Frivolous playthings of the rich.( a )
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- These horrendous road conditions forced drivers to use their automobiles on grooved, rutted and bumpy roads.
| ELISAVA_Design Objective: Reading Comprehension
Early Autos America's passion for the automobile developed rather quickly in the beginning of the twentieth century. At the turn of that century, there were few automobiles, or horseless carriages, as they were called at the time, and those that existed were considered frivolous playthings of the rich.( a ) They were rather fragile machines that sputtered and smoked and broke down often; they were expensive toys that could not be counted on to get where one needed to go; they could only be afforded by the wealthy class, who could afford both the expensive upkeep and the inherent delays that resulted from the use of a machine that tended to break down time and again. ( b ) These early automobiles required repairs so frequently both because their engineering was at an immature stage and because roads were unpaved and often in poor condition. ( c ) Then, when breakdowns occurred, there were no services such as roadside gas stations or tow trucks to assist drivers needing help in their predicament. ( d ) Drivers of horse-drawn carriages considered the horseless mode of transportation foolhardy, preferring instead to rely on their four-legged ¨engines¨, which they considered a tremendously more dependable and cost-effective means of getting around. Automobiles in the beginning of the twentieth century were quite unlike today's models. Many of them were electric cars, even though the electric models had quite a limited range and needed to be recharged frequently at electric charging stations; many others were powered by steam, tough it was often required that drivers of steam cars be certified steam engineers due to the dangers inherent in operating a steam-powered machine. The early automobiles also lacked much emphasis on body design; in fact, they were often little more than benches on wheels, though by the end of the first decade of the century they had progressed to leather-upholstered chairs or sofas on thin wheels that absorbed little of the incessant pounding associated with the movement of these machines. In spite of the rather rough and undeveloped nature of these early horseless carriages, something about them grabbed people's imagination, and their use increased rapidly, though not always smoothly. In the first decade of the last century, roads were shared by the horse-drawn and horseless variety of carriages, a situation that was rife with problems and required strict measures to control the incidents and accidents that resulted when two such different models of transportation were used in close proximity. New York City, for example, banned horseless vehicles from Central Park early in the century because they had been involved in so many accidents, often causing injury or death; then, in 1904, New York state felt that it was necessary to control automobile traffic by placing speed limits of 20 miles per hour in open areas, 15 miles per hour in villages, and 10 miles per hour in cities or areas of congestion. However, the measures taken were less a means of limiting use of the automobile and more a way of controlling the effects of an invention whose use increased dramatically in a relatively short period of time. Under 5,000 automobiles were sold in the United States for a total cost of approximately $5 million in 1900, while considerably more cars, 181,000, were sold for $215 million in 1910, and by the middle of the 1920s, automobile manufacturing had become the top industry in the United States and accounted for 6 percent of the manufacturing in the country. Questions Based on the information in paragraph 1,who would have been most likely to own a car in 1900? A a skilled laborer B a successful investor C a scholarship student The word frivolous in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to A trivial B delicate C essential D natural
It is indicated in paragraph 1 that it was necessary to repair early autos because of A the elaborate engines B the lack of roads C the immature drivers The author refers to ¨four-legged engines in paragraph 1 in order to indicate that A early autos had little more than an engine and wheels B it was foolish to travel on a four-legged animal C horses were an effective mode of transportation D automobile engines were evaluated in terms of their horsepower
Look at the four brackets () that indicate where the following sentence could be added to paragraph 1. These horrendous road conditions forced drivers to use their automobiles on grooved, rutted and bumpy roads. Where would the sentence best fit? The phrase ¨many others¨ in paragraph 2 refers to A automobiles in the beginning of the twentieth century B today's models D electric charging stations
It is stated in paragraph 2 that the owners of steam-powered cars A sometimes had to demonstrate knowledge of steam engineering B had to hire drivers to operate their cars C often had to take their automobiles to charging stations D were often in danger because of the limited rage of their automobiles
8. Why does the author mention ¨benches on wheels in paragraph 2? A To show how remarkably automobile design had progressed B To show that car designs of the time were neither complex nor comfortable C To indicate that early automobiles had upholstered chairs or sofas D To emphasize how the early automobiles were designed to absorb the pounding of the machine on the road
The word ¨incessant¨ in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to A heavy
B bothersome C jolting D continual
The phrase ¨rife with¨ in paragraph 3 could be replaced by A full of B surrounded by C dangerous due to It can be inferred from paragraph 3 that the government of New York state believed that A all horseless vehicles should be banned from all public parks B strict speed limits should be placed on horse-drawn carriages C horseless and horse-drawn vehicles should not travel on the same roads D it was safer for cars to travel faster where there was less traffic and there were fewer people 12. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in paragraph 3? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information. A It was necessary to take a measured approach in dealing with inventions such as the automobile B The various laws were needed because the use of automobiles grew so fast C The dramatic look of the automobile changed considerably over a short period of time D It was important to lawmakers to discover the causes of the problems relating to automobiles According to paragraph 3, it is NOT true that A the total cost of the automobiles sold in the U.S. in 1900 was around $5 million B sales of cars increased by more than 175,000 from 1900 to 1910 C automobile manufacturing was the top U.S. industry in 1920 D automobile manufacturing represented more than 5 percent of total U.S. manufacturing by 1925 (Taken from Preparation Course for the TOEFL Test, Longman) Directory: file -> fetch fetch -> 11 th Lit Semester 1 Final Study Guide!!! fetch -> Industrial Revolution Inventors fetch -> Analysis for Galveston Hurricane of 1900 fetch -> The Illuminators (Team 2) 1900 Galveston Hurricane Cycle a team Assignment fetch -> Team csi-utb ruth Reyes Jose Ferrer fetch -> Galveston Hurricane of 1900 Cycle a-teacher as a Problem Solver fetch -> Is Climate Change Starting a New Dust Bowl? Cycle A fetch -> What makes a storm a hurricane fetch -> The 1950s were the "Happy Days" because it was a time of economic prosperity, technology development, new entertainment, new fashion and family growth. The 1950s was a great time fetch -> Sputnik and The Dawn of the Space Age Download 29.64 Kb. Share with your friends:
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