2026屆南京師范大學附屬中學高三英語第一學期期末綜合測試試題注意事項1．考試結束后，請將本試卷和答題卡一并交回．2．答題前，請務必將自己的姓名、準考證號用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．請認真核對監(jiān)考員在答題卡上所粘貼的條形碼上的姓名、準考證號與本人是否相符．4．作答選擇題，必須用2B鉛筆將答題卡上對應選項的方框涂滿、涂黑；如需改動，請用橡皮擦干凈后，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效．5．如需作圖，須用2B鉛筆繪、寫清楚，線條、符號等須加黑、加粗．第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1．Hisbrotheraimstobe__________ofhisparentsbythetimeheistwenty.A．innocent B．beneficial C．invisible D．independent2．The90’speopleseemtohaveenjoyedthegreatbenefits________aboutbythegreatlevelofculturalandeconomicdevelopment.A．broughtB．bringingC．tobebroughtD．havingbrought3．Tomissocreativeapersonthathealwayshaslotsof_________ideasinhismind,andsometimeswedon’tevenknowwhatheisthinkingabout.A．meanB．novelC．slimD．instant4．—Iheardtheywentskiinginthemountainslastwinter.—Ittruebecausetherewaslittlesnowthere.A．maybenot B．won’tbe C．couldn’tbe D．mustn’tbe5．Thegovernmenthasbeenundergrowingpressureto______thecausesofairpollutionassmogfrequentlysmothersthecountry’slargecities.A．release B．scheduleC．maintain D．a(chǎn)ddress6．I'llhaveallofthereadingsbytheendofthistermifmyplangoeswell.A．completing B．tocompleteC．completed D．beingcompleted7．ononefootwithyoureyescloseD．a(chǎn)ndyouwillsoonloseyourbalance.A．StandingB．StoodC．TostandD．Stand8．Mothertoldmeinaphonecallthatshehadwrittentomeaweekbefore,butIhaven’treceived__________.A．one B．it C．something D．a(chǎn)nything9．—Penny’sbabydaughternarrowlyescapeddrinkingthefurniturepolishonthecoffeetable.—Luckilyforher.She________sickorevendied.A．couldhavegot B．shouldhavegotC．musthavegot D．willhavegot10．_____tomanagetimewisely,andyoucanmakethemostoutofeachday.A．LearningB．TolearnC．LearnedD．Learn11．—“DoyoumindifIlookatyournotes?”—“Ofcoursenot._______.”A．NoproblemB．BemyguestC．WithpleasureD．Notatall12．一Whenheknowtheresultoftoday’sjobinterview?一Inacoupleofdays．A．should B．may C．shall D．must13．DreamoftheRedChamberisbelievedtobesemi-autobiographical,_______thefortunesofCao’sownfamily.A．mirroredB．tomirrorC．mirroringD．mirror14．It’sdifficultforustolearnalessoninlife________we’veactuallyhadthatlesson.A．whileB．sinceC．untilD．when15．Thepoliceofficersdecidedtoconductathoroughand______reviewofthecase.A．comprehensive B．complicatedC．conscious D．constant16．Playingwiththeirpeers,childrenlearntoandnotdoexactlywhattheywanttodo.A．compromiseB．competeC．contributeD．construct17．Itiswellknown_____ConfuciuswasborninthecityofQufuinShandongprovince,China.A．whether B．whereC．that D．what18．Asisoftenthecase,therearealwayssomeobstaclesintheway，something________beforewerealizetherealgoalofeducation.A．tobegotthrough B．gotthroughC．gettingthrough D．havingbeengotthrough19．________Isaysomethingtoyou?Youwerereally,reallysomethingbackthere.Incredible!Areyoutalkingtome?Whoa!A．Must B．Can C．Need D．Should20．Iwasonabusinesstripthen,otherwiseI________tothehospitalfortests.A．went B．hadgoneC．wouldhavegone D．