2023届甘肃省高台高考仿真模拟英语试卷含解析

2023高考英语模拟试卷注意事项1．考生要认真填写考场号和座位序号。2．试题所有答案必须填涂或书写在答题卡上，在试卷上作答无效。第一部分必须用2B铅笔作答；第二部分必须用黑色字迹的签字笔作答。3．考试结束后，考生须将试卷和答题卡放在桌面上，待监考员收回。第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1．AsJohnLennononcesaid,lifeis________happenstoyouwhileyouarebusymakingotherplans.A．Which B．thatC．what D．where2．Iregretnothavingtakenyouradvice.OtherwiseI________thismistakeatthemoment.A．didn’tmake B．wouldn’tmakeC．hadn’tmake D．wouldn’thavemade3．Weweresadtolearnthatseveralstudentswerebyacaryesterday.A．hitout B．knockedoverC．runacross D．pickedup4．Whenwehaveachancetotravel,wetendto______asmanysightsintothetripaswecan---sevencountriesintendays,forexample.A．squeeze B．sneeze C．subscribe D．substitute5．Iwouldn’thavemissedthetrainifI______upearlier.A．got B．hadgot C．willget D．havegot6．Ifwesurroundourselveswithpeople_____ourmajorpurpose,wecangettheirsupportandencouragement.A．insympathywith B．intermsofC．inhonourof D．incontrastwith7．—Alice,whyaren’tyouatworktoday?—Iadayoff． A．havegiven B．havebeengiven C．gave D．wasgiven8．Hotthenightairwas,wesleptdeeplybecauseweweresotiredafterthelongjourney.A．althoughB．whileC．asD．however9．—TheT­-shirtIreceivedisnotthesameasisshownonline.—________？ButIpromiseyouwe’lllookintoitrightaway.A．Whosays B．HowcomeC．Whatfor D．Whyworry10．“Couldweputoffthemeeting？”sheasked.“________.”Heansweredpolitely.“Thisistheonlydayeveryoneisavailable.”A．Notlikely B．NotexactlyC．Notnearly D．Notreally11．Facetheproblembravelyandyou______anewwaytosuccess.A．findB．foundC．willfindD．havefound12．Theyaredeterminedtogointothedarkcave,________mywarningofdanger.A．regardlessofB．becauseofC．apartfromD．insteadof13．Inmanyways,themagicofAIis________it’snotsomethingyoucanseeortouch.A．whether B．whatC．that D．why14．Atthenewsoftheearthquake,thesoldiersdidwhattheycouldthevictims.A．help B．tohelp C．tohelping D．helping15．Weshouldbearinmindthatsocialdevelopmentandbalanceofnatureshouldgoin.A．company B．sympathy C．association D．harmony16．Theautofactory______newprofitrecordsthroughtechnicalinnovation—10%growthrateinthelasttwoyearsandhopefully15%thisyear.A．setB．hassetC．issettingD．hasbeensetting17．Markdriveshiscartoofastand,what’smore,verycarelessly,worrieshismother.AasA．what B．it C．which18．—What’sthatnoise?—Oh，Iforgettotellyou.Thenewmachine________.A．istestingB．wasbeingtestedC．isbeingtestedD．hasbeentested19．Ifshe________generousasshemakesoutshewouldhavedonatedmoremoneyinthecatastrophe.A．hadbeen B．wereC．wouldbe D．was20．Therearevariousthingsonsale,soyoucanchoose______interestsyou.A．whoever B．nomatterwhoC．whatever D．nomatterwhat第二部分阅读理解（满分40分）阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。21．（6分）Agoodbookisindeedthebestfriendsfaperson.ThesamegoesforoutstandingCEOsofworldrecognizedcompaniesaswell.Let’shavealookatthefavoritebooksofsomeoftheworld-famousCEOsoftheglobe.MicrosoftCEO(Former)-BillGates,TheCatcherintheRyebuJ.D．