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 .大家庭曾經(jīng)被看做是一種福氣。然而，今天，情況改變了，越來(lái)越多的中國(guó)家長(zhǎng)意識(shí)到家庭成員越少越好。

　　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 .過(guò)去，人們習(xí)慣完全依靠政府。以前盛行所謂的“鐵飯碗”，但今天的情況有很大的不同。

　　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 ?許多年前，中國(guó)大街上的人都穿一樣的灰褐色衣服。然而，今天的情況大不一樣了，街上滿是一個(gè)個(gè)身穿色彩艷麗的時(shí)髦衣服的人。出現(xiàn)這種變化的原因是什么呢？

　　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 .對(duì)人們行為的多年觀察使我能夠得出這樣的結(jié)論：平庸和成功的主要區(qū)別僅僅在于相關(guān)的個(gè)人。成功的個(gè)人不斷尋求進(jìn)步，而他們比較懶惰的同時(shí)代人僅僅滿足于現(xiàn)狀。

　　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 .傳統(tǒng)的思維方式有了顯著的變化。輿論發(fā)生了劇變，人們表現(xiàn)出更開放的思想以及決定他們自己命運(yùn)的強(qiáng)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 ?近年來(lái)出現(xiàn)了對(duì)社會(huì)有害的拜金主義傾向。最近的一項(xiàng)調(diào)查表明，X%的調(diào)查對(duì)象把致富作為他們的首選，相比之下，就在幾年前，只有X%的人這樣想。為什么人們沒能意識(shí)到財(cái)富不一定帶來(lái)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 .幾個(gè)月前，我的一個(gè)朋友死于一場(chǎng)與酒后駕車有關(guān)的悲慘車禍。這件事情一點(diǎn)兒也不罕見，事實(shí)上是數(shù)以千計(jì)的案件的典型，這些案件與在酒精作用下開車的人有關(guān)。

　　33. I recently read a newspaper article on the rampant spread of child abuse . The deplorable problem of the widespread abuse of innocent children has aroused public concern nationwide . 最近，我在報(bào)紙上讀到一篇關(guān)于虐待兒童現(xiàn)象變得猖獗的文章。普遍虐待無(wú)辜兒童的問(wèn)題令人深感遺憾，它已經(jīng)引起了全國(guó)公眾的關(guān)注。

　　34. Should parents spare the rod and spoil the child ? Opinions concerning strict parental discipline vary widely . Some view strict discipline as nothing more than a form of abuse , while others argue it is an essential factor for instilling appropriate social behavior .家長(zhǎng)應(yīng)不應(yīng)該閑了棍子、慣了孩子？針對(duì)嚴(yán)厲的家教的看法大相徑庭。有的人就是把嚴(yán)厲的管教看成一種虐待，而另外的人認(rèn)為這是逐漸灌輸?shù)皿w的社會(huì)行為的要素。

　　35. What do you think of the increasing openness accompanying the ongoing sexual revolution ? Do you ever fantasize ? Answers to these questions should be based on a determination between appropriate and inappropriate behavior .你如何看待對(duì)現(xiàn)在的性革命越來(lái)越開放的態(tài)度？你曾經(jīng)想像過(guò)嗎？回答這些問(wèn)題之前應(yīng)先界定得體和不得體的行為。

　　36. Why do some governments persist in spending billions of dollars on space exploration when starvation and poverty continue to grip many countries throughout the world ? This particular question is being raised by an ever increasing number of people .既然世界上許多國(guó)家仍被饑餓和貧困所困擾，為什么有的政府還堅(jiān)持花費(fèi)數(shù)十億美元用于太空探索？現(xiàn)在越來(lái)越多的人提出這個(gè)問(wèn)題。

　　37. Judging from the reams of evidence presented , we can safely conclude that the Three Gorges Project will change the lives of an untold number of people forever .根據(jù)現(xiàn)有的大量證據(jù)，我們可以有把握地得出這樣的結(jié)論：三峽工程將永遠(yuǎn)改變無(wú)數(shù)人的生活。

　　38. The ample evidence presented enables us to reasonably conclude that the scourge of AIDS will be brought under control in the foreseeable future .提出的充分證據(jù)使我們能夠合理地得出這樣的結(jié)論：艾滋病的禍害在可預(yù)見的將來(lái)就能得到控制。

