The Challenge* of the Small Car

Words in Use (Lesson 18)

• tragedy
• pedestrian
• glance
• budget
• nimble
• manipulate
• reckless
• horrid
• rave
• economical
• lubricate
• ingenious

Read the following passage to see how the new words are used in it.
  
The Challenge* of the Small Car
The auto makers in Detroit barely survived* the tragedy of 1956. That was the year the consumer became aware* of the Volkswagen, and the auto market was forever altered.* Once Americans got a glance at this low-priced, nimble, small car that one could manipulate so easily, they frequently* refused those horrid Detroit monsters with eight cylinders and ten miles to each gallon of gasoline. Many pedestrians, previously uninterested in owning a car, began to purchase small foreign cars. Conservative as well as reckless drivers found the price within their budget and became customers. Volkswagen owners would rave about their economical cars, telling everyone how little gas they used and how infrequently* they needed to be lubricated. Volkswagen, once one of the most popular* small cars sold in America, has now fallen behind the autos of the ingenious Japanese manufacturers.