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Lesson 4 Car Culture The Road to Destruction "This morning it took me forty minutes to get to work. More road construction works on the A10!" "Oh really? It took me over an hour. There was an accident on the M11." "You're both lucky. It took me two hours! You don't have to use the M25." How often have you heard these conversations? How often do we get stuck in traffic jams? How often do we arrive at work or school stressed out, tired and angry? For many people in Britain, the answer is every day. But anger and stress are nothing compared to the real costs of the motor car. Here are some figures: In the last ten years, the number of cars on the roads in Britain has gone up by 30%. There are now 25 million cars in this country. Over three thousand people die every year in road accidents in Britain. In London, car engines produce 99% of all carbon monoxide in the atmosphere. Twenty-five thousand deaths per year are caused by air pollution. Some types of cancer are related to traffic pollution. Traffic is one of the major causes of global warming and climate change. The average global temperature is about 0.5 degrees centigrade higher than it was 100 years ago. We know that cars are bad for us. So why do we carry on using our cars so much? We all make excuses: "The buses are terrible." "The trains are always late!" "I haven't got time to walk." I'm talking about myself, too. I admit: I'm addicted to my car. When I asked Jenny Trowe of Greenpeace for advice about how to give up, she told me six things: 1.Use your legs. Over 25% of car journeys are under two miles - short journeys we could easily walk or cycle.Leg power can save you money, keep you fit and help you live longer.And regular exercise cuts the risk of heart disease by 50%! 2.Use public transport. On average, about forty people travel in one bus, while the same number occupy thirty-three cars. Sometimes it can take a little bit longer, but so what?You can relax on the bus or train, read a book, talk to someone, meet the love of your life - who knows? 3.Think before you go. Do you really have to go to that shopping centre on the other side of town?What about the shops around the corner?Before you get into your car, think about whether you really need to make that journey. 4.Share cars. If you've really got to use a car, share journeys with someone else.It is much cheaper and kinder to the environment. 5.Don't believe advertisements! Nearly a quarter of all the advertisements on TV are about cars.You see an attractive man or woman driving a fast car through beautiful countryside.It's not true! That new car won't make you more attractive.And you won't be driving on an empty country road.You'll be stuck in a traffic jam in a city or on a highway! 6.Take action somehow!We often think there is nothing we can do about the noise, pollution and danger of traffic.There is. If your street's full of heavy traffic, talk to your neighbours about it.Write to the papers. Go to the city government. Ask for a speed limit. Ask for a pedestrian area.Do whichever of these things that suit you. Don't just sit around and complain!All quite simple, isn't it? Six easy ways to improve our environment. Well, I'm sorry I must finish this article.I've got to pick up my daughter from school at four o'clock.Then I've got to drive to Sainsbury's to do the shopping.After that I have to take my son to a party.And tomorrow we're driving over to see my mother.The traffic's going to be awful, but what can we do? 第四课 汽车文化 毁灭之路 “今天早上我上班用了40分钟。A10有较多的道路在施工！” “真的吗？我用了1个多小时。M11发生了一场交通事故。” “你们都很幸运。我用了2个小时！你们不用非得走M25。” 有多少次你们听到这样的对话？有多少次我们遇到塞车？ 有多少次我们在极度焦虑、疲惫、恼怒的状态下到达办公室或学校？ 对于许多英国人来说，答案是每天。 但是比起汽车的实际代价，紧张和恼怒还是微不足道的。 这有一些数字：在过去10年中，英国路上行驶的汽车数量上升了30%。 现在，这个国家有2.5亿辆汽车。 在英国，每年有3千多人死于交通意外。 在伦敦，大气中99%的一氧化碳来自汽车发动机。 每年有25‰的死亡原因是空气污染。 一些癌症和交通污染有关。 交通车辆是全球变暖和气候变化的主要原因。平均全球气温比100年前高大约0.5摄氏度。 我们知道汽车对我们有害。那我们为什么继续大量使用汽车？ 我们都在找借口："公共汽车太可怕。""火车总是晚点！""我们没时间走路。" 我也说说我自己。我承认：我沉迷于汽车难以自拔。 我询问"绿色和平"组织的詹妮o图博汉如何放弃汽车的建议时，她告诉我六件事情： 1.使用你的双腿。25%的汽车行程都在2英里之内-短程我们可以不费力地步行或骑车。脚力可以省钱，保持健康，并使你长寿。而且经常锻炼减少一半得心脏病的风险。 2.使用公共交通工具。平均而言，大约40人乘坐一辆公共汽车，而同样数量的人要占据33辆小轿车。有时花的时间长了一点，但又怎么样呢？你可以在公共汽车或火车上休息，看书，聊天，遇到你生命中的挚爱-谁知道呢？ 3.出门之前想想。你真的非得去城市另一边的购物中心吗？街角的商店如何？上车之前，想想你是否真的必须出行。 4.分享汽车。如果你真的必须用汽车，和其他人一同出发。这样更便宜，而且更爱护环境。 5.别相信广告！电视上几乎四分之一的广告是有关汽车的。你看到一个魅力男人或女人开着一辆飞驰的汽车穿越美丽的乡间。那不是真的！那样的新车不会使你更有魅力。而你也不会在空旷的乡间小路上开车。你会在市里或高速公路上遇到塞车！ 6.开始行动吧！我们总认为对于噪音、污染和交通危险，我们什么也做不了。能做。如果你那条街交通拥堵，告诉你的邻居。给报纸写信。去市政府。要求速度限制。要求步行区域。做这些事中任何一件适合你的。不要只是无所事事地抱怨！所有的事都十分简单，不是吗？六个简单的方法能改善我们的环境。 哦，很抱歉我必须结束这篇文章了。4点我要去学校接我女儿。接着我要开车去塞恩斯伯里购物。然后，我要带我儿子去一个聚会。明天我们要开车去看我妈妈。交通会很糟糕，但我们能做什么呢？ |
