2024屆江蘇省常州市禮嘉中學(xué)高三第二次模擬考試英語(yǔ)試卷含解析

2024屆江蘇省常州市禮嘉中學(xué)高三第二次模擬考試英語(yǔ)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)碼填寫(xiě)清楚，將條形碼準(zhǔn)確粘貼在條形碼區(qū)域內(nèi)。2．答題時(shí)請(qǐng)按要求用筆。3．請(qǐng)按照題號(hào)順序在答題卡各題目的答題區(qū)域內(nèi)作答，超出答題區(qū)域書(shū)寫(xiě)的答案無(wú)效；在草稿紙、試卷上答題無(wú)效。4．作圖可先使用鉛筆畫(huà)出，確定后必須用黑色字跡的簽字筆描黑。5．保持卡面清潔，不要折暴、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(mǎn)分30分）1．John'ssuccesshasnothingtodowithgoodluck.Itisyearsofhardwork_________hasmadehimwhatheistoday.A．what B．whichC．where D．that2．Ifit_____earlier,theprintingmachinewouldnothavebrokendown．A．hasbeenrepaired B．isrepairedC．hadbeenrepaired D．wasrepaired3．Theinnerstrengthofthegirlallowsher_____goingwhenshegetsintotrouble.A．keepB．keepingC．tokeepD．kept4．Hemessedtheprojectup,buthebehavedasifnothing______.A．hadhappened B．happenedC．wouldhappen D．wouldhavehappened5．Shehasexpressedherhope______theforeignstudentswillspreadthegoodwillandsincerityoftheChinesepeopletootherpartsoftheworld.A．that B．whichC．whether D．what6．I’mafraidthatIcan’tattendTom’sweddingparty______nextweekend.A．tobeheld B．beingheldC．held D．istobeheld7．Newpolicies,_______toinsurethatcompulsoryeducationistrulyfree,________bythelocalgovernmentacrossChinasincethestartofschoolonSeptember1.A．intending;havebeenmadeknown B．intended;havebeenmadeknownC．intending;aremadeknown D．intended;hadmadeknown8．Theaccidentwhichleft15peopleonboarddead________ifboththeangryfemalepassengerandthebusdriverhadkeptcalm.A．shouldhaveavoided B．shouldbeavoidedC．couldhaveavoided D．couldhavebeenavoided9．Theuseofcomputershasmade______possibleformorepeopletoworkathome.A．it B．that C．which D．what10．—Can'tyoudrivealittlefaster?—No.IfI________anotherspeedingticket,mydadwouldtakeawaymycar.A．wouldget B．wouldhavegot C．hadgot D．got11．--Can’tyoustayalittlelonger?Ireallywanttotalkmorewithyou.--Me,too.________Ihavetogethomebefore10atnight.A．But B．Since C．And D．For12．TheBritishgovernmentpublishedanofficialpolicydocument________itsplanstobringtheUKoutoftheEuropeanUnion.A．lettingoutB．puttingoutC．settingoutD．workingout13．Youdidn’tletmedrive.Ifwe________byturns,you________sotired.A．drove;didn’tget B．drove;wouldn’tgetC．weredriving;wouldn’tget D．haddriven;wouldn’thavegot14．—IspendtwoweeksinBeijinglastyear.—ThenyoumusthavevisitedtheGreatWallduringyourstay,________you?A．mustn’t B．didn’tC．haven’t D．hadn’t15．Iusuallydothewashingupandleavethecookingtomywife，______she’sabettercookthanme．A．unless B．a(chǎn)s C．eventhough D．incase16．Facedwitheconomicslowdown,somecompaniesareplanningtouserobotsto______humanworkerstoreducetheirlaborcosts.A．compensate B．substituteC．symbolize D．discriminate17．Inordertomakemycompositionclearerandsmoother,myteacheraskedmeto_________theunnecessarywordsandsentences.A．leavealone B．leavebehindC．leaveoff D．leaveout18．—Whereonearthhavetheygone?—Ihavenoidea,butIwishI.A．know B．knew C．wouldknow D．wouldhaveknown19．HowcouldIlietohershelivedforthetruth，whetheritwasfoundinmusicorpeople?A．unless B．whenC．while D．though20．Fromhisexpression,Idon’tthinkhecouldhavefinishedhishomeworklastnight,_______?A．couldn’the B．doIC．didhe D．