大学英语讲稿1.9.ppt

Time to Change Gears for a Fuel-Efficient Future We have the chance to remake the automobile industry, to strengthen Americas technological muscle. But we are frittering away the opportunity. We are mired in nonproductive, ideological arguments over socialism vs. free enterprise. We are being suckered by the siren song of cheap gasoline. cheap gasoline → American consumer profligacy in the consumption of fossil fuels →asking whether now is a good time to buy a truck or a full-size sport-utility vehicle make those big rides a good deal / a bargain massive rebates on slow-selling trucks and SUVs falling gasoline prices Full-size Sport-Utility Vehicles Pick-up Truck American car companies are in bad shape. increasing product development costs soaring gasoline prices frozen credit have walloped their sales global regulatory changes (increased fuel efficiency and cleaner emissions) The car companies are reaping the unhappy fruits of the thoughtless seeds they planted. We -- consumers and politicians -- were complicit in the automobile industrys reluctance to do better in the arenas of fuel economy and emissions control. Natural Tendency in a Purely Profit-oriented, Capitalist System to give consumers what they are demanding at a price that returns a handsome reward on investment in product development Natural Tendency in a Purely Profit-oriented, Capitalist System to give consumers what they are demanding at a price that returns a handsome reward on investment in product development Socialist Lever of Regulation Car companies would have to improve fuel economy and emissions control by government mandate. If consumers arent demanding those things and are not willing to pay more for them, why invest the enormous amount of money to make them available? Capitalist Conundrum Increased fuel efficiency and emissions controls require increased development costs. But this is where things got dicey in the United States. An Approach Desig