首页
登录
职称英语
Americans and Their CarsA)It has been one of the world’s mo
Americans and Their CarsA)It has been one of the world’s mo
游客
2024-02-07
28
管理
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." [br] One factor for the sharp rising price of gasoline in the US this year was oil production cuts by oil-exporting countries.
选项
答案
D
解析
信息明示题。题干:今年,美国汽油价格猛涨的一个因素是石油输出国石油产量的减少。题干关键词sharp rising price of gasoline,oil production cuts和oil-exporting countries。文中D段第二句提到,感觉到受石油输出国产量减少的影响,汽油价格由去年年末的1.3元/加仑,上升到了1.68元/加仑。题干是对这句话的同义转述,故选D。
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3429443.html
相关试题推荐
Americansseemtobecoolingtowardglobalwarming.Just57percentthinkth
Americansseemtobecoolingtowardglobalwarming.Just57percentthinkth
ANewYorkTimes-CBSNewspollfoundthatalmost90percentofAmericansthi
ANewYorkTimes-CBSNewspollfoundthatalmost90percentofAmericansthi
ANewYorkTimes-CBSNewspollfoundthatalmost90percentofAmericansthi
ANewYorkTimes-CBSNewspollfoundthatalmost90percentofAmericansthi
ANewYorkTimes-CBSNewspollfoundthatalmost90percentofAmericansthi
Americansareproudoftheirvarietyandindividuality,yettheyloveandre
Americansareproudoftheirvarietyandindividuality,yettheyloveandre
Americansareproudoftheirvarietyandindividuality,yettheyloveandre
随机试题
SocialMediaandMarketingA)InMay2013,Ritz-CarltonH
[originaltext]Mr.Hooper,Ihavebeenwiththiscompanynowforsevenyears
一、二级耐火等级非高层的民用建筑之间的防火间距不应小于:()A.3.5m
关于健康风险评估的理想危险度,说法正确的是A.肥胖者降低体重至正常水平 B.高
全科医疗的核心服务是A.医学生的教育 B.接待所有初诊患者 C.社会心理需求
小扇轻摇的时光 ①放暑假了,母亲一直盼望我回乡下住几天。她知道我打小就喜欢
DIC消耗性低凝期出现()。A.血液不易抽出,血液易凝固 B.皮肤、注射部位
变电站机构箱、端子箱、汇控柜等的加热器及照明每()维护1次。周$;$月$;$季$
(2018年真题)某公司的一些热爱乒乓球运动的员工,自发组建了兴趣小组,小王担任
某企业资产总额年末数1200000元;流动负债年末数160000元,长期负债年末
最新回复
(
0
)