广西梧州柳州2026届高三上英语期末综合测试模拟试题含解析

广西梧州柳州2026届高三上英语期末综合测试模拟试题考生请注意：1．答题前请将考场、试室号、座位号、考生号、姓名写在试卷密封线内，不得在试卷上作任何标记。2．第一部分选择题每小题选出答案后，需将答案写在试卷指定的括号内，第二部分非选择题答案写在试卷题目指定的位置上。3．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．Shewassuchaproudpersonthatshewoulddieshewouldadmitshewaswrong.A．sinceB．whenC．unlessD．before2．Hardwork，alongwithdedicatedrevolutionaryspiritisthefundamentalguaranteeofsuccess，whichis________weshouldlearnfromthepioneersparticipatingintheLongMarch.A．that B．whatC．where D．how3．—Haveyouheardofyesterday'sgasexplosion?—Yes.Onlytwoofthe35minersatthescene________tohavemadeitoutsafely.A．havethoughtB．arethoughtC．hadthoughtD．werethought4．Withyourbrother’shelp,I’vemadegreatprogressinEnglishandIreallywanttodosomethingforhim____．A．inturn B．byturns C．inreturn D．inanswer5．Youlookfrozen．SitdownbythefireandIyousomehottea．A．make B．wasmaking C．made D．willmake6．ThepartinthefilmRio_______thetwobirdsescapedfromthecrashingplanemadesomeoftheaudiencegiveacry.A．which B．who C．where D．whom7．Ifyoueveraren’tsurewhetheryouhaveboughttheverybestsmartphone,just_________“goodenough.”A．makeforB．settleforC．answerforD．accountfor8．—Whathappenedtotheyoungtreesweplantedlastweek?—Thetrees__________well,butIdidn’twaterthem.A．mightgrow B．wouldhavegrownC．needn’thavegrown D．wouldgrow9．Throughouthistory,Chinanevercolonizedanynation._________thispeacefultradition,itiscommittedtobuildingacommunitywithasharedfutureformankind.A．InlinewithB．InregardtoC．InharmonywithD．Inadditionto10．Thesplitbetweenhumansandlivingapesisthoughtbysomescholars____15to20millionyearsago.A．tooccur B．occurring C．tohaveoccurred D．havingoccurred11．The2011AustralianOpenwassuccessfullyheldincityofMelbourne,bigcityinAustralia.A．a;a B．the;a C．a;the D．the;the12．________twohoursdailyhasmadeconsiderabledifferencetomyphysicalcondition.A．TowalkB．WalkingC．WalkedD．Havingwalked13．Helikedthelovelydogsomuchthathe________hisbookandplayedwithitimmediately.A．gaveoff B．setasideC．tookover D．turneddown14．Sheisquite____toofficework.Youhadbetterofferhersomesuggestionswhennecessary．A．familiar B．freshC．similar D．sensitive15．---Didyouvisitthefamousculturalrelicslastmonth?---No,we____it,butwespenttoomuchtimeshopping．A．couldhavevisited B．musthavevisitedC．can'thavevisited D．shouldn'thavevisited16．InAustralia,manyroadsignsarenowbothinEnglishandChinese,______iteasierforChinesetouriststotravel.A．makingB．madeC．makeD．makes17．—Bettergetdowntoyourwork,Tom.—_________.A．It’smypleasure B．Don’tmentionit C．MindyourownbusinessD．You’rewelcome18．Billwasdoingalotofphysicalexercisetobuilduphis.A．abilityB．forceC．mindD．strength19．Heisabad-temperedfellow,buthe________bequitecharmingwhenhewishes.A．shall B．shouldC．can D．must20．Parentsneedtoencouragekidstodeveloptheirpotential_____puttingtoomuchpressureonthem.A．withoutB．besidesC．byD．for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）Theworld’sinsectsaregoingdownthepathofextinction，threateninga“catastrophiccollapseofnature’secosystems”，accordingtothefirstglobalscientificreview．Morethan40％ofinsectspeciesaredecliningandthirdareendangered，theanalysisfound．Therateofextinctioniseighttimesfasterthanthatofmammals，birdsandreptiles．