THE GROWING OF GREEN CARS
By W. E. Butterworth
1. Every year, more than a million new cars and
trucks hit U.S. highways. They join the countless
vehicles already on the road. And one adds to the
pollution that darkens our skies.
2. But that soon may change. On the horizon are
cars that make little or no pollution at all. They are
called “green cars” because they are friendly to our
green earth.
3. Most car engines burn gasoline, which adds to
the “smog” that dirties our cities. This air
pollution—nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide—
hurts humans. It also rises high in the sky where it
soaks up heat from the sun. Some scientists say
this causes a second problem: the “greenhouse
effect,” or warming of the earth. The air has
become so bad in California that the state passed a
new pollution law. It tells auto makers that some of
their new cars must not pollute at all. They will be
zero-emission vehicles, or ZEV. Five years from
now, in 1998, two of every 100 new cars sold in
California must be ZEV. The requirement shoots
to one in 10 just after the turn of the century.
4. California does not suffer smog alone.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), vehicles nationwide cause 56
percent of cancer-causing air pollutants. “While
today’s cars are 80 percent cleaner than 20 years
ago,” says the EPA’s Martha Casey, “we have
more cars today.”
5. Today, the average family minivan gets only 23
miles per gallon. Some lawmakers in the U.S.
Congress want cars nationwide to do better—
averaging 40 miles per gallon. That would produce
less smog per mile traveled.
6. But reaching that goal will be costly. The Honda
Civic VX, for example, gets an astounding 48
miles per gallon. But the equipment making that
possible adds almost $2,500 to the car’s price. Few
customers want to pay the extra cost. Honda sells
far more of a cheaper Civic model that burns more
gasoline.
7. Burning less fuel is one way to cut pollution.
Another way is to tune engines so they can burn
cleaner fuels. These cars, called Flexible Fuel
Vehicles, may run on gasoline,
hydrogen methanol, ethanol,
natural gas, propane gas, or
various other fuels. Still, these
fuels must be burned. And
burning causes pollution.
8. Electric cars don’t burn fuel, so they put out no
exhaust at all. They are the cars that companies
will build to comply with the stiff, new ZEV laws.
9. Already, companies from Chrysler to MercedesBenz put electric motors in some of their current
models, with all new designs to follow.
10. But some people argue that even electric cars
aren’t perfect. Why? Because the batteries that run
them get their energy from power plants. And
power plants often belch their own pollutants into
the air.
11. Both lawmakers and automakers agree that
there are no easy answers on the road to perhaps
the perfect ZEV: an electric car powered by the
sun. Much more work is needed to make such an
earth-friendly car practical.
12. But with each step—such as models free of
chlorofluorocarbon—cars get better.
13. They will have to. Almost a dozen Northeastern states and Washington, D.C., are adopting
California’s tough auto standards. That, by one
manufacturer’s estimate, means nearly 300,000
electric cars in the United States by 2001—proof
that green cars are taking root.
Source: Boys’ Life, May 1993
Match main ideas a-m with paragraphs 1-13
A. Electric cars need power plants
B. Electric cars = no pollution
C. Problem
D. Goal: less pollution
E. Solutions (more miles per gallon & burn less
fuel)
F. Examples of electric cars
G. Getting there step by step
H. Final goal: no pollution
I. Burning clean fuel still = pollution
J. Must because of laws
K. Burning less fuel = expensive cars
L. Nationwide problem
M. No easy answers (solar power car ideal)
Read the following four summaries of
“The Growing of Green Cars”
1. Which summary is the best? Why?
2. Analyze the other three summaries and
determine what kinds of mistakes the
authors made.
SUMMARY 1
“The Growing of Green Cars” describes the
serious pollution problem in California and many
other states. Since cars and trucks add to the
pollution, auto makers are trying to design cars
that are environmentally safer.
__________________________________
________________________________________
SUMMARY 2
This article is about how car companies are finally
trying to deal with the pollution that their products
cause. Since cars and trucks around the country
are responsible for over 50 percent of the
dangerous pollutants in the air we breathe, I think
it is about time that the automobile companies
decided to do something to make their vehicles
safer for the environment. California has recently
passed a law that requires auto makers to produce
a certain number of cars that do not pollute the
environment at all. Other states are following in
California’s footsteps and hopefully, by the year
2000, many cars on the road will not burn any fuel
at all. These new electric cars may be the answer
to the serious problem of pollution caused by
burning fuel.