hasn’the第二部分閱讀理解（滿(mǎn)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）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(guò))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$300billion22．（8分）Inoureverydayliveswemeetsituationsinwhichwetakemanythingsforgranted（不去重視）.Weonlytreasurethingswhentheyaregone.Thisisasadtruthofhumannature.Oneday,Ifoundmyselfasawitnesstoasimilarsituation.Oneevening,Ileftworkandboardedthetrain.Afterentering,Inoticedsomethingunusual.Thecenterofthecarhadafewemptyseatswhilebothendswerecrowdedwithpeoplestanding.Ididn'tpaymuchattentionandsatdownononeoftheemptyseats.Isensedafunnysmell.Itwasn'tlongbeforeInoticedahomelesspersonsleepingonthreeseatsinfrontofme.Hewasbleedingfromhisnose.Whywasn'tanyonehelpinghim?Hisclothesweretornandhewasgivingoffastrangesmell.Alongwiththesmell,hiseyesweredull,wateryandred.Occasionallyhescratchedhimselfandpeoplelookedathimasifhehadcommittedacrime.Asthetrainstoppedatstationsandmorepeoplecameintheycoveredtheirnosesandfacedawayfromhim.Alltheseatsaroundhimwereempty.Suddenly,hebegantoswearatthepeoplearoundhim.Aplainclothespolicemanwholookedlikeaconstructionworkertookouthiscertificateandshowedittothehomelessman.Theofficer,notwantingtotouchthehomelessman,toldhimhisrightsanddirectedhimtoexitthetrain.Astheofficerwalkedthemanoutofthetrain,thehomelessmanturnedaroundandsaid"MYHOME!"andstartedcrying.Amandoesn'tvaluethingsuntiltheyaregone.Ifhedidn'thaveahome,atleasthehadfreedom.Nowhehasneither.Noonewantstohelpsomeonewhowon'thelphimself.1、Whenenteringthecar,howdidtheauthorfeelatfirst?A．Annoyed.B．Puzzled.C．Sad.D．Calm.2、Howdidpeoplereacttothehomelessman?A．Theycaughthimandcalledthepolice.B．Theycoveredhimwithcleanclothes.C．Theydislikedandavoidedhim.D．Theystaredathimcuriously.3、Itcanbelearnedthatthepoliceman.A．wasveryrudetothemanB．sentthemanbacktohishometownC．forcedthemantoleavethecityD．wentoffthetrainwiththeman4、Whatdoestheauthorthinkofthehomelessman?A．Heisaloseroflife.B．Heisworthourrespect.C．Heisveryfunny.D．Heisafearlessfighter.23．（8分）SPECIALEVENTSTHISWEEKENDCaptainGoodfellowDoyourchildrenenjoyinterestingstories,funnygames,andexcitingdances?CaptainGoodfellowwillbereadytoteachallthesethingstochildrenofallagesattheCityTheatreonSaturdaymorningat10:00;free.AWalkingTouroftheTownForgetyourworriesonSaturdaymorning.Takeabeautifulwalkandlearnaboutlocalhistory.MeetatthefrontentranceofCityHallat9:30.Wearcomfortableshoes!FilmsattheMuseumTheatreTwoEuropeanfilmswillbeshownonSaturdayafternoonattheMuseumTheatre:SeeBrokenWindowat1:30.TheWorkerswillbeat3:45.Forfurtherinformation,call4987898.InternationalPicnicAreyoutiredofeatingthesamefoodeveryday?CometoCentralParkonSaturdayandenjoyfoodfromallovertheworld.Deliciousandnotexpensive.Noonto5:00pm.WatchtheballgameIt’sOctober,andtonightisyourlastchancetoseetheRedbirdsthisyear.Getyourticketsatthegate.Itmightbecoldoutside.Don’tforgetsweatersandjackets.DoYouWanttoHear“TheZoo”?“TheZoo”.apopularrockbandfromAustralia,willgivetheirfirstUSconcerttomorrownightat8:00atRoseHall,CityCollege.1、Whichofthefollowingstatementistrue?A．