Passage 3

　　Cars are an important part of life in the United States. Without a car most people feel that they are poor. And even if a person is poor he doesn’t feel really poor when he has a car.

　　Henry Ford was the man who first started making cars in large numbers. He probably didn’t know how much the car was going to affect American culture. The car made the Unite States a nation on wheels. And it helped make the United States what it is today.

　　There are three main reasons to explain why the car became so popular in the United States. First of all, the country is a huge one and Americans like to move around in it. The car provides the most comfortable and cheapest form of transportation. With a car, people can go any place without spending a lot of money.

　　The second reason is that the United States has never really developed an efficient and inexpensive form of public transportation. Long�瞕istance trains have never been as common in the United States as they are in other parts of the world. Nowadays, there is a good system of air-service provided by planes. But it is too expensive to be used frequently.

　　The third reason is perhaps the most important one. The American spirit of independence is what really makes cars popular. Americans don’t like to wait for a bus or a train or even a plane. They don’t like to have to follow an exact schedule. A car gives them the freedom to schedule their own time. And this is the freedom that Americans want most to have.

　　The gas shortage has caused a big problem for Americans. But the answer will not be a bigger system of public transportation. The real solution will have to be a new kind of car, one that does not use so much gas.

　　41. When do most Americans feel they are poor?

　　A. When they don’t have a car.

　　B. When they live in a huge country.

　　C. When they don’t use planes.

　　D. When they have a car.

　　42. Why do cars become popular in the United States?

　　A. Because the country is huge.

　　B. Because the air-service is not very good.

　　C. Because the car is a sign of wealth.

　　D. Because Americans like to be independent.

　　43. What kind of public transportation is good in the United States?

　　A. Buses. B. Planes.

　　C. Taxis. D. Trains.

　　44. What has caused a big problem for Americans?

　　A. A new kind of car. B. Public transportation.

　　C. The gas shortage. D. Poor people.

　　45. Which of the following is NOT mentioned according to this passage?

　　A. Cars have made the nation on wheels.

　　B. The answer to the gas shortage will not be a bigger system of public transportation.

　　C. Nearly 80% of the American people have cars.

　　D. Cars give Americans the freedom to schedule their own time.