SalingerAfewthemesexploredinthenovelarerebellion（叛逆）,anxietyandconfusion.Itacknowledgesthatyoungpeoplearealittleconfused,butcanbesmartaboutthingsandseethingsthatadultsdon’treallysee.Gatessaid,“Ididn’tactuallyreadTheCatcherintheRyeuntilIwas13,andeversincethenI’vesaidthat’smyfavoritebook.”OWNCEO-OprahWinfrey,ToKillaMockingbirdbyHarperLeeThisbooktalksabouthowalittlegirlobservesthepeoplearoundher.Winfreysaid,“Ireaditineighthorninthgrade,andIwastryingtorecommendthebooktootherkids.SoitmakessensetomethatnowIhaveabookclub,becauseIhavebeendoingthatprobablysinceIreadthisbook.”AppleCEO-TimCook,CompetingAgainstTimebyGeorgeStalkJr.AndThomasM.HoutThisbookisbasedon10yearsofpreciousresearchdonebytheauthors.Ittalksabouthownewerconceptsofmanagingtimeinnewproductdevelopment,productionandsalesanddistributionprovidecompanieswiththeedgetosucceedinthishighlycompetitiveworld.1、Whichmaybechosenbyparentstolearnaboutkidsdisobeyingrules?A．CompetingAgainstTime.B．TheCatcherintheRye.C．Napoleon.D．ToKillaMockingbird.2、Whoenjoysreadingthelifestoryofagreatperson?A．TimCook.B．BillGates.C．LarryEllison.D．OprahWinfrey.3、WhatcanbeinferredfromWinfrey’swords?A．Shelovedreadingwhenyoung.B．Shereadthebookwithotherkids.C．Thebookhasaninfluenceonhercareer.D．Thebookisaboutagirl’sthoughts.22．（8分）ThenotetapedtothehoststandatthePrimeRibsaysitall.“Wefoughtthebattlethelongest,butwegivein!”itreads.“It’snowacompletelyinformalworld;theywearwhatevertheywish.Theywantawarm,easy,friendlyatmosphere,evenin“finedining.’Sowedecidedtogowiththeflow.”Yes,afteralmosthalfacentury,ThePrimeRibhasswitchedtobusinesscasual.Itisamongmostoftoday’sfinestdiningestablishments---includingCharleston,TheBlackOlive,andTheCapitalGrille---thathavedecidedtolightenup.Theyhavegivenupcaringtoomuchaboutwhattheirguestsaredressedinasbefore,adoptingacome-as-you-areattitude.Attheserestaurants,you’relikelytoseecasualclothessuchaskhakis(trousersmadeofkhakicloth)andHawaiianshirts.“We’reabusinessfirst,”saysDavidDerewicz,generalmanageroftheimpressivediningestablishment.“Andwewerelosingbusinesswithourjacketrequirements.”Hekeptalistofover20peoplewhotoldhim,“Ifyoudropthejacketpolicy,we’llcomeback.”Oncethedresscodeshiftwasseriouslybeingconsidered,Derewiczmadedozensofphonecallstolong-timeguests.Mostsaidtheydidn’tmindthechangeaslongastherestaurantitself…withitswhitetablecloths,darkleatherchairs,grandpiano,andtuxedoedwaitstaff---stayedthesame.“Sincethechangewasintroducedlastsummer,we’venotlostaguest,”saysDerewicz.OnasecretnightatThePrimeRib,thescenewasprettymuchthesameasit’severbeen…lotsofmeninjacketsandties,someinshirtsandslacks,butnowtheoccasionalkhakisandpoloshirtsthrownin.Itturnsoutthatpeopleareprettycapableofpolicingthemselves,evenwithoutaformaldresscode.WhilesometraditionalistsmayarguethatThePrimeRib9sreputationhasbeendamagedabit,Derewiczfeelsthattherestauranthasmovedaheadandfinallystrengthenedtheirband.1、ThePrimeRib’snotemainlytellspeopleabout.A．itslonghistoryB．itspleasantatmosphereC．itschangeindresscodeD．itsbattlewithotherrestaurants2、Theunderlinedwords“lightenup”inparagraph4probablymean“”.A．followalongtraditionB．takeamatterlessseriouslyC．makesomethingcontinueasbeforeD．helpeachothertoachievesomething3、AccordingtoDerewicz,followingtheformaldresscodemeans.A．furtherdevelopmentB．abetterreputationC．lowefficiencyD．failingprofits4、WhatdoweknowaboutThePrimeRibnow?A．Itispraisedbysometraditionalists.B．Thepolicecometoprotectitsguests.C．Mostofitsguestsstillwearformalclothes.D．