Question

    I was desperately nervous about becoming car-free. But eight months ago our car was hit by a passing vehicle and it was destroyed. No problem, I thought: we’ll buy another. But the insurance payout didn’t even begin to cover the costs of buying a new car－I worked out that, with the loan, we’d need plus petrol, insurance, parking permits and tax, we would make a payment as much as £600 a month.

And that’s when I had my fancy idea. Why not just give up having a car at all? I live in London. We have a railway station behind our house, a tube station 10 minutes’ walk away, and a bus stop at the end of the street. A new car club had just opened in our area, and one of its shiny little red Peugeots was parked nearby. If any family in Britain could live without a car, I reasoned, then surely we were that family.

But my new car-free idea, sadly, wasn’t shared by my family. My teenage daughters were horrified. What would their friends think about our family being “too poor to afford a car”? (I wasn’t that bothered what they thought, and I suggested the girls should take the same approach.)

My friends, too, were astonished at our plan. What would happen if someone got seriously ill overnight and needed to go to hospital? (an ambulance) How would the children get to and from their many events? (buses and trains) People smiled as though this was another of my mad ideas, before saying they were sure I’d soon realize that a car was a necessity.

Eight months on, I wonder whether we’ll ever own a car again. The idea that you “have to” own a car, especially if you live in a city, is all in the mind. I live—and many other citizens do too—in a place that has never been better served by public transport, and yet car ownership has never been higher. We worry about rising car costs, but we’d be better off asking something much more basic: do I really need a car? Certainly the answer is no, and I’m a lot richer because I dared to ask the question.

1.The author decided to live a car-free life partly because ______.

A. most families chose to go car-free

B. he was hurt in a terrible car accident

C. the cost of a new car was too much

D. the traffic jam was unbearable for him

2.What is the attitude of the author’s family toward his plan?

A. Supportive. B. Disapproving.

C. Optimistic. D. Unconcerned.

3.What did the author suggest his daughters do about their friends’ opinion?

A. Argue against it. B. Take their advice.

C. Think it over. D. Leave it alone.

4.What conclusion did the author draw after the eight-month car-free life?

A. Life cannot go without a car.

B. Life without a car is a little bit hard.

C. His life gets improved without a car.

D. A car-free life does not suit everyone.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.D

4.C

【解析】

作者的旧车不幸被撞毁了，准备买新车时，发现私家车成本高昂，而作者住址附近的公共交通非常发达，因此作者觉得没有必要买车，但家里人反对，作者说服了家里人，经过八个月后，作者感觉没买车让他变富裕不少。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段最后一句I worked out that, with the loan, we’d need plus petrol, insurance, parking permits and tax, we would make a payment as much as £600 a month.可知，因为买新车所花的费用太多了，所以作者决定不买汽车了。故C项正确。

2.推理判断题。根据第三段第一句But my new car-free idea, sadly, wasn’t shared by my family.可知，作者不买车的想法并没有得到家人的支持。在本段接下来的内容中详细介绍了家人反对我的观点的理由。故B正确。

3.推理判断题。根据第三段最后一句(I wasn’t that bothered what they thought, and I suggested the girls should take the same approach.)可知，我并没有受到他们的影响，我建议女儿的朋友应该和我们一样不买汽车。也就是说我建议女儿不要理睬别人的观点。故D正确。

4.推理判断题。根据文章最后两句We worry about rising car costs, but we’d be better off asking something much more basic: do I really need a car? Certainly the answer is no, and I’m a lot richer because I dared to ask the question.可知，对于是否应该有汽车的问题，我的答案是不。因为我从没车的八个月里得出的结论就是：没了车，我变有钱了。故C项正确。