Reading skills - AIRPLANES

     Even after the railroad had come and the car revolution had taken place, the great distances to be travelled and the time necessary to do so remained a major problem. The three largest metropolitan areas, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, are very far apart. New York to Chicago is over 700 miles and from Chicago to Los Angeles over 1,700 miles. Now, in the 20th century, a second transportation revolution has taken place: the airplane has become the most important factor in mass transportation. Especially during the last twenty years, the number of airplanes and the amount* of flying has grown enormously. In some ways, this revolution is similar to the first one/very much like the first one which was brought about by the car. Flying in the United States is now very common for just about any American.

     One reason is the enormous distances that have to be covered in order to get from one corner of the country to the other. Another reason is that it is less expensive in America, on the average, than just about anywhere else. Competition between the several hundred interstate and international American airlines, all of them privately owned*, is great. This development has also accelerated since the civilian airlines were first 'deregulated', that is, allowed to compete* with each other for more routes and passengers, in the late 1970s. Today, the U.S. airlines account for over one-fifth of all civilian aircraft in the world.

     According to the International Civic Aviation Organization, there were over 3,200 civilian passenger planes in the United States. Canada and the United Kingdom occupied second and third places with less than 600 airplanes each. Of the total distances flown in the world by civilian aircraft, the United States accounts for 46.7 percent. In the number of passengers, too, America leads with 64.7 percent of the world's total. Finally, eight of the world's ten busiest airports are in the United States.

     Adding up these figures, it is clear that the airplane is fast becoming a means of mass transportation in the United States. Travellers flying in the eastern corridor can simply step aboard the planes which leave every hour between Boston, New York, or Washington, without advance reservations, without a ticket (which you can buy on board the plane), or luggage check-in. Often it is cheaper to fly than to go by car, bus, or train. In 1986, for example, you could fly from Los Angeles to Chicago (a distance of 1,700 miles) for as little as $99, or from New York to San Francisco (2,500 miles) for just $65, or from New York to Miami (1,000 miles) for a mere $69.

     Some airlines complain* that a price war will cause the weakest of them to go out of business and others to lose profits*. Other Americans, however, remember that an association of automobile manufacturers once tried to prevent Henry Ford from selling inexpensive cars for much the same reason. American businessmen, for whom competition is a fact of life, are not impressed by such arguments either. And average Americans who are now able to fly across the country to visit friends and relatives are also unlikely to feel sorry because a pilot may earn $80,000 a year instead of $12,000. Although some of the many airlines now flying will be left behind on the ground, there is no doubt that the second great American revolution in transportation - mass transportation by air - has taken off*.

Taškų skaičius už teisingą atsakymą: 1      

     Even after the railroad had come and the car revolution had taken place, the great distances to be travelled and the time necessary to do so remained a major problem. The three largest metropolitan areas, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, are very far apart. New York to Chicago is over 700 miles and from Chicago to Los Angeles over 1,700 miles. Now, in the 20th century, a second transportation revolution has taken place: the airplane has become the most important factor in mass transportation. Especially during the last twenty years, the number of airplanes and the amount* of flying has grown enormously. In some ways, this revolution is similar to the first one/very much like the first one which was brought about by the car. Flying in the United States is now very common for just about any American.

     One reason is the enormous distances that have to be covered in order to get from one corner of the country to the other. Another reason is that it is less expensive in America, on the average, than just about anywhere else. Competition between the several hundred interstate and international American airlines, all of them privately owned*, is great. This development has also accelerated since the civilian airlines were first 'deregulated', that is, allowed to compete* with each other for more routes and passengers, in the late 1970s. Today, the U.S. airlines account for over one-fifth of all civilian aircraft in the world.

     According to the International Civic Aviation Organization, there were over 3,200 civilian passenger planes in the United States. Canada and the United Kingdom occupied second and third places with less than 600 airplanes each. Of the total distances flown in the world by civilian aircraft, the United States accounts for 46.7 percent. In the number of passengers, too, America leads with 64.7 percent of the world's total. Finally, eight of the world's ten busiest airports are in the United States.

     Adding up these figures, it is clear that the airplane is fast becoming a means of mass transportation in the United States. Travellers flying in the eastern corridor can simply step aboard the planes which leave every hour between Boston, New York, or Washington, without advance reservations, without a ticket (which you can buy on board the plane), or luggage check-in. Often it is cheaper to fly than to go by car, bus, or train. In 1986, for example, you could fly from Los Angeles to Chicago (a distance of 1,700 miles) for as little as $99, or from New York to San Francisco (2,500 miles) for just $65, or from New York to Miami (1,000 miles) for a mere $69.

Taškų skaičius už teisingą atsakymą: 1