1999年高考英语全国卷 - 阅读理解D

Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father, "But, Dad, you can't be healthy if you're dead."
也许十岁的伊丽莎白对父亲说得最好，“但是，爸爸，如果你死了，你就不会健康。”

Dad, in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run, had forgotten to wear his safety belt-a mistake 75% of the US population make every day. The big question is why.
爸爸急着在天黑前回家，然后去跑步，忘了系安全带——每天有75%的美国人会犯这个错误。最大的问题是为什么。

There have been many myths about safety belts ever since their first appearance m cars some forty years ago. The following are three of the most common.
自从大约四十年前安全带首次在汽车上出现以来，有很多关于它的谬论。以下三种最常见。

Myth Number One: It's best to be "thrown clear" of a serious accident.
谬论一：在严重的车祸中最好能被“扔出去”。

Truth: Sorry, but any accident serious enough to "throw you clear" is also going to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing. And chances are that you'll have traveled through a wind-shield or door to do it. Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty-five times greater in cases where people are "thrown clear".
真相：很抱歉，事实上，任何严重到足以把你“扔出去”的车祸都会严重到给你一个糟糕的落地。很有可能你穿过了挡风玻璃或车门才落地。研究表明，人们在被“扔出去”的情况下，车祸后死亡的几率要高出25倍。

Myth Number Two: Safety belts "trap" people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.
谬论二：当车正在燃烧或下沉，安全带会“困住”车里的人。

Truth: Sorry again but studies show that people knocked unconscious due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situations, not to be trapped in them.
真相：再次抱歉，研究表明人们由于未系安全带导致被撞击昏迷，在事故中死亡的几率更大。系安全带的人通常会得到保护，使其头脑清醒，能够从此类危险情况中脱困，而不会被困在其中。

Myth Number Three: Safety belts aren't needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour.
谬论三：时速低于30英里时不必系安全带。

Truth: When two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other, an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving head first into the ground from a height of 10 meters.
真相：当两辆以30英里/小时的速度行驶的汽车相撞时，未系安全带的驾驶员会迎面撞上挡风玻璃，其作用力相当于从10米高空头朝下坠落地面。