(Use of English: pt 2 open cloze) write your answers in the boxes
Recent research suggests many young Americans prefer to spend their money and time chatting to their friends online, as opposed 1. the more traditional pastime of cruising around in cars.
For the high school students in films 2.Ferris Bueller's Day Off and American Graffiti, cars were the ultimate expression of individuality and personal freedom - just as they have been for generations of Americans. read on
Keith Martin, editor of Sportscar Market magazine, puts it more poetically: "Kids in the 50s and 60s wanted a set of wheels and they wanted a set of sexy wheels.
"It goes 3. to the the Wild West, when you got your first horse. You don't have to sit in your mom and dad's buggy any more. You have personal mobility."
But with money tight in many households, and the cost of gas and insurance soaring, some youngsters are having to choose between buying a car and owning the latest smartphone or tablet.
In a survey to be published later this year by Gartner, 46% of 18 to 24-year-olds said they would choose internet access 4. owning their own car. The figure is 15% among the baby boom generation, the people that 5. up in the 1950s and 60s - seen as the golden age of American motoring.
Wally Neil, a 25-year-old wholefood salesman, from Raleigh North Carolina, was determined to stand 6. from the crowd by not getting a driving licence and a car as soon as he was old enough.
But it was a decision 7. easier by the fact that he could speak to his friends online and play games with them over the internet so did not feel he was missing out. For Wally, 8. father Dan is a motoring writer and sports car enthusiast, walking everywhere or taking the bus when he was a teenager, 9. than learning to drive, was "an act of rebellion".
In recent years, the annual number of journeys 10. made by American drivers of all ages has declined significantly for the first time . Car use began falling in 2007, when average petrol prices almost doubled to $4.12 a gallon, and the economy started its slide into recession. But there are signs it is back on an upward trajectory and America remains a country dominated by the automobile.
"Vehicles will always be a popular mode of transportation in America. You have to take 11. consideration some places don't have access to mass transit. Cars are the only way some people can get around," says Kristin Nevels.
This makes driving an imperative in some rural states, 12. roughly twice as many teenagers are on the road than in major metropolitan areas.
bbc
from cruising to surfing