CaptainGoodfellowwillteachchildrenfrom5-12todance,playgamesonSaturdaymorning.B．Youareremindedtowearcomfortableshoestowatchtheballgame.C．Totakeawalkandlearnaboutlocalhistory,youshouldgatheratthefrontentranceofCityHallat9:00onSaturdaymorning.D．YoucanprobablyeatdifferentkindsoffoodatCentralParkonSaturday.2、IfyouwanttokillsometimeindoorsonSaturdayafternoon,youwouldprobablygoto.A．theMuseumTheatreB．CityCollegeC．theCityTheatreD．CentralPark3、Whatcolumnisthisarticlemostlikelytobetakenfrominanewspaper?A．SportsB．LifeC．CultureD．Science24．（8分）AnideathatstartedinSeattle’spubliclibraryhasspreadthroughoutAmericaandbeyond.Theconceptissimple:helptobuildasenseofcommunityinacitybygettingeveryonetoreadthesamebookatthesametime.Inadditiontoencouragingreadingasapursuit(追求)tobeenjoyedbyall,theprogramallowsstrangerstocommunicatebydiscussingthebookonthebus,aswellaspromotingreadingasanexperiencetobesharedinfamiliesandschools.TheideacamefromSeattlelibrarianNancyPearlwholaunched(發(fā)起)the“IfAllofSeattleReadtheSameBook”projectin1998.Heroriginalprogramusedauthorvisits,studyguidesandbookdiscussiongroupstobringpeopletogetherwithabook,buttheideahassinceexpandedtomanyotherAmericancities,andeventoHongKong.InChicago,themayor(市長(zhǎng))appearedontelevisiontoannouncethechoiceofToKillaMockingbirdasthefirstbookinthe“OneBook,OneChicago”program.Asaresult,readingclubsandneighbourhoodgroupsspranguparoundthecity.AcrosstheUS,storiesemergedofparentsandchildrenreadingtoeachotheratnightandstrangerschattingawayonthebusaboutplotandcharacter.TheonlyproblemaroseinNewYork,wherelocalreaderscouldnotdecideononebooktorepresentthehugeanddiversepopulation.Thismayshowthattheideaworksbestinmedium-sizedcitiesorlargetowns,whereagreatersenseofunity(一致)canbeachieved.OritmayshowthatNewYorkersrathermissedthepoint,puttingalltheirenergyandpassionintothechoiceofthebookratherthandiscussionaboutabookitself.UltimatelyasNancypointsout,thelevelofsuccessisnotmeasuredbyhowmanypeoplereadabook,butbyhowmanypeopleareenrichedbytheprocessorhaveenjoyedspeakingtosomeonewithwhomtheywouldnototherwisehavesharedaword.1、WhatisthepurposeoftheprojectlaunchedbyNancy?A．Toinviteauthorstoguidereaders. B．Toencouragepeopletoreadandshare.C．Toinvolvepeopleincommunityservice. D．Topromotethefriendshipbetweencities.2、WhywasitdifficultforNewYorkerstocarryouttheproject?A．Theyhadlittleinterestinreading. B．Theyweretoobusytoreadabook.C．Theycamefrommanydifferentbackgrounds. D．Theylackedsupportfromthelocalgovernment.3、Accordingtothepassage,wherewouldtheprojectbemoreeasilycarriedout?A．Inlargecommunitieswithlittlesenseofunity.B．Inlargecitieswherelibrariesarefarfromhome.C．Inmedium-sizedcitieswithadiversepopulation.D．Inlargetownswhereagreementcanbequicklyreached.4、AccordingtoNancy,thedegreeofsuccessoftheprojectisjudgedby________.A．thecarefulselectionofaproperbookB．thegrowingpopularityofthewritersC．thenumberofpeoplewhobenefitfromreadingD．thenumberofbooksthateachpersonreads25．