每日英語 #171: Car Ownership 汽車擁有率：重要性與法規

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Car Ownership in the United States: Importance and Regulation 美國的汽車擁有率：重要性與法規

Many U.S. cities do not have good public transportation systems. They do not have the subways, buses, and trains that are often found in other countries. This means that owning a car is essential or very important to most Americans. More than 90% of all American families own at least one car. Even those who do not make very much money usually have a car.

許多美國城市的公共交通系統並不完善。它們沒有像其他國家那樣普遍的地鐵、公車和火車。因此，對大多數美國人來說，擁有汽車是必不可少的或非常重要的。超過90%的美國家庭至少擁有一輛汽車。即使是收入不高的人通常也有一輛車。

Since cars are very popular among people of all levels of income, you will often see cars in very poor condition. Those with lower incomes will often buy older cars, sometimes 10 or 15 years old. Each state regulates or controls car ownership and sets the rules for what your car must have so that you can drive it. Most states require, for example, that you test your car every few years to see that it is not polluting. This is called a “smog check.” “Smog” is another word for pollution (actually, a combination of “smoke” and “fog”), and “to check” means to investigate or look at. In order to renew your car’s permission to drive, you need to have your car checked.

由於汽車在各收入階層中都很普遍，因此你經常會看到狀況很差的汽車。收入較低的人通常會購買較舊的汽車，有時是10年或15年車齡的車輛。每個州都會對汽車擁有權進行管理，並制定你可以開車上路的相關規定。例如，大多數州要求你每隔幾年對你的汽車進行檢測，以確保它不會造成污染。這稱為“煙霧檢測”。“煙霧”是污染的另一個說法（實際上是“煙霧”和“霧氣”的組合），而“檢查”則是指調查或查看。為了更新汽車的行駛許可，你需要讓車輛通過這項檢測。

However, these checks do not include the other parts of a car, such as the doors or windows or paint. The police will sometimes give a ticket or a fine to someone who has something missing from their car (such as headlights), but this does not happen very often. For this reason, you will often see cars that need to be repaired but that are being driven. Of course, there are also many rich Americans who drive the newest cars available.

然而，這些檢測並不包括車輛的其他部分，例如車門、車窗或車漆。警察有時會對車輛缺少某些配件（如車燈）的人開罰單，但這種情況並不常見。正因如此，你經常會看到需要修理但仍然在行駛的汽車。當然，也有許多富裕的美國人駕駛最新款的汽車。

重要單字

• 1. essential /ɪˈsɛnʃəl/ 必不可少的
• 2. smog check /smɔg tʃɛk/ 煙霧檢測
• 3. pollution /pəˈluʃən/ 污染
• 4. to regulate /ˈrɛgjəˌleɪt/ 規管