TOEFL(Test of English as a Foreign Language)托福題庫下載題庫

At the turn of the twentieth century, Americans who wished to travel between cities either for work or for pleasure had limited options. The steam railroad offered the best, the most reliable and the fastest means of transport. Electric railways (trams and trolleys) Line provided reasonable intraurban and short-distance intercity travel They also offered some longer routes, but only in certain parts of the country. Horse-drawn coaches were neither a competitive nor a comfortable alternative given the deplorable slate of the nation's highways; and though bicycles were popular in both town and country, they, too, were hampered by poor road surfaces. It took the mass production and ownership of cars, together with increased attention to road construction, to bring the major breakthrough in travel in the 1920's. And alongside the rapid spread of the popular and individualistic auto came the slower, but significant, growth of bus transport. Not only did buses largely replace trams and trolleys in urban mass transit, they also opened up new avenues of intercity travel both to those Americans who could not afford cars and to those car owners who preferred to leave distance driving to others. No particular date marks the beginning of the American intercity bus industry because so many individuals were attracted to it at about the same time by the large profits available to those who could carry fare-paying passengers over public highways- These ubiquitous bus pioneers came from all walks of life. Few knew much about transport or about business, but they were willing to take a chance on a new venture that had low entry costs. Frequently driving used vehicles, these drivers concentrated on local services operated on a consumer-demand basis with the driver taking cash fares. There were no formal schedules or routes. People became aware of the new service by word of mouth or newspaper advertisements, but a regular commitment was not guaranteed. Bus drivers frequently did not start until they Had a full load; and those who traveled on the early buses were content with reaching their destination rather than enjoying a fast or comfortable journey.