2025年吉林省白山市抚松县六中高三第三次模拟考试英语试卷含答案

2025年吉林省白山市抚松县六中高三第三次模拟考试英语试卷含答案注意事项：1．答卷前，考生务必将自己的姓名、准考证号、考场号和座位号填写在试题卷和答题卡上。用2B铅笔将试卷类型（B）填涂在答题卡相应位置上。将条形码粘贴在答题卡右上角"条形码粘贴处"。2．作答选择题时，选出每小题答案后，用2B铅笔把答题卡上对应题目选项的答案信息点涂黑；如需改动，用橡皮擦干净后，再选涂其他答案。答案不能答在试题卷上。3．非选择题必须用黑色字迹的钢笔或签字笔作答，答案必须写在答题卡各题目指定区域内相应位置上；如需改动，先划掉原来的答案，然后再写上新答案；不准使用铅笔和涂改液。不按以上要求作答无效。4．考生必须保证答题卡的整洁。考试结束后，请将本试卷和答题卡一并交回。第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1．WolfWarrior2,_______directorWuJingalsostarredintheleadrole,isafirst-classproduction,evenbyHollywoodstandards.A．where B．whichC．whom D．as2．DimashappearedonthestageofSinger2017,hisvoiceinstantlywonheartsofChineseaudience.A．AslongasB．AssoonasC．NowthatD．Eversince3．Mary_______towritingclasseseverynightsinceJuneandthecoursewillendthisweek.A．hadgoneB．hasbeengoingC．isgoingD．went4．Lookingpeopleintheeye______sometimesmakethemnervousandembarrassed.A．must B．canC．should D．might5．Theboss_________theemployeesariseinsalaryforages,butnothinghasoccurredyet.A．promisedB．hadpromisedC．wouldpromiseD．promises6．TheInternationalMonetaryFundhasreceivedbothcriticismandforitseffortstopromotefinancialstability,preventcrises,facilitatetrade,andreducepoverty.A．worship B．creditC．argument D．privilege7．Iftheweatherhadbeenbetter,we______apicnicyesterday.A．musthavehad B．wouldhaveC．couldhavehad D．willhave8．Russia'scuttingoffthegassupplyraisedamajorconcerntotheEuropeanUnion,anumberofmemberstatesareincreasinglydependentononesinglesupplier.A．whose B．thatC．where D．which9．––Thesmallrestaurantisalwayscrowdedineverypart.––That’s______ithasauniquediningenvironmentandquiteafewwonderfuldishes.A．why B．becauseC．where D．when10．______studentsshouldbegivenmorefreetimeissuggestedbymanyexpertsandwelcomedbykidsinschool．A．WhatB．WhyC．WhetherD．That11．AsJohnLennononcesaid,lifeis________happenstoyouwhileyouarebusymakingotherplans.A．Which B．thatC．what D．where12．—I’dratherhavesomewine,ifyoudon’tmind.—______.Don’tforgetthatyou’lldrive.A．Byallmeans B．AnythingbutthatC．Takeiteasy D．Iwouldn’tsaynotothis13．Somepeoplecreatejobs,fosterexcitementandbasicallymakethesystemwork.Theyseepossibilities________othersseeonlyproblems.A．that B．what C．which D．where14．Aftershebecameill,Ifelt______withher—shewascheerywhileIfeltgloomy.A．outoftune B．outofbreath C．outofcuriosity D．outofmind15．It’snearlyfouryearssinceIworkedinthatfirm.I________abandwithotherfellows.A．operated B．hadbeenoperatingC．wasoperating D．amoperating16．—MrJohnson,IhavesomethingIwouldliketotroubleyouwith.—________.JusttellmewhatIcando.A．YouhavemywordB．Don'tgivemethatC．YoucansaythatagainD．Don'tstandonceremony17．—TherearenorelativearticlesontheInternet.Whatshallwedo?—MyGod！Therearealwaysnotanyusefularticleswhenyouwant.A．one B．it C．that D．any18．—Whatamess!You’realwaysthrowingthingsabout.—Don’tbe____,Mum.Iwilltidyitupnow.A．hotunderthecollarB．oncloudnineC．offthetopofyourheadD．downinthedumps19．______________totheparty,Nancywasveryupset.A．Havingnotbeeninvited B．NothavinginvitedC．Havingnotinvited D．Nothavingbeeninvited20．—Whatdoesthesignoverthereread?—"Noperson_______smokeorcarryalightedcigarette,cigarorpipeinthisarea．"A．shall B．may C．must D．