英语口语教程(高级) UNIT 28

[00:01.00]Lesson 28 Are Cars Doing More Harm Than Good?;

[00:08.23]Text Cars Only Bring People Trouble;

[00:14.96]Today any Chinese can enjoy the luxury of owning a private car --;

[00:22.03]if he can afford it, that is.;

[00:25.32]And to be able to afford it,;

[00:28.47]you have first of all to pay a five or six figure sum to buy a machine.;

[00:34.96]Even the toy like Polish midget Fiat costs something like 20,000 yuan.;

[00:42.61]Any decent car would cost ten times that much.;

[00:47.94]But however large this initial sum you have to pay,;

[00:53.02]the real drain on your purse is yet to come,;

[00:57.04]in the running and maintenance of the machine -- the various taxes,;

[01:02.90]the fuel,and of course the repairs.;

[01:07.07]The last item especially is a bottomless pits.;

[01:11.86]Any single repair may cost you thousands.;

[01:16.56]If your car is of foreign make and you have to change a spare part,;

[01:22.18]then God help you!;

[01:24.50]The financial burden is not your only worry.;

[01:29.44]When you buy a car,;

[01:31.67]you are like an elderly man who marries a young wife.;

[01:36.07]You have to guard her jealously,;

[01:38.93]and protect her from prowling wolves who are constantly at your gate.;

[01:44.60]A famous violinist who bought a second- hand car last year;

[01:49.97]had to buy a pair of binoculars at the same time too,;

[01:54.14]because he had to watch the car from his window every few minutes.;

[01:59.08]Not only the car itself, but accesories such as rear-view mirrors,;

[02:06.00]batteries,even wheels are all objects of preys.;

[02:11.43]I once read about a man in Shanghai;

[02:15.20]who had the luck to win a car in a savings lottery.;

[02:19.27]Of course it was the cheapest of all cars a Polish midget Fiat mentioned above.;

[02:26.97]Nevertheless for the man who won it,it was the chance of a life time,;

[02:32.83]and he could hardly believe in his own luck.;

[02:36.32]But his joy was short-lived,;

[02:39.32]for the troubles th- at followed were en- ough to put any man into utter despair.;

[02:45.95]First of all he couldn't get a license plate.;

[02:50.89]He was sent from place to place,;

[02:53.90]and after months of running around;

[02:56.75]and after having handed out around four thousand yuan;

[03:00.77](the greater part of which as "good will gifts");

[03:04.70]he finally became the proud legal owner of the car.;

[03:09.30]But his troubles were by no means over.;

[03:13.65]Like the violinist,;

[03:15.98]he found he had to guard his newly- wedded "bride";

[03:19.71]from all sorts of violations.;

[03:22.66]In fact the whole family had to take turns for the "night shift",;

[03:27.51]which meant sleep in the car to protect her from night prowlers.;

[03:32.49]Our friend had the hardest time because he is a tall fellow with long limbs.;

[03:39.42]For him to sleep in a toy-like midget car was literally a form of torture.;

[03:46.20]When he clamberedn out of the car in the morning,he found he could hardly walk;

[03:52.54]Obviously things couldn't go on like that;

[03:56.56]and so in the end he found a place to park his car for the night--;

[04:01.70]in a school about two bus-stops away.;

[04:05.28]The distance was nothing compared with the parking fee;

[04:08.96]he had to pay the school every month.;

[04:11.85]But the greatest inconvenience;

[04:14.95]was the fact that he had to get his car out of the school;

[04:18.48]before eight every morning when school starts.;

[04:22.79]With conditions as they are in our country,;

[04:26.86]one may well wonder who would ever want to own a private car.;

[04:32.09]According to officially published figures,;

[04:35.72]there were over 4,000 private cars in Beijing;

[04:39.28]at the beginning of this year.;

[04:41.60]That's a big leap from just over a hundred five years ago--;

[04:46.36]a forty times increase.;

[04:49.41]But in proportion to Beijing's population the figure is piteously low,;

[04:56.14]probably the lowest compared to other capitals in the world.;

[05:02.29]II.Read;

[05:07.04]Read the following passages. Underline the important view- points while reading;

[05:15.27]1.The Advantages of   the Car;

[05:21.42]The use of the motor car;

[05:24.91]is becoming more and more widespread in the twentieth century.;

[05:30.14]As an increasing number of countries;

[05:33.72]develop both technically and economically,;

[05:37.16]so a larger proport- ion of the world's populatiQn is able to buy and use a car;