“Itshouldbeofhugeconcerntoallofus，forinsectsareattheheartofeveryfoodweb．Theypollinate(授粉)thelargemajorityofplantspecies，keepthesoilhealthy，recyclenutrients，controlpests，andmuchmore．Lovethemor1oathethem，wehumanscannotsurvivewithoutinsects，”saidProfDaveGoulsonattheUniversityofSussexintheUK．Theanalysis，publishedinthejournalBiologicalConservation，saysintensive(集约型)agricultureisthemaindriverofthedeclines，particularlytheheavyuseofpesticides．Urbanisationandclimatechangearealsosignificantfactors．“Ifinsectspecieslossescannotbestopped，thiswillhavecatastrophicconsequencesforboththeplanet’secosystemsandforthesurvivalofmankind．Itisveryrapid．In10yearsyouwillhaveaquarterless，in50yearsonlyhalfleftandin100yearsyouwillhavenone，”saidreviewauthorFranciscoSánchez-Bayo，attheUniversityofSydney，Australia．Oneofthebiggestimpactsofinsectlossisonmanybirds，reptiles，amphibiansandfishthateatinsects．“Ifthisfoodsourceistakenaway，alltheseanimalsstarvetodeath，”hesaid．SucheffectshavealreadybeenseeninPuertoRico，wherearecentstudyrevealeda98％fallingroundinsectsover35years．MattShardlow，attheconservationcharityBuglife，said：“Itisthoughtfultoseethisevidencethatshowsthepitifulstateoftheworld’sinsectpopulations．Itisincreasinglyobviousthattheplanet’secologyisbreakingandthereisaneedforastrongandglobalefforttopreventandchangetheseterribletrends．”1、Whyarepeopleworriedabouttheinsectdecline?A．Theyarevitaltoecosystems． B．Theyprovidefoodforpests．C．Theypollinateallplants． D．Theyenrichthesoil．2、Whatisthemaincauseofinsectlosses?A．Moreandmoretrees． B．Restrictionsonpesticides．C．Upgradingagriculture． D．Friendlyenvironment．3、Wherecanyoufindtheexacttimeofinsectlosses?A．Inparagraph1． B．Inparagraph2．C．Inparagraph3． D．Inparagraph4．4、Whatcanbeasuitabletitleforthetext?A．HumanscansurvivethepunishmentofnatureB．Insectdecliningisbreakingnature’secosystemsC．Nature’secosystemsareinfluencedbyhumansD．InsectsandanimalsaredyingoutinPuertoRico22．（8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$300billion23．（8分）FreeOnlineCoursesReadingintheDigitalAgeThiscourseisforpeoplefromallwalksoflifewhoenjoyreadingandwouldliketoknowhowliteraryscholarsunderstandtextsinthedigitalage.Itintroducesyoutoavarietyofwaysofunderstandingtexts.Throughthecourse,youwillbecomefamiliarwithprofessionalreadingpracticesaswellasnewer,computer-drivenreadingskills.Duration:6weeks4hourspw2AugustExploringEnglish:ShakespeareThiscourseisaimedathighschoolstudentsanduniversitystudentswhowishtolearnmoreaboutShakespeare.ThefirstweekwilllookatShakespeare'slifeandtimes.Fortherestofthecourse,wewilllookcloselyatadifferentplayeachweek.ShakespeareanactorswillhelpusexploretheuniversalthemesinRomeoandJuliet,Hamlet,TheTempestandMacbeth.OurvideotutorwillguideyouthroughthecourseandlookatthewordsandphrasesthatShakespeareintroducedtotheEnglishlanguage.Duration:6weeks2hourspw16JulyTheEuropeanDiscoveryofChinaThiscourseisaimedatanyonewithaninterestinChinese,Europeanorworldhistory.ItfocusesonwhenandhowtheWestfirstapproachedChina.WewilllookatChina'splaceintheworldandconnectionstotheWestviatheSilkRoad,theriseofGenghisKhanandtheMongolEmpire,andfinallytheMingdynasty.We'llknowthisperiodofChinesehistorythroughtheeyesofWesterntravellersfromthe13thtothe17thcentury.WhattheseWesterntravellerssaw,whattheydidn'tsee—that'sthestorythatwewilluncoverinthiscourse.Duration:8weeks6hourspw6July204、WhenyoutakeReadingintheDigitalAge,youwill________.A．