7. An increasing number of people are joining the”Information Age” via the Internet. In reaction to the phenomenon, some say the Internet has removed barters and provided people with immediate access to the world. But do they realize that rapidly advancing information technology can also lead to intrusions of privacy?
越来越多的人通过互联网进入了“信息时代”。针对这一现象，一些人认为互联网消除了障碍，为人们提供了与世界即时链接的途径。但是，他们有没有意识到迅速发展的信息技术也能导致侵犯隐私？

8. The use of guanxi is a widespread method for conducting business, but is it a wise one? The method is now being challenged by more and more people .利用关系是做生意的普遍做法，但这种做法明智吗？现在，越来越多的人对这种方法提出了质疑。

9. These days we often hear about the widening gap between the rich and poor. Some argue the developed world has totally ignored the problem. But has it? Close examination fails to bear out the argument.
最近，我们经常听到贫富差距扩大了的说法。一些人认为发达世界完全忽略了这个问题。事实是这样吗？细致的调查无法证实这一观点。

10. We ' re often told that the world is tethering on the brink of destruction . But is this really the case?
我们经常被告知世界处于毁灭的边缘。但事实真是这样吗？

11. One of the pressing problems facing our nation (China) today is overcoming disparities in urban and rural income levels.
我们国家（中国）如今面临的紧迫问题之一是克服城乡收入水平之间的差距。

12. One of the most serious problems many people talk about centers on the lack of adequate housing space.
许多人谈论的一个最严重的问题集中在缺乏足够的居住空间。

13. Perhaps the most dangerous phenomenon gripping the nation today is official corruption, which is pervasive in all levels of government.
也许当今困扰国家的最危险的现象是遍布各级政府的官员腐败。

14. Inflation is yet another new and bitter truth we must learn to face.
通货膨胀又是一个我们必须学会面对的痛苦的新情况。

15. The rapid expansion of urban areas has in many cases encroached on valuable cultivatable land, and led to a general recognition that development must not be carried at the cost of agriculture. The government has attached greater importance to the problem and an increasing number of redundant projects are being terminated.
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。hxw.red