Cars are an important part of life in the United States. Without a car most people feel that they are poor. And even if a person is poor , he doesn’t feel really poor when he has a car.
Henry Ford was the man who first started making cars in large numbers. He probably didn’t know how much the car was going to change American culture. The car made the United States a nation on wheels. And it helped make the United States what it is today.
There are three main reasons why the car became so popular in the United States. First of all, the country is a big one and Americans like to move around it. The car makes the travel the most comfortable and cheapest. With a car people can go to any place without spending a lot of money.
The second reason cars are popular is the fact that the United States never really developed a practical and cheap public travel system. Long distance trains have never been as common in the United States as they are in other parts of the world. Now there is a good system of air-service provided by planes. But it is too expensive to be used often.
The third reason is the most important one, though. The American spirit of independence is what really made cars popular. Americans don’t like waiting for a bus, or a train or even a plane. They don’t like to have to follow an exact timetable. A car gives them the freedom to plan their own time. And this is the freedom that Americans want most to have.
Less oil has caused a big problem for Americans. But the answer will not be a bigger system of public transportation. The real answer will have to be a new kind of car, one that does not use so much oil.
【小题1】We can learn from this passage that Americans ______.

Do your kids like plastic toys? Well, I guess it’s time for them to play with wooden toys.

I have always liked kids’ wooden toys since I was five. I always ran along on the back of a hobby horse pretending to be a cowboy from the West when I was a little boy. Now I’m a dad and I still like buying these timeless natural wooden toys. They will never be out of style. My daughter has a child’s rocking horse, and my two sons have wooden trains and cars. The great thing about this type of toys is that they will last generations if they are treated kindly. Even if they break, most of the time they can be repaired using spare parts bought from wooden-toy makers, and if the part is not too complicated(复杂的), you yourself can make the part from a piece of wood.

What if they do break and can’t be repaired? Well, at least they can be dealt with without having any bad effects on the environment. They can be turned into wood chippings and used for pathways in the country or play areas for kids. Even if the wooden toy is buried as rubbish, which is very rare these days, it will not harm the soil or the environment.

I like all types of wooden toys. There is such a wide variety of wooden toys today and the choice is getting bigger day by day. As an alternative(替代品) to plastic toys, wooden toys can’t be beaten. I’m sure in the near future wood will no doubt become the number one material for making toys, as plastic becomes more and more expensive because of rising oil prices and the environmental issues concerning plastic. Plastic toys might harm kids’ health, too.

67. According to the author, wooden toys which can’t be repaired will _______.

   A. be taken back by the makers            B. need a lot of money to deal with

   C. not harm the environment              D. be collected by collectors

68. From the last paragraph, we can learn that _______.

   A. plastic will be used up sooner or later

   B. plastic toys will not be allowed to be sold very soon

   C. wooden toys will become more popular in the future

   D. wooden toys will become more and more expensive

69. Which of the following is NOT the reason why plastic toys will be less popular in the future?

   A. That plastic has bad effects on the environment.

   B. That plastic toys might harm the health of children.

   C. That plastic toys offer children few choices.

   D. That oil prices are getting higher than before.

70. We can infer that this passage is written to _______.

   A. tell us the disadvantages of plastic toys   

   B. advise parents to buy wooden toys instead of plastic ones

   C. tell us how much the author and his children like wooden toys

   D. advise toy makers to make wooden toys rather than plastic ones

The car has many advantages. Above all, it offers people freedom to go where they want to go, when they want to go there. The basic purpose of a car is to get from point A to point B as cheaply, quickly, and safely as possible. However, to most people, cars are also personal dream machines that serve as symbols of power, success, speed, excitement, and adventure. In addition, much of the world’s economy is built on producing cars and supplying roads, services, and repairs for those cars. Half of the world’s paychecks are cars related. In the United States, one of every six dollars spent and one of every six nonfarm jobs are connected to cars or related industries, such as oil, steel, rubber, plastics, car services , and highway construction.

In spite of their advantages, cars have many harmful effects on human lives and on air, water, land, and wildlife resources. The car may be the most destructive machine ever invented. Riding in cars is one of the most dangerous things we do in our daily lives. Since 1885, when Karl Benz built the first car, almost 18 million people have been killed by cars. Every year, cars and trucks worldwide kill an average of 250,000 people. Half of the world’s people will be involved in the tragic car accident--- at some time during their lives.

In 1907, the average speed of horse-drawn cars through New York City was 18.5 kilometers per hour. Today, cars and trucks with the power of 100 to 300 horses travel very slowly along New York City streets at an average speed of 8 kilometers per hour.

Streets that used to be for people are now for cars. Pedestrians and bicyclists in the streets suffer a lot from noise, pollution, stress, and danger.

