbothmyhusbandandIareinjournalism,myhusbandasadesigneditorandmyselfasawriter,Ihaveoftenwonderedifourfoursonswouldgrowuptoreadprintedpageswiththeirownchildrensomeday.Igotmyanswerlastweekwhenmyfailuretorenewuslivinginanewspaperdesertfortwoweeks.NormallywegetbothTheVirginian-Pilot(thepaperforwhichmyhusbandworks)andTheChristianScienceMonitorWeeklyprintedition.Ourfoursonshavegrownupwithavarietyofprintnewspapersavailabledaily.Thathaschangedslightlysinceouryoungest,Quin,10,hasalsobecomeanonlinenewstracker.However,itwasn’tuntilthenewspapersstoppedcomingtoourdoorstepsevendaysaweekthatIlearnedhowdeeplyattachedtheyallaretotheprinted,paper,page.That’swhenwedecidedtomakealistofwhatwehavecometorelyonnewspaperstodocheaplyandimmediately.Here’sthelistwemadetogetherofwhatournewspaperisusedforbeyondlearningthenewsitself:asanumbrellawhencaughtinrain;tostuffinwetshoesovernighttodry;tostuffinhatstokeeptheirshape;tostuffunderdoorsandincrackstostopcoldwindfromcomingin;towallpaperforadollhouse(mydaddidthatonce)….Despitethegrowinglistofhouseholduses,mysons’loveforreadingthepaperbeforeitbecomescagelinerhashelpedmetorealizethatthereisstillhopethatourkidsandfuturegenerationswillcontinuetovaluetheprintednewsasmorethanjustameanstoacraftingprojectend,buttogettingamoretouchablegraspontheissuestheymayfaceinlife.1、WhatisthePewResearchCenterreportprobablyabout?A．Children’snewssource.B．Qualityofjournalism.C．Children’safter-classactivities.D．Parent-childrelationships.2、Whendidtheauthorlearnhowdeeplyattachedherchildrenaretonewspapers?A．ourfoursonswouldgrowuptoreadprintedpageswiththeirownchildrenB．ouryoungest,Quin,10,hasalsobecomeanonlinenewsaddictC．thenewspapersstoppedcomingtoourdoorstepsevendaysaweekD．wedecidedtomakealistofwhatwehavecometorelyonnewspapers3、Whichisnotonthelistofusingnewspapersforhousehold?A．towallpaperforadollhouse.B．togetnewsfromsocialnetworks.C．toactasanumbrellawhencaughtinrain.D．tostuffunderdoorsandincrackstostopcoldwindcomingin.4、Howshouldchildrenandfuturegenerationscontinuetovaluethenewspaper?A．usingitasameanstoacraftingprojectend.B．relyingonittodocheaplyandimmediately.C．growingupwithavarietyofprintnewspapersavailabledaily.D．gettingamoretouchablegraspontheissuestheymayfaceinlife.22．（8分）Whatiserosion(腐蝕)?Erosionissimplywhensoilistransportedontheearth'ssurfacefromonelocationtoanotherbyanaturalcause.Thisiseasytoimagine.Pictureasandcastleonabeach.Thissandcastleisparticularlybeautiful,theworkofawholelong,hotsummerafternoon.Ithasthreetowers,withagreatwallrunningallaround.Smallsquarehousessitinanopenareainthecenter.FromthetallesttowerfliesaPop-sicle-wrapperflagfromasmalltwigflagpole.Itsbuildersitsback,proudlyadmiringherwork.Butitislate,andthetideiscomingin,bringingthewatercloser.Finally,thecastleishitwithagiantwave.Asitpullsout,thebuilderseesthereisnothingleftbutbitsofthetowersandasmallbrokentwig.Wherehasthesandgone?Notveryfar,really.It’smovingaroundthewaterthatwillwashbackandforthacrossthebeachallday.It’sspreadaroundthebeachnexttothecastle.However,tooureyes,ithasdisappeared.Thisisalsothewaywitherosion.Partsoftheearthseemtodisappearbuthavereallyjustbeenmovedaround.Acommonexampleofwaterchangingthelandscapeissinkholes.Sinkholesareformedwhenundergroundwaterwearsawaythedirtandrockthatsurroundsit.Eventually,theholeunderneaththegroundissobig,andtheearthaboveitsothinthatthesurfacecollapsesintothehole,takingwithitanythingunluckyenoughtobeonthesurfaceatthetime.Sinkholesoccurnaturallyandhavebeenaroundaverylongtime.Today,though,manysinkholesarecausedbytheactionofhumanbeings.Infact,today,humanbeingsareoneofthethingshelpingtospeeduperosionoftheearth.Scientistsbelievethatbypumpingwaterfromunderground,movingsanddunesandothernaturally-occurringanti-erosionmeasures,humanshaveallowederosionoftheearthtospeedupbyasmuchas40times.Thismeansthatbeachesaroundtheworldaredisappearing,moresinkholesareopeningup,andfarmlandisrapidlybecomingdesert.1、What’stheauthor’spurposeofdescribingasandcastleinParagraph2?A．Toshowthedestructiveforceofnature.B．Torecallhishappychildhood.C．Tocatchthereader’sattention.D．Toexplainwhaterosionis.2、Whatdoestheunderlinedword“it”refertointhepassage?A．Thehole.B．Theground.C．Theearth.D．Thesurface.3、Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingcanyouinfermayNOTbethecauseofsink-holes?A．Alotofhigh-riseshavebeenbuilt.B．Peoplepumpwaterfromunderground.C．Toomanymineshavebeenopenedup.D．Undergroundwatertakesawaydirtandrockaroundit.4、Basedonthepassage,whatismostlikelytobeoneresultoferosion?A．Desertificationwillspeedup.B．Sinkholeswillbeeverywhere.C．Manyplantspecieswilldisappear.D．Earthquakeswillhappenmoreoften.23．（8分）Lastyearmarkedthe100thanniversaryoftheendofWorldWarI.Therewereeventsaroundtheworldinmemoryofthosewhodiedintheconflict.WehavepickedoutthreeoftheminEuropeancountries.Let'stakealook.BelgiumInapark,thefamousBelgianartistKoenVanmechelenhadanexhibitioncalledComingWorld,RememberMe.Theworkconsistedof600,000individual(個別的)claysculptures,oneforeachpersonkilledduringtheWorldWar.Inthecenteroftheexhibitionwasabigeggmadeofclay,symbolizinganewworld.UKInasmalltowncalledAldridge,almost100housesinonestreetwerecoveredwith24,000poppiesandstatuesofsoldiers.Theystoodforthemenfromtheareawhohadbeenkilledinthewar.TheflowerswerechosenbecauseofapoemwrittenbytheCanadiandoctorJohnMcCreain1915.Theymadepeoplethinkoffieldsofblood.FranceTheBritishartistGuyDenningarrivedinLaFeuille,asmalltowninthenorthwestofFrance,tosticklife-sizedrawingsofsoldierswhonevercamebackhome.Armedwithglueandabrush,Denningstuckhisdrawingscarefullyonwalls.Beforelong112men,mainlyyoungadults,werebroughtbacktomind,ifnottolife.1、WhatdoweknowaboutComingWorld,RememberMe?A．It'sthenameofanexhibition. B．It'safilmaboutWorldWarI.C．It'saworkstandingforpeace. D．It'sasculpturemadeofclay.2、Whywerepoppieschosentosymbolizethedeadsoldiers?A．TheBritishpeoplepreferredthem. B．Theyshowedthecrueltyofwar.C．ACanadiandoctorsuggestedthem. D．Thefieldswerefilledwiththem.3、HowwastheendofWorldWarImarkedinFrance?A．Amemorialtothedeadsoldierswasbuilt.B．112woundedsoldiersinthewarwerehelped.C．Drawingsofsomedeadsoldierswereputup.D．Youngadultswereencouragedtojointhearmy.24．（8分）Thesettingwasapackedgymnasiumjustbeforethestartofagameagainstanotherschool.TherewerefivegirlswhoweremembersoftheDanvilleHighSchoolbasketballteam-allofthemstarters.Theywerenotinuniformtoplaythatnightandwouldnotbeontheteamfortherestofthisseason.Theyweretheretoadmittheirbreakingofteamrules.Theyweretheretosupporttheircoach’sdecisiontotakethemofftheteam.Theyweretheretoletthetownknowtherewasaproblemintheirlittlecommunitythatneededtobeaddressed.Andtheydiditwithsincereregretratherthandefensiveness.WhiletheschoolhadbeenoutfortheNewYear’sholiday,thefivegirlshadgonetothepartywithseveraloftheirfriends.Therewasalcoholthere.Andtheyalldranksome.CoachRainvillehasazerotoleranceruleondrugsandalcoholforhermembersthoughitwasaharddecisiontomake.Whenclassesresumedandaccountsofholidaypartieswereshared,rumorsaboutthefivegirlsbeganclosinginonthem.Thecoachsaidshecouldn’tbackdownonherrules.Andtheplayers-twojuniorstudentsandseniorstudents-agreed.Thatnightinthegymwaspartoftheirpublicsupportofthecoach’sdecision.