2019 大学英语四级阅读冲刺练习及答案 (9)
The men who race the cars are generally small, with a tight,
nervous look. They range from the early 20s to the middle 40s,
and it is usually their nerves that go first.
Fear is the driver's constant companion, and tragedy can
be just a step behind. Scarcely a man in the 500 does not
carry the scars of ancient crashes. The mark of the plastic
surgeon is everywhere, and burned skin is common. Sometimes a
driver's scars are invisible, part of his heritage. Two young
drivers, Billy Vukovich and Gary Bettenhausen, raced in their
first 500 in 1968. Less than 20 years before, their fathers
also competed against one another on the Indy track —and died
there.
All this the drivers accept. Over the years, they have
learned to trust their own techniques, reflexes, and courage.
They depend, too, on a trusted servant —scientific
engineering. Though they may not have had a great deal of
schooling (an exception is New Zealand's Bruce McLaren, who
has an engineering degree), many drivers are gifted mechanics,
with a feeling for their engines that amount to kinship.
A few top drivers have become extremely wealthy, with
six-figure incomes from prize money, endorsements, and jobs
with auto-product manufacturers. Some have businesses of
their own. McLaren designs racing chassis ( 底盘). Dan
Gurney's California factory manufactured the chassis of three
of the first four ears in the 1968 Indy 500, including his
own second place car.