陜西省興平市秦嶺中學(xué)2025屆高三英語第一學(xué)期期末考試試題含解析

陜西省興平市秦嶺中學(xué)2025屆高三英語第一學(xué)期期末考試試題注意事項1．考生要認(rèn)真填寫考場號和座位序號。2．試題所有答案必須填涂或書寫在答題卡上，在試卷上作答無效。第一部分必須用2B鉛筆作答；第二部分必須用黑色字跡的簽字筆作答。3．考試結(jié)束后，考生須將試卷和答題卡放在桌面上，待監(jiān)考員收回。第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1．Itisusuallythoughtalittlechildsaysistruth.A．WhatthatB．thatwhatC．whichD．that2．Theforeignersherearegreatlyimpressedbythefactthat_______peoplefromallwalksoflifeareworkinghardfor________newTianjin.A．/;aB．/;theC．a(chǎn);aD．the;the3．IntermsofMrs.Meng’sbeingarrestedwithoutsolidevidence,thewesternmediahas_____publicattentionawayfromwhereitshouldbe,thatis,theruleoflaw.A．transformedB．shiftedC．a(chǎn)ttractedD．changed4．—You'vegotyourflatfurnished,haven'tyou?—Yes,I______someusedfurnitureanditwasarealbargain.A．willbuy B．haveboughtC．hadbought D．bought5．—Allthecontainershavebeenunloaded!CanithavebeendonebyFrank?—Impossible!He________hiscarlastnight.A．hasfixedB．hadfixedC．wouldfixD．wasfixing6．Thelaptopsmadebyourcompanysellbest,butnobodycouldhaveguessedtheplaceinthemarketthatthey________20yearsago.A．hadhad B．had C．werehaving D．weretohave7．Yet_______intheprocessofdevelopmentdidtheystoptoconsidertheimpactoftheir“progress”onnature.A．innotimeB．a(chǎn)tnopointC．a(chǎn)slikelyasnotD．moreoftenthannot8．--Catherine,Ihavecleanedtheroomforyou.---Thanks.You_______it.Icouldmanageitmyself.A．needn’tdo B．shouldn’thavedone C．mustn’tdo D．needn’thavedone9．—Wouldyoumindmycomingoverandhavingalookatyourrehearse(排練)?Mylittleson’scuriousabouttheperformance.—_______.Justcomeround.A．Yes,Ido B．Nevermind C．Notatall D．Yes,please10．HeletmewritedownhisinstructionssurethatIwouldknowwhatwasafterhewentaway.A．making;doingB．making;todoC．tomake;todoD．tomake;tobedone11．—Ineedtoadvertiseforaroommatefornextterm.—________？Maryisinterested.A．Whybother B．WhynotC．Sowhat D．Whatfor12．—Beseated,pleaseandI’llmakeyouacupoftea.—_________.Let’scometothepointfirst.A．Youneedn’tdosoB．Pleasedon’tbotherC．YouarewelcomeD．Youareindeedtoopolite.13．Amotherrecognizesthefeelofherchild’sskinwhenblindfolded._________,shecaninstantlyidentifyherbaby’scry.A．SimilarlyB．MeanwhileC．NeverthelessD．Accordingly14．Everybodywastouched______wordsaftertheyheardhermovingstory.A．without B．beyondC．a(chǎn)gainst D．despite15．Hefelt________ofcheatingintheexam,decidingnevertodosuchthingsagain.A．shame B．a(chǎn)shamedC．sorry D．shameful16．Thelivingroomiscleanandtidy,withadiningtablealready__________foramealtobecooked.A．laid B．layingC．tolay D．beinglaid17．Peoplefromallwalksoflifeareeagerforsuccess,_______lackofconfidence,however,isagreatbarrier.A．where B．whichC．towhich D．beyondwhich18．I'dadviseanyonetoputasideaproportionoftheirearnings—____________.A．nothinggreatiseasy B．nothingcomesfromnothingC．a(chǎn)badpennyalwaysturnsup D．a(chǎn)pennysavedisapennyearned19．I’m_______ChineseandIdofeel______Chineselanguageis____mostbeautifullanguage.A．/,the,a B．a(chǎn),/,the C．a(chǎn),the,/ D．a(chǎn),/,a20．You’llrecognizemewhenyougetoutofthestation.I______jeansandawhiteT-shirt.A．willbewearingB．hadwornC．