wouldgo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）InrecentyearsIhavehadtwoverygoodrolesontelevision:Florence,thewisecrackingmaidontheseriesTheJeffersons,andMary,themotherwhoholdsthingstogetheron227.But17yearsago,in1972whenIwasjustgettingstartedintheaterwork,IthoughtI’dnevermakeitasanactress.Forthatmatter,Icouldn’tevenholdmylifetogetheroraffordahomeofmyown.BackthenIhadaboutasmuchself-confidenceasachickeninafox’snest.IwasrecoveringfromsurgeryandhadbeenoffworkforsixmonthsfrommyjobasaUnitedAirlinesreservationsagent.I’dhadsomebitpartsinlocaltheatergroups,butthosecameandwent,notleadingtoanythingbigger.Worse,asasinglemotherwiththreeyoungsters,Ihadnoplacetolive.MychildrenwerestayingwiththeirfatherwhileIrecoveredinanaunt’sapartment.Lyinginbed,staringhopelesslyatthewall,Ididn’tknowwhattodoorwheretoturn.ThenoneSundaymorningIaimlesslyturnedonthetelevisionset,andtherewereactorRobertYoungandhiswifetalkingabouttheirfaith.Isatrightupinbed.Theysaid,“Whenonedoorcloses,abetteroneopens,”Well,Iwasn’tgoingtojustsitstaringattheclosedone.SoIgotupandtrudged(跋涉)on.Evenifmyshoesworeout,Idecided,myfaithwouldn’t.Later,whenIbeganfillingsmallpartsintelevisionproductions,thatself-confidenceshowed.I’dalwaysdonemybesttoplaytheroleasIthoughtthedirectorwanted,butnowIfoundmyselffreertointerpretit,Iwasmorenatural,moreme.1、Whatdotheunderlinedwords“holdmylifetogether”inparagraph1probablymean?A．Enjoymylife B．SupportmyselfC．Abandonmylife D．Fightagainstmylife2、Howdidtheauthorfeelwhensheworkedinthelocaltheater?A．Confident B．ExcitedC．Nervous D．Disappointed3、Whatcanwelearnabouttheauthorfromparagraph3?A．Shelivedinherownapartment B．ShehadtostaywithherfatherC．Shewasconfusedaboutherfuture D．Shewaslookedafterbyherkids4、Whatistheauthor’spurposeofwritingthispassage?A．Toshareherunderstandingoffaithwithus B．ToprovehersuccessintheTVactingC．Toshowthankstoherrespectedaunt D．Totellhowhardshebroughtupherchildren22．（8分）Ascountlessunmadebedsandunfinishedhomeworkassignmentsprove,kidsneedrules.Yethowparentsmakedemandscanpowerfullyinfluenceachild’ssocialskills,psychologistsattheUniversityofVirginiarecentlyfoundaftertheconclusionofastudyinvestigatingthetransitionfromadolescencetoadulthood.Initially18413-year-oldsfilledoutmultiplesurveys,includingonetoassesshowoftentheirparentsemployedpsychologicallycontrollingstrategies,suchasinducingguiltorthreateningtowithdrawaffection.Thekidsrated,forexample,howtypicalitwouldbeforDadtosuggestthat“ifIreallycaredforhim,Iwouldnotdothingsthatcausedhimtoworry”orforMomtobecome“l(fā)essfriendlywhenIdidnotseethingsherway.”Theresearchersfollowedupwiththesubjectsatages18and21,askingtheyoungadultstobringalongaclosefriendand,later,aromanticpartneriftheyhadone.Thesepairswereaskedtoanswerhypothetical(假設的)questionsthatwerepurposefullywrittentoinspireadifferenceofopinion.“Wewantedtoseewhethertheycouldnavigateadisagreementinahealthyway,”saysstudyleaderBarbaraOudekerk,nowattheU.S.DepartmentofJustice’sbureauofstatistics.IntheOctoberissueofChildDevelopment,Oudekerkandhercolleaguesreportthatthe13-year-oldswhohadhighlycontrollingparentsstruggledinfriendlydisagreementsatage18.Theyhaddifficultystatingtheiropinionsinaconfident,reasonedmannerincomparisontothekidswithoutcontrollingparents.Andwhentheydidspeakup,theyoftenfailedtoexpressthemselvesinwarmandproductiveways.Theresearcherssuspectthatpushyparentsruintheirchild’sabilitytolearnhowtoarguehisorherownviewpointinotherrelationships.Althoughparentsdoneedtosetboundaries,domineeringstrategiesimplythatanydisagreementwilldamagethebonditself.Separatefindingssuggestthatparentswhoexplainthereasonsbehindtheirrulesandturndisagreementsintoconversationsleaveyoungstersbetterpreparedforfuturearguments.Theconsequencesoftenseordomineeringrelationshipsappeartogetworsewithtime.Thisstudyalsofoundthatsocialdifficultiesat18predictedevenpoorercommunicationabilitiesatage21.PsychologistShmuelShulmanofBar-IlanUniversityinIsrael,whodidnotparticipateinthework,thinkstheseconclusionsconvincinglyrevealhowrelationshippatterns“carryforward”intonewfriendships.1、Whatwillhappentotheteenagerswithpushyparents?A．Theylosesocialskills.B．Theyhavetroublepresentingopinions.C．Theyexpressthemselvesinanaggressiveway.D．Theyfailtoinspireadifferenceofopinion.2、Whatdoestheunderlinedword“domineering”inParagraph5mean?A．a(chǎn)lternativeB．conservativeC．powerfulD．forceful3、Itcanbeinferredfromthefindingsthatparentsshould.A．communicatewithchildrenwhensettingrulesB．learnnewwaystoestablishnewfriendshipsC．seekmorecontrollingstrategiesD．helpchildrendevelopabilitiestofollowrules23．（8分）MagicalHistoryTourJoinusforourfifthannualexplorationoffascinatinghistoricsitesaroundGreaterPortlandthatyou’veneverseenormaybedidn’tevenknowexisted!TheMagicalHistoryTourisyourkeytounlockingfascinatinghistoricalplacesthatarenotusuallyopentothepublic.Itisaself-guidedadventureguaranteedtoamazeandamusebothadultsandchildren.Equippedwithamap，andatyourownpace，youwillbegreetedbyguidesateachlocationreadytosharethehistoryofthetourstop.Inthe5thyearoftheMagicalHistoryTour，wewillbepresentinganexcitingmixofbothnewsitesandfavoritesfromthepastfouryears.TheMagicalHistoryTourcheckinbeginsat9:45amatMaineHistoricalSociety’sBrownLibrary.Atthistime，youwillfindoutwherethetourwilltakeyouasyoureceiveyourmapandticketintoeachsite.FollowusonFacebook，Twitter，andInstagramforupdates，chancestowinticketsandsomeotherexcitingopportunities；andfeelfreetoshareyourtourexperiencestooursocialmediapagesusing#MHStour!●Time:10:00am—4:00pm，Saturday，May11，2019●Location:485CongressStreet●Tickets:Getyourticketsonline，bycallingusat207-774-1822，orbyvisitingourMuseumStoreat489CongressStreet.$25／AdultMHSMember；$35／AdultGeneralAdmission；$5／Juniorsunderage18.●Volunteering:WeneedvolunteersfortheMagicalHistoryTour!Volunteershelpforhalfthedayofthetourandaregivenafreetickettothetourtoenjoyeitherbeforeoraftertheirvolunteershift!Formoreinformation，emailusatevents@mainehistoryorgorcallusat207-774-1822.1、What’sthepurposeoftheMagicalHistoryTour?A．Toexploreunfamiliarhistoricsites.B．Tovisitsomeworld-famousattractions.C．Toprovidechildrenwithhistoryclasses.D．Tomakesomeprivateplacesknowntothepublic.2、Howmuchshouldacouple(oneisMHSMember)andakidpay?A．$55. B．$65. C．$75. D．$105.3、Whatcanwelearnfromthetext?A．Youcanbuyaticketbyemailing.B．Touristswillonlybeguidedbyamap.C．Onlynewsitesareavailableforthetour.D．Volunteerscantakepartinthetourforfree.24．（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．a(chǎn)pictureoftheLong-marchrocketC．a(chǎn)pictureoftheThree-gorges(峽谷)projectD．PresidentXiJinping’sportrait4、Itcanbeinferredthatafterthesuccessinthe104-satellitelaunch,Indiawill________.A．becomeNo.1intheglobalspacemarketB．takeupalargermarketshareinthefutureC．showitsabilityamonglocalcompetitorsD．haveanorderof$300billion25．