One of the most common images of an advanced, Western-style culture is that of a busy, traffic-filled city. Since their first【B1】on American roadways, automobiles have become a【B2】of progress, a source of thousands of jobs, and an almost inalienable right for citizens’ personal freedom of movement. In recent【B3】our “love affair” with the car is being【B4】directly to the developing world and it is increasingly【B5】that this transfer is leading to disaster.

America’s almost complete dependence on automobiles has been a terrible mistake. As late as the 1950s, a large【B6】of the American public used mass transit. A【B7】of public policy decisions and corporate scheming saw to it that countless【B8】and efficient urban streetcar and intra-city rail systems were dismantled (拆除).【B9】. Our lives have been planned along a road grid–homes far from work, shopping far from everything, with ugly stretches of concrete and blacktop in between.

Developing countries are copying Western-style transportation systems down to the last detail.【B10】. Pollution-control measures are either not strict or nonexistent, leading to choking clouds of smog. Gasoline still contains lead, which is extremely poisonous to humans.【B11】. In addition to pollution and traffic jams, auto safety is a critical issue in developing nations.

【B9】