waswearingD．haveworn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）Wecanhaveconflictswithourimportantpersonslikefriends,relatives,workmates,etc.Buttheconflictsdoesn’tnecessarilymeanthattherelationshipwillbedestroyed.Infact,sometimesconflicthelpspeopletoletouttheirsilentfeelings,allowingthemtofreetheirsuppressedemotions.However,wheninaconflict,weusuallygetangryandsayordothingswhicharen’tlinkedtotheproblemathand.Therefore,itisimportantthatweshouldtrytoavoidconflictsthrougheffectivecommunication.Inaheatedargument,weusuallysaythingsthataren’trelatedtotherealproblem,andevenuserudewordstomakesurewegainanadvantageovertheotherperson.Thenthewholesituationgoesbadly.Soweshouldseparate(隔離)therootcauseoftheproblemandbuildourdiscussionaroundit.Thisensuresthattherearenoruderemarksandthesituationmovesinapositivedirection.It’seasyforustothinkwe’rerightandifsomethingisn’tworkingout,itsurelymustbesomeoneelse’sfault.However,ifyouaimtosolveaconflict,firstofall,youshouldshowsomerespectandallowtheotherpartytoexpressthemselves.Usingremarkslike,“Iunderstandyourconcernonthis”or“Iknowyou’rerightatyourend”,wouldmaketheotherpersonfeelmoreappreciated.Sometimessomepeoplegettooexcitedandmaybehaveinthewrongwayorsaysomethingothersmaynotappreciate.Thiscancauseaworsesituation.Actually,theyshouldcontroltheiremotionsandkeepcalm.Thishastobelearnedthroughself-controlandobservingbehaviorofotherpeople.Thetipsmentionedaboveareusefulformostsituations.However,wedon’truleoutthepossibilitythattherearesomepeoplealwayswanttocreatesomesortoftroubleforothers.Youcantellthemfromothers,andputtinginanefforttoresolveaconflictwiththemmayjustnotbeawiseidea.Thebestwaytodealwiththesepeopleistoforgetthem.Afamoussayingcanhelpyouandthatis:“Youshouldneverfightwithapig;youbothgetdirtyandonlythepiglikesit.”1、WhatcanwelearnfromParagraph1?A．Conflictsmayhelpusdealwithouremotions.B．Conflictscanimproveourrelationswithothersgreatly.C．Effectivecommunicationcanhelpusavoidconflictsundoubtedly.D．Theclosertwofriendsare,themoreconflictsarebetweenthem.2、Whenmakingdiscussionstosolveconflicts,weshould.A．knowothers’personalqualityB．knowothers’abilityofexpressionC．a(chǎn)voidshowingourdisadvantagesD．a(chǎn)voidtherootcauseoftheproblem3、Theauthorsuggeststhatwhenpeoplegettooexcited,theyshould.A．behavelikeotherpeopleB．controlthesituationC．learntokeeptheirheadD．saysomethingunconcerned4、Intheauthor’sopinion,howshouldyoudealwiththosewhoalwayswanttocreatetroubleforyou?A．Fightwiththem.B．Ignorethem.C．Haveatalkwiththem.D．Givethemsomethingtheylike.22．（8分）JohnD．Rockefelleroncesaid:“Theabilitytodealwithpeopleisaspurchasableacommodity(商品)assugarorcoffee.AndIwillpaymoreforthatabilitythanforanyotherunderthesun.”Wouldn’tyousupposethateverycollegeinthelandwouldruncourses:todevelopthehighest-pricedabilityunderthesun?Butthat’snotthecase.TheUniversityofChicagoandtheUnitedY.M.C．A．