2. 职称英语
  3. Few developments have so greatly affected American life as the automobile. I

Few developments have so greatly affected American life as the automobile. I

游客2025-01-29  8
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. [br] The word "profound" underlined in Paragraph 3 means________.
选项 A、superficial
B、absolute
C、far-reaching
D、predictable
答案 C
解析 词义界定。profound的意思已做了简单解释。其词典意思为“深刻的，深远的，深深的”。A选项superficial意为“表皮的，表面的，肤浅的”；B选项 absolute意为“完全的，绝对的，专制的，确凿的”；C选项far-reaching意为“(意义、影响)深远的”；D选项predictable意为“可预料的，  (人)平庸的”。故C选项正确。
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