way ahead of the others these days. Instead, the car makers from Europe, USA and Japan share the car market.

　First, the list shows only three European car makers, which is surprisingly, because their cars sold quite well. For example, VW's Beetle from Germany was the best-selling car and their Golf sold well, too. Among the top ten, Beetle sales ranked the first and Golf the fourth. Besides, Renault 4 from France also sold well. Secondly, Japanese cars were successful in the 1970s as well as in the 1960s. A lot of Japanese cars were popular, especially the Toyota Corolla whose sales ranked the second. Thirdly, classical cars from USA also played a leading role in the car market. Over sixteen million Model T sales plus Escort sales of twelve million helped Ford to a total of nearly thirty million. The Model T sold surprisingly well, considering it was made in 1908. In a word, diverse types of cars, classical or stylish, from different parts of the world, namely Europe, America and Japan, not only make the car market prosperous but also greatly meet the needs of different consumers.

T: It is wonderful! I can see your hard work.

Activity two: Guess the meanings

T: Please go to Activity 1, page 46. Guess the meanings of the words and then check them after reading the passage.

Students work in pairs to make possible guesses.

1. attractive and fashionable - stylish

2. make something new - invent

3. useful - practical

4. a car run by a petrol engine - motor car

5. making a large amount of something - mass production

Step II Reading

T: Look at the title "America on the Wheel" and pictures. What do you think of them?

Ss: The text is going to introduce something about American cars and the history of cars. Right?

T: Maybe. Read the short passage and then you can find the right answer.