英语听力：探索发现 2014-02-26 America's Sex Pioneers 美国的性爱先锋-14

 The sexual evolution would not have taken place, or certainly not taken it turn without the automobile¹ and without the teenager. After World War II, American experienced an economic boom. For the first time, teenagers had spending money on what they had spent it on---cars. Here you had increasingly affluent² kids, buying cars with the money that they earned after schools or on the weekend and then using cars to do some pretty interesting things, including make a little bit whoopy, make a lot of whoopy perhaps. With cars allowing teens to get busy, this new found sexual freedom lead to a even bigger epidemic³. The fundamental change in 1950s is that people started getting married younger than in any other time in American society. So this generation of people who are finding freedom in the backseat of car were also the ones who rushed into marriage. By 1959, half of brides were 19 or younger, men got married 20, 21, 22.. Early 20th century. Men were 24, 25 or 26 when they got married, closed to the ages they are today. One of the reasons they got married is that they could have the freedom., to have sex not and not just have it in the backseat of the car, but through their castle. There’s no question that the automobile tuned⁴ up American’s sex life, but how did one vehicle become America’s leading sexsible. Dagmar is probably one of the most influential⁵ car designers of all time, and interestingly enough, he came from Hollywood.

1 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

2 affluent   

adj.富裕的，富有的，丰富的，富饶的

参考例句：

• He hails from an affluent background.他出身于一个富有的家庭。
• His parents were very affluent.他的父母很富裕。

3 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

4 tuned   

adj.调谐的，已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• The resort is tuned in to the tastes of young and old alike. 这个度假胜地适合各种口味，老少皆宜。
• The instruments should be tuned up before each performance. 每次演出开始前都应将乐器调好音。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。