[05:44.96]Possessing a car gives a much greater degree of mobility,;

[05:50.77]enabling the driver to move around freely.;

[05:54.93]The owner of a car is no longer forced to rely on public transport;

[06:01.91]and is therefore,not compelled to work locally.;

[06:07.23]He can choose from a greater variety of jobs;

[06:11.59]and probably changes his work more frequently;

[06:15.85]as he is noLrestricted to a choice within a small radius.;

[06:21.37]Travelling to work by car;

[06:24.71]is also more comfor- table than having to use public transport;

[06:30.04]the driver can adjust the heating in winter;

[06:33.91]and the air conditi- oning in summer to suit his own needs and preference.;

[06:40.60]There is no irritation caused by waiting for trains,;

[06:45.39]buses or underground trains,standing in long patient queues,;

[06:51.69]or sitting on draughty platforms, for as long as half an hour sometimes.;

[06:58.47]With the building of good fast motorways long distances;

[07:04.28]can be covered rapidly and pleasantly.;

[07:07.81]For the first time in this century also,;

[07:11.59]many people are now able to enjoy their leisure time to the full;

[07:16.82]by making trips to the country or seaside at the weekends,;

[07:21.71]instead of being confined to their immediate neighbourhood.;

[07:26.46]This feeling of independence,and the freedom to go where you please,;

[07:33.04]is perhaps the greatest advantage of the car.;

[07:38.37]2.The Drawbacks of   the Car;

[07:44.96]When considering the drawbacks,perhaps pollution is of prime importance.;

[07:52.56]As more and more cars are produced and used,;

[07:57.02]so the emission from their exhaust pipes;

[08:00.31]contains an ever larger volume of poisonous gas.;

[08:05.10]Some of the contents of this gas,such as lead,;

[08:09.85]not only pollute the atmosphere but cause actual harm to the health of people.;

[08:16.92]Many of the minor illness of modern industrial society, headaches,tiredness,;

[08:24.78]and stomach upsets are thought to arise from breathing polluted air.;

[08:31.11]Doctors surgeries are full of people suffering from illness;

[08:35.84]caused by pollution.;

[08:38.03]It is also becoming increasingly difficult;

[08:42.00]to deal with the problem of traffic in towns.;

[08:45.73]Most of the import- ant cities of the world suffer from traffic congestion.;

[08:52.22]In fact,any advantage gained in comfort;

[08:56.72]is often cancelled out in city by the frustration caused by traffic jams,;

[09:03.12]endless queues of cars crawling bumper to bumper through all the main streets;

[09:09.70]As an increasing number of traffic regulation schemes are devised,;

[09:15.42]the poor bewildered driver finds himself diverted and forced into one-way systems;

[09:22.54]which cause even greater delays than the traffic jams;

[09:26.34]they are supposed to prevent.;

[09:28.88]The soaring cost of petrol and the increased licence fees and road tax;

[09:35.47]all add to the driver's worries.;

[09:38.52]In fact,he must sometimes wonder if the motor car is such a boon,;

[09:44.38]or just a menace.;

[09:47.77]3.Cars Are the Major   Cause of Road   Accidents;

[09:56.24]From the health point of view we are living in a marvellous age.;

[10:02.88]We are immunised from birth against many of the most dangerous diseases.;

[10:09.90]A large number of once fatal illnesses;

[10:14.26]can now be cured by modern drugs and surgery.;

[10:18.81]It is almost certain that one day remedies;

[10:23.53]will be found for the most stubborn remaining diseases.;

[10:28.64]The expectation of life has increased enormously.;

[10:34.74]But though the poss- ibility of living a long and happy life;

[10:39.71]is greater than ever before,every day we witness the incredi- ble slaughter of men;

[10:47.23]women and children on the roads. Man versus the motor-car!;

[10:54.89]It is a never-ending battle which man is losing.;

[11:00.35]Thousands of people the world over are killed or horribly mutilated each year;

[11:07.90]and we are quietly sitting back and letting it happen.;

[11:13.28]It has been rightly said that when a man is sitting behind a steering wheel,;

[11:20.16]his car becomes the extension of his personality.;

[11:24.42]There is no doubt that the motor-car;

[11:27.71]often brings out a man's very worst qualities.;

[11:32.07]People who are normally quiet and pleasant;

[11:36.28]may become unrecognizable when they are behind a steering-wheel.;

[11:41.66]They swear,they are ill-mannered and aggressive,;

[11:46.21]wilful as two-year-olds and utterly selfish.;

[11:51.39]All their hidden frustrations,;

