安徽省农兴中学2023-2024学年高考英语四模试卷含解析

安徽省农兴中学2023-2024学年高考英语四模试卷请考生注意：1．请用2B铅笔将选择题答案涂填在答题纸相应位置上，请用0．5毫米及以上黑色字迹的钢笔或签字笔将主观题的答案写在答题纸相应的答题区内。写在试题卷、草稿纸上均无效。2．答题前，认真阅读答题纸上的《注意事项》，按规定答题。第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1．Thelackofeco-friendlyhabitsamongthepublicisthoughttobeamajor_____________ofglobalclimatechange.A．Result B．causeC．warning D．reflection2．Varietiesofsolutionshavebeenprovidedforustosolvetheproblem.Wecanchoose________tostartwith.A．it B．that C．each D．one3．—I'msorry.Ishouldn'thavebeensorudetoyou.—You________somethingnotverynicetome,butthat'sOK.A．havesaidB．hadsaidC．weresayingD．didsay4．Followingthegirl,wewentintoahall;on__________wallshungafewpicturesofsomefamousscientists.A．itsB．whichC．whoseD．those5．Theseniorteacheralwaysgoesswimminganddoespush-upstostay________.A．inplace B．inorderC．inshape D．infashion6．Yet_______intheprocessofdevelopmentdidtheystoptoconsidertheimpactoftheir“progress”onnature.A．innotimeB．atnopointC．aslikelyasnotD．moreoftenthannot7．Isthisyourcellphone,Tony?I________itwhenIwascleaningtheclassroom.A．cameacross B．dealtwithC．lookedafter D．heldonto8．Thepalaceisheavilyguarded,becauseinsideitswalls________.A．wheresittheEuropeanleaders B．theEuropeanleaderstheresitC．sittheEuropeanleaders D．thattheEuropeanleaderssit9．MeizhouIslandissuchabeautifulplaceofinterest______everyonelikestovisit.A．as B．that C．which D．where10．—Sorry,sir.I______followyou.Wouldyoupleasespeakslower?—Ok.A．can’t B．mustn’t C．shouldn’t D．needn’t11．---I’vegotsomethingweighingonmymind.Couldyougivemesomeadvice?---______.TellmeallaboutitandI’lldowhatIcan.A．Don’tmentionit B．NowonderC．Noproblem D．Mypleasure12．Wehavebroughtinagoodgrainharvestforthreeyears_________.A．onpurpose B．onend C．onduty D．onwatch13．Onthesurfaceofthewater________,whichspoiledthebeautifulsceneryofthepark.A．somedeadleavesdidfloat B．somedeadleavesfloatedC．floatedsomedeadleaves D．didsomedeadleavesfloat14．Threedaysaftertheaircraftwentmissing,aninternationaleffort________shipsandplaneshasn'tfoundanywreckage,________growingfrustrationforthefamiliesofthe239peopleonboard.A．involved;causing B．toinvolve;causedC．involving;causing D．involving;havingcaused15．Webelieve________youhavebeendevotedto________naturallyofgreatnecessity.A．that;being B．allthat;beC．thatall;are D．what;is16．TheywerestandingsofarawaythatIcouldn’t_____theirfacesclearly.A．makeout B．makefor C．makeoff D．makeup17．Oh！Icanfeelsomething_____upmyleg！Itmustbeaninsect．A．toclimb B．climbingC．climb D．climbed18．Whenwas_____youlastmetJennifer?Ihaven’tseenherforages.A．itthat B．it C．itwhat D．what19．Wehavedecidedtofulfillthetaskintime,difficultieswemaymeetwith.A．nomatterhow B．however C．whatever D．whichever20．Itisclearlystatedthattheseregulations______everyoneinthecommunity,withoutexception.A．appealto B．adapttoC．applyto D．attachto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）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$300billion22．（8分）WithmorelargesolarfarmsbeingdevelopedinthesunnysouthwesternUnitedStates,researchersandconservationistsalikearebeginningtonoticesurprisingenvironmentaleffects.Whilesolarenergyisknownforitspositiveenvironmentalimpacts,officialsattheNationalFishandWildlifeForensicsLaboratoryhavecometorecognizeoneofitssignificantdownsides:Somespecksofbirdsthatliveclosetolargesolarplants(太阳能板)aredyingoff,includingendangeredbirds.Arecentfederalinvestigationrecovered233birdsthathadbeenkilledasadirectresultofsolarplants.Researchersbelievethatsomeoftheaffectedbirdshavemistakenthelarge,reflectiveareasofthesolarpanelsforbodiesofwater.Thisisaphenomenonreferredtobyscientistsas“lakeeffect.”Thebirdsaredrawntowhattheyassumetobewater.Theyaimfortheareaandslamintothepanelswithgreatforce.Itisthoughtthattheinsectsthatbirdscatfallvictimto“lakeeffect”aswell,leadingthebirdsintothepanels.Researchersfigurethatbetween1,000and28,000birdsarekilledasaresultofharvestingsolarenergy.Thenumberofbirdsaffectedbywindfarmingismuchgreater,rangingfrom140,000to328,000.Coal-firedelectricityhasthelargestnegativeeffectonbirds,killingnearly8millionayear.Thesenumbersmakesolarfarmingseemlikethebestoption.However,conservationistsarequicktopointoutthatareaswheresolarisexpectedtoboombetween2015and2020arehometosomeoftherarestbirdsintheUnitedStates.Thiscouldputspecificbirdspeciesatriskofextinction.ThereexistsastateorderinCaliforniathat20percentofallelectricityofallenergysoldshouldberenewablebytheyear2017.Thishasbeenonedrivingforcebehindtherapiddevelopmentofhugesolarfarms.Theindustry,whichisexpectedtoboomasaresultofthischangetorenewableenergy,isfacingnewlyfiledlawsuits(起诉)byconservationistgroups.TheselawsuitscouldslowdowntheapprovalprocessfortheplannedsolardevelopmentacrosstheSouthwest.1、Whatcanweinferfromparagraph1?A．Solarfarmsrequirealongdevelopmentperiod.B．Mostpeoplewouldbeshockedbythesizeofsolarfarms.C．Solarenergyequipmentlooksstrangetomostpeople.D．Mostpeoplethinkthatsolarenergyisverybeneficial.2、Theunderlinedword“slam”inparagraph2isclosestinmeaningto.A．dashB．breakC．moveD．slide3、Whichofthefollowingbestreflectstheauthor’sviewpoint?A．Usingsolarfarmsisthemostpracticalwaytocreateenergy.B．Morebirdsareendangeredbysolarfarmsthanwindfarming.C．Solarfarmsmaynotbeasfriendlytotheenvironmentasexpected.D．Waysshouldbefoundtoreduce“lakeeffect”causedbysolarfarms.23．（8分）Timeforanadventure?Areyouabitboredwithyournine-to-fiveroutine?Havealookatourexcitingrangeofholidaysanddecidewhattypeofadventureyou’dlike.ActivityholidaysOuractivityholidaysareforeveryone,peoplewholovedangerorwhojustlikesports.Wehaveahugevarietyofwater,snowordesertholidays.We’lltakeyouSCBAdivingintheRedSeaorkayakingandwhitewaterraftinginCanada.Ifyouprefersnow,youcantryskiingorsnowboardingintheAlpsorevenigloo-building.Forthosewholikewarmerweather,wealsohavesandboarding(thedesertversionofskateboarding)orcamelsafaris(游猎).Polarexpeditions(探险)TakeanexpeditiontoAntarcticaorthenorthernArctic;exploreaLandofwhitenaturalbeautyandwonderfulwildlife.OurexpertswillexplaineverythingaboutthetwopolesasyouwatchthepenguinsinAntarcticaorwhalesandpolarintheArctic.There’snogreateradventurethantravellingtotheendsoftheearth.Aonce-in-a-lifetimeexperience.CulturaljourneysOurculturaljourneyswillhelpyoudiscoverancientcivilizations:India,Thailand,Egyptandmanymore.Visittemples,palacesandancientruins–-justremembertobringyourcamera!Gettoknowlocalwaysoflifebyexploringmarkets,tryingexoticfoodsandmeetinglocalpeople.WildlifeholidaysWeorganizesmall-grouptourstogelclosertonatureinAfrica,AsiaorSouthAmerica.GoonsafariinAfricaandwatchlionsandgiraffes.MeetthefamousturtlesofftheGalapagosIslands.LookfortigersinIndia,ortakeanelephantsafariinSriLanka.Weuselocalguidesandstayinarangeofaccommodation,fromtentstotreeshouses.1、Whichwouldyoupreferifyouareasports-lover?A．Wildlifeholidays. B．Culturaljourneys.C．Polarexpeditions. D．Activityholidays.2、Whatcanatouristdoduringaculturalholiday?A．Appreciateancientbuildings. B．Watchlovelyanimals.C．Getclosertonature. D．Haveextremesports.3、Whatisthepurposeofthistext?A．Tointroducewaysofrelaxation. B．Torecommenddifferentholidays.C．Tosharetravelingexperience. D．Togiveadviceontraveling.24．（8分）BestLondonwalkingtoursSandemansNewLondonToursGainanattractiveinsightintoLondon'shistory.VisittheCityofLondon,stoppingatStPaul'sCathedralandtheTowerofLondon;exploreEastLondoncoveringBrickLane,Cockneycultureandthecriminalunderworld;learnaboutJacktheRipper;orboardonafive-venuepubcrawl.OpeningTimes:Dailyat11:00and14:00CityVisitorTrailTheCityVisitorTrailtakesyouonajourneythroughtheheartofLondon.TakeinfamousattractionssuchasSt.Paul'sCathedral,Guildhall,theBankofEnglandandtheTowerofLondonortrythethemed"side-tracks",eachonemovingawayfromthemainpathtogiveamorein-depthlookatonepartofthecity.OpeningTimes:Available24hoursaday,7daysaweek.Checkwithindividualattractionsforentryrequirements.BritMovieToursJoinauniquemovieandTVsightseeingwalkingtourexperienceinLondonandgoonlocationtoseeincredibLesetsandfascinatinglandmarks.Localguidesprovidefascinatinginsightsintotheindustryandtherearemultipletoursavailable,inctudingDoctorWho,GangsterLondonandHarryPotterTourofLondonlocations.OpeningTimes:MondaytoFriday9:OOamt05:30pmRoyalTourofLondonVisitthreeroyalpalacesasyoujourneyfromBigBentoBuckinghamPalaceandTrafalgarSquare.AlongthewayyouwilldiscoverplotstodestroyParliament,Churchill'shiddenshelter,veryexpensiveclubsfortherichandfamous,andmore.Andifthat'snotenoughexcitement,Iistencloselyforincredibletalesofman-eatingpelicans(鹈鹕)andcrazylosttourists.ThiswalkingtourisrunbyStrawberryTours.OpeningTimes:Thetourstartsat10ameveryday.1、Whichtourcanyoujoinatanytime?A．SandemansNewLondonTours B．CityVisitorTrailC．BritMovieTours D．RoyalTourofLondon.2、Whatcanyoudoonamoviesightseeingtour?A．LearnsomeLondon'shistory.B．Participateinmakingfilms.C．Visitsomefilm-makinglocations.D．Actasalocalguide.3、What'sthrillingontheRoyalTourofLondon?A．Visitingplacesofinterest.B．Meetingfamouspeople.C．Exploringnewspots.D．Listeningtoamazinglegends.25．（10分）ConstructiononKnolly'sTunnelbeganin1896，anditwasopenedonAugust13th，1898bythemanitwasnamedafter--SirClementC．Knolly，ActingGovernorofTrinidad．ItlinkedRioClarowithPortofSpain．Itsarchitectureisstilladmiredandstudiedtoday，andmanyareamazedthatKnolly'sTunnelhasstooduptotheearth'smovementoversomanyyears．Muchresearchisbeingdoneonthetunnel．AtthetopofKnolly'sTunnelarecottagescoveredwithleaves，wherevisitorscansitandenjoythebeautyofnature．