Transport represents 22 per cent of total energy consumption in industrialized countries, mainly in the form of automobiles. Although this is the fastest growth sector in such countries, the rate of increase in road transport energy demand has slowed in most developed countries since the late 1960s. This has reflected both improved vehicle efficiency and a slowing down in the level of acquisition of automobiles by households. These developments have encouraged hopes that saturation levels may operate at lower levels than sometimes projected. In developing countries, transport represents 14 per cent of total energy consumption but the number of automobiles is approximately 20/1000 people, compared to 600/1000 people in industrialized countries. In addition to strictly technical improvements that can be made to automobiles and trucks, there is another important area of action which could help in the solution of the problems, namely, system operation. In this category, there is a variety of actions that could be performed more efficiently such as transporting passengers and freight by other means, such as bus and rail, that would result in lower energy consumption and therefore, lower emissions.
The writer of the passage feels that one hopeful sign relating to the energy consumption factor is ____.
the growing concern about the pollution caused by car emissions
that the number of cars per household is not increasing as fast as formerly
that the technical improvements introduced by the car industry have led to cleaner emissions
the unexpected drop in car sales
the trend to send goods by train not by lorry
It is clear from the passage that transport requirements in the industrial countries ____.
are increasing faster than ever before
will be easier to meet as vehicle efficiency improves
are being reviewed with the aim of meeting them with greater efficiency
will continue to rise at roughly the same rate
account for a large proportion of the energy consumed
It is pointed out in the passage that energy consumption in industrial countries would be reduced ____.
if alternative energy sources could be found for buses and cars
to the level of that in the developing countries if the number of cars per household were reduced
if more people were to make use of public transport
if the governments took appropriate action
significantly, if certain simple measures were put into effect