__________________________________
________________________________________
SUMMARY 3
In “the Growing of Green Cars” (Boys’ Life, May
1993), W. E. Butterworth describes the ways that
cars and trucks add to the already high level of air
pollution in the United States. According to the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
vehicles nationwide cause 56 percent of cancercausing air pollutants. This may soon change as
states like California pass laws that require auto
makers to produce cars that cause less pollution.
The long-term goal is to make zero-emission
vehicles (ZEV) that will not pollute the air at all.
Within five years, 2 percent of all cars sold in
California must be ZEV. This will increase to 10
percent by the year 2000. Even though cars today
are 80 percent cleaner than those produced 20
years ago, the problem is worse because of the
great increase in the number of cars on the road.
The article mentions several ways to cut pollution
caused by cars. One way is to produce cars that
burn less fuel. A second way is to tune engines so
they burn cleaner fuels, such as hydrogen,
methanol, ethanol, natural gas, or propane gas.
Finally, automobile companies are designing
electric cars that do not burn any fuel. Companies
such as Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz are already
putting electric motors into some of their cars.
__________________________________
________________________________________
SUMMARY 4
In “The Growing of Green Cars” (Boys’ Life, May
1993), W. E. Butterworth discusses the new trends
in environmentally safe automobiles called “green
cars.” Auto makers are working hard to produce
cars that cause less pollution. Their long-term goal
is to make zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) to comply
with new state laws. The author mentions several
ways that car companies can reach their goal,
such as designing cars that burn less fuel, tuning
engines so they burn cleaner fuels, and producing
electric cars that do not burn any fuel. However,
none of these solutions is perfect, and all of them
are expensive. Although everyone agrees that
there are no simple solutions, more and more
states are adopting stricter antipollution laws.
THE GROWING OF GREEN CARS
By W. E. Butterworth
1. C Every year, more than a million new cars and
trucks hit U.S. highways. They join the countless
vehicles already on the road. And one adds to the
pollution that darkens our skies.
2. D But that soon may change. On the horizon are
cars that make little or no pollution at all. They are
called “green cars” because they are friendly to our
green earth.
3. H Most car engines burn gasoline, which adds to
the “smog” that dirties our cities. This air
pollution—nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide—
hurts humans. It also rises high in the sky where it
soaks up heat from the sun. Some scientists say
this causes a second problem: the “greenhouse
effect,” or warming of the earth. The air has
become so bad in California that the state passed a
new pollution law. It tells auto makers that some of
their new cars must not pollute at all. They will be
zero-emission vehicles, or ZEV. Five years from
now, in 1998, two of every 100 new cars sold in
California must be ZEV. The requirement shoots
to one in 10 just after the turn of the century.
4. L California does not suffer smog alone.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), vehicles nationwide cause 56
percent of cancer-causing air pollutants. “While
today’s cars are 80 percent cleaner than 20 years
ago,” says the EPA’s Martha Casey, “we have
more cars today.”
5. E Today, the average family minivan gets only
23 miles per gallon. Some lawmakers in the U.S.
Congress want cars nationwide to do better—
averaging 40 miles per gallon. That would produce
less smog per mile traveled.
6. K But reaching that goal will be costly. The
Honda Civic VX, for example, gets an astounding
48 miles per gallon. But the equipment making that
possible adds almost $2,500 to the car’s price. Few
customers want to pay the extra cost. Honda sells
far more of a cheaper Civic model that burns more
gasoline.
7. I Burning less fuel is one way to cut pollution.
Another way is to tune engines so they can burn
cleaner fuels. These cars, called Flexible Fuel
Vehicles, may run on gasoline,
hydrogen methanol, ethanol,
natural gas, propane gas, or
various other fuels. Still, these
fuels must be burned. And
burning causes pollution.
8. B Electric cars don’t burn fuel, so they put out
no exhaust at all. They are the cars that companies
will build to comply with the stiff, new ZEV laws.
9. F Already, companies from Chrysler to
Mercedes-Benz put electric motors in some of their
current models, with all new designs to follow.
10. A But some people argue that even electric cars
aren’t perfect. Why? Because the batteries that run
them get their energy from power plants. And
power plants often belch their own pollutants into
the air.
