English 中文網 漫畫網 愛新聞iNews 翻譯論壇
    中國網站品牌欄目(頻道)
    當前位置: Language Tips > Special Speed News VOA慢速

    The rough road that gave the Edsel a bad name

    [ 2011-10-26 11:06]     字號 [] [] []  
    免費訂閱30天China Daily雙語新聞手機報:移動用戶編輯短信CD至106580009009

    The rough road that gave the Edsel a bad name

    This is the VOA Special English Technology Report.

    ANNOUNCER: "They'll know you've arrived, when you drive up in the 1958 Edsel -- the car that's truly new, from nameplate totaillight."

    The Ford Motor Company built several versions of the Edsel from 1958 to 1960. Ford ended production of the car after just three model years because of weak sales.

    The Edsel has been described as both a "colossal failure" and "a car ahead of its time."

    John Heitmann is a history professor at the University of Dayton in Ohio and vice president of the Society for Automotive Historians.

    JOHN HEITMANN: "It was a car that was controversial in styling. Its horseshoe-shaped grill is still remembered today. The Edsel is kind of the example of the car that never caught on. It's known as the 'disaster from Dearborn.'"

    Dearborn, Michigan is Ford's headquarters.

    Professor Heitmann says the biggest problem was that the Edsel arrived around the same time as a recession. He says Americans were beginning to question their values.

    JOHN HEITMANN: "It's a really curious kind of economic episode. It was actually quite severe but also rather short. But it was at a time when many Americans were reacting to the dinosaur in the driveway. These very heavy, chrome-laden Buicks and other cars -- the 58 Buick had 58 pounds of chrome on it. The Edsel was also a very heavy, very fuel-inefficient vehicle."

    Even so, some people say the Edsel's technology more than made up for what it lacked in looks and fuel efficiency.

    "Shamrock" Shelly Cleaver is the public relations director for the Edsel Owners Club in the United States. Mr Cleaver has been a member of the club since it formed in 1969. He says the Edsel was the most modern car of its time.

    SHELLY CLEAVER: "It was the first Ford product to have self-adjusting brakes on it. And then on the back and rear bumper it had little bumper tips, had a guard with rubber mounted in them so when you could push your car or something, you wouldn't skin up your bumper. And it had power lubrication where you could lubricate your ball joints and everything inside the car where you mashed a button."

    Mr Cleaver liked one feature especially.

    SHELLY CLEAVER: "The 58 Edsel had five buttons in the center of the steering wheel to shift the gears, see. And that way you could shift the gears with your left hand and keep your arm around your girlfriend, or your wife, whatever and keep on driving. That was unique. It was Teletouch Drive."

    "Shamrock" Shelly Cleaver made good use of that feature when he got married in 1958. He went on his honeymoon in an Edsel, with one arm on the wheel and the other around his new wife.

    The Edsel was named for Edsel Ford, the only child of company founder Henry Ford. Edsel was president of Ford Motor Company until he died in 1943.

    Today the cars are considered collector's items. They can cost anywhere from hundreds of dollars to tens of thousands of dollars.

    And that's the VOA Special English Technology Report, written by June Simms. I'm Steve Ember.

    nameplate: 銘牌;標示牌

    taillight: 尾燈,后燈

    chrome: 鉻,鉻合金

    Related Stories:

    Henry Ford revolutionized the auto industry

    American history series: the United States turns inward after World War One

    GM to test investors' hunger for risk with stock offering

    Obama puts car giants on notice

    (來源:VOA 編輯:Rosy)

     
    中國日報網英語點津版權說明:凡注明來源為“中國日報網英語點津:XXX(署名)”的原創作品,除與中國日報網簽署英語點津內容授權協議的網站外,其他任何網站或單位未經允許不得非法盜鏈、轉載和使用,違者必究。如需使用,請與010-84883631聯系;凡本網注明“來源:XXX(非英語點津)”的作品,均轉載自其它媒體,目的在于傳播更多信息,其他媒體如需轉載,請與稿件來源方聯系,如產生任何問題與本網無關;本網所發布的歌曲、電影片段,版權歸原作者所有,僅供學習與研究,如果侵權,請提供版權證明,以便盡快刪除。
     

    關注和訂閱

    人氣排行

    翻譯服務

    中國日報網翻譯工作室

    我們提供:媒體、文化、財經法律等專業領域的中英互譯服務
    電話:010-84883468
    郵件:translate@chinadaily.com.cn
     
     
    人妻av无码一区二区三区| 亚洲免费无码在线| 中文字幕无码av激情不卡久久 | 成人无码精品1区2区3区免费看| 最近完整中文字幕2019电影| 国产午夜片无码区在线播放| 中文字幕AV中文字无码亚| 日本精品中文字幕| 亚洲中文字幕一二三四区苍井空| 无码精品久久久久久人妻中字 | 无码A级毛片免费视频内谢| 亚洲毛片网址在线观看中文字幕| 欧美乱人伦中文字幕在线| 99无码熟妇丰满人妻啪啪| 无码精品黑人一区二区三区| 亚洲国产精品无码久久久蜜芽 | 无码中文人妻视频2019| 最近中文字幕高清免费中文字幕mv| 亚洲精品欧美精品中文字幕| 性无码专区一色吊丝中文字幕| yy111111电影院少妇影院无码| 无码精品视频一区二区三区| 亚洲va无码手机在线电影| 曰批全过程免费视频在线观看无码| 日本在线中文字幕第一视频| 最近最新高清免费中文字幕 | 无码人妻少妇久久中文字幕| 欧美人妻aⅴ中文字幕| 一本一道av中文字幕无码| 无码高清不卡| 中文字字幕在线中文乱码不卡| 精品久久久中文字幕人妻| 无码精品久久一区二区三区| 中文字幕亚洲精品无码| 亚洲精品欧美精品中文字幕| 影院无码人妻精品一区二区| 欧美日韩国产中文高清视频| 久久中文娱乐网| 亚洲国产日韩欧美在线a乱码日本中文字幕高清 | 久久精品?ⅴ无码中文字幕 | 亚欧无码精品无码有性视频|