2025届湖北省实验中学等六校高三英语第一学期期末综合测试试题含解析

2025届湖北省实验中学等六校高三英语第一学期期末综合测试试题注意事项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．Topgraduatesfromuniversitiesare________bymajorcompanies.A．chased B．registeredC．offered D．compromised2．Wemostprefertosayyestothe______ofsomeoneweknowandlike.A．attempts B．requestsC．doubts D．promises3．Thisisnotaneconomicalwaytogetmorewater;________,itisveryexpensive.A．worsestill B．onthecontraryC．inshort D．inaddition4．I’dneverwonderedbeforewhetherornothewaskid-friendly.Withoneglance,Iquicklythatheprobablywasn’t.A．agreed B．reportedC．explained D．decided5．ThepredictionfromMayaworriesresidents_______December21,2012wouldbetheendoftheworld.A．if B．that C．whether D．which6．Itisreportedthatthe______inLibyaishottingup.A．strength B．violence C．power D．activity7．Bytheendoflastweek,600peoplefrom50countriestoattendthemeeting，withnearlyhalfcomingfromtheUnitedStates，GermanyandBritain.A．hadregisteredB．haveregisteredC．registeredD．wereregistered8．Studentsarealwaysinterestedinfindingout_______theycangowithanewteacher.A．howfar B．howsoon C．howoften D．howlong9．Thankstothe“sugartax”，foodfactorieshavereducedsugarintheirproducts,________about45millionkilogramsofsugar.A．tosaveB．savedC．savingD．havingsaved10．I’m_______ChineseandIdofeel______Chineselanguageis____mostbeautifullanguage.A．/,the,a B．a,/,the C．a,the,/ D．a,/,a11．—Idon’tcareforbaseball.—Howcanyousayyoudon’tlikesomethingyou’venevereventriedit!A．till B．after C．unless D．when12．—Penny’sbabydaughternarrowlyescapeddrinkingthefurniturepolishonthecoffeetable.—Luckilyforher.She________sickorevendied.A．couldhavegot B．shouldhavegotC．musthavegot D．willhavegot13．Thereareno______proposalstoreducetheroadaccidents.Wearestillseekinginspiration.A．contradictoryB．concreteC．confidentialD．controversial14．—Toapplyforashort-termstudyvisaintheUK,IhavetobeabletospeaksomeEnglish,butIwanttogotherejusttolearnEnglish.—Oh,it’sreally____.A．aconfidentialsource B．acatch-22situationC．aPandora’sbox D．aHerculeantask15．Therearealsopeoplewhoobjecttofairystoriesonthegrounds______theyarenotobjectivelytrue,andthatgiants,witches,two-headeddragonsetcdonotexist.A．that B．what C．which D．when16．Youcan’timaginehowexcitedwewere________thatourschoolmateshadwonthefirstplaceinNationalRobotCompetition.A．learning B．havinglearnedC．tobelearning D．tolearn17．—What’stherecentprogressinXiong’anNewArea,firstannouncedtwoyearsago?—It_____increasingattentionfromforeigncompaniesgivenitshugedevelopmentpotential.A．hasbeenattracting B．hadattracted C．wouldbeattracting D．wasattracting18．Ifyou___________tomyadvicecarefully,youwouldn’thavemadesuchaterriblemistake.A．listened B．havelistenedC．wouldlisten D．hadlistened19．Don’tleavethewater______whileyoubrushyourteeth.A．racingB．rushingC．runningD．rolling20．—Howabouthisdesign?—Well,totellthetruth,itis______butsatisfactory.Soyou’llhavetotryyourbesttobetterit.A．something B．anythingC．everything D．nothing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）Seattle’sPikePlaceMarketstretchesforfourcityblocks.Itincludesacollectionofoldbuildings,bunchesofstallsandstreetmusiciansandaftersthatdrawbothlocalsandvisitors.Thethemedmarketwakesupeachdayat5:00a.m.Amongthefirsttoarriveareflower