Schoolsconductedasurveytodeterminewhatadultswanttostudy.Thatsurveycost$25,000andtooktwoyears.ThelastpartofthesurveywasmadeinMeriden,Connecticut.IthadbeenchosenasatypicalAmericantown.EveryadultinMeridenwasInterviewedandrequestedtoanswer156questions—questionssuchas“Whatisyourbusinessorprofession?Youreducation?Howdoyouspendyoursparetime?Whatisyourincome?Yourhobbies?Yourambitions?Yourproblems?Whatsubjectsareyoumostinterestedin?”andsoon.ThatSurveyrevealedthathealthistheprimeinterestofadultsand,that.theirsecondinterestispeople—howtounderstand,and,getalongwithpeople;howtomakepeoplelike,you;andhowtowinothersovertoyourwayofthinking.SothecommitteeconductingthissurveydecidedtorunsuchacourseforadultsinMeriden.Theysearchedforapracticaltextbookonthesubjectbutfoundnothing.Finallytheyapproachedoneoftheworld'soutstandingauthoritiesonadulteducationandaskedhimifheknewofanybookthatmettheneedsofthisgroup.“No,”hereplied,“Iknowwhatthoseadultswant.Butthebooktheyneedhasneverbeenwritten.”Iknewfromexperiencethatthisstatementwastrue,forImyselfhadbeensearchingforyearstodiscoverapractical,workinghandbookonhumanrelations.Sincenosuchbookexisted,Ihavetriedtowriteoneforuseinmyowncourses.Andhereitis.Ihopeyoulikeit.1、TheUniversityofChicagoandtheUnitedY.M.C．A．Schoolsconductedthesurvey______.A．tofindoutwhatadultswanttolearnB．tofindoutwhatadults'ambitionsareC．tofigureoutwhattypeofpersonisthemostpopularD．tofigureoutthenumberofpeoplewhowanttolearn2、Howwasthestudycarriedout?A．ByinvitingtheadultstoanAmericantown.B．Byaskingtheadultstoanswersomequestions.C．Byinvitingtheadultstoparticipateinanexperiment.D．Bycollectingtheadults*opinionsoncollegeeducation.3、Whatproblemdidthecommitteemeetwith?A．Theylackedfinancialsupport.B．Theylackedexperiencedteachers.C．Theycouldn’tattractenoughstudents.D．Theycouldn’tfindasuitabletextbook.4、What’stheauthor’spurposeinwritingthetext?A．Toadvertiseanewcourse.B．Tointroduceanewsurvey.C．Toexplainwhyhehaswrittenabook.D．Toprovehumanrelationsareimportant.23．（8分）SteveandIpulledtrashforfoursolidhourscontinuously,exceptforaboutfiveminuteswhenwestoppedtotalk.MyshoulderhurtbadlyeachtimeIputanotherfullbarrelonit,andmylegsoccasionallytrembledasIwasheadingforthestreet.Buttherestofmesaid,“Go,trashman,go.”Icouldnothaveimaginedtherewouldbejoyinthis.Dump.Lift.Walk.Lift.Walk.Thehoursflewby.Saturdaymeantmanypeoplewereoutdoorsworkingintheirgardensorgreenhouses.Mostofthemlookedapproachableenough.Therewasn’ttimeforlengthytalksbutenoughtoexchangegreetingsthatgowithcivilizedways.ButIwasshockedtofindthatthiswasn’tthecase.WhenIsaidhellotothem,mostoftentheresponsewaseithernothingatall,orasurprisingstarebecauseIhadspoken.OnewomaninahousecoatwasstartledasIcamearoundthecornerofherhouse.Atthesoundofmygreeting,shegatheredherhousecoattightlyaboutherandretreatedquicklytothedoor.Iheardthelockclick.Stevecomplainedangrilyonthelongridetothedump:“Theydon’trealizewe’rehumans.”IhadoriginallyplannedtostayatthisemploymentforonlytwodaysbutnowI’mgoingtocontinue.Ihavedecided,too,tokeepsayinghelloinpeople’syards.Itdoesn’tdoanyharm,anditstillfeelsright.Frankly,I’mdoinganessentialtask.IleftthiscountryalittlecleanerthanIfounditthismorning.Notmanypeoplecansaythattonight.JohnGardnerwrotethatasocietywhichpraisesitsphilosophersandlooksdownonitsplumbers（管子工）isintrouble.