This is America. Гришенкова Е.Г. - 34 стр.

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People could now get fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the year. Locally
grown crops could be sold nationally. Farmers often hired immigrant workers from
Asia and Mexico to plant, harvest and pack these foods.
By the early 1900s, American cities had grown. So, too, had public
transportation. The electric streetcar became a common form of transportation. These
trolleys ran on metal tracks built into streets.
Soon, however, people began to drive their own cars. Nelson Jackson and his
friend, Sewall Crocker, were honored as the first to cross the United States in an
automobile. Their trip in 1903 lasted sixty-three days. And it was difficult. Mainly
that was because few good roads for driving existed.
But the two men, and their dog Bud, also had trouble with their car and with
the weather. Yet, they proved that long-distance travel across the United States was
possible. The trip also helped fuel interest in the American automobile industry.
By 1930, more than half the families in America owned an automobile. For
many, a car became a need, not simply an expensive toy. To deal with the changes,
lawmakers had to pass new traffic laws and rebuild roads.
Cars also needed businesses to service them. Gas stations, tire stores and repair
centers began to appear.
Many people took to the road for personal travel or to find work. The open
highway came to represent independence and freedom. During the 1920s and 30s, the
most traveled road in the United States was Route 66. It stretched from Chicago,
Illinois, to the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, California. It was considered the
"people's highway."
The writer John Steinbeck called Route 66 the "Mother Road" in his book "The
Grapes of Wrath." Hundreds of thousands of people traveled this Mother Road during
the Great Depression of the 1930s. They came from the middle of the country. They
moved West in search of work and a better life.
World War II ended in 1945. Soldiers came home and started families.
Businesses started to move out to the edges of cities where suburbs were developing.
Most families in these growing communities had cars, bicycles or motorcycles to get
around. Buses also became popular.
The movement of businesses and people away from city centers led to the
economic weakening of many downtown areas. City leaders reacted with
transportation projects designed to support downtown development.
Underground train systems also became popular in the 1950s. Some people had
enough money to ride on the newest form of transportation: the airplane.
But for most automobile drivers, long-distance travel remained somewhat
difficult. There was no state-to-state highway system. In 1956 Congress passed a law

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