首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Americans and Their Cars A)It has been one of the world’s most enduring and passionate love affairs: Americans and their cars. I
Americans and Their Cars A)It has been one of the world’s most enduring and passionate love affairs: Americans and their cars. I
admin
2014-11-27
46
问题
Americans and Their Cars
A)It has been one of the world’s most enduring and passionate love affairs: Americans and their cars. It’ s no secret that America is a nation of cars. A recent survey of the number of cars on America’ s roads counted some 204 million vehicles in the U.S. There is an average of 1.9 motor vehicles for every household in America, and just to illustrate how many cars this is, consider that the average American household has only 1.8 drivers; America has more vehicles than it has drivers to drive them. By the time a middle-class American reaches 35 years of age, he or she has likely owned 3 cars in his or her life.
B)The United States’ lawmakers have done little to undermine the romance between their citizens and their automobiles. Taxes on gasoline have been kept low, while massive highway building projects allow more and more cars to take to the road. Public transportation, on the other hand, has traditionally suffered from neglect. From the 1970s, since Americans have more than doubled their reliance on cars for long-distance rides, train and bus usage has largely stopped developing. Inner city transit systems in most cities were either deteriorating or crime-ridden, as in New York, or dysfunctional(机能不良的),as in Los Angeles.
C)There are, however, signs that U.S. drivers are quietly looking for alternatives to car usage with growing backing from legislators. Throughout the country a record number of commuters are taking buses and transit to work. In Washington D.C., city officials say this summer has been the busiest in the history of the Metro rail system, with trains often carrying more than 600,000 passengers a day. In Cincinnati, transit authorities say there have been up to 50 percent more users this summer on some commuter routes. The Atlanta and Portland transit systems are also recording heavy usage. Nationwide, public transportation systems have recorded a 4.8 percent increase for the first quarter of 2003 over the same period in 2002, according to the American Public Transportation Association(APTA).
D)Transit officials say the main reason is the recent rise in gasoline prices. Feeling the impact of cuts in production by oil-exporting countries, gasoline prices in US shot up from a national average of $1.30 dollars a gallon(nearly 3.8 litres)late last year to high of $1.68 a gallon in June this year. In parts of the country, prices even reached $2 a gallon for the first time.
E)While the price rise angered car drivers, many transportation experts feel it has turned attention to America’s meager(不景气的)public transport. "The public transport system has been better now than in the past decades," says Delon Lowas, an urban planning analyst at the Sierra Club, the environmental group. According to APTA, a person commuting 10 miles to work every day by train instead of by car could save as much as 314 gallons(1193 liters)of gasoline annually— thus reducing emissions of hydrocarbon gases and other pollutants.
F)The oil price rise might just have been the induction to result in a new revolution in the travel habits of US commuters, say environmentalists. As evidence, they point to the popularity of new light-rail systems in cities such as Portland. Even Los Angeles, whose residents are famous for their infatuation(迷恋)with cars, recently installed 17 miles of subway tracks. Now, US politicians are also warming to public transport. Federal and state governments are toying(玩弄)with some initiatives, such as tax breaks for people who use trains or buses.
G)But public transportation continues to have its ideological critics. "It shouldn’t be encouraged at the expense of private ownership of vehicles," says Ben Lieberman of the Competitive Enterprise Institute(CEI). He asserts that the government’s priority should be to make owning and driving a car more affordable by reducing environmental restrictions that push up the price of gasoline.
H)The expansion of public transportation systems also draws opposition from those who are worried about the immense costs involved. They cite Los Angeles’ subway expansion, which cost a record $4.7 billion, as an instance of how expensive public transport can be.
I)Citing costs of construction, Tome DeLay, the powerful Republican Whip of the House of Representatives, have moved to block funds for a proposed light-rail system in Houston. Mr. DeLay argues that the city should conduct a referendum(公民投票)before investing taxpayer’ money. The result: the Houston authorities might well have to manage without federal funds—or scrap the light-rail project entirely. Given the strong political pressure against it, some observers think the flirtation(对……的一时兴趣)with public transport will pass, not least because there are signs already that gas prices have started to fall. Mr. Lovaas, however, thinks that there has been "genuine grass-roots change" as people understand the environmental and social need for cutting down on automobile use. But he admitted that political opposition could take a long time to overcome. "The people at the top will be the last to get it."