　　39. We must seek immediate solutions for problems leading to the rapid depletion of the earth's ozone layer . If allowed to proceed unchecked , the problem will undoubtedly exacerbate global warming and threaten life as we know it today .我們必須尋求立即解決引起地球臭氧層快速損耗的問(wèn)題的辦法。如果任其自由發(fā)展，這一問(wèn)題無(wú)疑會(huì)加劇全球升溫，并且正如今天我們所知道的那樣危及生命。

　　40. Quite obviously , immediate action is needed to extricate 80 million Chinese people from the grips of poverty in order to remove the danger of social unrest and ensure continuing stability .很明顯，需要立即采取行動(dòng)使八千萬(wàn)中國(guó)人擺脫貧困，從而消除社會(huì)動(dòng)蕩的危險(xiǎn)，確保持續(xù)的穩(wěn)定。

　　41. China needs to reexamine the results of political and social modernization in order to ascertain the benefits and indeed the detrimental aspects from a new perspective . Otherwise , various perceived accomplishments might in fact prove to be far from beneficial .中國(guó)需要重新檢查政治和社會(huì)現(xiàn)代化帶來(lái)的結(jié)果以便從新的角度明確它們的好處，甚至是有害的方面。否則，許多我們以為取得的成就實(shí)際上可能完全不會(huì)帶來(lái)好處。

　　42. It is essential to heed warnings of potentially catastrophic consequences associated with the Year 2000 computer bug and , in turn , to attach top priority to finding effective solutions to ensure a smooth transition into the new century .我們必須注意有關(guān)計(jì)算機(jī)千年蟲可能帶來(lái)的災(zāi)難性結(jié)果的警告，并且相應(yīng)地優(yōu)先考慮尋找有效的解決辦法以確保順利過(guò)渡到新世紀(jì)。

　　43. It is high time we put an end to the deplorable practice of infanticide.我們?cè)缭摱沤^殺嬰這種應(yīng)遭譴責(zé)的做法。

　　44. There is little doubt that immediate action is required to eliminate the scourge of corruption once and forever .毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)，必須立即采取行動(dòng)徹底消除腐敗的禍害。

　　45. In short , we must work diligently to make the world a better place for coming generations . We must not persist in pursuits harmful to the environment .簡(jiǎn)而言之，我們必須勤奮工作，為了下一代把世界變成更美好的地方。我們不應(yīng)該堅(jiān)持對(duì)環(huán)境有害的追求。

　　46. We must avoid overindulgence and conspicuous consumption . We must instead continue to recognize the benefits of thrift in order to protect our newfound prosperity .我們必須避免過(guò)分放縱和鋪張浪費(fèi)。相反，我們應(yīng)該繼續(xù)發(fā)揚(yáng)節(jié)儉的優(yōu)點(diǎn)以守護(hù)我們新獲得的繁榮。

　　47. It is absolutely essential to reverse the irrational misuse of nonrenewable resources . For example , fuel-efficient motor vehicles must be developed to reduce oil consumption and alternative energy sources must be found to replace coal .徹底改變對(duì)不可再生資源的非理性濫用是絕對(duì)有必要的。例如，必須開發(fā)節(jié)能的機(jī)動(dòng)車減少汽油的消耗量，并且必須找到可替代能源取代煤。

　　48. While achieving success is easier said than done , persistence does in fact pay off . One of the most important traits of a successful person is self-confidence , another is desire , and still another is determination .獲得成功說(shuō)起來(lái)比做起來(lái)容易，然而堅(jiān)持不懈確實(shí)會(huì)有好結(jié)果。成功人士的最重要的特征之一是自信，第二是渴望，還有一個(gè)是決心。

　　49. Recognizing a problem is the first step in finding a solution .認(rèn)識(shí)到問(wèn)題是找到解決辦法的第一步。

　　50. Many of the explanations offered thus far are at least to a certain extent valid , but none fully address the problem and the issue must be examined in a wider context .目前提供的許多解釋至少在一定程度上是正確的，但是，沒有一個(gè)解釋能完全處理問(wèn)題，這件事情必須放在更廣闊的背景中考慮。