Will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）TheanalysisinTheLancetlooksatobesity(肥胖)trendinover200countries.IntheUK,oneinevery10youngpeopleaged5to19,isobese.Obesechildrenarelikelytobecomeobese–adults,postingthematriskofserioushealthproblems,sayexperts.Researchersbelievewideavailabilityofcheap,latteningfoodisoneofthemaindrivers.Althoughchildobesityratesappeartobestabilizinginmanyhigh-incomeEuropeancountries,includingtheUK,theyareacceleratingatanalarmingrateinmanyotherpartsoftheworld.ThelargestincreaseinthenumberofobesechildrenhasbeeninEastAsia.ChinaandIndiahaveseenrates“balloon”inrecentyears.PolynesiaandMicronesiahavethehighestrateofall—aroundhalfoftheyoungpopulationinthesecountriesisoverweightorobese.Theresearcherssaythatifcurrentworldtrendscontinue,“obese”willsoonbemorecommonthan“underweight”.“Wehavenotbecomemoreweak-willed,lazyorgreedy.Therealityisthattheworldaroundusischanging.”DrFionaBullfromtheWorldHealthOrganizationsuggestedtoughmeasurestoprevent“calorie-rich,nutrient-poorfood”andentouragemorephysicalactivity.“Butsofar,justover20countriesaroundtheworldhaveintroducedataxonsugarydrinks,”shesaid.DrAlisonTedstone,chiefnutritionist(营养学家)atPublicHealthEngland,said,“Oursugarreductionprogrammeandthegovernment’ssugartaxareworld-leading,butthisisjustthebeginningofalongjourneytomeetthechallengeofageneration.Theevidenceisclearthatjusttellingpeoplewhattodowon’twork.Whileeducationandinformationareimportant,deeperactionsareneededtohelpuslowercalorieconsumptionandachievehealthierdiets.”1、Whatmainlycontributestochildobesityaccordingtotheresearchers?A．Childrendon’ttakeenoughphysicalexercise.B．Childrenaredriventoconsumecheapdiets.C．Childrenbecomemoreweak-willedandgreedy.D．Childrencanreachcheapandfatteningfoodmoreeasily.2、HowcanwedescribechildobesityratesinFrance?A．Alarming.B．Steady.C．Slow.D．Ballooning.3、WhatmayDrFionaBullthinkofthesugartax?A．Itisworld-leading.B．Itisnoteffectiveenough.C．Itneedstobepromotedfurther.D．Itshouldbemadetobelesstougher.4、Whatcanbeinferredfromthelastparagraph?A．Englandisthefirsttotaxsugarydrinks.B．Solvingtheproblemofchildobesityisahardnut.C．Educationplaysasmallroleincontrollingchildobesity.D．Peopleshouldbetoldaboutthedangerofbeingoverweight.23．（8分）NightlifeDowntownCrestedButteishometosomefunadventurenightlife!Withmanydifferentoptionsforenjoyinganight,you’resuretohaveagreattime!Enjoythefreebussystembetweenthemountainandtowntogetaround.Kids’NightOutOnvacation,kidsandparentsdeserveaspecialnightout.Butsometimes;what’sspecialforthekidsisn’tquitewhatyouhaveinmind.WecreatedKids’NightOutsoyoucanallhavethenightyou’relookingfor.Ourfun-lovingkids’instructorshostyourkidsforaVisittotheAdventurePark,followedbydinnerandgameswhileyouheadoutofthetown.Ages8~12arewelcome,75perchild.Kids’NightOuttakesplacenightlyinthecoldest.MajesticFunItissmallandpersonalanditoffersawiderangeofmovies,fromnewreleasestoclassics,actionetc.Allnaturalsnacksandalcoholicdrinksareavailable.Formovieshowtimesandmoreinformation,call970-349-8955orvisitourwebsite.PrincessWineBarEscapetheordinaryandexperiencethePrincessWineBarindowntownCrestedButte.EnjoythecoffeehousefeaturingBelgiansnacks,bakedeggs,apple-woodsmokedbacon,andcoffeedrinks.LiveentertainmentmakesthePrincessWineBartheperfectchoice.Opendailyfrom8:00pmtomidnight,butadvancereservationsarerequired.Formoreinformationyoucancall970-349-0210.TalkoftheTownIfyouarelookingforagoodtime,theTalkoffersfootball,pinball,videogames,goodmusic,andpooltablesanynightoftheweek.LocatedinthecenterOfCrestedButteonElkAvenue,opendailyat3:00pm,theTalk’sHappyHourisfrom3:00to8:00pm.Forfurtherinformation,youcancall970-349-6809.1、WhatisspecialaboutKids’NightOut?A．