“Neitheritspipesnoritstheorieswillholdwater,”hewarned.Hemighthavegoneastepfurtherandcalledforrespectforbothoureconomistsandourtrashmen;otherwise,they’llbothleaverubbishbehind.1、Howdidthewomanfeelwhensheheardtheauthor’sgreeting?A．Doubtful.B．Embarrassed.C．Frightened.D．Pitiful.2、Attheendofthepassage,what’stheauthor’sattitudetohisjob?A．Heisashamedofit.B．Heisboastfulaboutit.C．Heisproudofit.D．Heisn’tseriousaboutit.3、Whatdoestheunderlinedsentenceinthelastparagraphmean?A．Boththefacilitiesandthethoughtsofsocietymaygowrong.B．Boththetrashmenandtheeconomistsshouldnotberespected.C．Bothpracticeandtheoriesareimportant.D．Boththepipesandthetheoriesmakesense.4、Whichofthefollowingcanbethebesttitleforthetext?A．AnExperienceasaTrashmanB．TheTrashmanC．EconomistsandTrashmenD．Misunderstanding24．（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）Ourneighborsaidthestormlastedfourminutes.Thetownhousesaredestroyedordamaged.Amazingly,noneofuswereseverelyinjured.Onthedaythetornadohit,therewasnoindicationthatsevereweatherwasonitsway.Thefirstalertmyhusband,Jimmy,67,andI,65,gotcamearound9p.m.,fromsomerollingtextontheTVJimmywaswatching.Heranupstairstofindmeinourthird-floorbedroom,andwechangedthechanneltoourlocalPensacola,Florida,station.Nosoonerhadwefoundcoverageofthetornadothanitwasontopofus.Thebonesofthehouseshook,andthepowerwentout.Wehadthreeflightsofstepstogettotherelativelysafeclosetdownonthefirstfloor.Aswereachedthelastflightofsteps,ourfrontdoorblewout.Suddenly,athree-foot-longtreebranchwhippedthroughthedoorframe.Itflewoverourheads,missingusbyinches.Hadwebeenonestepup,itwouldhavestuckthroughus.Finally,Jimmypushedmedowntotheclosetfloor,buthecouldn’tgetinsidehimselfbecauseofthewind.IgraspedJimmy’sarmasthetornadosuckedthedooropenandtriedtobringJimmywithit.Mykneesandscalp(頭皮)werefullofglass,butinthatmoment,Ifeltnopain.IfIhadletgo,Jimmywouldhaveflownrightoutthebackofthehouseandintothebay.Allofasudden,Jimmyliftedoffhisfeetlikepeopleintornadoesdointhemovies.Ithoughthewasgone.Andtheneverythingstopped.Helandedonhisfeet.Inthosefirstquietmoments,Icouldn’tbelieveitwasover.1、Howwastheoldcoupleawareofthetornado?A．Theylearneditfromtheirneighborswhopassedtheirhouse.B．Theylearneditfromsomecommonindicationsbeforeatornado.C．TheyfoundthenewsreportforecastingthetornadoonTV.D．Theyfoundthetornadoontopofthemwhentheywereupstairs.2、Wecaninferfromparagraph4that____________A．Theoldcouplewasverygratefultothebranch.B．Theoldcouplemissedthebranchverymuch.C．Theoldcouplewashitbythebranchonthehead.D．Theoldcouplewasfortunatetohaveanarrowescape.3、Whydidtheoldwomanfeelnopaininparagraph5?A．Becauseshewasworriedaboutherhusband.B．Becauseshewasbraveenoughtobearthepain.C．Becauseshedidn’tactuallyfeelanypain.D．Becauseshehadagoodhusbandtocomforther.4、Thepassageismostprobablytakenfrom_______.A．a(chǎn)brochureB．a(chǎn)novelC．newspaperD．