11. M Both lawmakers and automakers agree that
there are no easy answers on the road to perhaps
the perfect ZEV: an electric car powered by the
sun. Much more work is needed to make such an
earth-friendly car practical.
12. G But with each step—such as models free of
chlorofluorocarbon—cars get better.
13. J They will have to. Almost a dozen Northeastern states and Washington, D.C., are adopting
California’s tough auto standards. That, by one
manufacturer’s estimate, means nearly 300,000
electric cars in the United States by 2001—proof
that green cars are taking root.
Source: Boys’ Life, May 1993
Match main ideas a-m with paragraphs 1-13
A. Electric cars need power plants
B. Electric cars = no pollution
C. Problem
D. Goal: less pollution
E. Solutions (more miles per gallon & burn less
fuel)
F. Examples of electric cars
G. Getting there step by step
H. Final goal: no pollution
I. Burning clean fuel still = pollution
J. Must because of laws
K. Burning less fuel = expensive cars
L. Nationwide problem
M. No easy answers (solar power car ideal)
ANSWER KEY
SUMMARY 1 (35 words = about 6%)
“The Growing of Green Cars” describes the
serious pollution problem in California and many
other states. Since cars and trucks add to the
pollution, auto makers are trying to design cars
that are environmentally safer.
o too short (35 words vs. 550 words of the
original)
o the main idea wasn’t “serious pollution
problem in California”
o no support for the main idea
o no acknowledgment of author/source
SUMMARY 2 (129 words = about 23%)
This article is about how car companies are finally
trying to deal with the pollution that their products
cause. Since cars and trucks around the country
are responsible for over 50 percent of the
dangerous pollutants in the air we breathe, I think
it is about time that the automobile companies
decided to do something to make their vehicles
safer for the environment. California has recently
passed a law that requires auto makers to produce
a certain number of cars that do not pollute the
environment at all. Other states are following in
California’s footsteps and hopefully, by the year
2000, many cars on the road will not burn any fuel
at all. These new electric cars may be the answer
to the serious problem of pollution caused by
burning fuel.
o no acknowledgment of author/source
o personal opinion (“I think”)
o ways to reach the goal not mentioned
o conclusion should include “no easy answers”,
“expensive”
SUMMARY 3 (215 words = about 39%)
In “the Growing of Green Cars” (Boys’ Life, May
1993), W. E. Butterworth describes the ways that
cars and trucks add to the already high level of air
pollution in the United States. According to the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
vehicles nationwide cause 56 percent of cancercausing air pollutants. This may soon change as
states like California pass laws that require auto
makers to produce cars that cause less pollution.
The long-term goal is to make zero-emission
vehicles (ZEV) that will not pollute the air at all.
Within five years, 2 percent of all cars sold in
California must be ZEV. This will increase to 10
percent by the year 2000. Even though cars today
are 80 percent cleaner than those produced 20
years ago, the problem is worse because of the
great increase in the number of cars on the road.
The article mentions several ways to cut pollution
caused by cars. One way is to produce cars that
burn less fuel. A second way is to tune engines so
they burn cleaner fuels, such as hydrogen,
methanol, ethanol, natural gas, or propane gas.
Finally, automobile companies are designing
electric cars that do not burn any fuel. Companies
such as Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz are already
putting electric motors into some of their cars.
o unnecessary detail (According to the U.S. …
air pollutants; Within five years …on the road;
Companies such as … of their cars.)
o conclusion should include “no easy answers”,
“expensive”
SUMMARY 4 (119 words = about 22%)
In “The Growing of Green Cars” (Boys’ Life, May
1993), W. E. Butterworth discusses the new trends
in environmentally safe automobiles called “green
cars.” Auto makers are working hard to produce
cars that cause less pollution. Their long-term goal
is to make zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) to comply
with new state laws. The author mentions several
ways that car companies can reach their goal,
such as designing cars that burn less fuel, tuning
engines so they burn cleaner fuels, and producing
electric cars that do not burn any fuel. However,
none of these solutions is perfect, and all of them
are expensive. Although everyone agrees that
there are no simple solutions, more and more
states are adopting stricter antipollution laws.
GOOD
o author/source acknowledged
o main idea
o supporting ideas given
o conclusion mentions solutions but is cautious