Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words
The automobile may not be closely associated with modem American culture, but it has occupied a central role in America’s economic and social history.
No one can deny the status of Henry Ford in car history. When the first Ford Model T rolled off the assembly line in 1908, businessman Henry Ford transformed the car from a luxury attachment for the rich to an automobile product for the middle classes. The rush of cars into the community forced all levels of government to build new and better roads. Better roads fed the demand for larger, faster, more stylish vehicles, and a host of companies rushed to meet that demand.
If there was a first Golden Age of automobile, it may well have been the 1950s. It was an age of prosperity. Large, regular paychecks encouraged the public display of wealth through costly items such as new cars. Americans, moreover, needed those cars as they moved away from the cities into the suburbs, where such things as stores, jobs, and schools were seldom within walking distance. Cars became essential if people were to get to work or to the grocery store.
As Ac 1950s slipped into 1960s, it became apparent that these fashionable wheels were gas-consuming road cruisers, dangerous in an accident, and often full of faults. Under pressure from a variety of groins, the federal government required that newer models provide greater fuel efficiency and cleaner emissions. Seatbelts became standard equipment as well Rising fad prices in the 1970s, coupled with concern for the environment, made the smaller cars produced by foreign companies for European and Asian markets very popular.
The 1980s and 1990s saw an upswing in the popularity of big cars. New models including minivans and sport utility vehicles have become main products in auto dealers’ showrooms. Traffic jams on the roads have become part of the American way of life. In 1911 a horse could travel through rush-hour traffic in Los Angeles at 11 miles per hour. In 2000 a car covering the same territory at the same time of day moved at about 4 miles per hour. But perhaps that is not important. When a car is equipped with a telephone and television set, a computer, and global positioning satellite connections, it can feel just like home.
(Note: Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN TEN WORDS.)
小题1:___________________made Henry Ford well-known in car history.
小题2:That the car industry prospered in the 1950s in America resulted from ________.
小题3: Why were smaller cars once popular in the 1970s?
小题4: In today’s society, how can a car make people ignore traffic jams?