首页
登录
职称英语
Americans and Their CarsA)It has been one of the world’
Americans and Their CarsA)It has been one of the world’
游客
2024-02-11
62
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 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." [br] According to city officials, the underground railway system in Washington DC has been very busy this summer.
选项
答案
C
解析
根据题干中的线索词city officials,Washington DC,busy~0this summer~本题出处定位于C)段第3句lnWashington DC,city officials say this summer has been the busiest in the history of the Metro rail system,withtrains often carrying more than 600,000 passengers a day.(在华盛顿,政府官员说,今年夏季是铁路系统有史以来最为繁忙的时期,火车每天往往要承载60多万名乘客。)题干是对该句的同义转述。
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3440807.html
相关试题推荐
AmericansandTheirCarsA)Ithasbeenoneoftheworld’
AmericansandTheirCarsA)Ithasbeenoneoftheworld’
AmericansandTheirCarsA)Ithasbeenoneoftheworld’
AmericansandTheirCarsA)Ithasbeenoneoftheworld’
AmericansandTheirCarsA)Ithasbeenoneoftheworld’
MostAmericansconsiderthemselvesfriendlypeople.(1)______inthesouthern
MostAmericansconsiderthemselvesfriendlypeople.(1)______inthesouthern
MostAmericansconsiderthemselvesfriendlypeople.(1)______inthesouthern
MostAmericansconsiderthemselvesfriendlypeople.(1)______inthesouthern
MostAmericansconsiderthemselvesfriendlypeople.(1)______inthesouthern
随机试题
[originaltext]Rodeosweren’talwaysthebigentertainmentshowsthatwesee
2022年4月份受国内疫情及国际大宗商品价格持续上涨等因素影响,全国国民消费
女,56岁,身高160cm,体重68kg,高血压病史16年,时有头晕、头痛等不适
某施工企业希望从银行借款500万元,借款期限2年,期满一次还本。经咨询有甲、乙、
10岁男孩,半个月前患咽喉痛,今发现颜面水肿,伴头痛,服中药后呕吐3次,傍晚忽然
假设A公司以协议方式收购B上市公司,在收购过渡期内,B公司董事会的下列行为中,符
308、避雷器交流泄漏电流测试周期是()。 A、雷雨季节前一次B、雷雨季节
社会主义和谐社会是民主法治、公平正义、诚信友爱、充满活力、安定有序、人与自然和谐
李某(22岁)伙同其弟(15岁)共同实施诈骗行为,骗取大量财物,则()。 A.
目前,我国农业发展滞后,农民收入增长缓慢,已成为制约经济增长的重要问题,全面实现
最新回复
(
0
)