StandingatthebeginningofKnolly'sTunnel，youcanseenothingbutthetinylightattheend．Thetraintrackshavebeenremovedandreplacedwithsmallstones．Visitorscandrivethroughthetunnelorwalkthrough，butshoulddosoingroupsforsafety．Intheolddays，therewerenolights，butnowtherearestreetlightsonthewaytothetunnel，thoughnotinside．Onyourwayin，youmaynoticesomemanholesonthewallsofthetunnel．Thesewerethereforindividualstostepintoforsafetyasthetrainpassed．Knolly'sTunnelcanbeaccessedthroughTabaquiteandthroughMitchellGap．Theroadwasrecentlyimproved，butisbetterwhenyouenterfromTabaquite，andtherearesignsontheroaddirectingyoutoKnolly'sTunnel．OnthedrivetoKnolly'sTunneltherearetwoothercottageswherevisitorscansitandjustenjoynature．Atthesiteitself，thereisnothingtopurchasetoeatordrink，butinTabaquitethereareseveralbars，arestaurant，andfoodoutlets．Agasstationandahealthcentrearealsocloseby．Forthosewhoadmirearchitecture，Knolly'sTunnelisamust-seewhenvisitingTrinidad．Forthenaturelovers，thereisnobetterplaceforthemtobeandforthehistorians，theycanwalkordrivethroughKnolly'sTunnelknowingthatmanyofourancestorstoiled（workedhard）onitsstructure．SowhenyouvisitTrinidad，don'tforgettotakealookatKnolly'sTunnel!1、Knolly'sTunnelisspecialin______．A．itsenvironment B．itsfunctionC．itslocation D．itsarchitecture2、Theunderlinedword"site"intheparagraph4refersto______．A．Trinidad B．TabaquiteC．MitchellGap D．Knolly'sTunnel3、Whatisthepurposeofthepassage？______A．TosuggestavisittoKnolly'sTunnel．B．TointroducethehistoryofKnolly'sTunnel．C．ToevaluatethevalueofKnolly'sTunnel．D．TowitnessthechangeofKnolly'sTunnel4、Thepassageaboveisprobablytakenfrom______．A．ageographytextbook B．atraveljournalC．asportsreport D．ahealthandfitnessmagazine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）Asamusicteacher，Ihavealwaysknownthatmusictouchesthesoul.Itcan1allkindsofbarrierstoreachstudentsinaveryspecialway.Itcanbethe2foreachchildtofindtheirlight.Iwouldliketo3astoryaboutit.ForafewyearsIwas4withtheopportunitytoteachdisabledstudents.Oneofmymost5studentswasafive-year-oldgirlcalledVanessa，whohaddifficultywalking，andcouldnotspeak.We6satonthefloorforourmusiclessonsandVanessalikedto7onmylap．OneofherfavoritesongswasJohntheRabbit.ItwasacallandresponsesongwhereIsangthecallandthestudents8twicewhilesingingtherepeatingphrase，“Oh，yes！”Vanessalikedto9herhandstogetherwithmineandclapwithme.Weprobablyperformedthatsongduringeveryclass，VanessaandIclappingtogether.Butshe10saidorsangaword.Oneday，whenthesongwasfinished，Vanessaturnedaround，11meintheeyes，clappedhertinyhandstwiceandsaidthewords“Oh，yes！”Iopenedmymouthin12andforthatmomentIwastheonewhocouldnotspeak.Whenmyheart13startedbeatingagain，Ilookedoverattheassistantteachertofindheralso14Throughmusic，wehadmadeanawesomeconnection.Severalyearslater，ImetVanessaonthestreetintown.Shewavedwithabig15onherfaceandthenclappedherhandstwice，imitatingthesongwehad16somanytimesinourmusicclass.Thelittlegirl，17herconnectionwithmusic，leftanimpressiononmethatwilllastforever.Everychildhasthe18tolearnandgrow.Itisuptousto19thewaytoreacheachandeveryoneofourstudents.Weallmustfindeachchild's201、A．