Part 1
“This morning, it took me 40 minutes to go downtown. More roadworks on the A10!”
“Oh really? It took me over an hour. There was an accident on the M11.”
How often have you heard these conversations? How often do we get stuck② in traffic jams③? How often do we arrive at work or school, stressed out④, tired and angry? For many people, the answer is every day. But personal anger and stress are nothing compared to⑤ the real costs socially. Here are some figures about Britain:
·In the last 20 years, the number of cars on the roads has gone up by 25%. There are now 32 million cars.
·Over the last decade⑥, an average of 2,500 people have died every year in vehicle accidents.
·Traffic is one of the major causes of global warming and climate change, as car engines produce various types of greenhouse gases⑦.
·Almost 30,000 deaths per year are caused by air pollution.
·Some types of cancer are related⑧ to traffic pollution.,
①destruction n. 破坏,毁坏
②stuck adj. 卡住的,无法移动的
get stuck in 陷入
③jam n. 拥挤,堵塞;果酱
traffic jam 交通堵塞
④stressed out 焦虑的
⑤compared to 比起
⑥decade n. 十年,十年期
⑦gas n. 气,气体
⑧relate vi. 相联系,有关联
be related to 与……有关联