72.交通的作用
段落大意：交通與一國的經濟財富和軍事力量密切相關。
Throughout history, the economic wealth and military power of a nation have been closely related to the efficiency of its transportation. Transportation provides access to natural resources and promotes trade, thus allowing a nation to accumulate wealth and power. Good transportation also allows quick movement of soldiers, equipment, and supplies so that a nation can wage （發動） war.
73.交通與美國的城市分布
段落大意：交通係統在很大程度上決定了人們的居住方式和地點，便利的交通係統使人們可以住在遠離工廠的郊區，對美國的城市分布有著重要的影響。
Transportation systems and the routes they use have greatly influenced both how and where people live. Reliable transportation allows people to work in the city and live comfortably in remote countryside. Moreover, transportation has an important role in the distribution of the US cities. The growth and expansion of the United States were directly related to the means of transportation available at the time. The cities of the US eastern seaboard are compact today because the early human- and animal-based transportation systems allowed only short trips. The cities of the western United States sprawl （雜亂擴展） as a result of an automobile-based transportation system that permits much longer travel distances.
74.交通與經濟
段落大意：交通對經濟至關重要，降低原材料和成品的運輸成本是經濟競爭的一個關鍵因素，而且其本身也是世界上最大的產業。
Transportation is vital to a nation’s economy. Reducing the costs of transporting natural resources to production sites and moving finished goods to markets is one of the key factors in economic competition. The transportation industry is the largest industry in the world. It includes the manufacture and distribution of vehicles, the production and distribution of fuel, and the provision of transportation services. In 2000, approximately 3.2.percent of the US gross domestic product （GDP） and an estimated 7.4.percent of all jobs in the United States were related to the transportation industry.
75.交通與戰爭
段落大意：軍隊、裝備、給養的快速運送是戰爭勝利的決定性因素。
Transportation systems that link all parts of a nation can also be used in the nation’s war efforts. The rapid movement of troops, equipment, and supplies can be a deciding factor in winning a battle or a war. Just as mobilizing （調動） a nation’s military strength is critical to victory, disabling the enemy’s transportation system is usually an early strategic objective of any armed conflict.
76.交通與環境
段落大意：交通係統會對環境造成很多影響，機動車排放的尾氣會導致空氣汙染，還有噪音汙染、水汙染等。
In the later 20th century, people became more aware of the impact transportation systems had on the environment. For example, the burning of fossil fuels （化石燃料）for motor vehicles creates pollution that can be harmful to human health. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency （EPA） estimates that three-quarters of all carbon monoxide（一氧化物） and one-half of all oxides of nitrogen（氮氧化物） come from motor vehicles. In addition, petroleum（石油） -based transportation is responsible for approximately one-third of carbon dioxide （二氧化碳） emissions （排放） in the United States, an important contributor to global warming. Transportation accounts for 66.percent of total US oil consumption. Other environmental effects of transportation systems include impacts on noise levels, water quality, hazardous（危險的） materials, natural habitats （棲息地）, and wetlands （濕地）.
77.交通與全球化貿易
段落大意：全球化貿易反映了許多國家經濟上的相互依賴性，交通是促成各國貿易的重要因素。
International trade routes connect different countries. These routes reflect the economic interdependence （相互依賴） of many nations around the world. Many countries are dependent on other countries for natural resources, finished goods such as automobiles and electronics, and parts for products assembled （組裝） locally. Many of the world’s largest trade partners, such as the United States, Canada, Japan, Mexico, and Europe, are connected with numerous transportation routes and services. In Asia, Japan has strong maritime （海洋的） trade relations with Southeast Asian countries in order to exchange manufactured goods for natural resources. The US ports（港口） of New Orleans, Louisiana, and Miami, Florida, are major ports for trade with Latin American nations.
78.交通的非直接經濟效益
段落大意：除了與貿易相關的經濟利益，交通能提供許多非直接經濟效益，大量工人就業於交通產業，促進其他相關產業的發展等。
Besides the economic benefits associated with trade, there are many other indirect economic benefits transportation can provide. More than 9.5.million workers are employed in transportation-related industries in the United States, and the transportation sector contributed $314.billion for the US gross domestic product （GDP） in 2000.which totaled $9.9.trillion. Aerospace （航空航天的）, naval （海軍的）, and automobile manufacturers are responsible for a large amount of that figure, as are the industries that supply these manufacturers, such as the steel, rubber （橡膠）, petroleum, and electronics industries.