walkintodifferentpeople'slifeB．learnwaysofunderstandingtextsC．getbetteratcomputerskillsD．shareopinionswithliteraryscholars1、WhowillhelpstudentsbetterunderstandthethemesofShakespeare'splays?A．Actors. B．Scholars.C．Historians. D．Videotutors.2、WhatcanpeoplelearnfromTheEuropeanDiscoveryofChina?A．China'sdiscoveryoftheWest.B．TheriseandfalloftheQingDynasty.C．TheimportanceoftheSilkRoad.D．China'sinterestinWesterntravellers.3、Whatarethesubjectsoftheseonlinecourses?A．Scienceandhistory.B．Mediaandhealth.C．Natureandenvironment.D．Languageandculture.4、Inwhichwaydothethreecourseshaveincommon?A．Theyareaimedatstudents.B．Theyareprovidedforfree.C．Eachlasts6weeks.D．Eachtakes2hoursperweek.24．（8分）AcompanyinSanFrancisco,California,hasfoundawaytoturnusedplasticbottlesintowomen’sshoes.Everyday,millionsofAmericansdrinkwaterandotherliquidsfromplasticbottles.Morethan60millionofthemarethrownawayeachday.Manyoftheplasticbottlesendupinlandfillsorareburnedwithotherwasteproducts.ASanFranciscostart-upcompanycalledRothy's,however,turnsthisplasticwasteintoenvironmentallyfriendlyshoes.RothMartinisthecompany’sco-founder.Heexplainshowiheyturnplasticintosoftmaterialforwomen’sfeet.Theytaketheplastic,cleanit,andbreakitdownintosmallpieces.Thentheypressthemthroughadevicethatmakessoftfibers.Thosefibersarcthencombinedtogether.Thisisdonebya3Dmachine.Itisdesignedtoreducewastewhilemakingtheshoes.Theknittedstuffandtheinnerpartoftheshoearcthenattachedtotheshoe’souterpart,calledthesole(鞋底).Thisoutersoleisalsomadefromenvironmentallyfriendlymaterial:responsiblysourcedno-carbonrubber.Rolhy’sshoesaresoldonline.Theyareflatshoes,witheitheraroundedorpointedtoe.Theycomeindifferentcolorsanddesigns.Theycosteither$125or$145perpair,dependingonthedesign.AfterAmericanactressGwynethPaltrowdiscoveredthemlastyear,thedemandfortheshoesgrew.Martinsaysthereisnoshortageofmaterialtofillthatdemand.“We’renotgoingtorunoutofwaterbottlesanytimesoon.Sowehavealimitlesssupplyofmaterial,andIthinkthatisagoodsignforourfuture."Whentheenvironmentallyfriendlyshoeswearout,customerscanreturnthematnocosttoacompanythatusestherecycledmaterialtomakeotherproducts.Fornow,theshoesareonlyavailabletobeshippedintheUnitedStates.However,thecompanysaysitwilladdinternationalshippinginthenearfuture.1、Howareusedplasticbottlesusuallydealtwith?A．Theyareusedtomakeshoes.B．Theyareburiedorburned.C．Theyarechangedintosoftmaterials.D．Theyarereturnedtofactoriesforreuse.2、Whatdoestheunderlinedword“knitted”inthethirdparagraphmean?A．Combined. B．Fixed.C．Spotted. D．Repaired.3、WhichofthefollowingdirectlyhelpedtoincreasethesalesofRothy’sshoes?A．Thedesignandcolor.B．Thereasonableprice.C．ThestarpowerofGwynethPaltrow.D．Thecompany'sadvertisement.4、Whatisthepurposeofthetext?A．Toadvertiseanewkindofshoes.B．Todescribetheprocessofmakingshoes.C．Tointroduceanewwayofrecyclingplasticwaste.D．Tostresstheimportanceofenvironmentalprotection.25．