unit07 Motorism 汽车主义

unit07 Motorism 汽车主义

The scene is a petrol station somewhere in England. A queue of cars streches back over a kilometer down the road. As vehicles move slowly towards the pumps, the air fills with the sound of the car horns. People are getting frustrated¹ and angry. Suddenly a fight starts. Two respectable-looking men in business suits are hitting each other. One has accused the other of jumping the queue. The British petrol crisis² started in September. 2000, and car owners began panic buying. Many are genuinely³ worried about being able to get work. But many more had no need for petrol. They still waited for hours to put tiny amounts in the fuel tank. Others wasted their fuel driving from place to place trying to buy more. Soon a serious shortage⁴ developed.

Things are back to normal now. But the big scare has raised lots of questions about the effect of car culture on society in general. According to sociologists, a mortorist is not just a person who uses a car to go from one place to another. He is someone whose attitudes and beliefs are closely⁵ linked to the fact that he owns a car. He has a certain way of looking at the world. Call it “mortorism”. It is a philosophy that can be summed up in two words—me first.

To the committed mortorist, the car represents freedom. People without cars have to wait for bus or train. They go where it wants them to go. And they have no choice over who goes with them. The car driver can go exactly where he wants. He can choose the time of journey and travel with anyone he likes, or no one at all. When he passes a line of people at a bus stop, he smiles. He is a different and better human being. He is a car-owner.

Gradually, the car becomes part of his family. The thought that is might go short of petrol affects him in the same way as the thought his child might go hungry. He will do anything or go anywhere to satisfy that hunger. Many car owners do not think like this. They depend on a car for physical reasons. But others become psychologically⁶ dependent⁷ on their cars.

Car culture is an accepted part of many Western societies. But the panic buying of petrol in September showed that it could be a dangerous way to think. It is like having a friend who believes he can fly. Everybody laughs, until he jumps out of the window.

There are signs that people are realizing this. Some of those who queued for hours for petrol now say they are a bit ashamed of themselves. Next time they will stop and think. According to the manufacturers⁸, bicycle sales have risen by over 30 percent since the crisis. Some people are at last trying to break the car habit. Bicycles might be slower and less comfortable than cars. But everyone knows who is in charge.

1 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

3 genuinely   

ad.真地；确实地

参考例句：

• She appeared genuinely surprised by this gesture of affection. 看来她真的被这个爱意的表示惊呆了。
• She seems genuinely fond of the children. 她似乎真的喜欢这些小孩。

4 shortage   

n.缺少，缺乏，不足

参考例句：

• The city is suffering a desperate shortage of water.这个城市严重缺水。
• The heart of the problem is a shortage of funds.问题的关键是缺乏经费。

5 closely   

adv.紧密地；严密地，密切地

参考例句：

• We shall follow closely the development of the situation.我们将密切注意形势的发展。
• The two companies are closely tied up with each other.这两家公司之间有密切联系。

6 psychologically   

adv.心理上地，心理学地

参考例句：

• This explanation fits the facts and is psychologically plausible. 这一解释与事实相符，从心理角度看也有理。
• Boys mature more slowly than girls,both physically and psychologically. 在生理和心理上，男孩比女孩成熟得晚些。

7 dependent   

adj.依靠的，依赖的，依赖他人生活者

参考例句：

• He has a mother completely dependent on him.他有一个完全靠他赡养的母亲。
• The country is dependent on foreign aid.这个国家靠外援生存。

8 manufacturers   

制造商，制造厂( manufacturer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The manufacturers in some countries dumped their surplus commodities abroad. 一些国家的制造商向国外倾销过剩产品。
• Colour TV has been more aggressively promoted as more manufacturers have joined the competition. 由于更多的厂商参与竞争，推销彩色电视机的宣传更为激烈了。