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  3. Small cars are nothing new. But how about one so tiny you can park it headfirst against, not parallel to, the curb? Just imagine

Small cars are nothing new. But how about one so tiny you can park it headfirst against, not parallel to, the curb? Just imagine

admin2010-05-09  42
问题     Small cars are nothing new. But how about one so tiny you can park it headfirst against, not parallel to, the curb? Just imagine: a car that is so simple that a 14-year-old may drive it without a permit, that requires no license plates because it need not be registered, that can be insured at less than a quarter of the rate for regular automobiles, and that is so durable and efficient that it can travel 100 kilometers on two or three liters of diesel fuel.
    Voila, the microcar. For about a decade, this urban motorist’s dream has been available to thousands of car owners in rural France. In the late 1970s, a handful of automakers developed tiny voitures sans permis (or VSPs, "no-license cars") to meet the needs of older consumers in a countryside poorly served by public transportation. Now as metropolitan streets clog (阻塞) with traffic, clever businessmen, fashion models, and young professionals have seized upon the VSP as a practical alternative to conventional cars for darting around major cities.
    In a sure sign of trendiness (时尚), the miniautos are turning up in advertisements for such yuppie-targeting institutions as the Banque Nationale de Paris. About half a dozen firms in the Pads region rent the vehicles for roughly ＄75 to ＄85 a day, including unlimited kilometrage. Weighing no more than 350 kilograms and usually measuring 1.4 meters wide by 2.5 meters in length, a VSP can carry two passengers and reach a speed of 45 kilometers an hour. Like motorbikes, VSPs are barred from highways and expressway bypasses (环城大道).
    The VSP is a cozy, even comfortable box on wheels with few frills (装饰) but normal options like a radio and rear windshield wipers. Generally made of sturdy polyester, the body is reinforced by a steel tube frame. The upholstered interior typically features durable, molded plastic elements, including a dashboard with speedometer, fuel gauge and controls. Seats are adjustable, and heating is standard. The one-to five-horsepower engines made in Italy or Japan have only one forward gear and one for reverse.
    VSP users admit that because of their noisy diesel engines, the tiny cars can be painful on the ears. Quieter electric engines would solve that problem, but so far no practical, inexpensive electric power supply has been invented. To reduce exhaust pollution and lessen oil dependency, the French government has set up a committee to encourage development of electric cars.
    Another VSP disadvantage is the price tag. A typical microcar starts at around ＄10500 without options. Still, Pads businessman Francois-Regis Correard, who owns three VSPs, says they’re worth every franc: "Getting around is easy, maintenance is cheap, and you don’t get parking tickets." So go ahead. Kick the tires. Take a test fide. They may be tiny, but with word spreading about their features, no wonder microcars are getting so big.
Later the VSP manufacturers launched an advertising campaign for the purpose of ______.
选项 A、aiming at middle class users
B、competing with manufacturers of other types of cars
C、selling their products to more country people
D、winning a larger share in the car market
答案A
解析 句意理解题。根据文章第三段第一、二句话“…in advertisements for such yuppie-targeting institutions as the Banque Nationale de Paris．About half a dozen firms in the Paris region rent the vehicles...”可知生产商销售的目标是那些yuppie institutions中的员工，即中产阶层。故选项A符合句意。其余三个选项看似有理，但文章中未提到。
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