[11:54.10]disappointments and jealousies;

[11:57.01]seem to be brought to the surface by the act of driving.;

[12:02.48]The surprising thing is that society smiles so benignly;

[12:08.75]on the motorist and seems to condone his behaviour.;

[12:13.96]Everything is done for his convenience.;

[12:18.12]Cities are allowed to become almost uninhabitable beca- use of heavy traffic;

[12:26.11]towns are made ugly by huge car parks;;

[12:30.81]the countryside is desecrated by road networks;;

[12:35.85]and the mass annual slaughter becomes nothing more than a statistic,;

[12:41.95]to be conveniently forgotten.;

[12:45.53]With regard to driving,;

[12:49.16]the laws of some countries are notoriously lax;

[12:53.62]and even the strictest are not strict enough.;

[12:58.32]The driving test should be standardi- sed;

[13:02.34]and made far more difficult than it is;;

[13:06.07]all drivers should be made to take a test every three years or so;;

[13:12.80]the age at which young people are allowed to drive any vehicle;

[13:18.51]should be raised to at least 21;;

[13:22.63]all vehicles should be put through stri- ngent annual tests for safety.;

[13:29.41]Even the smallest amount of alcohol in the blood;

[13:34.20]can impair a person's driving ability.;

[13:38.27]Present drinking and driving laws;

[13:41.71](where they exist) should be made much stricter.;

[13:46.50]Maximum and minimum speed limits should be imposed on all roads.;

[13:53.77]These measures may sound inordinately harsh,;

[13:58.27]but surely nothing should be considered as too severe;

[14:03.11]if it results in reducing the annual toll of human life.;

[14:08.78]After all,the world is for human beings, not motor-cars.;

[14:16.57]4.Road Accidents;

[14:21.56]There are far too many road accidents in this country:;

[14:26.45]too many deaths and too many people injured.;

[14:31.49]One wonders who are most to blame: drivers or pedestrians.;

[14:38.46]Some people say that the blame cannot be put fairly;

[14:43.11]without considering the roads and the whole transport system.;

[14:48.39]In crowded cities like London, Birmingham or Manchester,;

[14:54.49]road conditions are so chaotic that both driver and pedestrian;

[15:01.17]often endanger lives through no fault of their own.;

[15:06.11]Such deficiencies as too many road signs, faulty traffic lights,;

[15:12.85]sudden narrowing of a street,;

[15:15.61]congested parking are all a sure indication of bad road conditions.;

[15:23.31]On the other hand, many experts are convinced;

[15:28.58]that the larger part of the blame for the death toll;

[15:32.22]must be put on persons and persons alone:;

[15:36.67]drivers who drive too fast and without any consideration for others,;

[15:43.60]drivers who think they are safe at the wheel;

[15:47.13]even though they have drunk too much alcohol,drivers who,;

[15:52.80]out of some curious sense of power,are incapable of understanding that;

[15:59.11]their car is a lethal weapon if improperly used.;

[16:04.08]Pedestrians,likewise must share the guilt:;

[16:09.26]stepping off the pavement without first looking to the left or right,;

[16:15.02]crossing roads when the traffic lights are against them,;

[16:19.43]jumping off a moving bus.;

[16:22.29]To be fair,pedestr- ians,drivers and road conditions are all to blame.;

[16:30.86]One looks forward to the day when the motor car has been replaced;

[16:36.38]by some less dangerous means of transport.;

[16:41.56]5.At the Scene of   the Accident;

[16:49.12]Policeman:Now,sir,  I'm sorry to have  kept you waiting.;

[16:53.86]I had to look after the traffic on the road until some more police arrived.;

[16:59.82]You're the driver of the blue ear,I believe.;

[17:02.97]Mr.Simpson:Yes. Policeman:Just a few  questions,sir.Do  you feel all right?;

[17:09.26]Mr.Simpson:Yes,  I'm...I'm fine now.  I was a little  shaken up at first.;

[17:14.98]Policeman:Well,I'11  try not to keep you  long.;

[17:17.93]I just want a few details,;

[17:20.64]and the rest of the information I can get tomorrow.;

[17:24.28]Can I have your name and address,please?;

[17:27.52]Mr.Simpson:Jeremiah  Simpson,15 Portland  Crescent, Leeds.;

[17:33.81]Policeman:Have you  got your driving  licence;

[17:36.35]and insurance certificate with you?;

[17:38.85]Mr.Simpson:Yes...Oh,   here they are.;

[17:42.05]Policeman:Mhm...  Thank you...Oh...  Yes,they' re all  right.;