Mostpeoplegothereinkhakisandpoloshirts.23．（8分）Inhis402ndanniversaryyear,Shakespeareisstillrightlycelebratedasagreatwordsmith（语言大师）andplaywright（剧作家）.Buthewasnottheonlygreatmasterofdramaticwritingtodiein1616,andheiscertainlynottheonlywritertohaveleftalastinginfluenceontheater.Whilelessknownworldwide,TangXianzuisconsideredChina’sgreatestplaywrightandishighlyspokenofinthatcountryofancientliteraryanddramatictraditions.Tangwasbornin1550inLinchuan,Jiangxiprovince,andpursuedalow-keycareerasanofficialuntil,in1598andaged49,heretiredtofocusonwriting.UnlikeShakespeare’slargebodyofplays,poemsandsonnets（十四行诗），Tangwroteonlyfourmajorplays:ThePurpleHairpin（《紫钗记》），PeonyPavilion（《牡丹亭》），ADreamundertheSouthernBough（《南柯记》，andDreamofHandan（《邯郸记》.ThePeonyPavilionisconsideredTang’smasterpiece.Thelatterthreeareconstructedaroundadreamnarrative,adevicethroughwhichTangunlockedtheemotionaldimensionofhumandesiresandambitionsandexploredhumannaturebeyondthesocialandpoliticalrestrictionsofthattime.TanglivedtowardtheendoftheMingDynasty（1368—1644）andthepopularityofhisworkshadagoodreason.SimilartoShakespeare,hissuccessrodethewaveofarenaissance（复兴）intheaterasanartisticpractice.AsinShakespeare’sEngland,Tang’sworksbecamehugelypopularinChinatoo.DuringTang’sChina,theway,inwhichplayletswereenjoyedandperformed,changed.Kunquopera,aformofmusicaldrama,spreadfromsouthernChinatothewholenationandbecameasymbolofChineseculture.Combiningnortherntuneandsouthernmusic,kunquoperawasknownforitspoeticlanguage,music,dancemovementsandgestures.Tang’sworksbenefitedgreatlyfromthepopularityofkunquopera,andhisplayletsareconsideredclassicsofkunquopera.WhileTangandShakespearelivedinaworldawayfromeachother,therearemanythingstheyshareincommon,suchasthehumanityoftheirdrama,theiriconicandheroicfigures,theirloveforpoeticlanguage,alastingpopularityandtheanniversaryduringwhichwestillcelebratethem.1、Howisthetextdeveloped?A．Byanalyzingdata. B．Bygivingexamples.C．Byprovidingarguments. D．Bymakingcomparisons.2、What’sthemostoutstandingfeatureofTang’sworksaccordingtoParagraph3?A．Theyarelovestoriesbasedonrealevents.B．Theyreflectpoliticalenvironmentatthattime.C．Theyfocusondiscoveringhumanemotions.D．Theyaremainlyaboutdreamsoffemales.3、WhatdoestheunderlinedphraseinParagraph4mean?A．Ledto. B．Calledup.C．Setoff. D．Benefitedfrom.4、What’sthebesttitleforthetext?A．TangXianzu—TheShakespeareofChinaB．KunquOpera——ASymbolofChineseCultureC．TangXianzuandHisWork——ThePeonyPavilionD．ShakespeareandHisInfluenceonChineseTheater24．（8分）TheWorldHealthOrganizationsaysthatthediseasepolioisnolongerwidespreadinIndia.In2009，halfoftheworld’scasesofpoliowerethere.ButIn2011,therewasonlyonenewcaseofpoliointhecountry.Polioiscausedbyavirus.Itspreadsveryquicklyfromonepersontoanother.Victimsoftenlosetheuseoftheirarmsandlegs.Inthemostseriouscases,poliocankillaperson.Twenty-fiveyearsago,polioaffectedabout200,000childreninIndiaeachyear.TheUnitedNationschildren’sorganization,UNICEF,sentteams.ofhealthworkersintolocalvillages.Teammemberstoldfamiliesintheirneighborhoodabouttheimportanceofgivingliquidmedicinetochildrentoprotectthemagainstpolio.Butitwasnoteasyatfirst.Amembersaid,“Theyusedtothinkthatourchildrenwillnotbeabletohavechildrenwhentheygrowupiftheygetthedrop.Theyusedtothinklikethis.Butnowtheydon’t.Nowtheyallowtheirkidstogetthedrops.”Nowthingshavechanged.AsmaKhatunisamotherinthetownofGhaziabadinthenorthernstateofUtterPradesh.Shesaid,“Wheneveranyonecomes,wegetthechildrenvaccinated(接种疫苗).Evenifnobodycametoourhouse,wewouldsendourchildrentoaclinictogetvaccinated.AlocalMuslimleadersaysthevaccinationcampaignhasbeensuccessfulbecauseitissupportedbyreligiousleaders.Hesaid,“ThepoliovaccinationcampaignhasbeensuccessfulherebecauseourMuslimscholarsarewithus.Withtheirsupport,weareabletomakepeopleunderstandthatgivingchildrenthevaccineisbeneficialandcrucial.”TheIndiangovernmenthasnowlaunchedanewcampaigntovaccinate170millionchildrenundertheageoffive.Thecampaignwilltargetnewbornbabies,migrantsandpeoplelivinginpoor,crowdedareaswherethediseasespreadsmorequickly.1、Whatisthewriter’spurposeinwritingthepassage?A．Totelltheworldhowtofightagainstpolio.B．TotellusgoodnewsaboutfightingagainstpolioinIndia.C．Toprovethatwithgoodmethodspoliocanbeprevented.D．ToexplainwhypeopleinIndiaarenolongerafraidofpolio.2、WelearnthatwhenparentsinIndiawerefirstadvisedtogettheirchildrenvaccinated,they.A．didn’tbelieveitcouldpreventpolioB．becamerelaxedandbelieveditwouldworkC．wereafraiditwoulddoharmtotheirchildrenD．wereafraiditwouldmaketheirchildrendie3、WhatisMuslimleaders’attitudetowardsgettingchildrenvaccinatednow?A．Supportive.B．Negative.C．Uncaring.D．Worried.4、Weknowfromthelastparagraphthatthenewcampaign.A．wasstartedbytheWorldHealthOrganizationB．issuccessfulmainlybecauseofMuslimscholarsC．aimsat170millionchildrenundertheageoffiveD．mainlytargetspeoplelivinginpoorandcrowdedareas25．（10分）NEWDELHI—InIndia’sspacecenteronthebarrierislandofSriharikota,thewhite-jacketedscientistsheldtheirbreaths.Thecountry’strustyred-and-whitesatellitelaunchvehiclehadliftedoffmomentsbeforeandblastedintoorbit.ThePolarSatelliteLaunchVehicleC-37wasabouttoperformadelicatemaneuver(操纵，任务)—carefullysending104satellitesintotheheavens,thehighestnumbereverattemptedinonemission.OneIndianspaceanalystontelevisionlikenedthecomplicatedmaneuvertodroppingchildrenatdifferentbusstops.About10a.m.Wednesday,theannouncementcame:Allthesatelliteshadbeensuccessfullylaunched.Thescientistsbreathedacollectivesighofrelief,andbackslappingandapplausefollowed.“Thisisagreatmomentforeachandeveryoneofus.Todaywehavemadehistory,”projectmanagerB．Jayakumarsaidafterward.Thetotalnumberofsatellitesfaroutstripped(超过)thepreviousrecord—37atthesametimesentintospacebyRussiain2014.Wednesday’slaunchwasanothersuccessfortheIndianSpaceResearchOrganization(ISRO),whichisrapidlygainingareputationgloballyforitseffectiveyetlow-costmissions.Indiahadalreadysentupdozensofsatellites,including20inonelaunchlastyear.In2014,IndiabecamethefirstAsiannationtosendaprobe(探测器)intoorbitaroundMars,a$74millioneffortthat,asPrimeMinisterNarendraModinotedatthetime,costlessthanwhatittooktomaketheHollywoodspacemovie“Gravity”.ThefiercenationalpridethatresultedafterthatsuccesssenttheMarsproberocketingontothefaceofthecountry’snew2,000rupee($30)currencynote(钞票)inNovember.