Question

What causes traffic jams? That’s easy: too many cars. No, wrong. Think again. What causes much of the jamming on our streets are traffic lights.

Think of all the hours in your life wasted as your car journey is stopped by lights to let non-existent traffic through, and then ask yourself this: who is the better judge of when it’s safe to go-you, the driver at the time and the place, or lights programmed by an absent regulator (控制器) ? Traffic lights exist as a “ease” for a man-made problem—the priority rule(优先通行法则).

This rule gives superior rights on main-road traffic at the expense of minor-road traffic and pedestrians. To interrupt the priority streams, lights are “needed”.

Before 1929 when the priority rule came into force, a sort of first-come, first-served rule had been common. All road users had equal rights, so a motorist arriving at a crossing gave way to anyone who had arrived first. Motorists had a simple responsibility for avoiding accident, and a duty of care to other road users.

  In other walks of life the common-law principle of single queuing applies, but the law of the road, based on the priority rule that licenses queue-jumping and bad temper, creates battlegrounds where we have to fight for gaps and green time.

But when lights are out of action-when we’re free of outer controls and allowed to use our own judgment-harmonious attitudes become common. We approach slowly and find our way in turn. People are kind to each other, but when lights start working, traffic jams return.

The traffic lights encourage us to take our eyes off the road to watch the signals, rather than do the safer thing: weigh up what other motorists, cyclists or pedestrians are intending to do.

Not only do traffic lights help to lengthen journeys pointlessly, but also the UK’s large number of 24-hour traffic lights amounts to GPH(严重的全球性危害). About 30 percent of our CO2 output is from traffic. Professor David Hegg, the influential transport expert, admits that 40 percent of that comes from traffic: waiting. Every litre of fuel burnt produces 2.4 kg of our CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Multiply the minutes of forced waiting at controlled lights by the hours in the day and night, by the days in the year, by the number of vehicles, and the environmental effect becomes clear.

1．In the writer’s opinion,         are the better judges to decide when it’s safe to drive through.

       A．traffic lights         B．pedestrians          C．policemen            D．drivers

2．Before 1929,         .

       A．the priority rule started to be in use

       B．the pedestrians often gave way to motorists

       C．the motorists often gave way to the pedestrians

       D．whoever came to the crossing first had the right to go past first

3．In the passage, the writer seems to disagree with          .

       A．the law of road based on the priority rule

       B．the equal rights shared by all road users

       C．the common law of single queuing

       D．the first-come, first-served rule

4．In the last paragraph, we can learn          .

       A．traffic lights make the journey shorter

       B．the number of the cars should be lessened

       C．traffic lights help to worsen the environment

       D．40% of the CO₂output is from the traffic waiting

5．The purpose of the passage is to           .

       A．call out to stop the traffic lights

       B．complain about the heavy traffic

       C．explain how cars pollute the environment

       D．call on drivers to give way to other road users

Answer 1

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