VOA标准英语2008年-Indians Respond Enthusiastically to World's Che

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
15 January 2008

The world's cheapest car, made by an Indian manufacturer, has triggered unprecedented¹ interest in a country where only eight people in every thousand own a car. From New Delhi, Anjana Pasricha has a report on how people in India are reacting to Tata Motors' Nano.

Tens of thousands of people are flocking to the Auto² Show in New Delhi - and the star attraction is a $2,500 car dubbed³ the "People's Car".

The Nano, produced by India's Tata conglomerate⁴, made its debut⁵ last week.

After a peek⁶ at the no-frills vehicle, with a 624 cubic centimeter engine, thousands say they want to buy it.

"I belong to middle class family, so it is very good thing for us, good news for us, because I can dream a good car in India," said one person.

"This is very cheap, I want to buy for my son," one gentleman said.

"Its cost is not too much, and I wish I have personal car and I cannot buy large one," said one woman.

"It appeals [to] me just due to the parking situation available in India number one, number two the fuel efficiency, number three is price, number four it is very cute vehicle, seems to be very cute," added yet another gentleman.

People have even flocked in from villages far from the city to see the Nano.

Balwan Ram⁷ took a bus from a village in Haryana state, 100 kilometers away from Delhi. Ram says he came especially to see the car and now is waiting to buy it to replace his motorbike.

The enthusiasm is not surprising in a country of more than a billion people, where a family outing can be a challenge because of dismal⁸ public transportation.

Tata chairman Ratan Tata says he conceived of the low-priced car for India's masses when he saw a family traveling on a two wheeled scooter; the father driving, his child standing⁹ in front of him, and wife seated behind holding a baby - all getting wet in the rain.

"This has been referred to as one man's dream," sadi Tata. "And indeed it was."

Now global automakers are watching to see how that dream pans out in the marketplace.

If the small car is successful after hitting the roads later this year, it could expand the car market in an unprecedented manner in developing countries.

But not everyone is happy. Although the manufacturers say the small car will meet strict emission¹⁰ standards, environmentalists worry about fuel use and the congestion¹¹ it will cause on India's crowded roads.

The head of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, R.K. Pachauri, says the focus should be on more efficient public transportation.

"The problem is not with the product itself. The usage of the product and what that implies, how can we be blind to that?" he asked. "Where are we going to find road space to accommodate all these cars, not to speak of local pollution, not to speak of the fact that it is going to crowd out public transport options."

But these concerns are of little interest to the millions eagerly waiting to become car owners for the first time.

1 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

2 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

3 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 conglomerate   

n.综合商社，多元化集团公司

参考例句：

• The firm has been taken over by an American conglomerate.该公司已被美国一企业集团接管。
• An American conglomerate holds a major share in the company.一家美国的大联合企业持有该公司的大部分股份。

5 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

6 peek   

vi.偷看，窥视；n.偷偷的一看，一瞥

参考例句：

• Larry takes a peek out of the window.赖瑞往窗外偷看了一下。
• Cover your eyes and don't peek.捂上眼睛，别偷看。

7 ram   

(random access memory)随机存取存储器

参考例句：

• 512k RAM is recommended and 640k RAM is preferred.推荐配置为512K内存，640K内存则更佳。

8 dismal   

adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的

参考例句：

• That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
• My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 emission   

n.发出物，散发物；发出，散发

参考例句：

• Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施，降低污染物排放总量。
• Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后，指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。

11 congestion   

n.阻塞，消化不良

参考例句：

• The congestion in the city gets even worse during the summer.夏天城市交通阻塞尤为严重。
• Parking near the school causes severe traffic congestion.在学校附近泊车会引起严重的交通堵塞。