a(chǎn)magazine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）Onceamanandhiswifeworkedforabusinessman.Therewasabigboxinthebusinessman’slivingroom.Thebusinessmanpointedattheboxandsaid,“There’sonlyonethingyoumustn’tdo.Don’topenthebox.”Aftersayingthis,he1thelivingroom.Thewomansaidtoherhusband,“Theremustbesomethingexpensiveinthebox.Let’s2it,shallwe?”Herhusbandsaidnotoher.Thewomandidn’tgiveupher3Oneday,shedecidedtofindoutwhatwasinit.Herhusbanddidn’tstopher.Sheopenedtheboxandlooked4Shefoundnothingintheboxandtriedhardtocloseit,5shefailed.Thateveningthebusinessmancamehomeandfoundtheboxwas6Hewasveryangryandaskedthewomanandherhusbandtoleavehishome．“Buttherewasnothinginthebox,”thewomansaid.“Wehaven’ttakenanything7”Thebusinessmanshoutedatthem,“Theboxisnotimportant.Icannotbelieveyou.That’simportant!”1、A．left B．entered C．wentto2、A．open B．close C．clean3、A．work B．a(chǎn)dvice C．idea4、A．inside B．outside C．down5、A．so B．a(chǎn)nd C．but6、A．lost B．open C．empty7、A．a(chǎn)tonce B．a(chǎn)tlast C．a(chǎn)tall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(dāng)?shù)膯卧~或括號內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。27．（15分）MybestfriendandIwalkedtoanicecreamshoptoday.IbroughtmywaterbottleoutofhabitandcommentedtoherthatIhadnoideawhyIbroughtit.Wekept1．(go)though.Onourway,amanasked2．eitherofushadmoneyforwater,oradrinkorsomething.Hewassittingonthegroundatthetimewithasignhestoppedholdingup.Iofferedmyreusablewaterbottleforhim3．(keep).Hedrankallthewaterquite4．(quick).Hegavememybottlebackafterall.Isaidtomyfriendwithasmile,“Thatwas5．Ibroughtitthen.”O(jiān)nthereturnbackfromtheicecreamstore,Itriedtogetwatertogo,incasehe6．(may)bestillthere.Theyonlyhadmineralwaterandcoconutwaterthere,somethingheprobablydisliked.Itturnedouthewasnolongerthere,though.MyfriendandItalkedaboutkeepingwater7．(bottle)onhandinourvehiclesandsockswithaddedpositivestatementnotes.Thisway,wegiveaway8．(use)things9．a(chǎn)retrulyhelpful.Webothliketheideaandthesethingswill10．(prepare)soon.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（Λ），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。Yesterday,IwaswalkedmydogintheeveningwhenIsawthepoorchildwhowassellingsomekeychains、Hehadfivekeychainsandwasaskingformetobuyone、Iaskedmyself,“Ishesellingthisbuildahouse?”Myheartanswered“No,thisisforhishungrytonight、”Iboughtallthekeychainandofferedhimmilkandbiscuits、Igaveherasmileykeychainbackasagift,buthissmilewasawesome、Ifeelgreatsatisfactioninmyheartatthatmoment、Ibelievethatlifeissuccessfullyifyouwinasmilefromsomeone、第二節(jié)書面表達(dá)（滿分25分）29．（25分）古語有云：“有朋自遠(yuǎn)方來，不亦樂乎？”在生活中，人人都需要朋友。但如何與朋友和諧相處才能使我們的友誼長存呢？請根據(jù)下面的提示，寫一篇英語短文。內(nèi)容要點：1.誠實：謊言會使朋友遠(yuǎn)離我們；2.傾聽：理解朋友的心聲；3.虛心：如果在朋友面前驕傲，就會失去朋友的尊敬；4.無私：在朋友有困難時幫助朋友。注意：1）詞數(shù)120左右；2）適當(dāng)發(fā)揮想象，增加細(xì)節(jié)以使行文連貫，但不要逐字翻譯。_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

參考答案第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1、B2、A3、B4、D5、D6、D7、B8、D9、C10、D11、A12、B13、A14、B15、B16、A17、C18、D19、A20、A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、D3、C4、B22、1、A2、B3、D4、C23、1、C2、C3、A4、B24、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: