The private automobile (私家车）has long played an important role in the United States. In fact, it has become a necessary and important part of the American way of life. In 1986, sixty-nine percent of American families owned at least one car, and thirty-eight percent had more than one. By giving workers rapid transportation, the automobile has freed them from having to live near their place of work. This has encouraged the growth of the cities, but it has also led to traffic problems.

    For farm families the automobile is very helpful. It has made it possible for them to travel to town very often for business and for pleasure, and also to transport their children to distant schools.

    Family life has been affected（影响）in various ways. The car helps to keep families together when it is used for picnics, outings, and other shared experiences. However, when teenage children have the use of the car, their parents can't keep an eye on them. There is a great danger if the driver has been drinking alcohol or taking drugs, or showing off by speeding or breaking down traffic laws. Mothers of victims（受害者）of such accidents have formed an organization called MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). These women want to prevent further tragedies (悲剧）. They have worked to encourage the government to limit the youngest drinking age. Students have formed a similar organization, SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving) and are spreading the same message among their friends.

    For many Americans the automobile is a necessity. But for some, it is also a mark of social position and for young people, a sign of becoming an adult. Altogether, cars mean very much to Americans.

    Top Sites to See in New York

    Central Park

    For more than 150 years, visitors have come to Central Park's 843 green acres in the heart of Manhattan. Since 1980, the Park has been managed by the Central Park Conservancy, in partnership with the public. You can visit the official website of Central Park to learn more about Park happenings and activities and to learn how to help Central Park.

    Telephone: 212-310-6600

    Location: 59th to 110th Street, Manhattan Borough, from Central Park West to 5th Avenue, New York City,                 NY10022

    Open Hours: 06: 00-23:00

    The National 9/11 Memorial Museum

    The national 9/11 Memorial & Museum is a place of remembrance honoring those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11,2001. The 9/11 Memorial Museum displays Monumental artifacts linked to the events of 9/11, while presenting stories of loss, sympathy and recovery that are central to telling the story of the 2001 attacks and the consequence. It also explores the global impact of 9/11 and its continuing significance.

    Telephone: 212-312-8800

    Location: 180 Greenwich St, World Trade Center, New York City, NY 10007

    Open Hours: 09: 00-20: 00

    The Metropolitan Museum of Art

    At New York City's most visited museum and attraction, you will experience over 5,000 years of art from around the world. The Met is for anyone as a source of inspiration, insight and understanding. You can learn, escape, play, dream, discover and connect.

    Telephone: 212-535-7710

    Location: 1000 5th Avenue, New York City, NY 10028-0198

    Open Hours: 10: 00-17: 30

    If you want to get something done, you might want to put your mobile phone back in your pocket. Researchers have found that the mere presence of a phone is distracting (分心) — even if it is not your own. And the devices (设备) are likely to distract you, even if they are not ringing or “pinging” with text messages. People asked to carry out electronic tests of their attention spans were found to perform worse when a mobile phone was present than other people performing in the presence of a paper notepad.

    Scientists from Hokkaido University in Japan said that their findings show that it is harder to concentrate when one of the electronic devices is present. The effect was most marked on people who are not regular users of phones. In tests on 40 undergraduates. Associate Professor Junichiro Kawahara and a colleague divided the subjects into two groups — one asked to carry out tests in the presence of an Apple iPhone next to a computer monitor, and the other in the presence of a notebook.

    The test involved asking the participant to search for a particular character among a mess of other characters on the screen. Researchers measured the time it took to find the target. The results of the experiment found that those with the mobile phone took longer to find the character, indicating that participants were automatically distracted by the presence of the phone. The researchers suggest that people are drawn to the presence of a mobile phone, although there are individual differences in how one attempts to ignore it. In conclusion. Professor Kawahara said. “The mere presence of a mobile phone was a distraction among infrequent internet users.”

    Another finding is that listening to one half of a mobile phone conversation also distracts people, and other studies have found that placing a mobile phone in view has a negative impact on the quality of face-to-face communications. Holding a mobile phone makes you less likely to get a fair hearing from others.

