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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  48
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.
According to Paragraph 2, VSP, the tiny urban motorist’s dream, was adopted mainly in the 1970s ______.
选项 A、by environmentalists concerned about air pollution
B、only by people who sought after fashion
C、in rural areas poorly served by public transportation
D、in big cities crowded with street cars
答案C
解析 信息查找题。根据第二段第二句话“For about a decade，this urban motorist’s dream has been available to thousands of car owners in rural France”可得出答案，文中还补充提到，七十年代法国的一些交通不便的农村开始使用这类小轿车，故选项C的内容符合题意，是正确选项。选项A、B、C的内容都不是主要使用地区或对象。
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