（10分）Admission&OpeningTimesMuseumOpeningTimesThemuseumisopendaily:10am—5pmCollectionsCentreopensdaily:11am—5pmLastadmissiontothemuseumandCollectionsCentreis4:30pm.Closed:December24,2017—January1,2018inclusiveMuseumAdmissionAdult￡14Child(5-16yrs)￡9Under5’sFREEConcession(優(yōu)惠)(60yrs+,unemployed,student)￡12Familyticket(2adults,3children)￡39Groupsof12ormore(pre-bookingessential)￡9YourentryfeewillbetreatedasadonationtoourcharityonwhichwemayalsobeabletoclaimGiftAid.InreturnyouwillreceiveFREEadmissiontothemuseumforayearwithourAnnualPass(thisexcludes5SpecialShowDaysperyear).Ticketsfortoday’sdateareonlyavailabletobuyatthemuseum.MuseumToursAnoptionaltourofthemuseumisincludedinyourentryfee.Thetoursareavailablebetween11:15amand2:15pmeveryday.Theydonothavetobepre-bookedbuthavetimelimits.CollectionsCentreAccesstotheCollectionsCentreisincludedinyourentryfee,soyouwilljustneedtoshowyourmuseumadmissionticketatthedoortogainentry.TheCollectionsCentreisopenfrom11amto5pmwithlastentryat4:30pm.ShowDaysOnmostshowdaysthenormalmuseumentrypricesareapplied.Thereare,however,fiveSpecialShowDaysperyearwhentheadmissionpricevaries,includingentrybothintotheshowandthemuseum.Onthesedays,GiftAidticketsandpromotionalvouchers(促銷(xiāo)券)arenotvalid.AdvancediscountedShowDayticketsareavailableonlineorviaourTicketHotlinFormoreinformationabouttheBritishMotorMuseum,pleaseclickhere.1、Ifyouarriveatthemuseumat4:35pm,________.A．youmayvisititforfreeB．youwillfinditclosedC．youwillstillhaveenoughtimetoenjoyitD．youwon’tbeallowedtoenterthemuseum2、Howmuchdoesa65-yearoldladyneedtopayfortheadmission?A．￡9.B．￡12.C．￡14.D．￡39.3、Whatcanweknowfromthepassage?A．DiscountedShowDayticketscanbebookedbyphone.B．ThemuseumopenslaterthantheCollectionsCentre.C．Anoptionaltourofthemuseumneedspre-booking.D．ExtrafeeneedstobepaidforavisittotheCollectionsCentre.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(mǎn)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）Itwas1972，andIwasinsecondgrade.Intheclassroomtheteacher，Ms.Boyette，was1aloudtousfromIslandoftheBlueDolphins.Andwehadjustcometoapartofthebookwherethemain2wastrainingawilddog.Iwaslistening，caughtupinthe3ofall.Notfarawayfromme，thereseatedaboywhoalwaysfrightenedor4others，soIwas5ofthisboy.WhileMs.Boyettewasreading，Ilookedoverathim，forhewassomeoneIwasinthe6ofkeepinganeyeon.I7thathewaslisteningtoo，thathewasengagedbythe8，thathewasleaningforwardinhisseatandlisteningwithallhisheart.I9athim，open-mouthed.Iwas10withasuddenknowledgethatthisboywasinfactjust11me.Hewasakidwholikedastory.Theboymust12myeyesonhim，becauseheturned.Thensomething13happened.Hesmiledatme.14，Ismiledback，unafraid.Weweretwo15smilingateachother.WhyhaveIneverforgottenthis16moment?WhydoIstill17everydetailofit?Ithinkit’sbecausethatmomentillustratessobeautifullythe18ofreadingoutloud.Itshowsusintoasaferoom，whereeveryoneinvolved，thereaderandthelistener，canhavethatchanceto19eachother.Wehumanslongnotjustforthestory，notjustfortheflowoflanguage，butforthe20thatcomeswhenwordsarereadaloud.1、A．shouting B．singing C．talking D．reading2、A．a(chǎn)uthor B．character C．reader D．listener3、A．wonder B．silence C．warmth D．comfort4、A．greeted B．touched C．hurt D．refused5、A．a(chǎn)ware B．terrified C．bored D．guilty6、A．habit B．form C．effort D．hope7、A．predicted B．imagined C．promised D．