Cars are the largest source of air pollution. In the United States, they produce at least 50% of the country’s air pollution. What do you think should be done?

1．Which question is NOT answered in the passage?             

       A．How many people work in jobs related to the car industry?

       B．When was the first car built?

       C．Why are there so many car accidents every year?

       D．What effect do the cars have on the environment?

2．We can know from the passage that cars        .      

       A．play an important part in the world’s economy

       B．are becoming less dangerous

       C．will produce less air pollution in the future

       D．are the most dangerous machines ever invented

3．Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?      

       A．Today, there are no horse-drawn vehicles in New York City.

       B．It takes longer to get around New York City today than in the past.

       C．In 1907, the streets in New York City were wider and in better condition.

       D．People will use horse-drawn cars in the near future.

4．What would be the best title for the passage?

     A．Cars---Number One Killer                  B．The Effect of Cars on the Air

     C．Advantages and Disadvantages of cars        D．Cars---Status Symbol

Cars are an important part of life in the United States. Without a car most people feel that they are poor. And even if a person is poor , he doesn’t feel really poor when he has a car.

Henry Ford was the man who first started making cars in large numbers. He probably didn’t know how much the car was going to change American culture. The car made the United States a nation on wheels. And it helped make the United States what it is today.

There are three main reasons why the car became so popular in the United States. First of all, the country is a big one and Americans like to move around it. The car makes the travel the most comfortable and cheapest. With a car people can go to any place without spending a lot of money.

The second reason cars are popular is the fact that the United States never really developed a practical and cheap public travel system. Long distance trains have never been as common in the United States as they are in other parts of the world. Now there is a good system of air-service provided by planes. But it is too expensive to be used often.

The third reason is the most important one, though. The American spirit of independence is what really made cars popular. Americans don’t like waiting for a bus, or a train or even a plane. They don’t like to have to follow an exact timetable. A car gives them the freedom to plan their own time. And this is the freedom that Americans want most to have.

Less oil has caused a big problem for Americans. But the answer will not be a bigger system of public transportation. The real answer will have to be a new kind of car, one that does not use so much oil.

56. We can learn from this passage that Americans ______.

A. spend a lot of money traveling by car       B. travel a lot in their cars

C. seldom travel by plane                                   D. use public traffic often

57. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. In the United States even the poor own cars.

B. In the United States all the poor have no cars.

C. When an American has a car, he will never be poor.

D. An American will feel poor unless he has a car.

58. In the writer’s opinion, cars are popular in the United States mainly because ___.

A. Americans like to plan their own time

B. The United States does not have enough public transportation

C. Americans will not feel poor when they travel in their cars

D. Americans cannot move around without their own cars

59. “A nation on wheels” in the second paragraph means that _______.

A. everyone in the United States owns a car

B. the United States produces most of the cars in the world

C. cars play an important part in American’ life

D. the United States depend on car industry for its development

Cars are an important part of life in the United States. Without a car most people feel that they are poor. And even if a person is poor , he doesn’t feel really poor when he has a car.

Henry Ford was the man who first started making cars in large numbers. He probably didn’t know how much the car was going to change American culture. The car made the United States a nation on wheels. And it helped make the United States what it is today.

There are three main reasons why the car became so popular in the United States. First of all, the country is a big one and Americans like to move around it. The car makes the travel the most comfortable and cheapest. With a car people can go to any place without spending a lot of money.

The second reason cars are popular is the fact that the United States never really developed a practical and cheap public travel system. Long distance trains have never been as common in the United States as they are in other parts of the world. Now there is a good system of air-service provided by planes. But it is too expensive to be used often.

The third reason is the most important one, though. The American spirit of independence is what really made cars popular. Americans don’t like waiting for a bus, or a train or even a plane. They don’t like to have to follow an exact timetable. A car gives them the freedom to plan their own time. And this is the freedom that Americans want most to have.

Less oil has caused a big problem for Americans. But the answer will not be a bigger system of public transportation. The real answer will have to be a new kind of car, one that does not use so much oil.

1.We can learn from this passage that Americans ______.

A．spend a lot of money traveling by car        B．travel a lot in their cars

C．seldom travel by plane                   D．use public traffic often

2.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．In the United States even the poor own cars.

B．In the United States all the poor have no cars.

C．When an American has a car, he will never be poor.

D．An American will feel poor unless he has a car.

3.In the writer’s opinion, cars are popular in the United States mainly because ___.

A．Americans like to plan their own time

B．The United States does not have enough public transportation

C．Americans will not feel poor when they travel in their cars

D．Americans cannot move around without their own cars

4.“A nation on wheels” in the second paragraph means that _______.

A．everyone in the United States owns a car

B．the United States produces most of the cars in the world

C．cars play an important part in American’ life

D．the United States depend on car industry for its development