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
69
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."
Someone who concerns immense costs opposes the expansion of public transit.
选项
答案
H
解析
信息明示题。题干:关注大额花费的人们反对公共运输的扩张。题干关键词immense costs,oppose和expansion of public transit。文中H段第一句提到,公共交通系统的扩张也引起了那些担心巨额花费的人们的反对。与题干意思吻合,故选H。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/evv7777K
0
大学英语四级
相关试题推荐
古代文明中国拥有世界认可的古代文明。在历史的长河中,中国各族人民共同创造的宝贵文化遗产资源种类多样,形式各异,内容丰富,在世界上是独一无二的。中国的文化遗产体现了独特的精神、价值观、思维和想象的方式,体现了活力和创造力,从而作为人类文明的瑰宝被珍
A、Ithasafixedrhythm.B、Itissimilartothetraditionaljazz.C、Itisfreeandspontaneous.D、Itisatypicallyelectronicm
Healwaysjumpedinwithhisownwords______(每当我想评论事情的时候).
A、Takeapart-timejobduringtheholiday.B、Askherparentsforhelp.C、Gotravellingaftersummerholiday.D、Giveuptheidea
A、Menintheir50s.B、Womenintheir20s.C、Menintheir70s.D、Womenintheir50s.C细节推断题。短文中提到,研究结果表明。人们在22到25岁之间压力最大,50岁后压力会骤
Ifyouweretoldthataparticularlydelicious-lookingice-creamcone(圆筒)containeddangerouschemicals,thentoldsoonaftertha
Oldfriends,theyfinishyoursentences,theyrememberthecatthatranawaywhenyouweretwelve,andtheytellyouthetruthw
Telecommutersfallintotwocamps.Somesitonthesofawatchingdaytimesoaps,pausingoccasionallytochecktheirBlackBerrys.
Morethanthreedozenbillionaires,includingwell-knownphilanthropist(慈善家)DavidRockefeller,havepromisedatleasthalfofth
A、GotothelectureonthehistoryoftheEnglishlanguage.B、Acceptthecouponsforafreeburger.C、Return150dollarstothe
随机试题
()属于劳动保障监察的原则。
患者,女性,36岁。患系统性红斑狼疮2年,近日面部红斑加重而入院。患者入睡困难,不愿照镜子,经常从器梦中惊醒。该患者目前最主要的护理诊断是
痢下赤白脓血,脐腹灼痛。饮食减少,口烦口干,舌质红绛少苔,脉细数者,治疗宜选
钩端螺旋体病的流行类型有
我国《会计法》规定,会计核算以人民币为记账本位币,业务收支以人民币以外的货币为主的单位,也必须以人民币作为记账本位币。()
上升的收益率曲线意味着市场与其短期利率水平会在未来()。
纳税人扣缴义务人下列行为中,应由税务机关责令限期改正,处2000元以下罚款,情节严重的处2000元以上1万元以下罚款的有()。
甲企业以价值95万元的厂房和15万元的货物换取乙企业价值110万元的办公楼,已知当地契税税率为5%。下列关于该项业务税务处理正确的有()。(上述金额均不含增值税)
为响应城市节能减排政策,邻居小邢和小赵决定拼车上班。从小区开车35千米后到达小赵单位,继续直线行驶5千米后到达小邢单位。已知小赵、小邢的车在市区行驶百千米耗油分别为10L、12L,油价为每升6元。如开小赵的车,需先将小邢送至单位再原路折返回小赵单位。如
Acrylicpaintenablesartiststoexperimentwithmanycolorseffects.
最新回复
(
0
)