RRW Classic Cars G-2 SB
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28 Read " Reason " Write This passage is about a different way to power an automobile. An Electric Solution Americans have an ongoing love 3hate relationship with the internal-combustion engine. They love the power,speed,and independence that the gasoline engine brings.
Yet they hate the noise and pollution it causes. For more than 100 years,there has been another choice 4 the electric car. The first electric car was built in Scotland in 1837.
But it wasn 9t until the 1880s,when the lead-acid battery was perfected,that electric cars became practical. The first production electric cars were exhibited in 1892. RRW Classic Cars G-2 SB 2/18/08 2:48 PM Page 31 Read " Reason " Write 29 One of the most important producers of electric cars was the Detroit Electric Car Company.
The company began as the Anderson Carriage Manufacturing Company in 1884. By the early 1900s,it had produced 160,000 horse-drawn carriages. Anderson Carriage soon realized that it would have to build horseless carriages to survive.
The owners decided against gas- powered vehicles. Too many other companies were working on them. And the electric car seemed better suited to Anderson Carriage.
Electric motors fit the carriage bodies. And electric cars,like horses,traveled at slow speeds. In 1907, Anderson produced 125 cars in nine different models.
In 1908,400 cars were produced;in 1909,650;and in 1910,1,600. In 1911,the company became the Anderson Electric Car Company. In 1919,the final name change was made to the Detroit Electric Car Company.
The year 1910 marked the prime of the electric car. It was especially popular with women ... more.
because it was clean,quiet,and easy to start. The motor didn 9t have to be cranked like those in gas cars.
Then in 1912,gas cars began to come with electric self-starters. The electric starter 4and the introduction of Henry Ford 9s inexpensive Model T in 1908 4wiped out much of the demand for electric cars. The Detroit Electric Car Company continued to build electric cars into the 1930s.
By 1940,it had built 13,862 of the 50,000 electric cars produced in the United States. The electric car began a comeback in 1973,when an oil embargo limited gasoline supplies. In Japan there were 13,000 electric vehicles.
Great Britain had 70,000. Today,five companies produce electric vehicles,most of which are used as utility vehicles such as vans and pick-ups. Many organizations now promote the use of non-polluting,renewable energy.
They encourage the development of electric cars and motorcycles and converting gas cars and trucks to electric power. RRW Classic Cars G-2 SB 2/18/08 2:48 PM Page 32 30 Read " Reason " Write Getting the Point Here are some questions about the passage that you just read. Read each one and then fill in the circle beside the best answer.
If you 9re not sure,go back and look at the passage again. F 1. When were the first production electric cars available?
A 1837 B 1880 C 1912 D 1892 CR 2. An embargo is E a tax on importing certain goods F a way of searching and drilling for oil G an electric starting system for a car H a restriction on the buying or selling of certain goods I 3. What made early electric cars practical?
A carriage design B lead-acid batteries C crank starters D mass production I 4. Why did the Anderson Carriage Manufacturing Company decide to make electric cars? E They would go out of business if they didn 9t.
F They had a supply of batteries. G They disapproved of gas engines. H They had a patent on the design.
RRW Classic Cars G-2 SB 2/18/08 2:48 PM Page 33 Read " Reason " Write 31 I 5. How many electric cars had the Anderson Carriage Manufacturing Company produced by 1910? A 650 B 1,600 C 2,775 D 16,000 I 6.
Why didn 9t women like the early gas-powered cars? E They were hard to start. F They were too quiet.
G They broke down too easily. H They were too powerful. I 7.
What country had the most electric cars in use in 1973? A Japan C France B Great Britain D the United States CR 8. In what way was the Model T superior to the electric car?
E It was cleaner than the electric car. F It was more affordable. G It was quieter.
H It was easier to park. CR 9. What is one advantage the electric car has over the gas car?
A It has more power. B It has greater speed. C It has an internal-combustion engine.
D It uses a renewable energy source. CR 10. Why would an oil embargo encourage people to buy electric cars?
E The price of electric cars would go down. F More electric cars would be produced. G The cost of gasoline would go up.
H The government would prohibit the use of gas cars. RRW Classic Cars G-2 SB 2/18/08 2:48 PM Page 34 32 Read " Reason " Write Summing Up Venn diagrams help you see similarities and differences between two objects. The outer parts of the two circles show how they are different.
The place where the circles overlap shows the things they have in common. Use the Venn diagram below to compare electric cars and gas cars. Write each car 9s individual characteristics in its circle.
Write the features they have in common in the center section. ELECTRIC CARS AND GAS CARS Electric Cars Gas Cars clean and quiet RRW Classic Cars G-2 SB 2/18/08 2:48 PM Page 35 Read " Reason " Write 33 Try This Imagine you are a critic for an automotive magazine. Your editor has given you the assignment to write an article that determines whether electric cars or gas cars are best.
The article is not about which car is the most popular,but which car is more efficient. Write your article on the next two pages. Refer to your Venn diagram and to the passage you just read to help you compare electric-powered cars with gas-powered cars.
Note to the Writer An important part of writing well is remembering to give your reader specific information and examples. Main points are often easy to state. But you can make them much clearer if you provide exact details to show what you mean.
For example,suppose you make the statement below. Electric cars were once fairly popular. Your reader will want to know how popular the electric cars were.
If you add a specific follow-up sentence,your reader will be able to understand your point better. You might add something like this: In fact, there were just as many electric cars on the road as there were gas- or steam-powered autos. RRW Classic Cars G-2 SB 2/18/08 2:48 PM Page 36
