2. 外语
  3. Few developments have so greatly affected American life as the automobile. Indeed, it would be hard to overestimate its impact.

Few developments have so greatly affected American life as the automobile. Indeed, it would be hard to overestimate its impact.

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问题     Few developments have so greatly affected American life as the automobile. Indeed, it would be hard to overestimate its impact. Since mass production of the automobile became feasible in the early 20th century, the car has had a significant effect on every facet of American life, including how we work, where we live, and what we believe.
    Interestingly, it was the process of building cars rather than the cars themselves that first brought a sea of change to the American workplace. In 1914, a Ford plant in Highland Park, Michigan, used the first electric conveyor belt, greatly increasing the efficiency of automobile manufacturing. Assembly lines for the production of automobiles were quickly adopted and became highly mechanized, providing a new model for industrial business. In contrast to European manufacturers, which employed a higher percentage of skilled laborers to produce fewer and costlier cars, American companies focused on turning out a large quantity of affordable cars utilizing less-skilled laborers. Assembly line production was a mixed blessing as it enabled higher productivity and more affordable cars but resulted in less-satisfied workers with less-interesting jobs. The value of efficiency was emphasized over personal pride and investment in the work.
    As cars became more popular, their effect on population distribution was likewise profound. Unlike railroads, which helped concentrate the population in cities, the automobile contributed to urban sprawl and, eventually, to the rise of suburbs. People no longer needed to live near public transportation lines or within walking distance of their jobs, so they were drawn to outlying areas with less congestion and lower property taxes. Business districts became less centralized for similar reasons. Sadly, this movement towards suburbs exacerbated social stratification. Since cars were initially affordable only to wealthier people, the upper and middle classes moved out of cities. Many businesses followed, attracted by the educated, well-trained work force. As good jobs also moved out of cities, the people who remained were further disadvantaged and even less able to leave. Though few anticipated it in the early days of suburban growth, by the century’s end cars had helped to further entrench social division in America by making it possible to increase the great physical distances between rich and poor.
    Automobile ownership has also transformed our individual lives and values. Historian James Flink observed that automobiles particularly altered the work patterns and recreational opportunities of farmers and other rural inhabitants by reducing the isolation that had been characteristic of life in the country. Of course, there were also profound changes in the recreational activities of suburban and urban dwellers. For example, the 1950s saw a huge increase in drive-in movie theaters, fast food establishments, supermarkets, and shopping centers - most facets of how we ate, shopped, and played changed to accommodate the car. Family life was also affected: cars changed dating behavior by allowing teenagers more independence from parental supervision and control, and they provided women with more freedom to leave the home. This personal mobility and autonomy afforded by the car has become an integral part of American culture.
The author regards the changes brought about by cars as________.
选项 A、largely negative but with deep influence
B、difficult to understand but worthy of investigation
C、far-reaching in extent and both positive and negative in effect
D、more permanent than all other inventions in the 20th century
答案C
解析 作者态度。文章讨论了汽车对美国人生活产生的影响。这些影响巨大且深远，其中有好的影响，例如汽车装配流水线投入使用大大提高了生产效率，降低了汽车价格，汽车的使用促进了郊区的发展等。也有不好的影响，例如汽车流水线上的工人对工作不满意，郊区迁移的趋势加剧了社会分层等。据此可知，C选项的概括最准确。
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