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.

    Argentina in the late nineteenth century was an exciting place. Around 1870, it was experiencing an economic boom（繁荣）, and the capital, Buenos Aires, attracted many people. Farmers, as well as a flood of foreigners from Spain and Italy, came to Buenos Aires seeking jobs. These jobs didn't pay well, and the people felt lonely and disappointed with their new life in the city. As the unhappy newcomers mixed together in the poor parts of the city, the dance known as the tango(探戈舞) came into being.

    At the beginning the tango was a dance of the lower classes. It was danced in the bars and streets. At that time there were many fewer women than men, so if a man didn't want to be left out, his only choice was to dance with another man so that he could attract the attention of the few available women. Gradually, the dance spread into the upper classes of Argentinean society and became more respectable.

    In Europe at this time, strong interest in dance from around the world was beginning. This interest in international dance was especially evident in Paris. Every kind of dance from ballet(芭蕾舞) to belly dancing could be found on the stages of the Paris theaters. After tango dancers from Argentina arrived in Europe, they began to draw the interest of the public as they performed their exciting dance in cafes. Though not everyone approved of the new dance, saying it was a little too shocking, the dance did find enough supporters to make it popular.

    The popularity of the tango continued to grow in many other parts of the world. Soldiers who returned to the United States from World War I brought the tango to North America. It reached Japan in 1926, and in 2003 the Argentinean embassy(大使馆) in Seoul hired a local tango dancer to act as a kind of dance ambassador, and promote tango dancing throughout South Korea.

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                                                                      Amazon Best Sellers: Best Books

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    How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading Revised Edition by Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Van Doren

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    Television in the United States is free. To pay for programs, there are many advertisements. Often these advertisements are short plays with actors. The following television advertisement is like many others that Americans see daily.

    We see a man and his wife at the breakfast table. They have been married for a long time. They are not speaking to each other. They haven't spoken to each other at the breakfast table for years. The husband is reading his newspaper. We can't see his face. The wife looks very bored as she pours a cup of coffee for him. Today, she is using a new kind of coffee for the first time. The husband picks up his cup. He isn't very interested. He tastes his coffee. Suddenly he puts down his newspaper. Something is different. Can it be the coffer? He takes another taste. It's wonderful. He smiles. He looks at his wife and says in amazement, “Doris, when did you cut your hair?” Doris is pleased. She answers, “Two months ago.” Doris asks, “Herbie, when did your hair begin to turn grey?” He replies, “A long time ago.” Doues says, “Oh, very handsome.” Now they aren't bored anymore. Breakfast is different. Having a new kind of coffee changed their lives.

    Have you ever thought of taking a train and having an adventure(奇遇)?Riding the train can be a real adventure. That is how I feel every time I take Amtrak. I often take a four－hour trip to visit my children. Every time I take this trip I never know what will happen.

    Last week when I was on the train and over an hour into the train ride, there was a man sitting by himself in the back of the train carrying on a mobile phone conversation－in another language. It was loud and disturbed most of the people on the train. I think it was annoying.

    Fortunately I sat next to a wonderful old lady who was taking a two－day trip by train. She said her two daughters were distraught at the thought of her driving for three days to reach her home, although she had no trouble driving. The train ride was the only choice for her. She loved to look out of the window and watch the world go by on the train.

    She was fun to talk to and asked me when my children started being parents. That is a very good question. Both of us are old and have children. She asked that same question from time to time.

    There are always many people on the train from all walks of life, different countries, and many languages. Riding the train is a great way to increase your knowledge and take in all kinds of cultures. If you get hungry, you can buy food in the food car at any time. If you need to use the restroom there is always one available.

It sure beats driving the car, which has to stop for food and restrooms. And it is better than taking the bus.