One of the most common images of advanced Western-style culture is that of a busy traffic-filled city.Since their first appearance on American roadways,automobiles have become a symbol of progress,a source of thousands of jobs and almost an inalienable right for citizens’ personal freedom of movement. (1)_______________________.America’s almost complete dependence on automobiles has been a terrible mistake.As late as the 1950s, a large percentage of the American public used mass transit. A combination of public policy decisions and corporate scheming saw to it that countless convenient and efficient urban streetcar and intra-city rail systems were dismantled.Our air quality now suffers from the effects of the pollutants emitted directly from our cars. (2)_______________________.Developing countries are copying Western-style transportation systems down to the last detail.The problems caused by motorized vehicles in the West are often magnified in developing nations.Pollution-control measures are either not strict or non-existent,leading to choking clouds of smog. Gasoline still contains lead,which is extremely poisonous to humans.Movement in some cities comes to a virtual standstill,as motorized traffic competes with bicycles and pedestrians.In addition to pollution and traffic jams, (3)_________________________.
