VOA慢速英语--你会选择什么颜色的汽车?

What Are the Colors of Choice for Cars? 你会选择什么颜色的汽车?

Many cars in advertisements, exhibits¹ and at car dealerships in the United States are red, blue or green -- but almost 75 percent of new cars sold in the United States are black, white, silver or gray.

Les Jackson is a reporter who writes about cars. He says the car colors Americans choose do not show dirt as much as the colors of other cars. He says that means the owners wash their cars less, saving³ money. And he notes some areas that are suffering from water shortages⁴ do not permit people to wash their cars often, if at all.

Dan Benton works⁵ for a company called Axalta, which makes supplies for international carmakers. He says when white cars are sold by their owners, they often sell for higher amounts than cars of other colors. And he notes that white cars “absorb less energy” than cars of other colors. This means temperatures inside them are lower in warmer areas.

Benton also says research at Monash University in Australia suggests that there is a lower risk of crashes during the day for white cars compared with darker ones.

Car buyers in other countries also like white. Jane Harrington works for PPG Industries, a company that makes paint for cars. She said in China, buyers say white makes a small car look bigger.

Axalta says about 11 percent of cars sold in North America are red and 8 percent are blue. In South America, 10 percent of new cars sold are red.

Green has become less popular. Benton notes that in the mid⁶ 1990s, “green was the most popular color in North America. Today, green is hard to find.”

Sometime in the future, people may not have to choose the color of their car -- technology may let owners change their car’s paint color anytime.

Words in This Story

dealership² - n. a business that sells a specific product

absorb - v. to draw in (heat, light, energy, etc.)

1 exhibits   

v.陈列，展览( exhibit的第三人称单数 )；表现；显示；[法律]当庭出示（证件、物证等）

参考例句：

• Many exhibits with characteristics of the Chinese art are on display. 许多具有中国艺术特色的展品陈列出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One is dazzled by the endless array of beautiful exhibits. 展品琳琅满目，美不胜收。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 dealership   

n.商品特许经销处

参考例句：

• The car dealership has a large inventory of used cars. 这家汽车经销商拥有数量庞大的二手车。
• A key to this effort is the experience in the dealership. 达到这个成果的关键是销售的体验。

3 saving   

n.节省，节约；[pl.]储蓄金，存款

参考例句：

• Energy saving is term strategic policy of our country.节约能源是我国长期的战略国策。
• Old-fashioned housewives were usually very saving.旧时的家庭主妇通常都很节俭。

4 shortages   

n.不足( shortage的名词复数 )；缺少；缺少量；不足额

参考例句：

• Food shortages often occur in time of war. 在战争期间常常发生粮食短缺的情形。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• At the same time, worldwide food and fuel shortages eased. 同时，世界性粮食和石油短缺的现象终止了。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

5 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

6 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。