Have you ever stood at the bus stop watching hundreds of cars go by and wondered just how many of those cars are
headed to the same place you want to go? Wouldn’t it be great if you could just stick out your thumb and get a quick ride rather
than waiting 10 minutes for the old bus?
Imagine if, instead of congested lanes of large cars with one person on board, we had a stream of traffic picking up and
setting down passengers to help them get to their destination , a truly “rapid transit” service in action on every street. __28__ Or
are you turned off instantly by the modern day stigma associated with “hitchhiking”?
Hitching a ride used to be quite socially acceptable. Nowadays (at least in the “civilized” west) somebody sticking out
their thumb on the side of the road is seen as a much less than desirable passenger. Equally, were youto decide to try your hand
for ride, you might not be all that comfortable with the first person who stops for you. __29__
It doesn't matter whether it's hydrogen, batteries or gasoline under the hood, if it’s two tons of metal carrying one person,
then it is grossly inefficient. __30__ In our morefrugal future, we’re going to need to make better use of those spare seats.
【題組】29.
(A) After all, what sort of creep would pick up a stranger off the side of the road?
(B) Can you picture this future where every car is instead a mini-bus?
(C) Of course, depending on your destination, it might take more than one 'ride' to get
you from “A to B.”
(D) Clearly, we have the roads and spare seats in the vehicles to get us where we want
to be.