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
2013-08-28
56
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 Unites 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 DC, 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 the 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 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’s 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."
Tax breaks are one of the initiatives federal and state governments are taking into consideration for people using buses.
选项
答案
F
解析
根据题干中的Tax breaks,initiatives和federal and state governments等将本题出处定位于F)段末句Federaland state governments are toying with some initiatives,such as tax breaks for people who use trains or buses.(联邦政府和州政府在考虑一些计划,如对乘坐火车或公共汽车的人实行减税)。从该句可知,减税是联邦政府和州政府考虑的计划之一。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/je07777K
0
大学英语四级
相关试题推荐
A、Atschool.B、Fromtheirparents.C、Frombooks.D、Infactories.B
A、Themandidmostofthetalking.B、Themanandthewomanrobbedthebank.C、Thewomanwaswearingablacksweater.D、Themana
AmericansaremakingnewfriendsallthetimeandfewAmericansstayinoneplaceforalifetime.Englishfriendshipscometoa
A、Feelingbetternow.B、Stayinginahospital.C、Talkingabouttheman’smother.D、DoinganoperationonapatientC
CartoonsinAmericaThenewfamilymovie"IceAge:TheMeltdown"iswrittenforlaughs.Butsomepeoplemightalsoseeitas
Inrecentyears,therehasbeenanincreasingawarenessoftheinadequaciesofthejudicialsystemintheUnitedStates.Costsa
A、Togetajob.B、Tobeonholidayattheseaside.C、Toenrollinateacher’strainingcourse.D、Tocompletehiscourserequirem
A、Youngpeopleareofteneducatedintheirowncities.B、Parentsandchildrenoftenhavemuchincommon.C、Elderlypeopleareal
A、Becauseshelivedwithherparents.B、Becauseherhusbandhadhadanervousbreakdown.C、Becauseshehadlessstrain.D、Becaus
随机试题
高钾血症时,心电图的早期改变是
下列关于施工总承包管理方的说法中,正确的有()。
在对建筑保温系统进行防火检查时,应检查防护层的厚度。对于建筑的外墙内保温系统,要求应采用不燃材料作为防护层,当其保温材料的燃烧性能为B1级时,防护层的厚度不应小于()mm。
下列有关会计的说法中,正确的包括()。
下列关于紧急避险的提法中,错误的是()。
对社会工作者来说,重要的专业价值包括()。
在学习《雪绒花》时,教师反复播放音频,结合影片介绍背景知识,并进行拓展,学生了解了“雪绒花”蕴含的情感,感受到了奥地利人民对祖国的热爱之情。以上做法达成了本课的()目标。
通常把计算机网络定义为()。
德化集团有人爱做善事,但只留单位名称不留个人姓名。一次该单位领导收到了一封信,说该单位有一个人常年给他们村的希望小学捐款但不留姓名,请该单位领导帮助查找,以示感谢。查找过程中,听到了这样六句话:(1)这钱或者是宋风寄的,或者是吴海寄的;(2)这钱如果不是王
党的十九大进一步明确了决胜全面建成小康社会的战略安排。从现在到2020年是全面建成小康社会决胜期,如期全面建成小康社会,既具有充分条件,也面临艰巨任务,前进道路并不平坦,诸多矛盾叠加、风险隐患增多的挑战依然严峻复杂。如果应对不好,或是发生系统性风险、犯颠覆
最新回复
(
0
)