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 problema 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。

1. 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。