城区的迅速扩大在很多情况下侵占了宝贵的可耕地，使人们普遍认识到发展不能以牺牲农业为代价。政府更加重视这个问题，越来越多的不必要的工程被终止。

　　16. There is a growing worldwide awareness of the need for strengthened environmental protection .

　　世界上越来越多的人认识到加强环境保护的必要性。

　　17. There has been a dramatic increase in the spread of HIV/AIDS in recent years ， with a new study projecting that the dreaded disease will affect over 30 million people worldwide by the year 2005 .

　　近年来，艾滋病蔓延的幅度进一步扩大，一项新的研究预测，到2005年，世界上有超过三千万人将感染这一可怕的疾病。

　　18. Working with the disabled cannot help but leave one impressed with their indefatigable desire .

　　与残疾人一起工作使一个人不得不对他们坚持不懈的渴望印象深刻。

　　19. Perhaps no issues are more controversial than euthanasia and abortion ， both of which involve taking the life of a human being .

　　也许没有问题比安乐死和人工流产更有争议性，它们都涉及结束一个人的生命。

　　20. Never before in history has the issue of overpopulation been more evident than now .

　　历史上，人口过剩的问题从来没有比现在更加突出。

　　21. Perhaps it is time to reexamine the idea that college degrees are a guarantee of intelligence .

　　也许现在是应该重新考虑大学为是智力的保证这种想法的时候了。

　　22. A growing number of people are beginning to realize that wealth is not the sole prerequisite for happiness .

　　越来越多的人开始意识到财富不是幸福的惟一先决条件。

　　23. In spite of the extraordinary progress made in science and technology ， problems remain in terms of guaranteeing that achievements benefit the greatest number of people .

　　尽管科学技术取得了非凡的进步，但是在保证进步成果使尽可能多的人受益这方面还存在一些问题。

　　24. A famous thinker once wrote that “ the greatest threat to mankind is mankind itself ！ ” If this is indeed the case ， then the current situation should make us ponder our futuer existence .

　　一位著名的思想家曾经写道：“对人类最大的威胁是人类自身！”如果事实确实如此，那么，现状应该促使我们对我们未来的生存进行思索了。

　　25. U.S. President Harry Truman once remarked ： “ The buck stops here ！ ” His view has been confirmed by numerous world leaders who have assumed full responsibility for their actions .

　　美国总统杜鲁门曾经说过：“责任止于此！”（意为勿再把责任往别处推，这是杜鲁门办公室桌上的座右铭）他的观点得到了很多对自己的行动承担完全责任的世界领袖的肯定。

　　26. Large families were once seen as a blessing . Today ， however ， things are changing and an increasing number of Chinese parents realize that fewer is better .

　　大家庭曾经被看做是一种福气。然而，今天，情况改变了，越来越多的中国家长意识到家庭成员越少越好。

　　27. People used to place total reliance on the government . The so-called “ iron rice bowl ” prevailed in the past ， but things are quite different today .

　　过去，人们习惯完全依靠政府。以前盛行所谓的“铁饭碗”，但今天的情况有很大的不同。

　　28. Several years ago ， Chinese streets were filled with people wearing identical drab clothing . Today ， however ， things are quite different and the streets are awash with people wearing fashionable bright colored outfits . Why has the change taken place ？

　　许多年前，中国大街上的人都穿一样的灰褐色衣服。然而，今天的情况大不一样了，街上满是一个个身穿色彩艳丽的时髦衣服的人。出现这种变化的原因是什么呢？

　　29. Years of observing human behavior has enabled me to conclude that the major difference between mediocrity and success lies solely with the individual concerned . Successful individuals consistently seek advancement ， while their less industrious contemporaries are merely content with the status quo .

　　对人们行为的多年观察使我能够得出这样的结论：平庸和成功的主要区别仅仅在于相关的个人。成功的个人不断寻求进步，而他们比较懒惰的同时代人仅仅满足于现状。

　　30. Traditional way of thinking have changed dramatically . The pendulum has swung and people are exhibiting greater open-mindedness and a burning desire to detemine their own destiny .

　　传统的思维方式有了显著的变化。舆论发生了剧变，人们表现出更开放的思想以及决定他们自己命运的强烈愿望。

　　31. There has been undesirable trend in recent years towards the worship of money . A recent survey showed that X percent of respondents ranked getting rich as their top priority ， compared to X percent only a few years ago . Why do people fail to realize that wealth does not necessarily bring happiness ？

　　近年来出现了对社会有害的拜金主义倾向。最近的一项调查表明，X%的调查对象把致富作为他们的首选，相比之下，就在几年前，只有X%的人这样想。为什么人们没能意识到财富不一定带来幸福呢？

　　32. Some months ago ， a friend of mine was killed in a tragic automobile accident involving a drunk driver . The incident was far from rare ， and was in fact typical of thousands of cases involving people dricing under the influence of alcohol .