vendors

andfishmongers(小贩)likeJasonScott.Mystandisknownforitstraditionofthrowingfishbeforewrappingitupforacustomer.IcamebackoutofhighschoolandI’vebeenhereeversince.I’m46now.ManyPikePlaceMarketstoresarefamily-runandhavebeenaroundforgenerations.Russian-speakingimmigrantsopenedPiroshkybakery25yearsago.NotalotofpeopleunderstandwhatPiroshkyis.Peoplethinksometimesit’salastname,sowedohavetoeducatepeoplealot.IfyougotoRussiaandyougotoamarketlikethis,youcouldhearthelatestscreamout-Piroshky,Piroshkyandthat’swhywecallitPiroshky.NexttoPiroshkyisaChinesebakerycalledMeeSum

pastry.It’sownedbythethirdgenerationoftheFongfamily.Theycalltheirsignaturepastry,thebestandbiggestcombos(套餐)intowns.LikeChinesehamburger,youcanputchickenorpuppykibbleorcrispyevenvegetableinit.Butinthis

sprawling(无序扩展的)market,oneofthemostunusualplacesisn’tafoodorcraftstall.It’sthegumwallwherepeoplecansticktheirtinychewedup

clump

onaroll.Apparently,theydon’tgiveitmuchthought,tryingtobeoriginal.Thisgumwallstartedabout20yearsagowhenthetheateraskedpeoplenottobringguminsidebecausetheydidn’twantitundertheseats,sopeoplewouldputgumupontheoutside.Marketofficials