（10分）Ayoungmanwanderedthroughthedesertforfortyuntilhereachedabeautifulcastleatthetopofamountain.Therelivedthesagethathewaslookingfor.Withconsiderablepatience,thesagelistenedattentivelytothereasonfortheboy’svisit,buttoldhimthatatthatmomenthedidnothavetimetoexplaintohimthesecretofhappiness.Hesuggestedthattheyoungmantakeawalkaroundhispalaceandcomebackintwohours’time.“However,Iwanttoaskyouafavor,”headded,bandingtheboyateaspoon,inwhichhepouredtwodropsofoil.“Whileyouwalk,carrythisspoonanddon’tlettheoilspill.”Theyoungmanbegantoclimbupanddownthepalacestaircases,alwayskeepinghiseyesfixedonthespoon.Attheendoftwohourshereturnedtothepresenceofthewiseman.“So,”askedthesage,“didyouseethePersiantapestries(掛毯)hanginginmydiningroom?DidyouseethefantasticgardenthattheMasterofGardenersspenttenyearsincreating?”Embarrassed,theyoungmanadmittedthathehadseennothing.“So,gobackandseethewondersofmyworld,”saidthewiseman.“Youcan’ttrustamanifyoudon’tknowhishouse.”Nowmoreatease,theyoungmantookthespoonandwanderedagainthroughthepalace,thistimepayingattentiontoalltheworksofartthathungfromtheceilingsandwalls.Hesawthegardens,themountainsallaroundthepalace,andthedelicacyoftheflowers.Returningtothesage,hereportedindetailwhathehadseen.“ButwherearethetwodropsofoilthatIentrustedtoyou?”askedtheSage.Lookingdownatthespoon,theyoungmanrealizedthathehadspilledtheoil.“Well,thatistheonlyadviceIhavetogiveyou,”saidthesageofsages.“Thesecretofhappinessliesinlookingatallthewondersoftheworldandneverforgettingthetwodropsofoilinthespoon.”1、Whatwastheintentionoftheyoungmantotraveltolookforthesage?A．ToappreciatethemostbeautifulsceneryalongthewayB．ToexperienceadventuresoftheoutsideworldC．TofigureoutwhetherthesagewasknowledgeableornotD．Tolearnthesecretofhappinessfromthewisestman2、Whichofthefollowingstatementsiswrong?A．ThesagelistenedtotheyoungmanwithpatienceB．Duringhissecondroundofwandering,theyoungmanappreciatedthewondersofthecastleC．TheyoungmanmadeitasthesagehadexpectedD．Theyoungmanwastooconcernedabouttheoilwhenhefirstwentaroundthecastle3、Whydidthesageasktheyoungmantogoaroundhiscastlewithaspoonoftwodropsofoil?A．BecausehewantedtofindoutwhethertheyoungmanwasperseverantinaccomplishinghisgoalsB．BecauseheintendedtolettheyoungmanknowthathappinesscameatapriceC．BecausehewantedtolettheyoungmantrusthimD．Becausehewantedtohelptheyoungmantouncoverthesecretofhappinessinanindirectway4、Whatcanwelearnfromthestory?A．Wecan’ttrustamanunlesswegetfamiliarwithhishouseB．RealhappinessconsistsinenjoyingourrightsandmeanwhilefulfillingourdutiesC．ThesearchforthesecretofhappinessdemandsourdevotionD．It’snoteasytokeepbalancebetweenenjoymentandcommitment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）Ihadnotseenmyparentsforalongtime.LastSaturdayIdrovealongwaytovisitthem,1neitherofthemwasathome.SoIwaitedpatientlyattheirhome2theirreturn.Notseeingthemmademereally3AsIwaswalkingaroundtheirbedroom,I4littleremindersofthem.SomeChristmasgiftswerestill5inboxes.Therewere6onthewall,whichIguessmusthavea7meaningtothem.Whattookmybreathawaywasseeingmydad'semblems(徽章)fromhismilitaryserviceofourcountry8hewasyoung.Myfathernever9tousabouttheKoreanWars.AsIlookedatthoseemblemshanging10withallthephotosthathetreasures,I11thatthiswasanimportantpartofhislife,butIneverspentthe12intalkingwithhimaboutthem.Thephotosofmymomwithherclose13mademerealizeherlifebeforeshewasmymom.Ihadbeenso14runningmybusinesstoraisemyownfamilythatI15thechancetoknowabouttheirpastandexperience.Wesometimesdon'trealizesomethingis16forusuntilwehavelostit,soit'snottoolateforustotalktoourparentsabouttheirpast.Iamwritingmystoryto17everyonewhoisfortunatetostillhavetheirparents18toinvestsometimetolearnaboutthem.Iamgratefultohave19ofmyparents.SoIstillhavetimetotalkwiththem.Ihopethatreaderswill20frommystoryandfindthetimetotalkaboutthosethingsintheirlifethatmeansomuchtotheirparents.1、A．orB．soC．a(chǎn)ndD．but2、A．forB．toC．ofD．in3、A．frightenedB．embarrassedC．upsetD．excited4、A．soughtB．tookC．neededD．saw5、A．keptB．foldedC．hiddenD．covered6、A．SantaClausB．familytreesC．familyphotosD．oldclothes7、A．pastB．specialC．simpleD．real8、A．ifB．whenC．thoughD．until9、A．talkedB．explainedC．showedD．referred10、A．proudlyB．openlyC．finallyD．clearly11、A．promisedB．declaredC．a(chǎn)dmittedD．realized12、A．courageB．timeC．chanceD．energy13、A．friendsB．teachersC．studentsD．children14、A．busyB．blindC．strictD．eager15、A．rejectedB．a(chǎn)voidedC．delayedD．missed16、A．hopefulB．importantC．carefulD．original17、A．encourageB．demandC．requireD．warn18、A．a(chǎn)wayB．a(chǎn)wakeC．a(chǎn)roundD．a(chǎn)lone19、A．eitherB．bothC．oneD．neither20、A．makeB．benefitC．changeD．recover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）Manyyearsago,whenIworkedasavolunteeratStanfordHospital,Igottoknowalittlegirl1．(name)Lizwhowassufferingfromarareandseriousdisease.Heronlychanceofrecoveryappearedtobeabloodtransfusion（輸血）2．her5-year-oldbrother,3．hadmiraculouslysurvivedthesamediseaseandhaddevelopedtheantibodiesneededtofightthe4．(ill).Thedoctorexplainedthesituationtoherlittlebrother,andaskedtheboyifhewouldbewillingtogivehisbloodtohissister.Isawhimhesitateforamoment5．takingadeepbreathandsaying,“Yes,I’lldoit6．itcansaveLiz.”7．thetransfusionprogressed,helayinbednexttohissisterandsmiled,aswealldid,8．(see)thecolorreturningtohercheeks.Then9．facegrewpaleandhissmilefaded.Helookedupatthedoctorandaskedwithatremblingvoice,“WillIstarttodierightaway?”Beingyoung,theboyhad10．(understand)thedoctor;hethoughthewasgoingtohavetogivehissisterallofhisblood.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）Intoday’sincreasinglycompetitiveworld,thatisofgreatimportancetokeepapositiveattitudetowardslife、Itisimportantbecauseitcouldhelpussolvevariousproblemsinlife、TakingEnglishlearningforexample、InoureffortstograspEnglish,mistakesareunavoidable、Intheway,mistakesareannoyed,butapositiveattitudecanmakeusrealizethatonlymakingmistakescanwebeexpectedtomakeprogresses、Aswecanseeit,keepingagoodattitudecanhelpustodealwithmistakescorrectandfindconfidenceintimeofsorrow、However,itsimportancecannotbedenied、第二節(jié)書面表達（滿分25分）29．（25分）介紹法國的首都巴黎巴黎是法國的首都，每年吸引世界各地大批游客來觀光游玩。1.地理位置：法國（France）南部；2.人口：大概一千一百萬；3.氣候（weather）：不太熱也不太冷；4.基本情況：歐洲第二大城市，法國文化，教育，商業(yè)中心，時尚與浪漫之都，很多重大活動在此舉行；有悠久的歷史和豐富的旅游資源，最著名的有埃菲爾鐵塔（theEiffelTower）,凱旋門（theTriumphalArch）和圣母院（OldNotreDame）等。注意：1.詞數(shù)100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、D2、A3、B4、C5、D6、C7、D8、D9、A10、D11、B12、C13、C14、C15、A16、A17、C18、A19、B20、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四個選項中，選出最佳選項。21、1、B2、D3、C4、A22、1、B2、D3、A23、1、A2、B3、D24、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,IfeltexactlyasIw