“NowIndiaisshowingitscompetitivenessinthe$300billionglobalspacemarket,”saidRajeswariPillaiRajagopalan,headoftheNuclearandSpacePolicyInitiativeattheObserverRearchFoundationinNewDelhi.1、Whatdoestheunderlinedword“likened”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(峡谷)projectD．PresidentXiJinping’sportrait4、Itcanbeinferredthatafterthesuccessinthe104-satellitelaunch,Indiawill________.A．becomeNo.1intheglobalspacemarketB．takeupalargermarketshareinthefutureC．showitsabilityamonglocalcompetitorsD．haveanorderof$300billion第三部分语言知识运用（共两节）第一节（每小题1.5分，满分30分）阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项．26．（30分）SincefinishingmystudiesatHarvardandOxford,I’vewatchedonefriendafteranotherlandhigh-ranking,high-payingWallStreetjobs.Asexecutives(高级管理人员)withbanks,consultingfirms,establishedlawfirms,andmajorcorporations,manyarenow1ontheirwaytoimpressivecareers.Bysociety’s2,theyseemtohaveitmade.Onthesurface,thesepeopleseemtobeveryluckyinlife.Astheyleftstudentlifebehind,manyhada3drinkattheircheapbutfriendlylocalbar,shookhandswithlongtimeroommates,and4outofsmallapartmentsintohighbuildings.Theymadereservationsatrestaurantswherethecostofabottleofwine5acollegeyear’smonthlyrent.Theyreplacedtheirbelovedoldcarswithexpensivenewsportscars.Thethingis,anumberofthemhave6thatdespitetheirsuccess,theyaren’thappy.Some7ofunfriendlycoworkersandfeelsadforeight-hourworkweeksdevotedtotasksthey8.Somedonotrespectthecompaniestheyworkforandtalkoffeelingtiredand9.However,insteadofdevotingthemselvestotheirwork,theyfindthemselvesworkingtosupportthe10towhichtheyhavesoquicklybecome11.Peopleoftenspeakoftryingamoresatisfyingpath,and12intheendtheideaofleavingtheirjobstoworkforsomethingthey13orfindingapositionthatwouldgivethemmoretimewiththeirfamiliesalmostalwaysleadsthemtothesameconclusion:it’s14.Theyhaveloans,bills,amortgage(抵押贷款)to15,retirementtosavefor.Theyrecognizethere’ssomething16intheirlives,butit’s17tostepoffthetrack.Inasocietythattendsto18everythingintermsofdollarsandcents,welearnfromayoungagetoconsiderthecostsofour19infinancialterms.Butwhataboutthepersonalandsocialcosts20inpursuingmoneyovermeaning?Theseareexactlythekindsofcostsmanyofustendtoignore—andtheveryonesweneedtoconsidermost.1、A．much B．never C．seldom D．well2、A．policies B．standards C．experiments D．regulations3、A．last B．least C．second D．best4、A．cycled B．moved C．slid D．looked5、A．shared B．paid C．equaled D．collected6、A．advertised B．witnessed C．admitted D．demanded7、A．complain B．dream C．hear D．approve8、A．distribute B．hate C．applaud D．neglect9、A．calm B．guilty C．warm D．empty10、A．family B．government C．lifestyle D．project11、A．accustomed B．appointed C．unique D．available12、A．yet B．also C．instead D．rather13、A．letout B．turnin C．giveup D．believein14、A．fundamental B．practical C．impossible D．unforgettable15、A．takeoff B．dropoff C．putoff D．payoff16、A．missing B．inspiring C．sinking D．shining17、A．harmful B．hard C．useful D．normal18、A．measure B．suffer C．digest D．deliver19、A．disasters B．motivations C．campaigns D．decisions20、A．assessed B．involved C．covered D．reduced第二节（每小题1.5分，满分15分）阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。27．（15分）Monkeysdonotlikeitwhenothersgetmorefood1．theydo,accordingtoanewstudy.ResearchersfromYaleandHarvarduniversitiesfoundCapuchinmonkeyspunishmonkeys2．