initiallytriedtoclearthestickystuffoffthewall,butnewgumalwaysreappearedsotheyfinallygaveup.Thegumwallquicklybecameatouristattraction.Andjustlikethat,thegumwallturnedintoanattraction,highlightingamoreunusualsideofSeattlethatlocalsandvisitorslove.1、WhatdoweknowaboutSeattle’sPikePlaceMarket?A．It’ssmallanddelicate. B．It’stidyandinorder.C．It’sspecialandattractive. D．It’smodernandnew.2、WhatisPiroshky?A．ARussian-speakingimmigrant. B．Akindofbakedpies.C．People’slastname. D．AChinesebakery.3、Howdoesthewriterfindthegumwall?A．Itshouldbeclearedaway.B．ItshowsthespecialsideofSeattle.C．Itismadeonpurpose.D．Itresultedfromthemarketofficials’wrongdecision.22．（8分）Woodhasmanygreatcharacteristicsthatmakeittheperfectbuildingmaterial.Itischeap，durable，easilyavailable，andmostimportantly，environmentallysustainable.Theonethingitisnot，istransparent!NowthankstoateamofscientistsatStockholm’sKTHRoyalInstituteofTechnologythematerialmayevenbeabletoaddthatfeaturetoitsalreadyimpressivelist.LeadresearcherDr，LarsBerglundsaidhewasinspiredtocreatethetransparentwoodafterlearninghowJapaneseresearchershaddevelopedasee-throughpaperforuseinflexibledisplayscreensforelectronicdevices.Theteambeganbypullingoutthewood’slignin(木质素).Thelignin-freewoodwasthendippedintoapolymer(聚合物)andbakedatatemperatureof158°Fforfourhours.Theresultwasahybridproductthatwasnotonlystrongerandlighterthantheoriginalwoodbutalso，almosttransparent.Theresearcherswereabletoadjusttheleveloftransparencybyvaryingtheamountofthepolymerinjectedandalsobychangingthethicknessofthewood.Whilescientistshavepreviouslycreatedasee-throughwoodforsmall-scaleapplicationslikecomputerchips，thetransparentwoodisthefirstonebeingconsideredforlargescaleapplications.Theresearchers，whorevealedtheirfindingsinBiomacromoleculesonApril11，pictureusingthetransparentwoodinbuildingstoallowformorenaturallight，ortocreatewindowsthatletinthedesiredamountoflightwithoutsacrificingprivacy.Woodthatallowslighttopassthroughcouldleadtoabrighterfutureforhomesandbuildings.Berglundalsothinksthewoodcouldplayasignificantroleinthedesignofsolarpanels.Thesemitransparentmaterialwouldbeabletokeeplightlongerandgiveitmoretimetointeractwiththeconductor，thusresultinginbettersolarefficiency.Additionally，substitutingthecurrentlyusedglasswiththisnewproductwouldhelpsolarenergymanufacturersimprovetheircarbonfootprintandlowerthecost.Theyarenowexperimentingwithwaystoscaleupthemanufacturingprocesssothatthetransparentmaterialiscost-effectivetomakeandeasytouse.1、Whatdoestheunderlinedpart“thatfeature”inParagraph1referto?A．Cheap.B．Durable.C．Sustainable.D．Transparent.2、Whichofthefollowingcorrectlyshowstheprocessinwhichthetransparentwoodismade?①Dipthewoodintoapolymer.②Adjusttheamountofthepolymer.③Makethewoodlignin-free.④Bakethewoodforsometime.A．③→①→④→②B．③→①→②→④C．①→②→③→④D．④→③→②→①3、Whichofthefollowingistrueaccordingtothetext?A．Berglundgottheideaoftransparentwoodwhilemakingpaper.B．Varyingtheamountofthepolymerchangesthewood’shardness.C．Thetransparentwoodwouldbeusedonlyforhomesandbuildings.D．Thecostofmakingthetransparentwoodstillneedstobecutdown.4、Whatisthelastparagraphmainlyabout?A．Thebrightfutureofthetransparentwood.B．Thewood’sroleinthedesignofsolarpanels.C．Thedisadvantagesofthecurrentlyusedglass.D．Solarenergymanufacturers’carbonfootprint.23．（8分）Thetimesarechanging.OnThursdayOctober13th,singer-songwriterBobDylanwasawardedtheNobelPrizeinLiterature,markingthefirsttimethehighly-eyed-onliteraryawardhasgonetosomeonewhoismainlyseenasamusician,andgivingrisetoheateddiscussions.The75-year-oldwontheprize“forhavingcreatednewpoeticexpressionswithinthegreatAmericansongtradition”,theSwedishAcademysaid.“For54yearshehasbeenatit,reinventinghimself,”saidSaraDanius,theacademy’spermanentsecretary.