VOA标准英语2010年-Falling New Auto Sales in US Could Sig
时间:2019-02-18 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2010年(一月)
The auto 1 fleet in the United States is shrinking. For the first time since World War II, more used cars were scrapped 2 than new cars sold in 2009. The fleet decreased from an all-time high in 2008 of 250 million vehicles to 246 million last year.
Driving is no longer a 'must' for some American teens
Earth Policy Institute's Lester Brown suggests the shrinking car market is partly due to declining interest among young people
When Lester Brown was a teenager growing up in rural New Jersey 3 in the early 1950s he says he couldn't wait to drive. "Getting a driver's license 4 and then getting a car of some sort or a pick-up [truck] in the rural community was sort of a rite 5 of passage," he says.
Today, Brown heads the Earth Policy Institute, an environmental research group based in Washington. In a new report, Brown contends that times have changed when it comes to Americans and their cars. Youth today aren't as interested in driving, Brown says, because more are growing up in cities and have learned to live without a car. "Increasingly young people are socializing over the Internet and 'smart' phones and not in automobiles," he explains.
Recession and pollution reduce new car appeal
2010 Earth Policy Institute
In 2009 more cars were scrapped than sold – the U.S. auto fleet shrank by 4 million
During the current U.S. economic recession, consumers of all ages have been reluctant to buy big-ticket items such as new cars. But other factors like urbanization, congestion 6 and environmental concerns, help explain why fewer cars are on the road.
Paul Eisenstein, senior editor for the online automotive news magazine TheDetroitBureau.com, is a long-time auto industry analyst 7. Like Brown, he sees a culture shift occurring among both car consumers and car makers 8.
"Consumers are rethinking what they are spending money on, whether they need to own as many vehicles in a household fleet," Eisenstein says. He adds, "The carmakers are also rethinking what they need to get consumers to buy so many vehicles." It wasn't unusual, Eisenstein says, for companies to spend between $5,000 and $10,000 per car to attract a single customer to make a purchase. Now he says, "Car companies are looking at finding a way to sell cars more cheaply."
In 10 years, 10 percent fewer cars may be on roads
Eisenstein says that could lead to fewer retail 9 incentives 10, rebates 11 and subsidies 12 for new car buyers. It could also mean plant closings to bring car production in line with demand. Brown expects the U.S. auto fleet to shrink by 10 percent over the next decade. Many experts believe plant closings would result in a healthier U.S. auto industry.
Eisenstein says while he doesn't expect full recovery to previous production levels of 17 million vehicles a year, the market for American cars will improve because of immigration and population growth.
Looking ahead, Brown says the U.S. may follow the lead of Japan, a country with large cities oversaturated with motor vehicles. "Japan reached the saturation 13 point in 1990 and its annual car sales have declined by 21 percent since then," he says.
But, Eisenstein says that, unlike the U.S., Japan has an easily accessible mass transit 14 system that gives drivers an alternative not available to most Americans. "[That's] complicated by the fact that our cities are much further apart than they are in much of the world." He says there is really nothing else to turn to.
The car once promised mobility 15
The U.S. market is expected to shrink by 10 percent within the decade as more old cars are scrapped
Today drivers must contend with traffic jams, congestion and pollution. And it's becoming a global problem. Brown notes that China has begun to outpace the U.S. in new car sales. He says if China were to reach the same level of per capita car ownership as the United States, the resulting traffic congestion, pollution and land use shifts could have a devastating 16 impact on Chinese society. "[Just] think of the roads, the streets, the parking lots, [and] the land that has to be paved over to support that level of car ownership," he says. That would be equal, Brown adds, "to two-thirds of the area of rice planted in China today."
In this context, Brown believes a shrinking U.S. car fleet could help address the problem of climate change, lessening 17 dependence 18 on foreign oil and reducing carbon emissions 19 from the transportation.
Brown predicts that a smaller U.S. car market will shift steadily 20 away from fossil fuel powered vehicles to more hybrid 21 and electric models. One case in point is that the Toyota Prius hybrid was among the top ten best-selling cars in the United States in 2009. Brown says auto companies that fail to note these trends and embrace these new technologies will be left in the backwater of a bygone automotive age.
- Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
- The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。
- This machine is so old that it will soon have to be scrapped. 这架机器太旧,快报废了。
- It had been thought that passport controls would be scrapped. 人们曾认为会放开护照管制。
- He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
- They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致,都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。
- The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
- The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。
- This festival descends from a religious rite.这个节日起源于宗教仪式。
- Most traditional societies have transition rites at puberty.大多数传统社会都为青春期的孩子举行成人礼。
- The congestion in the city gets even worse during the summer.夏天城市交通阻塞尤为严重。
- Parking near the school causes severe traffic congestion.在学校附近泊车会引起严重的交通堵塞。
- What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务?
- The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。
- The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
- The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
- These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。
- tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
- Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者,提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
- The VAT system offers advantages, such as rebates on exports. 增值税有其优点,如对出口商品实行回扣。 来自辞典例句
- In more recent years rate rebates have been introduced for households. 近年地方税的减免已适用于家庭。 来自辞典例句
- European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
- Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The company's sales are now close to saturation in many western countries.这家公司的产品销售量在许多西方国家已接近饱和。
- Road traffic has reached saturation point.公路交通已达到饱和点。
- His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
- The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。
- The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
- Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。
- It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
- Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。
- So however much he earned, she spent it, her demands growing and lessening with his income. 祥子挣多少,她花多少,她的要求随着他的钱涨落。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
- The talks have resulted in a lessening of suspicion. 谈话消减了彼此的怀疑。
- Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
- He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。
- Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
- Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。
- The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
- Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。