TEXT B Cars account for half the
oil consumed in The U. S. , about half the urban pollution and one fourth the
greenhouse (温室) gases. They take a similar oil of ullage (损耗) resources in other
industrial nations and in tile cities of the developing world. As vehicle use
continues to increase in the coming decade, the U. S. and other countries will
have to deal with these issues or else face unacceptable economic, health
related and political costs. It is unlikely that oil prices will remain at their
current low level or that other nations will accept a large and growing U. S.
contribution to global climatic change. Policymakers and
industry have four options: reduce vehicle use, increase the efficiency and
reduce the e missions of conventional gasoline-powered vehicles, switch tm less
harmful fuels, or find less polluting driving systems. The last of these—in
particular the introduction of vehicles powered by electricity—is ultimately the
only sustainable option. The other alternatives are attractive in theory but in
practice are either impractical or offer only marginal improvements. For
example, reduced vehicle use could solve traffic problems and a host of social
and environmental problems, but evidence from around the world suggests that it
is very difficult to make people give up their cars to any significant extent.
In the U. S. , mass-transit ridership and carpooling (合伙用车) have declined since
World War Ⅱ. Even in western Europe, with fuel prices averaging more than $ 1 a
liter (about $ 4 a gallon) and with easily accessible mass transit and dense
populations, cars still account for 80 percent of all passenger
travels. Improved energy efficiency is also appealing, but
automotive fuel economy has barely made arty progress in 10 years. Alternative
fuels such as natural gas, burned in internal-combustion engines, could be
introduced at relatively low cost, but they would lead to only marginal
reductions in pollution and greenhouse emissions especially because oil
companies are already spending billions of dollars every year to develop less
polluting types of gasoline. Which of the following is practical but only makes a marginal contribution to solving the problem of greenhouse emissions
A.The use of fuels other than gasoline. B.Improved energy efficiency. C.The introduction of less polluting driving systems. D.Reducing car use by carpooling.