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Culture Corner America on the Wheel Although the motor car was invented in 1889 by a German man called Gottlieb Daimler,it was an American man called Henry Ford who created the motor car as we know it today. In 1908, Ford began production of the Model T Ford, the motor car that would change the world forever. The Model T Ford was the first mass production car in the world. Before 1908, when Ford's cars became available to the public, it was only the very rich who could afford to own a car. Ford found a way to mass-produce the motor car cheaply, making it possible for many more people to own one. The Model T Ford was simple, practical and cheap. It was a huge success. Between 1908 and 1927, Ford made and sold over 18 million Model T cars. By the 1930s, people in America wanted something more than the Model T Ford. They didn't want cars to just be practical; they wanted them to look beautiful too. Soon car companies, like Ford, were forced to change their car production to suit the public's needs. Stylish cars became popular in America. By the 1950s, cars with much more interesting designs were being produced. Some of the car companies, like Cadillac, based their designs on airplanes. In the 1960s, the American public became bored with the choices offered by American car companies. Around this time a lot of stylish but cheaper cars were coming out of Europe, made by companies like BMW and Mercedes. American-made cars stopped being as popular and the rule of the American car was ending. Today cars are a very important part of American culture. Wherever you go in America you can find highways, multi-storey car parks,drive-in cinemas and drive-through fast food restaurants, all built to suit the needs of car owners. Motor cars have changed America and the world. Cars, buses and taxis make our lives so much simpler. Travelling from place to place is now so much cheaper and easier. Roads now connect the biggest cities to the smallest towns so it's possible to go anywhere at anytime. And it all began with the American Model T Ford. 文化广角 车轮上的美国 虽然汽车在1889年由一个叫戴姆勒的德国人发明，但是是一个叫亨利o福特的美国人创造了今天我们知道的汽车。 1908年，福特开始生产福特T型汽车，这种汽车永远地改变了世界。福特T型汽车是世界上第一批大规模生产的汽车。 1908年福特汽车问世以前，只有非常有钱的人才能买得起汽车。福特找到一个可以大规模生产汽车的低廉方法，这样更多的人都可能拥有一辆汽车。 福特T型汽车简单、实用，而且便宜。它取得了巨大成功。1908到1927年间，福特生产并销售了1.8亿多辆T型汽车。到20世纪30年代，美国人想要比福特T型汽车好一点的汽车。他们不仅仅想要实用的汽车；他们还想要外型美观。不久汽车公司，像福特，被迫改变它们的汽车生产以适应大众需求。 时髦的汽车开始在美国流行。 到20世纪50年代，生产了更多设计有趣的汽车。 有些汽车公司，如凯迪拉克，是以飞机为蓝本设计汽车的。 20世纪60年代，美国民众逐渐厌倦了美国汽车公司生产的小轿车。 这个时候，欧洲生产了许多时髦却比较便宜的汽车，这些汽车如宝马和梅赛德斯这样的公司生产。 美国生产的汽车不再流行，而美国汽车标准结束了。如今，汽车是美国文化重要的一部分。在美国，你不管去哪，都会找到高速公路，多层停车场，免下车电影院和驾车通过式快餐店，这些都是为了满足汽车所有者的需求。 汽车改变了美国和世界。 汽车，公共汽车还有出租车使我们的生活如此简单。现在，到处旅行如此便宜、轻松。公路连接了最大的城市和最小的城镇，所以人们可以在任何时间前往任何地点。而这都开始于美国的福特T型汽车。 |
