#70. Has automobile improved modern life or caused serious problems?
Over the course of the past one hundred years the automobile has become a staple of modern society, and its impact has been considerable. Yet the question of whether it has improved our lives or caused serious problems is irrelevant, because the automobile has done both. Consequently, we should develop its strengths and seek to correct the problems it continues to cause in order to reap greater benefits from this tool.
With the invention of the automobile the age of transportation shifted into another gear. Quickly it became possible for people to travel more comfortably and conveniently to destinations near and far, and the figurative world moved closer together. Trucks carried cargo across countries and soon became serious competition for trains and ships. As a result, food and other consumer goods have become available even in remote areas, overall living standards have improved, and the automobile industry, which has grown fantastically over the course of the past century, employs millions of workers worldwide.
However, as societal reliance and global economic dependence have grown together with the automobile industry, many significant problems have surfaced.
Car and truck exhausts pollute the air in metropolitan areas around the world and thus create serious health problems. The continued use of fossil fuel engines and the scarcity of oil have led to much political strife and even war, particularly in the oil rich region of the Middle East. As the powerful automobile industry remains reluctant and has yet to successfully promote an engine type that does not rely on gasoline power, the problem of fossil fuel shortage will become an even more serious problem.
Since the automobile is here to stay we must not only enjoy its conveniences, but we must also aim to reduce the problems it has caused, for example air pollution and over reliance on fossil fuel engines. In the same vein, we must encourage the usage of alternative fuel sources, which have been researched and developed successfully. Then the benefits of the automobile will outweigh the serious problems.
70. 汽车改善了人们的生活，还是带来了严重的问题？
在过去的一百年中，汽车成为现代社会的主要产品。汽车的影响越来越大。但是，“汽车到底是提高了人们的生活质量还是带来了严重的问题”这种问法并不正确，因为这两种情况都存在。因此，为了能够从汽车身上获得更多利益，我们应该发挥它的长处，纠正它所带来的问题。
随着汽车的发明，交通时代变换了。很快，不管目的地远近，人们都可以更舒适、更快地到达，世界似乎变小了。卡车可以跨国运货，很快就成为火车和船舶的重要竞争对手。因此，即使是边远地区，食物和其他各种商品也能买得到。人们的整体生活水平提高了。在过去一个世纪中，汽车产业飞速发展，百万名员工遍布世界各地。
然而，随着汽车产业的飞速发展，社会的依存性和世界经济的相互依靠性也在提高，很多严重的问题也显现出来。在世界各大城市，小汽车和卡车排放尾气，污染着空气，带来严重的健康问题。矿物燃料的持续使用和石油的缺乏导致了政治冲突甚至是战争，特别是在石油储藏量多的地方，如：中东地区。汽车产业持续强劲发展，而至今也没有研制出不依靠石油的发动机，石油短缺的问题将会成为一个严重的问题。
- staple ［ˈsteipəl］ n. 主要成分；来源
- overall ［ˈəuvərˌɔ:l］ adj. 全部的，全面的
- irrelevant ［iˈreləvənt］ adj. 不相关的；不切题的
- fantastically ［fænˈtæstikəlli］ adv. 空想地
- societal ［səˈsaiitl］ adj. 社会的
- reap ［ri:p］ v. 收割，收获
- metropolitan ［ˌmetrəˈpa:litən］ adj. 大都市的
- shift into 转移到…上
- gear ［giə］ n. 齿轮，传动装置
- fossil ［ˈfa:səl］ n. 化石；僵化的事物
- conveniently ［kənˈvi:njəntli］ adv. 便利地，方便地
- fuel ［fju:əl］ n. 燃料
- strife ［straif］ n. 斗争，冲突，竞争
- destination ［ˌdestəˈneiʃən］ n. 目的地；终点
- promote ［prəˈməut］ v. 促进；发扬
- gasoline ［ˈgæsəˌli:n］ n. 汽油
- figurative ［ˈfigjərətiv］ adj. 比喻的
- shortage ［ˈʃɔ:tidʒ］ n. 不足，缺乏
- remote ［riˈməut］ adj. 遥远的，偏僻的