[17:48.92]Now,were there any passengers in the car?;

[17:53.04]Mr. Simpson:Er yes,  er my wife and a  friend -- a young  lady.;

[17:58.42]My wife was sitting in the back and her friend in the front passenger seat.;

[18:03.84]Policeman:Where are   they now?;

[18:06.26]Mr.Simpson:The  ambulance has just  taken them to  hospital.;

[18:10.72]You spoke to the ambulance driver before he set off.;

[18:14.88]Did he say anything about the young lady?;

[18:18.03]Policeman:He said  that her injuries  looked worse than  they really were.;

[18:22.68]The other woman-- that'd be your wife, l assume--;

[18:26.50]appeared to be suffering from shock.;

[18:29.65]Mr.Simpson:Yes,I  know.;

[18:32.51]They advised her to go to hospital for a check-up,just in case.;

[18:37.30]Policeman:Mm.Was,the  young lady wearing  her seatbelt?;

[18:41.85]Mr.Simpson:No,   unfortunately.;

[18:44.52]I told her to put it on,but she couldn't adjust it.;

[18:48.97]I didn't think it was worth stopping the car;

[18:52.22]because we were only going a few miles.;

[18:55.17]Policeman:Did she go  through the  windscreen?;

[18:57.59]Mr.Simpson: No,she   was very lucky.;

[19:00.16]But she hurt her leg on the dashboard.;

[19:02.87]Policeman:Mm.It  could're been much  worse.;

[19:06.46]Now,sir,will you tell me in your own words what happened?;

[19:11.97]Mr,Simpson:Oh..,Well  as you can see,;

[19:15.12]I was travelling along this main road;

[19:17.98]when suddenly er the other car came out of er that sidestreet.;

[19:23.98]It all happened so quickly.I just didn't see him until he hit me.;

[19:29.80]Policeman:I've just  spoken to the other  motoriest;

[19:32.88]and he says that you were speeding. Mr.Simpson:What?;

[19:36.04]Policeman:Is this   true? Mr.Simpson:That's a   lie.;

[19:38.47]My wife and Becky'll tell you that I stopped;

[19:41.43]at the pedestrian crossing just down there.;

[19:44.52]You can see it's only fifty yards away.;

[19:47.76]I could hardly have reached thirty miles an hour by the time I got here.;

[19:52.61]Goodness knows what would've happened if I'd been going faster.;

[19:57.35]Policeman:The other  driver said that he  stopped at the  junction.;

[20:01.52]When he pulled out there was nobody coming,so you must have been speeding.;

[20:06.89]Mr.Simpson:Well,it's  not true.I've  witnesses to prove  it.;

[20:11.01]He couldn't have stopped.The lighting is very good here along this stretch.;

[20:16.38]Policeman:Yes.He  should have  stopped.;

[20:18.95]Why did you stop at the pedestrian crossing?;

[20:22.24]Mr.SimPson:There  were two old ladies  on it.;

[20:24.76]I'm always a bit careful with old people;

[20:27.71]because they're likely to walk acro- ss the road without looking properly.;

[20:32.02]Policeman:I  shouldn't worry,sir;

[20:34.15]We don't think you were speeding--even without measuring the skid marks.;

[20:39.68]Mr.Simpson:Er,was  he--er,the other  driver--drunk?;

[20:44.13]Policeman:I don't  know yet.;

[20:45.92]He's admitted that he's had one or two drinks,;

[20:49.56]but says it was only two half-pints.;

[20:52.80]We're going to give him a breathalyser test to see whether he's over the limit.;

[20:58.03]If he is,he'll be asked to have a blood test.;

[21:02.24]Mr.Simpson:Well,I  haven't touched a  drop all night!;

[21:06.50]Policeman:No,sir.;

[21:08.10]It's surprising how much a driver's breath smells;

[21:12.07]even if he's only had one drink.;

[21:15.12]Well,sir,I don't think I need to detain you any longer.;

[21:19.87]We shall want written statements from you,;

[21:23.20]your wife and the young lady tomorrow.;

[21:26.89]Mr.Simpson:Yes...  What'll happen to  my car?;

[21:31.11]It's obvious that with that badly- damaged wheel;

[21:35.32]I shan't be able to drive it.;

[21:38.47]Policeman:We'll have  to take some measu-  rements of the skid  marks;

[21:42.00]and the positions of the cars.;

[21:44.52]We'11 arrange to have it towed away when we've finished.;

