Passage Two
Road courtesy is not only good manners, but good sense, too.
It takes the most level headed and good-tempered of drivers to resist the
temptation to get their revenge when subjected to uncivilized behavior. On the
other hand, a little courtesy goes a long way towards relieving the tensions and
frustrations of motoring. A friendly nod or a wave of acknowledgement in
response to an act of courtesy helps to create an atmosphere of good will and
tolerance so necessary in modem traffic conditions. But such acknowledgements of
courtesy are all too rare today. Many drivers nowadays don’t even seem able to
recognize courtesy when they see it. Contrary to general
opinion, young drivers (especially sports-car owners, who take pride in their
driving) have better manners than their seniors. But this attitude is
short-lived in the world of modem driving where many drivers neither expect nor
give any quarter. This may be a commendable trait on the battlefield but is out
of place on the roads. Lorry drivers say they have almost
abandoned the practice of signaling cars to overtake when the road is clear,
because many of the cars took too long to pass. Their drivers couldn’t be
bothered to select a lower gear. Others, after overtaking, slowed down again and
hogged (多占) the road. Again, a motoring magazine has recently drawn attention to
the increasing number of drivers who never wait for gaps. "They manufacture them
by force, using their direction indicators as a threat rather than a warning."
Slanging-matches (互相谩骂)and even punch-ups are quite common. It can’t be long
before we hear of pistols and knives being used: we can then call our dual
carriageways duel carriageways, and solve a spelling problem in the
process. Driving is essentially a state of mind. However
technically skilled a driver may be, he can’t be an advanced motorist if he is
always arrogant and aggressive: Ironically, misplaced courtesy
can also be dangerous and selfish. Typical examples are the driver who brakes
violently to allow a lone car to emerge from a side street at some hazard to
following traffic, when a few seconds later the road would be clear anyway; or
the man who waves a child across a pedestrian crossing into the path of oncoming
vehicles that may be unable to stop in time. The same goes for encouraging old
ladies to cross the road wherever and whenever they care to. It always amazes me
that the highways are not littered with the corpses of these grannies. According to the author, ______.
A．drivers should apply courtesy properly B．strict traffic regulations are badly needed C．road courtesy should be valued in any circumstance D．drivers should encourage old ladies to cross the road