“BobDylanwritespoetryforthecar.Butit’sperfectlyfinetoreadhisworksaspoetry.”AndwhilemanyDylan’sfanshavefoundgreatdelightatthenews,othersonlineandintheliterarycommunityarecrosswiththeCommittee,sayingtheawardhasskippedoverfictionwritersforthesecondyear.NewYorkTimesBookRevieweditorPamelaPaulsaiditwasgoodnewsbutpointedouthowmany“deserving”noveliststhereare.DirectorMartinScorseseputoutastatementsayinghewas“overjoyed”thatDylanwasawardedtheprize.“Dylan’spoetry,hismusicalgenius,hasmeantsomuchtomepersonallyandtogenerationsofpeoplearoundtheworld,”Scorsesesaid.“Hisworkhasinfluencedandshapedculture,andhehasneverstoppedexploringandgrowingasanartist.TheNobelCommitteehasgivenDylanaformofrecognitionthatfitshisroleinourculture—inworldculture.”DylanwonaPulitzerPrizein2008forhis“greatinfluenceonpopularmusicandAmericanculture”.He’sthefirstAmericantowintheliteraryNobelsinceToniMorrisonin1993.1、WhydoesBobDylan’swinningtheNobelPrizecausehealeddiscussions?A．Hecreatedpoeticexpressions.B．Heisknownasamusician.C．Hereinventshimself.D．Heis75yearsold.2、WhichisclosestinmeaningtotheunderlinedpartinParagraph4?A．arethankfultoB．aresatisfiedwithC．areangrywithD．areworriedabout3、WhatcanweknowaboutDylanaccordingtoMartinScorsese?A．DylaninfluencesMartinalot.B．Dylanishappywiththeaward.C．Dylanisapoetratherthanamusician.D．Dylanbenefitsalotfromworldculture.4、Whatisthepassagemainlyabout?A．AbriefintroductiontoBobDylan.B．ThereasonforBobDylan’ssuccess.C．BobDylan’sinfluenceonAmericanculture.D．DifferentviewsonBobDylan’swinningtheNobelPrize.24．（8分）Alayover(临时滞留)orflightdelaycanbeextremelyfunintheseinternationalairports.MunichAirport,GermanyAviation(航空)loverspassingthroughMunichcantakeabehind-the-scenestourtolearnhowtheairportoperates.Visitorscanalsotourthreehistoricaircraftandaretiredrescuehelicopter,climbuptoa28-metrehighobservationplatformforanup-closeviewoftake-offsandlandings,andwatchfilmsonaviationintheairport’s60-seatcinema.Travelerscanalsokilllayovertimeatan18-holemini-golfcourse,orevenstopinforateethcleaningattheairportdentaloffice.ChangiAirport,SingaporeAfteralongflighttoSingapore,travelerscanrelaxinaBalinese-styleswimmingpool,workoutattheairportgym,orenjoyadrinkandlivemusicalperformancesattheairport’sMusicBar.Theairportalsoboastsatranquilbutterflygarden,anda“fragrantgarden”whichishometo15speciesofplantsandtrees.Freemoviesatoneoftwoairportcinemasalsokeeppassengersentertained.SchipholAmsterdamAirport,theNetherlandsSchipholisEurope’sfifth-largestairport.HerepassengerscanviewtheworksofDutchmastersfreeofcharge,andtrytheirluckatairport’scasino(赌场).YoucanevenhaveyourweddingceremonyatSchiphol—couplescanchoosefromfourdifferentweddingpackages,includinga1930-styleceremonyheldonaDakotamilitaryaircraft.SanFranciscoInternationalAirport,CaliforniaTheairport’s24-hourAirTrainnotonlymovespassengersbetweenterminal,butalsoprovidesafunviewoftherunways.Therearethreeaquariums(水族馆)toexplore,alongwithinteractiveplayarea,anaviationmuseum,andalibrary.Ifthat’snotenoughtokeepthelittleonesbusy,travelerscanrentportableDVDplayersandmoviesforuseintheairport.1、WhatcantravelersdoattheMunichAirport?A．Theycanhavetheirteethcleaned.B．Theycanwatchfreefilmsinthe28-seatcinema.C．Theycanvisitoneofthreeaquariums.D．Theycanrelaxinaswimmingpool.2、WhichistheuniquefeatureoftheSchipholAmsterdamAirport?A．Passengerscanseearetiredrescuehelicopter.B．PassengerscanvisitaMunichmilitaryaircraft.C．Passengerscangetmarriedthere.D．Passengerscanplaygolfthere.3、Whichairportwasdesignedwithkidsinmind?A．MunichAirport. B．ChangiAirport.C．SchipholAmsterdamAirport. D．SanFranciscoInternationalAirport.25．（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）阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从1～10各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。