It’sinthetowncenter.B．Itopensonlyinwinter.C．Itoffersmanygames.D．Itgivesparentsaninterestingnight.2、WhatshouldyoudoifyouplantogotoPrincessWineBar?A．Readsomeextraordinarystories.B．Knowthenamesofdifferentsnacks.C．Contactitaheadoftime.D．Arrivebefore8:00pm.3、Whatisthepurposeofthetext?A．Topromotesomefunprograms.B．Toadvertisethefreebussystem.C．Tocomparethenightlifeitems.D．Toencouragemoreoutdooractivities.24．（8分）Formostofherlife,SuanneLaqueur’spassionforstorytellingwasshownonthedancefloor.AlthoughLaqueurbeganwritingatayoungage,dancingalwaystookcenterstage.ShemajoredindanceandtheateratAlfredUniversityandtaughtathermother’sdancestudioinCroton-on-Hudson,NewYork,foryears.ButwhenhermotherwasreadytoretireandanopportunityopenedforLaqueurtotakeoverthestudio,sherealizedshehadnointerestintakingonthebusinesssideofherart:“Owningastudioisalotofwork—financially,logistically.Ilovetheteaching,thechoreographing(编舞),thestaging,butIdidn’twanttoownit.”YetLaqueur’sdisinterestinrunningthestudiochangedwhenshebecameaself-publishedauthor.Inthefallof2013,shedecidedtopursueSelf-publishingasawayofsharingherfirstcompletednovelwithfriendsandfamily.Duringtheprocess,sherealizedthatfollowinghertruepassion—tellingstoriesthroughwriting—madethebusinessoftheartworthwhile,andowningthatbusinessmeantshecoulddirectherwritingcareerhowevershechose.Startingwithhersecondself-publishednovel,shebeganinvestingmoretimeinmarketingandbuildingheraudience.Herinvestmentpaidoff.Since2014,Laqueur,now49,hasself-publishedsixnovels,whichcollectivelyhavehundredsofratingsandreviewsonGoodreads.Her2016novelAnExaltationofLarksstoletheshowatthe25thAnnualWriter’sDigestSelf-PublishedBookAwards,toppingmorethan2,300entriestowinthegrandprize.“Youhavetowritethemosttruthfulstorytoyou,andIthinkself-publishingallowsthatfreedom,’shesays.“Ifyouworkwithtraditionalpublishing,it’smoreaboutwhat’smarketable,Therearetrade-offs,whicheveryonewilltellyou,butbyself-publishingIhavecontrolofthebook,Ihavecontrolofthestory,andI’mcoolwiththat.”1、FromParagraph2，wecanlearnthatLaqueur_______.A．wantedtoownapublishinghouseB．didn’tliketeachingdancinginfactC．wasapart-timewriterwhenshewasyoungD．wasinterestedinrunninghermother’sstudio2、WhatmadeLaqueurchangeherattitudetobusiness?A．Hermother’spersuasion. B．Self-publishinghernovels.C．Thedesiretomakemoney, D．Herownpassiontowardart.3、Whichofthefollowingcanbestreplacethephrase“stoletheshow”inParagraph4?A．becameafailure. B．wasshowntopeople.C．gotalltheattention. D．wasaccidentallystolen.4、WhatcanbeinferredfromwhatLaqueur’ssaid?A．Sheenjoysthewayofself-publishing.B．Shewillneverusetraditionalpublishing.C．Traditionalpublishingonlyfocusesonthemarket.D．Self-publishingwillreplacetraditionalpublishing.25．