getmorefood."Thissortof,'IfIcan'thaveit,noonecan'responseisbecause3．psychologicalspite(怨恨),anditwas4．(previous)thoughtuniquetohumans,"saidKristinLeimgruberofHarvardUniversity.Sheisaco-authoroftheresearchstudy.TheresearcherswatchedassomeCapuchinmonkeys5．(give)morefoodthanothers.Theyfoundthatmonkeysgettingthe6．(small)sharepulledaropetofoldupatableholdingtheothermonkey'sbiggershare.Anotherleadresearcher,LaurieSantas,7．(explain)overemail,"Ithinkwhatwecanconcludeabouthumansisthatsomeofourmoreembarrassingtendencieshaverelativelydeep8．(root)."Santossaidthespitefulresponsewasnotpresentwithanothermemberoftheapespecies—chimpanzees(黑猩猩).Anearlierstudy,shesaid,showedchimpanzeeswouldfoldupthetableofotherchimpanzees9．(steal)foodfromthem.Buttheywouldnotpunishchimpanzeeswhojusthappened10．(have)morefood,Santossaid.Inotherwords,itwasfineifanotherchimpanzeehadmorefoodaslongastheydidnotstealit.第四部分写作（共两节）第一节短文改错（满分10分）28．（10分）假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。请在有错误的地方增加、删除或修改某个单词。增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。删除：把多余的词用斜线（﹨）划掉。修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。注意：1、每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；2、只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。MycousinTimispupil、Heisclever,andheisverynaughty、TodayhefailsinhismathandEnglishexam、Gettinghisreport,hewasdeepworried、Hispoorreportwasrequiredtobesignedbyhisfatherathome、Onthewaytohomeanideaappearedonhismind、Hefoundhisfatherwasreadinganewspaperbeforehegothome、Timsaidtohisfatherjokingly,“Dad,canyouwriteyournamewithallofyoureyesshut?”Hisfatherreplied、“Ofcoursenot,mydear、”Andhisfatherdidso、Timwassatisfiedwiththereportalreadysignedbyhisfather、第二节书面表达（满分25分）29．（25分）第二节书面表达（满分35分）假定你校将举行一个成人仪式，你将作为代表在仪式上发言。请你按以下内容要点准备一篇英文发言稿。1.过去对成年的向往；2.现在的感受和认识；3.将来的目标及措施。参考词汇：责任responsibility注意：1.词数100左右；2.可以适当增加细节，使行文连贯；3.发言稿的开头与结束语已为你写好（不计入总词数）Goodmorning，everyone！Thetopicofmyspeechtodayis“thoughtsonbecomingagrown-up”.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Thankyouforlistening.

参考答案第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1、C2、B3、B4、A5、B6、A7、B8、C9、B10、D11、C12、A13、C14、B15、D16、D17、D18、C19、B20、C第二部分阅读理解（满分40分）阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。21、1、B2、C3、C22、1、C2、B3、D4、C23、1、D2、C3、D4、A24、1、A2、B3、C4、C25、Maybenooneforgetstheirfirstbikeandthereisnoexceptiontoawomanlikeme.MinewasaSchwinncoasterbike,second-hand,paintedredandyellowbyitspreviousowner.IrememberridingtoofastdownthebighillonSpringfieldAvenue.Iknewatoncethattheworldwasminetoexplore.Acoupleofyearslater,whenIwas11,mygrandmothervisitedfromEngland,bringingmeabike.Itwasadarkgreenone,withthreegears(齿轮)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(学校),Isimplyrodewhateverbikesitsgraduateshadleftbehind.Irodearoundthelittletownonbikeswithgearsandbrakesthatoftenfailed.IdidnottakeanyofthosebikeswithmewhenImovedsouthtothecoastaltownwhereInowlive.ButafterawhileImissedriding.Finally,onafallday,Iboughtabike.Calledacomfortbike,ithaswidertiresthanmyoldbikeandsevengears.Butitisgreen—abrightergreenbike.Still,Iwasabitworried;Iwasalotolder.Ibroughtthebikehomeandputonmyhelmet—I'dneverworn