经典英语美文 （63）汽车
My friend said cars are a pain. What he meant was that his car was a lot of trouble. I suppose he must have bought a “lemon”, that is, a car full of problems and not worth its keep.
Not everybody feels the same way about cars. To some, cars are just machines on wheels.These people hunt for the best value. They look for vehicles that are affordable but reliable,gas efficient, comfortable enough, reasonably safe and not too expensive to repair.In contrast, you have also seen owners who lovingly polished their machines, dressing them in fancy seat covers,and attaching cute little doodads to the windows.
To some, cars are not machines. They are the emotional extensions of their owners.Think about the adrenalin high when one looks at a BMW. The status, speed and wealth identified with the BMW are certainly tempting. Think Jaguar, and we picture the sleek, dangerous, fast and powerful black cat with rippling muscles leaping after its prey. What about the latest hot wheels – the mini-vans and jeeps? They spell outdoors, young, sporty, carefree, cool. Or cute little Smart cars – trendy, city, efficient, modern.
There is also a special class of car owners – the sentimental.To them, modern day vehicles are artistic disasters – tasteless and boring. For them, the only real cars are vintage those really old-fashion vehiclesyou see in movies about the days of our great grandparents. These cars may be antique but not ugly. They are polished to a dazzling shine, with spotless chrome and bright clean tires.
As for me, I shudder at the cost of a new vehicle. So for now, just get me a sturdy used car that can bring me from here to there without breaking down. Besides, I do not have to fret about someone running an initiation scratch on the new paint job.
我的朋友视汽车为眼中钉，他的意思是他的车子为他添了许多麻烦。我猜想他必定是买了一件"蹩脚货"，也就是一辆问题多多、不值得保留的汽车。
每个人对汽车都有不同的看法。对某些人而言，汽车只不过是装有轮子的机器。这些人会寻找最有价值的汽车。他们所寻找的是购买得起而且也可靠、省油、足够舒适、相当安全，并且维修费用不太高的汽车。相比之下，你也会看到车主温柔的把他们的车子擦亮，并套上特制的椅套,还在车窗上挂上可爱的小饰物。
对有些人而言，汽车不是机器，而是车主情感上的延伸。想想看到一辆宝马车时的兴奋之感，它所带来的对地位、速度和财富的认同的确颇具诱惑。想到美洲虎，就可能想到一只皮毛光滑、危险、快速和肌肉强健有力的黑猫在抓捕猎物。而最近炙手可热的车子——小型车辆和吉普车——又代表什么？它们代表 户外、年轻、运动气质、自由自在、独具一格。另外，小巧可爱的Smart，代表时髦、都市、效率和现代。此外，还有另一族群的车主，就是怀旧感伤的车主。他们把 现代的汽车视为艺术的败类单调又乏味。对他们而言，古典精致的车辆才真正称得上汽车一就是那些我们可以从祖父辈时代的影片上看到的古董老爷车。这些车虽然古老但并不丑陋，它们已被擦得明亮眩目，并且具有无瑕的铬片和干净亮丽的轮胎。
至子我，想到一辆新汽车的价位就令我颤抖。所以到目前为止，只要给我一辆坚固耐用的、能将我从此地运至彼地而中途又不抛锚的车子即可。除此以外，我也用不着顾虑有人在新漆的车身上刮上划痕。
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