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?   

If you go out, you can find cars here and there. Bad smoke from a car can get into the air. This bad smoke is called pollution.

Pollution turns the air a gray color. It is very dirty. It also makes the air around us get worse and worse. It is not good for our health.

To keep pollution down, the States test cars every two years. This test checks to make sure the cars do not pollute the air. If a car doesn’t pass the test, the owner can’t drive it the next year.

Some car owners drive their cars even though they can’t pass the test. It is also very bad for the air.

People want to find a way to get these cars off the road. So a state program was started. Now it seems to be helping. In the state program, the States buy cars that can’t pass the test or will help pay for repairs. This program has been helping people buy better cars or fix their old ones. And the air is becoming better and better.

The state program that takes pollution cars off the road has just finished its first year, and people say it has been successful. For the past year, the state program has been buying cars that can’t pass the test, and the cars bought by the States through the program are put out of use.

1．        is called pollution.

       A．The car                                              B．A gray color

C．The smoke from cars                           D．The test

2．The cars are tested every two years to make sure       .

       A．people can visit the old cars                  B．the owners don’t drive any more

       C．the owners can buy new cars               D．they don’t pollute the air

3．In order to       , the States buy cars that can’t pass the test or will help pay for repairs.

A．get money from car owners                  B．cut down the pollution

       C．make the air around us worse               D．sell more new cars

The Pope（教皇）arrived at Heathrow Airport and got straight into a car. "I'm rather 36

for a very important meeting, my good man," he told the driver. "Please go as fast as possible." The driver agreed, 　37 he couldn't do more than 100 kilometres an hour on that road. The Pope kept asking the driver to go faster. but he failed. It made him 　38 .Then the Pope said, "Look, I really 39 　get to this meeting. It's very important. You sit 40 　and I'll drive."

　 Being a good Catholic（天主教），the driver felt he should do 41 the Pope told him. So they changed their 42　 and went on. The Pope really put his 43　 down and they were doing well over 160 kilometres an hour. But a few kilometers down the road they got pulled over by the police. A policeman came over to the car, looked in and then walked away to call his chief(长官)．

　 “Chief," he said into his radio. “I might have just stopped　 44 really, really important." "Is it the Prime Minister（首相）?”asked the chief. "No," said the policeman, "More important than him." "Well, is it the Queen?" asked the chief. "No, sir," answered the policeman. "More important than her." "Well, who is it then?" asked the chief. "I don't know, sir," said the policeman, "But he has got the Pope　 45　 him around."

36. A. waiting　 B. busy　 　C. tired　 　　 D. late

37. A. and　 　 B. so　 　　C. but　 　　　D. or

38. A. pleased　 B. afraid　 C. alone　 　　D. worried

39. A. can　 　　B. have to　 C. mustn't　 　 D. may

40. A. in the back B. in the front　 C. on the floor　 D. in the car

41. A. when　 　B. like　 　C. how　 　　 D. as

42. A. cars　 　 B. clothes　 C. places 　　D. minds

43. A. hand　 　B. foot　 　 C. bag　 　　D. key

44. A. someone　 B. anybody　 C. two persons D. some people

45. A. looking　 B. walking　 C. driving　 　D. turning

　 The Pope（教皇）arrived at Heathrow Airport and got straight into a car. "I'm rather 36

for a very important meeting, my good man," he told the driver. "Please go as fast as possible." The driver agreed, 37 he couldn't do more than 100 kilometres an hour on that road. The Pope kept asking the driver to go faster. but he failed. It made him 　38 .Then the Pope said, "Look, I really 39 　get to this meeting. It's very important. You sit 40 　and I'll drive."

　 Being a good Catholic（天主教），the driver felt he should do 41 the Pope told him. So they changed their 42　 and went on. The Pope really put his 43　 down and they were doing well over 160 kilometres an hour. But a few kilometers down the road they got pulled over by the police. A policeman came over to the car, looked in and then walked away to call his chief(长官)．

　 “Chief," he said into his radio. “I might have just stopped　 44 really, really important." "Is it the Prime Minister（首相）?”asked the chief. "No," said the policeman, "More important than him." "Well, is it the Queen?" asked the chief. "No, sir," answered the policeman. "More important than her." "Well, who is it then?" asked the chief. "I don't know, sir," said the policeman, "But he has got the Pope 45　 him around."

36. A. waiting　 B. busy　 　C. tired　 　　 D. late

37. A. and　 　 B. so　 　　C. but　 　　　D. or

38. A. pleased　 B. afraid　 C. alone　 　　D. worried

39. A. can　 　　B. have to　 C. mustn't　 　 D. may

40. A. in the back B. in the front　 C. on the floor　 D. in the car

41. A. when　 　B. like　 　C. how　 　　 D. as

42. A. cars　 　 B. clothes　 C. places 　　D. minds

43. A. hand　 　B. foot　 　 C. bag　 　　D. key

44. A. someone　 B. anybody　 C. two persons D. some people

45. A. looking　 B. walking　 C. driving　 　D. turning