高中英语 美国人上下班往返时间更长、距离更远 Americans commute longer作文素材.docVIP

PAGE PAGE 1 用心 爱心 专心 美国人上下班往返时间更长、距离更远(Americans commute longer, farther than ever) Dave Givens drives 370 miles to work and back every day and considers his seven-hour commute the best answer to balancing his work with his personal life. 　　The winner of a nationwide contest to find the commuter, with the longest trek, Givens is one of millions of people who are commuting longer and farther than ever before. 　　Studies show Americans spend more time than ever commuting, and for a growing number, getting to work takes more than an hour. In the most recent U.S. Census Bureau study, 2.8 million people have so-called extreme commutes, topping 90 minutes. 　　Givens, a 46-year-old electrical engineer, has an extreme commute between home in Mariposa, California, and his job in San Jose. He leaves home before dawn and returns after dark. 　　His trip landed him first place among almost 3,000 entries in the search for America’s longest commute, sponsored by automotive services provider Midas Inc. and announced last week. But as harrowing or tedious as Givens’ trip may sound, he says it’s the way to keep the home and job he loves. 　　“I have the balance right now,” Givens said. “I could do similar jobs closer, but not with the work reward and job satisfaction I have. And I could live closer, but I wouldn’t have the lifestyle that I desire. 　　“To me, this is not that long a commute,” he added. “It’s just something I do to go to work.” 　　Suburb-to-suburb commuting 　　Longer commutes frequently involve people who live in one suburb and work in another, said Alan Pisarski, author of “Commuting in America.” 　　Such a pattern tends to begin with companies moving out of a city to a suburb, enticing workers to move to less-expensive outer suburbs, he said. “People see this as an opportunity to go farther away,”he said. 　　Such a move may provide more affordable housing or better schools. Even high fuel costs — Givens spends about $185 a week on gasoline — can pay off in a better quality