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bete noire
of
environmental activists. In
January some SUVs were set
alight by protesters in
Pennsylvania; in Washington
state they have had their
windshields smashed; in
Massachusetts they were
spray-painted with the slogan:
"No Blood for Oil". Branded
the "axles of evil", they have
been the target of a
nationwide advertising
campaign. They are ticketed
in their millions and attract
bumper stickers declaring:
"As a matter of fact, I do own
the road," and "I'm changing
the environment, ask me
how."
The row has transformed the
SUV from a car into a national
metaphor that envelops just
about every hot-button
political issue and cultural
touchstone from religion to
sex, from tax-cuts to the first
Gulf War. These are iconic
cars for iconic people.
The message from SUVOA's
founder on its website begins:
"Is this a Great Country or
What? Yes it is." Why?
"Because we have the
freedom to own and operate
the vehicles of our choice and
to express our belief that
freedom must not be
diminished because some
individuals dislike SUVs."
©Macmillan Publishers Ltd
Taken from the News section in
www.onestopenglish.com
When fighting in Iraq was at
its height, Hummer drivers
regarded their choice of
vehicle as a patriotic act.
"When I turn on the TV, I see
wall-to-wall Humvees, and I'm
proud," Sam Bernstein told
the New York Times. "They're
not out there in Audi A4s," he
said of the troops.
Someone who drives an SUV,
according to its critics, does
not care about the
environment. At the heart of
this controversy, like so many
here in recent years, is
America's favourite drug - oil.
Federal figures show that
four-wheel-drive SUVs
average 17.3 miles per gallon
and on some larger models
that goes down to 12.
Hummers are even worse. In
comparison, the average
petrol-fuelled saloon
manages 30mpg. In a
country where, according to
the US department of energy,
per-capita energy
consumption has been about
4.5 times greater than the
world average, the debate
over SUVs is linked to the
broader national debate -
namely what responsibility
America has to the rest of the
world and how it should go
about fulfilling it. "You could
say that the American way is
to do what you want when
you want," says Weinstock.
"But there's another American
way where people pull
together for the common
good and we try to set an
example for the rest of the
world."
So far the protests have had
little effect on the American
conscience. Sales of SUVs
continue to climb faster than
those of any other type of car.
One of the reasons that the
protesters' entreaties may
have converted so few is that
while the SUV's fuel
consumption makes a big
difference to the environment,
it has little effect on the wallet.
At about $1.67 a gallon (3.8
litres), gasoline in America is
so cheap that an extra five
miles to the gallon would save
the average American only
$135 a year.
The Guardian Weekly
©Macmillan Publishers Ltd
Taken from the News section in
www.onestopenglish.com
Match the beginnings with the endings:
1. Environmentalists are opposed to SUVs because ….
2. The fake parking tickets that protesters place on SUVs ….
3. The communications director of SUVOA believes that ….
4. SUVs are ….
5. The war in Iraq made SUV owners feel that ….
6. In general SUVs …
7. US per-capita energy consumption ….
8. The environmentalists’ protests have fallen on deaf ears because ….
a. … is more than 4 times the world average.
b. … the arguments of the environmentalists are false.
c. … their choice of car was a patriotic act.
d. … they cause more damage to the environment than ordinary cars.
e. … consume about 45% more fuel than ordinary cars.
f. … the price of fuel is not an issue in the USA.
g. … the most successful type of car in US automobile history.
h. … question the owners’ need to buy such large vehicles.
1. Find two words which mean ‘false’.
2. Find a word which means ‘damage’.
3. Find a word which means ‘complaining’.
4. Find a word which means ‘famous’ and ‘representing a particular idea’.
5. Find a word which means ‘critics’ or ‘opponents’.
6. Find a word which means ‘a family car’.
7. Find a two-word expression which means ‘to co-operate’.
8. Find a word which means ‘strong requests’.
©Macmillan Publishers Ltd
Taken from the News section in
www.onestopenglish.com
Fill the gaps with these verbs from the text.
fulfil
have
provoke
make
go
turn on
express
put
set
1. to ____________ an example
2. to ____________ an effect
3. to ____________ someone in jail
4. to ____________ controversy
5. to ____________ a belief
6. to ____________ the TV
7. to ____________ a responsibility
8. to ____________ a difference
9. to ____________ to war
Make a list of the points for and against owning SUVs.
Should the sale of large cars be banned?
©Macmillan Publishers Ltd
Taken from the News section in
www.onestopenglish.com
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