A
Kristen Adamczyk,20,doesn’t have a driver’s license.In fact,she grew up in a neighborhood in the US where she didn’t need a car to get around.
In high school,Adamczyk took the bus and subway.Now,as an incoming university junior,she usually travels by subway or on foot.
“I don’t really feel like I need (a license),”Adamczyk said.“When I’m traveling around the city,it’s more convenient not to have a car.”
Adamczyk represents a trend(趋势) among young adults in the US who delay(推迟)—or choose to forgo(放弃)—getting their driver’s license.The percentage of 16-year-olds with a license in the US decreased from 46.2 percent in 1983 to 24.5 percent in 2014,according to a 2016 study by the University of Michigan.
Some young people say they just don’t need a car,while others worry about accidents.
For new drivers,safety is a reasonable concern.The fatal(致命的) crash rate per mile for teenage drivers is nearly three times the rate for drivers aged 20 and over,and the rate for 16- and 17-year-olds is almost twice the rate for drivers aged 18 and 19 years old.
“Older(people) tend to be more mature and have other experiences that they can bring to the driving context that allow them to learn more quickly,”said Bruce Gordon Simons-Morton,an investigator(调查人) at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Fear didn’t stop Ruby Garden,18,who couldn’t wait to get her learner’s permit when she turned 16.After failing her driver’s test twice,she passed on the third try and got her license a few months before her 17th birthday.
Garden doesn’t drive often,but she saw getting her license as “the next step in ensuring the independence I wanted at the time.”
She admitted she sometimes feels nervous behind the wheel when she is carrying a lot of passengers.Indeed,some states even limit the number of passengers young drivers can transport when they first get their licenses,recognizing the added distraction that passengers can cause.
To help teenagers get over their fears,Cami Winkelspecht,director of psychology at the Nemours/Alfred I.duPont Hospital for Children,recommends gradual exposure to driving.
“I think having a plan,talking about it,and understanding what your
child’s fears and thoughts about(driving) are is important,”Winkelspecht said.
1.Why did the author mention Adamczyk’s experience?
A.To explain why she doesn’t want to drive.
B.To explain why young Americans are afraid of driving.
C.To suggest driving is not necessarily needed in daily life.
D.To show driving is not so popular among US young people nowadays.
2.The statistics in Paragraph 6 aim to show that .
A.young drivers tend to drive at high speed
B.people drive at an earlier age nowadays
C.traffic accidents are caused mostly by young drivers
D.young drivers are more likely to cause accidents
3.Garden couldn’t wait to get a driver’s license mainly because she thinks .
A.it’s cool to drive like an adult
B.it’s a sign of independence
C.it’s convenient for her to drive to school
D.she wants to overcome her fear of driving
4.What did Winkelspecht advise young drivers to do to deal with their fears?
A.Expose themselves to driving as much as possible.
B.Drive accompanied by an older driver.
C.Make a driving plan and practice it gradually.
D.Limit the number of passengers they carry.
语篇解读:本文主要介绍了美国年轻人不愿意开车的原因。
答案及剖析:
1.D 细节理解题。根据第四段第一句“Adamczyk represents a trend(趋势) among young adults in the US who delay(推迟)—or choose to forgo(放弃)—getting their driver’s license.”可知,D项符合题意。
2.D 细节理解题。根据第六段第二句“The fatal(致命的) crash rate per mile for teenage drivers is nearly three times the rate for drivers aged 20”可知,D项符合题意。
3.B 细节理解题。根据第九段“but she saw getting her license as ‘the next step in ensuring the independence I wanted at the time.’”可知,B项符合题意。
4.C 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段“...recommends gradual exposure to driving.”可知,C项符合题意。
