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
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.
admin
2020-12-23
37
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 word "afforded" underlined in Paragraph 4 mostly means________.
选项
A、reduced
B、acquired
C、restricted
D、provided
答案
D
解析
词义界定。afford本意为“买得起,付得起”,而在正式语体中意为“提供”,相当于provide,故选D。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/kzuO777K
本试题收录于:
CATTI三级笔译综合能力题库翻译专业资格(CATTI)分类
0
CATTI三级笔译综合能力
翻译专业资格(CATTI)
相关试题推荐
"BuildingwithArches"RoundArchandVaultAlthoughtheroundarchwasusedbytheancientpeoplesofMesopotamiaseveral
"BuildingwithArches"RoundArchandVaultAlthoughtheroundarchwasusedbytheancientpeoplesofMesopotamiaseveral
"RisingSeaLevels"Sealevelmustbeexpressedasarangeofvaluesthatareunderconstantreassessment.Duringthelastce
WhydidMichelangelochoosetobuildfootbridgesratherthantraditionalscaffoldingwhenhepaintedthechapel?
DiseaseandHistoryP1:Epidemiologyisthestudyandanalysisofthepatterns,causes,andeffectsofhealthanddiseasecondit
Manyanimalscanmaintain______constantconditionsintheirinternalenvironment.
AmongcentralAsia’soldestcitiesATashkentis,theBculturalcapitalandCeconomicheartofUzbekistan,Daswellasitscenter
Whenchanginglanes,adrivershouldusetheturnsignaltoletotherdriversknow______.
AAnumberofimportantservicesBareprovidedbyabank,whichCaremorethanjustasafeplaceDtostoremoney.
OurflighttoGuangzhouwas______byabadfogandwehadtostaymuchlongerinthehotelthanwehadexpected.
随机试题
国家秘密是关系国家安全和利益,依照()确定,在一定时间内只限一定范围的人员知悉的事项。
在Excel2003中,若B4单元格的值为95,则公式“=IF(B4<60,“test”,IF(B4>80,TRUE,B4*2)”的值为_______。
脊髓终丝
A.胃肠道反应 B.二重感染 C.对第八对脑神经损害 D.肾损害 E.过敏性休克四环素最严重的不良反应是
《全国生态环境保护纲要》要求:严禁在()内采矿。
劳务派遣是指劳务派遣机构受特定企业委托招聘员工,并与之签订劳动合同,将员工派遣到企业工作,其劳动过程由企业管理,其工资、福利、社会保险费等由企业提供给派遣机构,再由派遣机构支付给员工,并为员工办理社会保险登记和缴费等事务的一种特殊用工形式。根据上述定义,下
设,其中a,b为常数,则().
请在幻灯片中添加一个笑脸,并利用“绘图”工具栏将其改为圆柱形。
IP地址块222.125.80.128/26包含了(66)个可用主机地址,其中最小地址是(67),最大地址是(68)。
Birth,marriageanddeath:thesearethegreatesteventsinhumanlife.Manythings,goodandbad,canhappentousinourlives
最新回复
(
0
)