“Wehopeyouwillunderstandthatwearenotbadkids.Whatwedidwasdefinitelynotworthit.Wehopethiseventwillmakeeveryonerealizethatthereisabigdrugandalcoholprobleminourcommunity,”oneoftheseniorstudentssaid,“Andifyouworkwithustotrytosolvethisproblem,youwillhelpusfeelthatwehavenotbeenthrownoffourbasketballteamfornothing.”Thefiveleftthefloortodeafeningapplause.Theteammaynotwinanothergamethisyear.Butthey’velearntsomethingaboutpersonalresponsibility,theeffectofone’sactiononothers,andhonestythatwillservethemwellthroughoutlife.1、Itcanbeinferredfromthepassagethatfivegirlswhowerekickedofftheteamwere_.A．verygoodplayersontheteamB．a(chǎn)ddictedtoalcoholanddrugsC．threejuniorstudentsandtwoseniorstudentsD．scoldedbytheirparentsfordrinkingalcohol2、Whatdidthegirlsdotosupporttheircoach’sdecision?A．Theydidn’tfightforDanvilleHighSchoolanymore.B．Theyallgavespeechestoapologizeinthelocalpress.C．Theyadmittedtheirmistakeinpublicinthegymnasium.D．Theywouldneverdrinkanyalcoholthroughouttheirlife.3、WhichwordbestdescribesthecoachRainville?A．Indifferent. B．Strict.C．Stubborn. D．Cruel.4、Whichwouldbethebesttitleforthepassage?A．Growingupwithpain B．AbadmistakeC．Teamrulesareeverything D．Basketballgirlsinhighschool25．（10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．a(chǎn)pictureoftheLong-marchrocketC．a(chǎn)pictureoftheThree-gorges(峽谷)projectD．PresidentXiJinping’sportrait4、Itcanbeinferredthatafterthesuccessinthe104-satellitelaunch,Indiawill________.A．becomeNo.1intheglobalspacemarketB．takeupalargermarketshareinthefutureC．showitsabilityamonglocalcompetitorsD．haveanorderof$300billion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）Iwalkedintothegrocerystorenotparticularlyinterestedinbuyingsomething.Thesorrowof1myhusbandof37yearswasstilltoopainful.Andthisgrocerystoreheldsomanysweet2Boboftencamewithmeandalmosteverytimehe'd3togooffandlookforsomethingspecial.I'dalwaysseehimwalkingdownthewalkway4thethreeyellowrosesinhishands.BobknewIlovedyellowroses.Withaheart5withpain,Icametothemeatshelf,Isearchedforthe6smallsteakandrememberedhowBobhadlovedhissteak.Suddenlyawomancamebesideme.Shewasinasoftgreendress.I7asshepickedupalargepackofT-bones,8theminherbasket,hesitated,andthenputthemback.Shesawmewatchingherandshesmiled."MyhusbandlovesT-bones,but9,attheseprices,Idon'tknow.""Myhusbandpassedawayeightdaysago,"Itoldher."Buyhimthesteaks.Andvalueevery10youhavetogether."ShesmiledandIsawthefeelinginher11assheplacedthepackageinherbasketand12away.Iturnedandpushedmycartforwardtoo.SeveralminuteslaterIsawfirstthegreensuitandthen13theprettyladycomingtome.Inherarmsshecarriedsomething.Onherfacewasthe14smileIhadeverseen.Asshecamecloser,Isawwhatsheheldand15welleddown."Theseareforyou,"shesaidandplacedthreebeautifulyellowrosesinmyarms.Sheplacedagentlekissonmycheek,thensmiledagain.Iwantedtotellherwhattheroses16,butstillunabletospeak.Iwatchedasshewalkedawayastearscloudedmy17Ilookeddownatthebeautifulrosesandfounditalmost18Howdidsheknow?Suddenlythe19seemedsoclear.Iwasn'talone."Oh,Bob,youhaven't20me,haveyou?"Iwhispered,withtearsinmyeyes.Hewasstillwithme,andshewashisangel.1、A．