[21:48.49]If you ring the police station tomorrow,they'll tell you what to do.;

[21:53.14]Mr.Simpson:Thank you   very much.;

[21:55.03]Policeman:Oh,er,by  the way,is the  young lady staying  with you?;

[21:59.58]Mr.Simpson:No,she's  a friend of my  wife.;

[22:02.49]She's staying at the Station Hotel.Her name is er Becky Softe.;

[22:09.22]She has a friend with her and she'll need to be told about the accident,;

[22:14.27]I suppose.I--I don't know... Policeman:We'll see  to that.;

[22:19.00]I expect you'll want to go to the hospital to see how your wife is.;

[22:23.45]Mr.Simpson:Yes,er I  must go there now.;

[22:26.65]I told my wife to wait there until I could collect her in a taxi.;

[22:31.30]I hope they don't keep her in.;

[22:34.01]Policeman:If you  feel well enough,;

[22:36.00]you can get a taxi just around the next corner.;

[22:39.24]Mr.Simpson:Yes,I'm  fine.Goodnight. Policeman:Goodnight.;

[22:44.71]6.The Alcohol Limit   and the Punishment;

[22:52.32]The limit of the amount of alcohol a;

[22:55.94]driver is allowed to have in his blood is 80 milligrams;

[23:00.81]for every 100 millilitres of blood:;

[23:04.30]that is about one and a half litres of beer,or one double whisky.;

[23:11.08]If the driver is convicted of "being drunk;

[23:15.45]while in charge of a motor vehicle",the usual sentence is a) a heavy fine.;

[23:21.93]b)disqualification from driving for 12 months.;

[23:27.45]If the driver causes an aecident,the sentence can be stricter.;

[23:33.69]For example,a drunken driver who killed a pedestrian;

[23:38.83]was sent to prison for 9 months,;

[23:41.54]as well as being fined and losing his licence for a year.;

[23:47.06](A demonstrator who destroyed a tennis court as a protest;

[23:52.19]was sent to prison for 18 months.);

[23:56.89]7.How Do Police   Detect Drunk   Drivers;

[24:03.86]If the police suspect you of having drunk more than the limit;

[24:08.75](see above)they can ask you to blow into a breathalyser,;

[24:13.50]which is a plastic bag;if the crystals inside turn green,;

[24:19.55]the police can take you to a police station and take a blood sample.;

[24:25.37]If the driver has had a drink less than 20 minutes before he is stopped;

[24:31.47]the breathalyser cannot be used.;

[24:35.00]OfficiaLly the police can stop you;

[24:38.53]only if they think you are driving badly,;

[24:41.59]but in practice they sometimes simply stop drivers,;

[24:46.38]and give them the breathalyser test.;

[24:50.50]8.Different Opinions   on the Alcohol   Limit;

[24:59.41]Chief Inspector Kale (Head of Southern Police);

[25:04.98]would like the alco- hol limit lowered and sentences made tougher.;

[25:10.84]Mrs.Nash (a lawyer);

[25:13.79]is often profession- ally involved in drinking and driving cases.;

[25:18.73]She thinks judges are too kind,;

[25:21.78]and that sentences should be made tougher.;

[25:25.75]Dr.Smalby has been asked to explain the effects of alcohol.;

[25:32.00]He says that it slows down reactions and affects vision.;

[25:38.00]Mrs.Houghton,whose six-year-old son, Tommy,;

[25:42.70]was killed by a drunken driver.;

[25:45.75]She thinks the driver should have been sent to prison for life.;

[25:51.27]Mr. Lambert knocked down a pedestrian while slightly drunk;

[25:57.47]He feels very guilty;

[25:59.80]and is convinced it would not have happened if he had not had a few drinks;

[26:05.85]Mr.Crosby lost his licence six months ago,and,as a result, his job.;

[26:14.42]He feels he was driving quite properly,;

[26:17.91]and that the law was, and is,far too strict.;

[26:23.14]Mrs.Austin lost her licence after having three whiskies.;

[26:29.24]She was driving because her husband was drunk.;

[26:33.11]She thinks she drives perfectly well after three whiskies;

[26:38.10]and that the law is unfair.;

[26:41.40]James Connery (a fa- mous racing driver);

[26:46.09]thinks that everybody reacts differently to alcohol.;

[26:50.26](He would be quite safe after drinking three whiskies.);

[26:54.71]He thinks the limit should be raised.;

[26:58.53]Gabrielle Savage (a famous film actress);

[27:03.08]thinks the law shou- ld be abolished bec- ause it stops people having a good time.;