A Russian, a Cuban, an American businessman and an American lawyer were on a train traveling across England. The Russian took out a large bottle of vodka, gave each of the men a drink and then threw the rest half bottle of vodka out of the window. “Why did you do that?” asked the American businessman. “There’s too much vodka in my country,” said the Russian, “And really we have more than we will ever use.” A little later, the Cuban passed around fine Havana Cigars. Then he threw his out of the window. “I thought Cuba is not a rich country,” the businessman said. “But you threw that very good cigars out of the window!” “Cigars,” the Cuban answered, “are the cheapest in my country. We have more of them than we know what to do with.” The American businessman sat quietly for a moment. Then he got up, caught the lawyer by the arm and threw him of the window.
【小题1】The people in the story are from ______ countries.

Americans love cars．They go everywhere in them．8 5％of people in the US go to and from work by car. And most adults have driving licenses．Why does this car culture exist?
How it started
America’s love of cars started after the war(战争)when soldiers returned home from World War II to rebuild their lives．They borrowed money from the government to buy houses and cars which became the symbols of status(地位)．The more money they had，the bigger their cars were．
Making of roads
During the war，President Eisenhower noticed what good roads Germany had．He decided to build new four-lane(四车道)roads in America．He said if something happened suddenly，the two-lane roads wouldn’t be able to carry all the cars that would suddenly leave the cities．Car and oil companies liked his idea and building started．
Car lover
Not just teenagers are crazy about cars．Some Americans love their cars so much that they paint their cars beautifully .These are called Art Cars．Every April there is an activity in Houston，Texas，where they show their cars．
Pollution
Cars have polluted the environment．American President Bush refused a worldwide law that is against pollution．Many countries were angry about it．Bush said he had to think of the American economy(经济)and all the American people that make money from cars．Factories say they want to make cars that pollute less．But others say making cars that pollute less will never be as good as having fewer cars．
【小题1】When did Americans begin to love cars?