Smart Cars for Clean Air

Cars take us to school, work, and anywhere else we want to go. We rely on cars to get us to a wide variety of places . . . and fast! There is no doubt that the automobile has made our lives easier in a number of ways. But there is also no doubt that cars are slowly killing our planet. It is clearly time to rethink how we use cars in our daily lives.

While cars have given us the convenience of easy travel, the pollution they cause is a serious consequence. The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, says that gas-powered vehicles such as cars, trucks, and bulldozers are the main cause of air pollution in large cities in the United States. In fact, they cause air pollution throughout the entire world. Environmentalists have talked about the dangerous effects of air pollution for decades. One way to stop this pollution is to buy hybrids. These are cars that run on both gasoline and electricity.

Vehicles are responsible for air pollution because they run on a fossil fuel. When this fuel is burned in the process of running a car, pollutants are released into the air. As long ago as the 1900s, some experts said that burning gasoline in automobiles could damage the environment. Studies show that we are now paying the price with our quality of air today. Those experts were right!

Hybrid vehicles currently coexist with gas-powered cars. Hybrids could significantly reduce the pollution we release into the air. It is true that these cars still use gasoline. But they certainly use a lot less of it. Hybrid cars utilize a combination of gasoline and electricity. One specific type of hybrid is a particularly good choice. This is because this type relies mostly on electric power. An electric motor turns the car’s wheels, and gasoline is used to generate the electricity. The car is recharged by plugging it into an electrical outlet.

If everyone were required to drive a hybrid car, the amount of pollution from the use of gas would be hugely reduced. The government could make it a precondition that all new car owners buy hybrids. Drivers would not be allowed to buy cars that only run on gasoline. We would also be conserving our fossil fuels for other machines.

Hybrid cars have other advantages, too. Since they use gasoline, they can be refueled at any gas station so that the driver is not left stranded if there is nowhere to charge the battery. They are a great choice because they do not require a huge lifestyle change for drivers. They are very similar to the gas-powered cars that we are so familiar with. They just have one major difference: they greatly improve the environment in which we live.

Hybrid cars are the best choice to reduce air pollution around the world. Transcontinental car manufacturers should be required to stop selling the gas-guzzling cars of yesterday. Instead, they should sell hybrids at reasonable prices so that all people will be able to buy them. The future of our planet is at stake!

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1. This question has two parts. You will answer Part A first. Then you will answer Part B in the next question.

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​Part A: What reason from the text best supports the author’s point of view that cars make life better for people?

Part B: What sentence from the text best supports your answer to Part A?