    For many reasons, I didn't choose to go to university like most of my family members, schoolmates and even best friends. I can't say that I didn't have moments of doubt about my decision. As the last term of school was coming to a close, I began to feel very anxious about the choice I made to be different and start an apprenticeship(学徒).

    Although my A-level results day was the one that I felt extremely proud of, I knew that the general feeling from most of my teachers was disappointment. I completed my application, did a series of ability tests and interviews, and at last nine months later—I began an apprenticeship with Sellafield Ltd.

    As soon as I started, I knew straight away that I made the right decision. From the people I met, to the on-the-job training that I was experiencing, I began to feel a real sense of purpose and could see a successful career in an industry that I found so interesting and challenging, paving the way in front of me. I never thought when I was in sixth grade that I would be working in the nuclear industry, but now I can't imagine working anywhere else.

    Since finishing my apprenticeship over two years ago, I've had countless opportunities to develop myself both academically and personally. I've bought my first home; I was chosen to be a part of the Government's Get In Go Far apprenticeship campaign, and offered an amazing and unique secondment(人员借调) with the Environment, Health, Safety and Quality department at Sellafield.

    I have no doubt that without my apprenticeship I wouldn't be in the position I am today, but equally I know that it was only the beginning for me.

    My apprenticeship inspired me to explore different career paths in the nuclear industry, and it gave me the confidence to know that I can succeed in shifting from one position to another.

    Before you were my teacher, I thought that teaching was the last thing I wanted to do. Why would someone want to come in every day and attempt to instruct students, many of whom couldn't care less, or to get paid very little compared with the work he or she put in?

    You may have thought that the only thing I was learning from you was the course, but that's not all l learned. From reference books to funny jokes, you made each class exciting. You always tried to make class charming so that we could be excited about learning. However, those days have gone by.

    Whenever I was confused and needed extra help, you were the exact one to turn to. I would walk into your room for help and there would be several kids. You ran from one student to the next helping each one through their confusion. You could have gone back home after the bell rang. Instead, you chose to Stay and care about what your students did.

    You didn't only care about my learning, but you also cared about other things I was involved in. At the beginning of the year, we wrote down our hobbies and interests. You remembered what we wrote, too. I had missed class for track meets (田径运动会)and when I came back the next day, you would ask me how it went. Many of the teachers never bothered to ask what I liked to do.

    These things showed me the value of teaching. They showed me how much of an influence a teacher can have on a student. I want to be the one that influences students and pushes them toward success. I want students to leave my classroom thinking that their time was worthwhile (值得的). I want to be the inspiration for them that you were for me. Whenever it gets hard for me to continue on this path, I'll remember you and what you did for me.

    I attended a party one night. During the dinner a man told a humorous story based on the quotation: "There's a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will."

    The storyteller mentioned that the quotation was from the Bible. I knew he was wrong. There couldn't be the slightest doubt about it. To get a feeling of importance and display my superiority, I appointed myself as an unwelcome committee member to correct him. He stuck to his guns. "What? From Shakespeare? Impossible! Absurd! That quotation was from the Bible." And he knew it.

    The storyteller was sitting on my right; and Frank Gammond, an old friend of mine, was seated on my left. Mr. Gammond had devoted years to the study of Shakespeare. So the storyteller and I agreed to submit the question to Mr. Gammond. Mr. Gammond listened, kicked me under the table, and then said, "Dale, you are wrong. The gentleman is right. It is from the Bible."

    On our way home that night, I said to Mr. Gammond, "Frank, you knew that quotation was from Shakespeare. "Yes, of course," he replied, "Hamlet, Act Five, Scene Two. But we were guests at a happy time, my dear Dale. Why argue with the storyteller? Why prove to him he is wrong? Why not let him save his face? Always avoid your sharp angle." I learned a lesson I'll never forget. I not only had made the storyteller uncomfortable, but also had put my friend in an embarrassing situation. How much better it would have been had I not become argumentative.

    Nine times out of ten, an argument ends with each of the contestants more firmly convinced than ever that he is absolutely right. You can't win an argument. You can't because if you lose it, you lose it; and if you win it, you lose it