79.車禍是意外事故的最大原因
段落大意：在美國，意外事故的最大原因是車禍。
The single greatest cause of accidents in the US is the automobile. In 1913.the American industrialist Henry Ford introduced assembly-line （流水線） techniques in the manufacture of motor vehicles. The subsequent increase in the number of automobiles in use was huge and led to a great rise in the motor-vehicle accident rate. In 1991.in the US, automobile accidents were responsible for about 49.4.percent of all accidental deaths.
80.交通擁堵問題
段落大意：交通擁堵在很多地方都是一個大問題，給人們的工作和生活造成諸多困擾。
Traffic congestion is an increasing problem in cities and suburbs, and Americans spend more and more time commuting to work, school, shopping, and social events. By the late 1990s rush-hour traffic patterns no longer flowed simply into the city in the morning and out of the city in the evening. Traffic became heavy in all directions, both to and from cities as well as between suburban locations. Suburban business locations required huge parking lots because there were few buses, trains, or trolleys carrying scattered workers to their jobs and many employees had to drive. The hope of reduced congestion in the suburbs had not been realized, and traffic jams could be found everywhere.
81.汽車責任保險
段落大意：美國的經濟責任法律要求曾駕車發生車禍的車主在再次取得駕駛資格之前，要購買一定的汽車責任險，而且約一半的州都要求車主購買責任險，以保障無辜受害者的權益。
Financial-responsibility laws exist in almost every state in the US and require car owners who have been involved in automobile accidents or are guilty of certain offenses （過錯） to obtain automobile liability insurance of a specified minimum amount before they are licensed to drive a car again. In addition, about half of the states have compulsory automobile liability insurance laws that require all car owners to obtain automobile liability insurance before they register their cars, thus assuring that innocent victims of automobile accidents will be compensated for personal injury and property damage.
82.老年問題 I：健康
段落大意：老年人麵臨的主要健康問題包括聽力、視力和記憶喪失，以及慢性疾病等。現在，老年人的健康狀況整體上要好於以前，而且也將得到更大的改善。
Gerontologists （老年醫學家） study how senior citizens are treated within a society and how they deal with the inevitable problems of aging, particularly those involving health and income. Health problems include normal losses in hearing, eyesight, and memory, and the increased likelihood of chronic （慢性的） diseases. These losses are gradual and proceed at different rates for each individual. Many people do not experience physical declines until very old age. The great majority of the elderly learn to adapt to the limitations imposed by health problems. In general, the health condition of the elderly today is better than that of previous generations, and that is likely to improve still further as more people receive better medical care throughout their lives. In most industrial societies, the high cost of treating chronic illness has been covered, at least partially, by national health programs.
83.老年問題 II：經濟收入
段落大意：老年人麵臨的第二大問題是經濟收入和福利。發達國家通過養老金、社會保障等方式為老年人提供資助。
The second major problem of the elderly involves income and economic welfare. Most old people are no longer in the labor force, so some form of income maintenance （維持） is necessary. Industrial societies are characterized by systems of pensions（養老金）and benefits such as social security in the United States, which currently is increased automatically as the cost of living rises, thus reducing somewhat the impact of inflation. The income of retired people is about half that of working people, and most manage to maintain themselves independently. In the United States, however, about 20.percent of the elderly live below or slightly above the poverty level. These are predominantly （主要地） women and members of minority groups for whom economic security has always been a problem. In numerous other industrialized nations where social welfare systems are more extensive, the proportion of the elderly who lack adequate housing, transportation, and social services has reduced significantly.
84.養老年金的概念
段落大意：養老年金是由特定基金支付的年津貼或收入等。
An annuity （養老年金） is an annual allowance, payment, or income derived （得自） from funds especially designated for the purpose. Annuities may also be any payments delivered at fixed intervals （間隔）. An annuity often represents only the interest derived from a principal fund （保本基金）, but it may also include periodic （周期的） payments of principal （本金）. In many cases the fund is established according to a will or a trust （信托） agreement. Annuities are frequently funded by the earnings of life insurance policies. Recipients may be paid by the funds that were established for their benefit on the deaths of other life insurance policy-holders, or they may have policies of their own. Other forms of annuity are social security and unemployment insurance.