getacrossB．putawayC．takeoverD．breakthrough2、A．meansB．directionC．processD．effort3、A．addB．talkC．shareD．write4、A．blessedB．tiredC．coveredD．filled5、A．troublesomeB．HardworkingC．memorableD．sensitive6、A．mostB．almostC．nearlyD．mostly7、A．standB．sitC．lieD．jump8、A．sangB．saidC．followedD．clapped9、A．strikeB．putC．giveD．shake10、A．everB．neverC．stillD．even11、A．lookedB．sawC．glaredD．noticed12、A．horrorB．delightC．astonishmentD．embarrassment13、A．immediatelyB．fortunatelyC．slowlyD．finally14、A．happyB．gratefulC．speechlessD．hopeless15、A．greetingB．smileC．expressionD．sign16、A．performedB．operatedC．trainedD．organized17、A．uponB．throughC．fromD．beyond18、A．standardB．abilityC．planD．freedom19、A．discoverB．inventC．testD．make20、A．strengthB．dreamC．lightD．weakness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）Fiveyearsago，Iwassenttoabettermiddleschool.1．me,everythingtherewasnewandstrange.AfterIhadbeentherefortwomonths,therewasanimportanttestinthemiddleoftheterm.Inthattest,Ididn’tgetagoodgrade,butmostofmyclassmatesgot2．A．Itmademeupsetforalongtime.Ithoughtmyclassmateswereallbetterthanme.DuringthosedaysIwasvery3．(happiness).Oneday,myaunt,after4．(talk)withmyteachers,talkedtome.ShetoldmetothinkaboutwhatIhaddoneinthepastandwhatIshoulddointhefuture.IdidsoandIfoundIhaddonenothingtoimprovemygrades.IthoughtIshouldworkharder.Afterthat,Ipaidmoreattentiontotheteachersinclass,and5．(ask)myteachersormyclassmateswhenIdidn’tunderstandsomething.Istudiedlateatnightwhenmeetingwithdifficultproblems.Mostofall,Icame6．(understand)theimportanceoftaking7．(note)inclass.Asaresult,Ididbetterinsometests.Aboutthreemonths8．(late),themostimportanttestcameattheendoftheterm.Thistime,Istoodoutnotonlyinmyclass9．alsointhegrade.Eversince,I10．(try)todomybestwhenIdosomethingbecauseIknowifIwantsomething,Ishouldworkhardforit.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。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。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。Ilefthomeat17andpaymyownwaythroughcollege.Inthepast20years,IhaveworkedforeverythingIneeded.Soitshocksmewhatsomepeopleintheir20s,stillgettheirlifesupportedbyourparents.Someoftheseparentshavedifficultsupportingtheirfamilies.It’struethatthejobmarketismuchmoreharderthesedays.Therefore,therearecertainlysomewaystomakelivingonourown.Evenifourparentsisniceenoughtopayforourcollege,weshouldn’tburdenthemwithourproblems.Weshouldbefinancialresponsibleadults,madeourparentsproudofus.第二节书面表达（满分25分）29．（25分）假如你是李华，你的朋友Jack要来你的家乡参观，请你根据下列要点写一篇电子邮件回复，介绍你的家乡。1.自然环境(绿水青山，环境优美)；2.人文环境(交通便利，生活和谐)；3.表示欢迎。注意:1.词数100左右；2.包括所有要点，但不得逐字翻译。DearJack,I’mverygladtohearthatyouaregoingtopayavisittomyhometown.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yourssincerely,LiHua

参考答案第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1、B2、D3、D4、C5、C6、B7、A8、C9、A10、A11、C12、B13、C14、C15、D16、A17、B18、A19、C20、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、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'dneverwornahelmetbefore.ThenIgotonthebike.Afteradifficultstart,IfeltexactlyasIwasonthatlong-agodayonSpringfieldAvenue:free.SoonIwasridi