共用题干Traffic Jams一No End in Sight1 Traffic

共用题干

Traffic Jams一No End in Sight

1 Traffic congestion（拥堵）affects people throughout the world. Traffic jams cause smog in dozens of
cities across both the developed and developing world. In the U. S.,commuters（通勤人员）spend an
average of a full working week each year sitting in traffic jams,according to the Texas Transportation Institu-
te.While alternative ways of getting around are available,most people still choose their cars because they are
looking for convenience,comfort and privacy.
2 The most promising technique for reducing city traffic is called congestion pricing,whereby cities
charge a toll to enter certain parts of town at certain times of day.In theory,if the toll is high enough,some
drivers will cancel their trips or go by bus or train.And in practice it seems to work:Singapore,London and
Stockholm have reduced traffic and pollution in city centres thanks to congestion pricing.
3 Another way to reduce rush-hour traffic is for employers to implement flexitime,which lets employees
travel to and from work at off-peak traffic times to avoid the rush hour. Those who have to travel during busy
times can do their part by sharing cars.Employers can also allow more staff to telecommute(work from
home)so as to keep more cars off the road altogether.
4 Some urban planners still believe that the best way to ease traffic congestion is to build more roads,
especially roads that can take drivers around or over crowded city streets.But such techniques do not really
keep cars off the road;they only accommodate more of them.
5 Other,more forward-thinking,planners know that more and more drivers and cars are taking to the
roads every day,and they are unwilling to encourage more private automobiles when public transport is so
much better both for people and the environment.For this reason,the American government has decided to
spend some$7 billion on helping to increase capacity on public-transport systems and upgrade them with
more efficient technologies.But environmentalists complain that such funding is tiny compared with the$50
billion being spent on roads and bridges.

Paragraph 1_________ A:Not Doing Enough B:A Global Problem C:Changing Work Practice D:A Solution Which Is no Solution E:Paying to Get In F:Closing City Centres to Traffic