TheDragonBoatFestival,alsocalledDoubleFifthFestival,iscelebratedonthe5thdayofthefifthmoonofthelunarcalendar.ItisoneofthemostimportantChinesefestivals,_____twobeingtheAutumnMoonFestivalandChineseNewYear.Theoriginofthissummerfestival______aroundascholarlygovernmentofficialnamedChuYuan.Hewasagoodand______man,butbecauseofthe______ofjealousrivalsheeventuallyfellintodisfavorintheemperor’scourt.Unableto______therespectoftheemperor,inhissorrowChunYuanthrewhimselfintoMiLowriver.Becauseoftheir_____forChuYuan,thelocalpeoplelivingadjacenttotheMilowRiverrushedintotheirboatsto_____himwhilethrowingriceintothewaterstoappease(平息)theriverdragons.______theywereunabletofindChuYuan,theireffortsarestillcommemoratedtodayduringtheDragonBoatFestival.Manycompetingteamsdrivetheircolorfuldragonboatsforward______therhythmofbeatingdrumsonthatday.Theseexcitingraceswereinspiredbythevillager’svaliantattemptstorescueChunYanfromtheMiloriver.Thistraditionhasremained_______forcenturies.1、A．others B．theother C．another D．other2、A．centers B．dates C．comes D．goes3、A．respective B．respecting C．respectful D．respected4、A．bad-manners B．misdeeds C．mistaken D．wrongactions5、A．obtain B．acquire C．gain D．regain6、A．admiration B．memory C．celebration D．expectation7、A．search B．searchfor C．rescue D．pickup8、A．Despite B．However C．Although D．If9、A．by B．on C．with D．to10、A．unbroken B．unchanged C．still D．living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）ThereisalonghistoryforChinesetodrinktea.AndithadbeenwidelyspreadinChinaformorethan1,000years1．firstappearinginEurope.Teadrinkingispopularthroughouthistory.Manypeoplenowgotoexpensivelydecoratedteahouses2．(talk)business.However,teadrinkingisverycomplex.Manythingscontributetoan3．(enjoy)experience.Itstartswithsurroundings.Inthepast,ittookplaceinasetting4．“springwaterrunsonmarble”.Atpresent,tocreatesuchanatmosphere,teahouses5．(decorate)withtraditionalpaintingsandfurniture.Besides,thereisalwaysa6．(perform)ofatraditionalChinesemusicinstrument,suchasguzheng,pipaanderhu.Water7．(use)forteaalsomatters.Inolddays,water8．camefrommeltedsnowwasregardedasthebest;buttoday,peoplenolongeruseitduetopollution.Blacktea,togetherwithgreentea,oolongteaandpu’ertea,9．(rank)thetopfourfavorites.Meanwhile,thosekindsofteaaremadeby10．(total)differentmethods.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：在错的词下画一横线，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限一词；2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。Hearinganewsthatthe2022WinterOlympicswouldbeholdinChina,Ifeltveryexcited.ItstrucktomehowIlearnedskatingwhenIwasachild.At7,Ibegantogocrazyaboutskating,likeallmyfriend.Atthebeginning,itextremelytoughformetokeepmybalance.Ialwaysfalloverontheground,asaresultofwhichIthoughtIhadnotalentforskating.SoIgraduallylostconfidenceandbecameimpatient.ThemoreimpatientIwas,themoreterribleIdid.Iwasabouttogiveupwhilemyfathercametomyassistance.Encouragedbyher,Irestoredconfidenceandstoodupagain.AsIpracticedskating,healwayscreatedarelaxedatmosphereandputforwardsomespecificadvice.Eventually,Imadeit.第二节书面表达（满分25分）29．（25分）面对中国高中生“出国热”，社会对此有不同的看法。请你根据以下表格提供的信息写一篇文章并简要谈谈自己的看法。支持反对良好的语言环境，更利于语言学习。学习国外科学技术。年纪小，自立能力差。情感孤独，思乡。生活学习费用高。注意：1.内容应包括以上要点，可以适当增加细节，以使内容连贯；2.词数100左右，开头已给出，不计入总词数；3.参考词汇：技术technology视野horizon支出expenseInrecentyears,studyingabroadhasbeenpopularamongChinesehighschoolstudents.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

参考答案第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1、A2、B3、B4、D5、B6、B7、A8、A9、C10、A11、D12、A13、B14、B15、A16、D17、A18、D19、C20、B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、C2、B3、B22、1、D2、B3、D4、A23、1、B2、C3、A4、D24、1、A2、C3、D25、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,