leaving B．losing C．passing D．failing2、A．flowers B．roses C．thoughts D．memories3、A．pretend B．happen C．refuse D．decide4、A．by B．between C．with D．during5、A．full B．pleased C．filled D．crowded6、A．perfect B．beautiful C．pretty D．very7、A．saw B．watched C．found D．glared8、A．fell B．carried C．took D．dropped9、A．honestly B．generally C．usually D．exactly10、A．dinner B．moment C．time D．year11、A．hands B．voice C．eyes D．basket12、A．wheeled B．ran C．slipped D．left13、A．realized B．thought C．recognized D．received14、A．saddest B．funniest C．strangest D．brightest15、A．words B．feelings C．tears D．sweats16、A．stood B．described C．designed D．meant17、A．cart B．sight C．roses D．package18、A．unknown B．uncommon C．unlike D．unreal19、A．question B．case C．a(chǎn)nswer D．puzzle20、A．forgotten B．disappointed C．hated D．missed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(nèi)單詞的正確形式。27．（15分）Poordietsareamongthetopcausesofillhealthglobally,accountingfornearlyoneinfivedeaths,accordingtoastudypublishedonThursday,1．calledongovernmentstodomoretoimproveeatinghabits.Someresearchersindicatethateatingunhealthyfood2．nothavingenoughfoodcontributestowidespreadmalnutrition(營養(yǎng)不良).Therefore,dietsareoneofthetoprisk3．(factor)ofillhealthanddeathsintheworld—orethanair4．(pollute)orsmoking.Alack5．knowledgeandaffordabilityofnutritiousfood,aswellasineffectivesupplychains,6．(be)amongthefactorsthatcontributetopoordiets.Theresearchers7．(analyze)194countriesandfoundthatmalnutritioncouldcosttheworld$3.5trillionperyear,whileoverweightandobesitycouldcostUS$500billion8．(annual).Mostcountriesareunlikelytomeetnineglobaltargetsonnutrition,9．(include)adultobesityanddiabetes,anemiaandchildhealth.Progresshasbeen“unacceptablyslow”.10．,thereisnowbetterandmoredetaileddata,creatinganextraordinaryopportunitytomakeeffectiveresponses.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。Mr、Zhang,ourEnglishteacher,tellingusthattheabilitytowriteinEnglishisbecomingincreasinglyimportantinEnglishcommunicationaswellasinexaminations、Therefore,itwasworthfocusingourattention、Inordertowritethegoodessay,weshouldhaveanexcellentlycommandofover2,000frequently-usedEnglishwords、It’snecessaryandusefulforustoreadorevenrecitebeautifulEnglisharticleswhichwecanleamusefulstructuresofsentence、Asweallknow,thatpracticemakesperfect,soyoushouldtakeeverypossiblechancetowriteinEnglish、Accordingtomypersonalexperience,keepadiaryeverydayisagoodmeanstoachievetheaim、第二節(jié)書面表達（滿分25分）29．（25分）假設(shè)你是北京市某中學的學生李華，請根據(jù)以下提示，針對北京市遭沙塵暴襲擊的情況，向某英語報社寫一封信，呼吁大家植樹造林，保護環(huán)境。1.過去家鄉(xiāng)樹木成林：如今人們毀林種地建房；2.氣候變化，土地沙漠化；3.植樹造林，人人有責。注意：1.詞數(shù)100左右：開頭和結(jié)尾已給出，不計入總詞數(shù)。2.可適當增加細節(jié)，以使行文連貫；3.開頭語已為你寫好。DearEditor,I’mastudentatamiddleschoolofBeijing.___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________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、B3、A4、A5、A6、D7、D8、D9、C10、C11、D12、A13、C14、D15、B16、A17、D18、A19、A20、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四個選項中，選出最佳選項。21、1、A2、C3、B4、D22、1、D2、D3、A4、A23、1、A2、B3、C24、1、A2、C3、B4、A25、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.Afteradifficultstar