大学英语六级听力练习 019

The automobile and travel

Thte automobile has probably changed people's way of life more than any other invention of the last century.More than electric lights,television,air travel ,or even computers,automobiles have changed where people live and work ,and how they make a living.

Before there were cars,people generally traveled on foot or by horse over unpaved roads.Whether they lived in the city or the country ,they rarely went farther than a few miles from home.They saw the same people and places year after year.

The car opened up whole new worlds.Roads were paved,and motorists went to see different parts of the country .People with cars could live father from their jobs,and so the age of commuting began.New suburbs sprang up around the cities.The auto industry boomed,and millions of Americans made a living,,manufacturing,selling,servicing or insuring cars.