Recently, a survey revealed that there are over 200 million cars on America’ s roads.
选项
答案
A
解析
信息明示题。题干:一项调查显示,最近美国的道路上有超过2亿辆车。题干关键词200 million。文中A段第三句提到,最近的调查发现,美国道路上的机动车辆有2.04亿辆。与题干意思吻合,故选A.
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/Svv7777K
0
大学英语四级
相关试题推荐
孔子孔子是一位思想家、政治家,教育家,中国儒学思想的创始人。儒学,这个道德和宗教哲学的大系统建立在孔圣人的教学上。冯友兰,中国思想史上20世纪伟大的的权威之一,把孔子在中国历史上的影响比作西方的苏格拉底。
Theholidaysareatimeforeating:piesatThanksgiving,chocolatesforAdventandoverflowinggiftbasketsofcookiesandcand
Theholidaysareatimeforeating:piesatThanksgiving,chocolatesforAdventandoverflowinggiftbasketsofcookiesandcand
A、Itisveryboring.B、Itisveryinteresting.C、Itisawasteoftime.D、Itishisresponsibility.B观点态度题。女士为课后问问题而耽误教授的时间表示抱歉,
Thedictionarysaysatrendisakindofmovementordirection.Peoplearoundtheworldusedtheir【B1】______tobuygoods,commu
Thoughthefogwasheavy,______(但我能看到那个人的轮廓).
A、Pessimistic.B、Optimistic.C、Nervous.D、Indifferent.B信息明示题。对话中男士明确提到他对老年人的未来持乐观态度,之后还劝女士不要过于担心和紧张。
Averylargenumberofpeople【B1】______whenquiteyoungtoaddanythingtoalimitedstockofjudgments.Afteracertainage,sa
A、Peopleof65yearsold.B、Peopleover65yearsold.C、Peoplebetween60and65yearsold.D、Retiredpeople.B事实细节题。题目问的是在美国多大年
Ifyouweretoldthataparticularlydelicious-lookingice-creamcone(圆筒)containeddangerouschemicals,thentoldsoonaftertha
随机试题
行政组织的物质要素包括()
男孩,15岁。打篮球后左膝关节肿胀疼痛就诊。检查:左膝关节局部肿胀,压痛明显,膝关节及其周围有大片瘀斑。其兄有血友病A病史。本例确诊为血友病A,下列哪项治疗是错误的
患者,男,54岁。右上肺癌,在住院化疗期间渐起右下肢肿胀疼痛,血管超声检查提示深静脉血栓,予抗凝治疗一度有所改善。早餐进食时突感胸闷、气紧、心前区疼痛,呈进行性加重。查体:明显发绀,不能平卧,心界扩大,心率110次/分,律齐,P2亢进,三尖瓣区闻及收缩期杂
糖尿病易合并肾功能不全是因为
行政拘留是最为严厉的治安处罚,其最长期限为不超过20日。( )
给定资料1.2017年12月29日晚,武汉华中科技大学教学楼五楼二中教室正在进行一场人文讲座,李教授关于“诗和远方”“历史唯物主义与浪漫主义"等人生意义的哲学思考不时引发学生们的热烈掌声。自1994年以来,这样的讲座已经在华中科技大学举行了220
根据有关基础资料和国民经济核算方法,2014年上半年我国GDP初步核算结果如下:2014年上半年,第二产业GDP约为第一产业GDP的()倍。
以下程序:#include#includemain(){charstr[]="abcd\123Lxab";printf("%d",strlen(str));}运行后的输出结果
InspectorMarshallwas______forhisprofessionalandcaringattitude.
A、Skateboarding.B、Rollerskating.C、Cycling.D、Surfing.A细节题。浏览选项可知,问题与运动有关。从对话一开始,男士就明确提到他户外的onlyrecreation(唯一的娱乐活动)是skateboa
最新回复
(
0
)