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　　Endless flows of cars along highways are a common sight in the United States. The automobile is usually known as a token of affluence, but in the United States, a car is simply a portion of personal possessions just like a bicycle in China. An average American family can afford a car; many families have more than one car. In the eyes of Americans, the automobile is no longer luxury but necessity. According to statistics, the total number of cars now in private use by American motorists is about 93 million. Each year, American new-car-buyers spend $ 36 billion on 11 million cars, including 1.5 million imported cars.

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　　At 16, they are trained to drive a car on highways and get a license after they pass certain tests. The cars will serve them through their lifetime. Not only do automobiles serve people as convenient and powerful vehicles for travel and transportation, which is especially important in the U. S., they are also apparatus for thrilling sports and performances. With cars and trucks, circus players, and athletes can work miracles. Indeed, the automobile becomes part of American life.

　　The auto industry in the U.S. is one of the major manufactures that underlie the nation's economy. Four major American auto manufacturers--General Motors (GM),Ford, Chrysler and American Motors Corporation (AMC) produce about l0 million units a year, about half of the world' s annual output. It is said that one-fourth of the American population are living on auto industry and related services.

　　（2）

　　Subsequently, automation, robots and computers further helped establish automatic workshops and plants. Now every 2 minutes a car is completely assembled and rolls out of the assembly line. Ironically, auto workers do not benefit from the modem techniques. Although it has proved to be true that automation will relieve the back-breaking drudgery on the assembly line and improve manufacturing efficiency, workers complain that the monotony of the assembly line is simply against humanity and that their job opportunity is diminished. Armed with robots and computers, GM's automated assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio, is the world's fastest one; but line workers struck in March, 1972 because of the pressure and monotony.

　　（3）

　　Exhaust released from internal-combustion engines form a huge blanket of smog covering streets, blurring motorists' sight and endangering people's respiratory system. Automobiles occupy the streets and the pedestrians have to risk their lives when crossing the streets. Traffic accidents claim 1000 deaths a week, accounting for the major death toll in the U.S. In major cities, the genie shares people's precious and limited space. Parking lots occupy a great amount of land in commercial districts. Most car-owners, who cannot afford private garages, simply park their cars by sidewalks, driving the passers to walk in streets. Abandoned ears and junk tires pile up on dump sites, impairing the urban sanitation conditions. This genie also shares families' income. To keep a car, one needs about $ 500 a month to pay for gasoline, tax, insurance premium, maintenance, toll, parking fee and other expenses.

　　To improve safety design and exhaust control of vehicles, the federal government has issued regulations of mandatory safety measures to protect occupants in cars and standards of exhaust control for antipollution. Automakers are required to comply with these by improving theft engine, styles, bumpers, brakes, steering wheels, windshields, and seats. Besides, certain devices are installed as indispensable accessories, for instance, lap and shoulder belts, filter for absorbing poisonous compositions of the exhaust.

　　（4）

　　The idea of using the rotary engine to replace the traditional piston engine to drive a car is on a fact chat compared with the piston engine, fuel in a turbine can be burned more completely, giving out more power and it can operate more smoothly and efficiently. In a test, the turbine car burned almost any combustible liquid-jet fuel, kerosene, white gasoline, diesel and even perfume. As the engine used the fuel so efficiently that there was no carbon monoxide in the exhaust, nor was there any odor. The engine had only a fifth as many parts as a piston engine and it was air-cooled. In November 1972, Chrysler won a federal contract to develop its sixth generation of turbine cars. Since then further refinements have been made. But so far turbine cars haven't got popular.

　　（5）

　　The "oil crisis" taught the American ear-owners a lesson that they could no longer have inexhaustible gasoline supply at a low price. Instead of luxurious, powerful and large ears, the compacts that consume little gasoline could fit the average Americans. Compacts made by Japanese auto makers, for example, Nissan, Toyota, invaded the oar market of the United States, followed by German and Italian auto makers. When Ford and GM and AMC touted their own compacts, Japanese car-makers had sold more than 2 million compacts by 1978 and the demand for Japanese-made compacts continued to grow. Apart from economic consideration, style, performance, comfort, mileage and automation are major factors with which the American automakers think they can beat their rivals. New designs emerge every year, for example, front-wheel-drive, 4-wheel drive, automatic transmission, remote control of rear windows, exterior styling of aero dynamic combination, reclining bucket seats, split fold down rear seats. Trade war continues.

　　Today, automobiles become a weapon which businessmen and politicians wield in a worldwide trade war. With their experienced personnel and advanced equipment, the American automakers are confident that they can win the desperate battle and maintain their superiority in their traditional territory auto industry.

　　A. One reason may be that the high speed of turbine cars would lead to more fatal accidents on highways.

　　B. Since Henry Ford introduced the idea of assembly lines into auto industry, its productivity has been dramatically increased.

　　C. At their tender age, American boys and girls will begin to learn to drive a car just like playing games.

　　D. Americans do not walk to work, they drive to their place instead. So when it is the rush hour you can see many cars crowded in the street. It is more difficult to go to work by car on time than by bike. But they don't want to use bikes instead of cars.

　　E. This was one of those events. Many auto plants cannot work to their capacity limits. Automobiles turn out to be a genie escaping from the magic bottle, as an Arabian fairy tale says.

　　F. These improvements will ultimately cost the car-buyers more. To find a way out, a new prototype of rotary engine was tested in Chrysler Co. ration in October 1963.