85.個人養老計劃
段落大意：許多工作單位不提供退休養老金計劃，因此個人需要建立自己的退休養老賬戶。
Many individuals work for organizations or companies that do not offer a retirement plan, so they seek to supplement their retirement income by opening their own retirement accounts. These are known as individual plans, and they represent a part of the third leg of the “tripod （三腳架） of economic security.”There are two main types of individual plans:individual retirement accounts （IRAs） and Roth IRAs. In addition, there are a variety of life insurance products, such as annuities, enabling individuals to save for their retirement.
86.其他養老保障計劃
段落大意：除了正式退休養老計劃，個人還可以使用多種理財產品來存錢，以備退休養老之用，如存錢、共有基金、人壽保險等。
In addition to the various formal retirement savings programs, individuals can use a variety of financial products in the marketplace to save for retirement, like bank savings accounts, mutual funds （共有基金）, and life insurance products. Life insurance products, particularly annuities, are commonly used for retirement saving purposes. Insurance products permit the tax-deferred （延稅的） growth of investment income similar to a retirement plan. Some insurance products are designed with a savings component and a death benefit. Annuity contracts guarantee a stream of income as long as an individual lives, based on the value that has accumulated in the contract. Since an individual cannot outlive （比…活得長） the stream of income from an annuity, these products have historically been used to fund various types of retirement savings plans.
87.退休計劃
段落大意：退休計劃指由政府、雇主或個人財政計劃提供的退休生活保障。在美國，退休計劃的資金主要有三大來源。
Retirement plans refer to a variety of government, employer, and individual financial programs that help provide a livable（能接受的） income when a person stops working. The three principal sources of retirement income in the United States are the government-sponsored social security system, private employer-sponsored retirement plans, and individual savings plans. These three sources of retirement income have often been called the “tripod of economic security.”Most experts agree that people need to receive income from all three sources to remain financially secure during retirement.
88.福利與養老金計劃
段落大意：福利與養老金計劃指由雇主獨立或聯合為雇員提供的人壽保險、事故及健康保險、養老金或其他福利，其不同於法定的福利計劃。
Welfare and pension plans refer to plans maintained by employers separately, or jointly, to provide life insurance, accident- and health-insurance, pensions, or other benefits for employees. Sometimes such plans are called private, or voluntary, employee-benefit plans to distinguish them from the types of social insurance required by law or administered by government, for example, social security and workers’ compensation.
89.監視係統的影響
段落大意：大量組織使用監視器：國家安全機構通過監視係統來收集各種信息，大公司以此來監視並控製員工，很多公司通過買賣信息來進行市場營銷或廣告，而且個人信息有可能被用做犯罪目的。
The greatest impact of computer-enabled surveillance（監視） is that a large number of organizations are involved in this operation.
The state and security services still have the most powerful surveillance systems, because they are enabled under the law. However, today the levels of state surveillance have increased, and by using computers they are now able to draw together many different information sources to produce profiles of persons or groups in society.
Many large corporations now use various forms of “passive”surveillance. This is primarily a means of monitoring the activities of staff and for controlling public relations. However, some large corporations actively use different forms of surveillance to monitor the activities of activists and campaign groups who may impact their operations.
Many companies trade information lawfully, buying and selling it from other companies or local government agencies that collect it. This data is usually bought by companies who wish to use it for marketing or advertising purposes.
Personal information is obtained by many small groups and individuals. Some of this is used for harmless purposes, and increasingly sensitive personal information is being obtained for criminal purposes, such as credit card fraud.
90.個人隱私的概念
段落大意：不同文化或個體對個人隱私的內容和界限有著不同的理解，但存在一些基本共識。
Privacy is the right of an individual or group to seclude （隔離） information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively. The boundaries and content of what is considered private differs among cultures and individuals. Nevertheless, they share basic common understanding about the concept. Privacy is sometimes related to anonymity （匿名）, the wish to remain unnoticed or unidentified in the public realm （領域）. When something is private to a person, it usually means there is something within them that is considered inherently special or personally sensitive. The degree to which information is considered private therefore depends on how the public will receive this information, which differs among places and over time.
91.個人隱私受法律保護
段落大意：許多國家通過隱私法來保護個人隱私不受政府、公司或個人侵犯，但隱私法有時會和其他法律發生衝突。
The right against unsanctioned（未批準的） invasion of privacy by government, corporations or individuals is part of many countries’ privacy laws, and in some cases, constitutions. Almost all countries have laws which in some way limit privacy. An example of this would be the law concerning taxation, which normally requires disclosure of information about personal income or earnings. In some countries individual privacy may conflict with freedom of speech laws, and some laws may require public disclosure of information which would be considered private in other countries and cultures.