（10分）DryIceisauniquesubstancewhichhasmanyuses.Essentially,dryiceisfrozenCO2.ThefirstreportofwhatwenowcalldryicecamefromtheFrenchchemistCharlesThilorierin1834.In1924,theDryleeCorporationofAmericanamedthesolidformofCO2as"DryIce",whichiswhatitispopularlycalledtoday.Atnormalatmosphericpressure,CO2changesdirectlyfromsolidtogas.Itskipstheliquidphase（阶段）whichmakesregularicewet.FrozenCO2isalsomuchcolderthanregularice.Butregularicefreezesat32degreesFahrenheit,CO2changesfromgastosolidat-109.3degreesFahrenheit.Thisextremelycoldtemperaturemakesitverydangeroustohandlewithbarehands.Itcancausefrostbiteinaveryshortperiodoftime.Dryicehasbeenusedforavarietyofpurposesthroughoutthepastcentury.Itsprimaryuseistorefrigeratefoodwhenelectricalrefrigerationisn'tavailable.Throughtheprocessofsublimation(whenCO2changesfromsolidtogas),itcanmaintaincoldfoodforalongtime.Ifyou'veeverbeentoaplayandseenheavyfogontheground,itislikelythatyouhaveseendryiceinaction.ThiseffectcanbeachievedbecauseCO2isheavierthanair,soevaporated（挥发的）CO2willsinkandaccumulateontheground.Anotherinterestinguseforthissubstanceistobait（诱杀）insectslikemosquitoes.TheseinsectshavesensorswhichguidethemtoCO2.TheyfindthehighconcentrationofCO2indryicequiteattractive.Marshaslongbeenamysteryforhumanbeings.WehavebeenlookingforevidenceoflifeonMars.Inthe1960sscientistsguessedthatthepolaricecapofMarswasmadeoffrozenCO2.MorerecentobservationshaveshownthatwhilethetopmostlayerconsistsoffrozenCO2,themostofitisprobablyregularfrozenwater.1、FrozenCO2getsitsnameof"DryIce"mainlybecauseA．itisveryeasytomakeitdryB．wecan'tmeltitanditdoesn'tgetwetC．itlookslikeiceatalowtemperatureD．itissolidlikeiceat-109.3degreesFahrenheit2、Theunderlinedword"frostbite"inthesecondparagraphprobablymeansA．theshakescausedbycoldB．damagecausedbyfreezingC．afevercausedbybeingcoldD．asharppaincausedbybums3、Accordingtothepassage,dryicecanbeusedtoA．freezemostoffoodinthenextcenturyB．increasetheproductionoffarmingC．makeavividfogeffectonstagesD．helptoimprovetheenvironment4、Whatdoesthelastparagraphmainlytellus?A．DryiceonMarsisnearthepolar.B．NotmuchdryicehasbeenfoundonMars.C．ThepolaricecapofMarsisunique.D．NofrozenCO,onMarscanbemelt.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）AfriendwascastinTheSoundofMusic.Timsuggestedourdaughtersmightenjoybeinga1ofthemusical.“Youcantryoutfortheband,”hesaid.“No,I’mtryingoutfortheshow.”Ianswered.Buttherewasoneproblemwithmy2:I’dneverbeeninamusical.AndI’dneversung3.Mydaughterswantedto4,sowememorizedshowtunesandpreparedtoaudition(试镜).Asouraudition5,Ifeltnervousandwantedtogiveup.ButIknew6wouldsetabadexample.“Whetheryou’re7ornotisn’timportant-doingyourbestiswho8,”I’dbeentellingthem.NowIhadtoliveit.Iwalkedintotheaudition.TosayIwas9wouldbeanunderstatement.Afterall,mylastauditionhadbeeninhighschool.Isangmysong,tryingtolookconfident.Mydaughtersdidagood10.Thenwewaitedfortheresult.Thegoodnewsisthatweall11it!NotonlywasIcast-Iwasalead!Toprepare,I12tothecat,theshowerandthedisheswhenalone,IknewI’dhavetogetovermy13ofperforminginpublic.Afterall,this’dbemyfirsttimetosinginpublic.Iwasalittlenervous.Itoldfriendsandfamilyaboutthe14.Ididn’twantthetheatertobe15,butIdidn’tnecessarilywantitpackedeither.16,ifitwerefull,Ipreferredtofillitmyselfwith17faces.Theshowwassuccessful.Friendsandacquaintancesall18us.Afterthatexperience,I19moreauditionsandevenlearnedtoenjoysingingonstage.AndIfilledmylifewiththesoundof20.1、A．