【英语时差8,16】美国国家公路系统

ANNCR: THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY SYSTEM – Today on Congressional Moment On July 7th, 1919, the U.S. Army assembled 81 motorized vehicles and 288 men in Washington, D.C. Their mission: to drive across the country. This transcontinental convoy¹ dealt with all the poor driving conditions of the time.... incomplete or non-existent roads of dirt or sand, unsturdy bridges, and treacherous² conditions from bad weather. They arrived in San Francisco 62 days later, averaging a cross-country speed of 5 miles an hour. One volunteer observer on the arduous³ journey was a 29 year-old soldier named Dwight Eisenhower. Twenty years later, the Bureau of Public Roads had identified to Congress the need for a national road system to improve connections between cities and states. After World War II, Congress was able to fully⁴ address this massive undertaking⁵. There were many concerns: states wanted assurance that the government would pay its fair share of construction costs. Rural residents thought the new highways might limit access to small communities. In 1953, Dwight Eisenhower became President. Three years later, with construction and financing approved, the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 was signed into law. Creating over 35,000 miles of roadway, the Interstate Highway System was completed in 1975.

1 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

2 treacherous   

adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的

参考例句：

• The surface water made the road treacherous for drivers.路面的积水对驾车者构成危险。
• The frozen snow was treacherous to walk on.在冻雪上行走有潜在危险。

3 arduous   

adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的

参考例句：

• We must have patience in doing arduous work.我们做艰苦的工作要有耐性。
• The task was more arduous than he had calculated.这项任务比他所估计的要艰巨得多。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。