（10分）Tulou,thespecialresidentialarchitectureofFujianProvincewasincludedontheUNESCO’sWorldHeritageListduringthe32ndsessionoftheWorldHeritageCommitteeinQuebec,Canada.Inthefourthcentury,HanChineselivingintheCentralPlainsareabegantomigratesouth,graduallygatheringinFujianandformingtheHakkacommunities.Asadefenceagainstenemies,theHakkaschosetoliveincompact(紧凑的)communities,andthetulouwastheirpreferredhouses.TensofthousandsofsuchearthenstructureswereconstructedinFujianProvince.Mosttulousaretobefoundinthevalleys,surroundedbyhighmountains,andsomeareinthedepthsofthegreatmountains.Mostarethreetofourstorieshigh,andlooklikecircularblockhouses（堡垒）.Roomsonthefirstfloorareusedaskitchens,roomsonthesecondfloorareusedasbarns(谷仓),androomsonthethirdandfourthfloorsareforbedroomsandlivingrooms.Fordefensivepurposes,theroomsonthefirstfloorhavenowindows.Rawmaterialsforthetulouwereobtainedlocally.Theirmainbuildingmaterialwasamixtureofclay,sand,limeandwater,andeggwhites,brownsugarandricewaterwereaddedasadhesiveagents（粘合剂）.Itwasthenmixedtoformthewalls.Oncetheydried,thewallsweresohardthatdrivinganailintothemwouldhavebeendifficult.Firbranches,whichareextremelystronganddonotrot,wereusedtostrengthenthem,andmanycenturieslatertheyhaveremainedtheiroriginallook.Tulousarelocatedinaregionwhereearthquakeshappenfrequently,andtheircircularconstructionhelpsthemresisttheregularshocks.TheprovendesigneveninspiredonefamousPeruvianarchitect,whopaidseveralvisitstoYongding,tobuildatuloubackhome.Notlongafter,anearthquakestruckonly10kilometersaway,andwhileallthehousesaroundtheearthenbuildingfelldown,histulouremained.1、Fromthepassage,weknowthatTulou______.A．isaspecialresidentialarchitectureofHanChineseinFujianeventodayB．wasoncetheplacewheretheHakkaschosetolivetogetherC．standsinthevalleysandisalsomodernpeople’spreferredhousesD．lookslikecircularblockhousesbuteasytofalldownintheearthquake2、WhichofthefollowingisTRUEaccordingtothepassage?A．HakkasbuilttulouswhentheylivedintheCentralPlainsarea.B．Rawmaterialsforthetulouwereobtainedfromfaraway.C．Itisdifficulttodigaholeintothewallsofthetulou.D．Firbranchesmayhelpthemresisttheregularshocks.3、Whatwouldbethebesttitleforthepassage?A．OneofUNESCO’sWorldHeritageListB．TheFunctionofTulousC．YongdingCountyandTheHakkasD．ThespecialEarthenArchitectureofFujian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）AllofusinMonteVistaChristianSchoolknowwe’llonedayhavegraduationphotosfortheyearbooktaken.Asthetime1,thegirlsstarttohavea2aboutwhatthey’llwearandwheretotakethephotos,whiletheboys,3,hardlytalkaboutit.Asforme,I4formyphotostobetakenbythesea.WhenIarrivedthere,Imetmyphotographer,Annie.SheaskedmetomakesomeposesandI5heradvice.Afterthat,Iaskedifshecouldmakemelook6bytakingsphotoinadifferentway,7I’mlessthan1.6meterstall.Tomy8sheresponded,“Iwillmakeno9tomakeyoulooklikesomeoneyou’renot.Youlookgoodinyourownway.”She10thatshewouldn’ttrytoeditthephotoseither.Iwasshockedbywhatshesaid.Girlsalways11tolookperfectbyusingdifferentvisualangles.Whenyougotoaphotostudio,photographersalwaystrytohideyour12bytellingyoutostandinacertainway.Andpictureeditorscaneasily13yourlookbymakingyouappearanyyouwantto.14,that’snotthecasehere.SeeingIwas15,Annieexplained:“Everyonehashisuniqueness.Youneedto16yourownbeauty.Youcannotliveinaworldof17photos.”ItwasthefirsttimethatIhadmetaphotographerwhodoesn’t18photosatall.Aftertheshoot,Isawthephotos—theyare19specialandnatural.Butwhat’sevenmorespecialareAnnie’s20,whichwillalwaysstayinmyheart.1、A．