director B．maker C．role D．singer2、A．declaration B．suggestion C．judgment D．production3、A．secretly B．loudly C．irresponsibly D．publicly4、A．tryout B．catchon C．tryon D．setoff5、A．ended B．approached C．failed D．continued6、A．lying B．quitting C．cheating D．talking7、A．found B．paid C．cast D．forgiven8、A．matters B．remains C．happens D．works9、A．happy B．curious C．nervous D．disappointed10、A．favor B．job C．deed D．survey11、A．got B．made C．caught D．reached12、A．spoke B．smiled C．danced D．sang13、A．laziness B．urge C．shortcoming D．fear14、A．show B．trouble C．band D．experience15、A．large B．noisy C．empty D．quiet16、A．Besides B．Therefore C．Anyhow D．However17、A．new B．attractive C．friendly D．similar18、A．welcomed B．noticed C．supported D．congratulated19、A．organize B．braved C．watched D．analyzing20、A．music B．life C．hope D．future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）Whatmightlifebelikeifyoulookedverydifferentfromothers?Mostofusareluckytobebornwith“normal”faces.1．,themovieWondershowsusthatthereisnosuchthingasbeingnormalandthatbeautyismorethanskin-deep.2．(base)onabestsellingnovel,themovieisaboutaboynamedAuggie.Hehasafacialdeformity(畸形)and

hasspentmostofhislifebeinghomeschooled.Butasheentersmiddleschool,hisparentsdecidetosendhimtoaprivateschool.There,Auggiemustdealwithjudgmentalclassmatesandlearntoaccept3．(he)asheis.IntheUS,mostkids4．(teach)thatitisOKtobedifferent.MostpeopleintheUScelebratebeingunique.Butsomekidshavedifficulty5．(accept)uniqueness.It’seasytopickonsomeonewho’sdifferent,6．(especial)ifyouhaveyourownproblemstodealwith.Thisisanother7．(center)themefromthemovie—eventhekids8．pickonAuggiehavetheirownpersonalstruggles.AsAuggie’sclassmatesgettoknowhimbetter,theycometofindthathe’sanicekid9．agreatsenseofhumor.Theystarttochangetheirattitudetowardhim.Inreallife,itmaytakelongertoseesuchchangeshappen.Butifwegivepeople10．chance,theirheartsandmindsmaychangeintheend.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。Lastweek,myfriendsandmewenttowatchJayChou’sperformanceinGuangzhou.Therearecrowdsofcheerfulfansthere,manyofwhocamefromothercities.Jaybeganhisperformancewithoneofhismostfamoussong.Weallcheeredandshoutedouthisname,butsomeevencriedwithjoy.WhenJaybegantosingtheseventhsongitcalledSunnyDay,itstartedtorain.Therefore,theconcertwasnotinterruptedandwegotevenmoreexcitingintherain.Atlast,Jayfinishedtheconcertwithaspeech,thankhisfansforalwayssupportinghim.Whatmemorableexperience!第二节书面表达（满分25分）29．（25分）近年来，越来越多的中国年经人热衷于过洋节，忽略了中国传统节日。为了更好地传承中国的传统节日，最近国家出台了不提倡过洋节的规定。作为年轻人，我们要不要传承（inherit）和发展中国传统节日？请就此问题写一篇短文表达你的观点并阐述理由。注意：1.字数100字左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；3.文章开头已给出，不计入总词数。AnincreasingnumberofChineseyoungpeoplearefondofcelebratingwesternfestivalsthesedays.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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、B5、A6、B7、C8、C9、B10、D11、C12、B13、D14、A15、D16、D17、A18、A19、D20、A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.SoonIwas