noticed8、A．speech B．story C．journey D．diary9、A．pointed B．nodded C．stared D．waved10、A．struck B．mixed C．cheated D．confused11、A．behind B．beyond C．a(chǎn)round D．like12、A．ignore B．feel C．meet D．observe13、A．useful B．natural C．serious D．a(chǎn)mazing14、A．Then B．Again C．Instead D．Besides15、A．strangers B．kids C．teachers D．enemies16、A．funny B．busy C．lucky D．small17、A．seek B．organize C．recall D．trust18、A．power B．courage C．a(chǎn)musement D．a(chǎn)bility19、A．cheer B．see C．miss D．mention20、A．challenge B．knowledge C．choice D．connection第二節(jié)（每小題1.5分，滿(mǎn)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）Alotoffilmshavetriedtodescribetheafterlifeandourmemoriesoffamilymembers1．havepassedaway.ButfewhavedoneaswellasCoco,Disney-Pixar’s2．(late)masterpiececartoon,whichhitthebigscreenonNov.24.3．(inspire)bytheMexicanholidayofDiadelosMuertos----DayoftheDead---thefilm’sproductionteamcreatedayoungboy,Miguel,whowantshisfamilytounderstandhisloveofmusic.Onthatyear’sDiadelosMuertos,4．a(chǎn)ccidenttakeshimtotheLandoftheDead.Whilethere,Miguelhasanunforgettableand5．(adventure)night.Inthisland,therearefriendlyskeletons(骷髏)whocancrossabridgemadeofflowerpetals(花瓣)onDiadelosMuertosto“visit”6．livingfamilyintheworldoftheliving.Thoseskeletonswho7．(forget)bytheirfamilywillperish(消亡)anddisappearcompletely.Whiletoldwithawildimagination,thestorysendsoutaclearandwarmmessageaboutfamily“8．a(chǎn)nerawhenyoungpeoplearesoeasilyattractedbysuperstars,Cocorevealsthe9．(empty)ofsuchadulation(吹捧),teachingkidstopreserve10．respectthememoryoftheirelders,”wrotereporterPeterDebruge.第四部分寫(xiě)作（共兩節(jié)）第一節(jié)短文改錯(cuò)（滿(mǎn)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)你修改同桌寫(xiě)的以下作文。文中共有10處語(yǔ)言錯(cuò)誤，每句中最多有兩處。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(xiě)出該加的詞。刪除：把多余的詞用斜線(xiàn)（\）劃掉。修改：在錯(cuò)的詞下劃一橫線(xiàn)，并在該詞下面寫(xiě)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。Lastweek,myfriendsandmewenttowatchJayChou’sperformanceinGuangzhou.Therearecrowdsofcheerfulfansthere,manyofwhocamefromothercities.Jaybeganhisperformancewithoneofhismostfamoussong.Weallcheeredandshoutedouthisname,butsomeevencriedwithjoy.WhenJaybegantosingtheseventhsongitcalledSunnyDay,itstartedtorain.Therefore,theconcertwasnotinterruptedandwegotevenmoreexcitingintherain.Atlast,Jayfinishedtheconcertwithaspeech,thankhisfansforalwayssupportinghim.Whatmemorableexperience!第二節(jié)書(shū)面表達(dá)（滿(mǎn)分25分）29．（25分）假定你是學(xué)生會(huì)主席李華,你校將舉辦主題為“祖國(guó)頌”的慶祝建國(guó)70周年文藝演出,你將邀請(qǐng)你的英國(guó)朋友Joe觀看這場(chǎng)演出。請(qǐng)你寫(xiě)封郵件向他介紹有關(guān)情況,內(nèi)容包括：1．舉辦的時(shí)間和地點(diǎn);2．活動(dòng)的目的;3．活動(dòng)的內(nèi)容。注意：1．詞數(shù)100左右;2．可以適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié),以使行文連貫;3．參考詞匯：祖國(guó)頌OdetoOurMotherland;周年紀(jì)念日anniversary.DearJoe,________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yours,LiHua

參考答案第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿(mǎn)分30分）1、D2、C3、C4、A5、A6、A7、B8、D9、A10、D11、A12、C13、D14、B15、B16、B17、D18、B19、B20、C第二部分閱讀理解（滿(mǎn)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、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