flowsB．shrinksC．approachesD．develops2、A．requestB．discussionC．reasonD．complaint3、A．byaccidentB．inadditionC．inadvanceD．bycomparison4、A．arrangedB．appliedC．searchedD．accounted5、A．consideredB．declinedC．consultedD．followed6、A．prettierB．tallerC．thinnerD．stronger7、A．unlessB．thoughC．whileD．since8、A．delightB．reliefC．astonishmentD．satisfaction9、A．attemptB．choiceC．promiseD．decision10、A．sworeB．addedC．explainedD．admitted11、A．pretendB．manageC．payD．desire12、A．imperfectionsB．shortcomingsC．personalitiesD．preferences13、A．exposeB．recoverC．recognizeD．change14、A．ThereforeB．HoweverC．OtherwiseD．Anyway15、A．annoyedB．discouragedC．confusedD．embarrassed16、A．fosterB．describeC．admireD．advocate17、A．vividB．colorfulC．popularD．artificial18、A．organizeB．polishC．cutD．exhibit19、A．reallyB．roughlyC．partiallyD．causally20、A．attitudesB．actionsC．wordsD．skills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）Idon’tveryoftenhaveafulldayoffwork.TodayIdid.Ihadaleisurelymorning,goingtothegym,1．(walk)thedog,feedingmyfriend’scat,andthoughtIwouldhurryintotheofficeatJobnumber2,tofillinmytimesheetsoIwould2．(pay)forthehoursIhaveworked.IwasthinkingthatIhadworkedlesshoursbecausetheladyIsharejobwithwasworkinginstead3．me.Iprayedthen,thatsomehowwewouldhave4．(much)moneycominginthismonthandimaginedmoneycomingintomybankaccount.Iarrivedattheofficetoseethemainsecretarylookingverypale.Sheaskedwhatmyafternoon5．(plan)were,whenIsaidIhadtheafternoonfreesheaskedme6．Icouldworkforher,asshehadreallyhurtherback.Iwasreallylookingforwardtoadayoff,butshelookedinsuchpainthatIsaidyesstraightaway.Shedidaquickhandoverofwhat7．(be)urgentandneededtobedone.Iracedhomeandgot8．(change)intoworkappropriateclothesandtookover.Ourbossphonedandthankedmeforsteppinginsothateverythingwent9．(smooth).Theunwellpersonwenthome,andIgotfourhoursextrapay.It’samazinghow10．universeworks.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仅限一词；2、只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。IwaswalkingtoschoolthismorningwhenIcaughtsightofaoldwomanwithawalkingsticklieontheground、QuickIranovertohelpherupandaskedherthatwaswrongwithher、Shetoldmesheslippedandfellbecausehearttrouble、Iwasworriedanddecidetotakehertoahospitalnearby、AndthenIcontactedmyfamily、Soonhersonanddaughtercametothehospital、Itoldthemsomeinformationsabouttheincident、Theythankedandpraisedmeformykindness、AlthoughIwaslateforschooltoday,butIfeltveryproudofwhatIhavedone、第二节书面表达（满分25分）29．（25分）假定你是高三学生李华，在复习英语的过程中遇到了一些困难，想得到英语老师Michael的帮助。请你给他写一封邮件，内容包括:1.描述困难；2.寻求帮助。注意:1.词数80左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

参考答案第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1、D2、B3、B4、C5、D6、C7、B8、B9、A10、C11、B12、B13、B14、B15、A16、A17、C18、D19、C20、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、1、A2、C3、D4、B22、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.Ibroughtthebikehomeandput