#19. Highways or public transportation, which should be given preferential financing?
As China continues along the road of economic development, new demands are being put on the transportation infrastructure of the country. This is particularly evident in the cities, where daily traffic jams are unavoidable facts of life. Faced with a mounting traffic crisis, I believe the government should focus on improving public transportation instead of improving roads and highways. Public transportation is cheaper, better for the environment, and a better longterm solution for meeting the transportation demands of the future.
The traffic crisis in large cities is mainly due to the increase in the number of private cars on the road. If 30 people each drive their own private cars to work in the morning, polluting emissions from these 30 cars pollute the air. Having 30 extra cars on the road not only means more traffic, it also means that all cars on the road will run their engines longer to produce more pollution while they idle in traffic jams. On the contrary, if those same 30 people take the bus to work, there would be less traffic, and even less pollution. More bus and subway lines would also save much space now wasted on parking lots, which makes sense from both environmental and city-planning perspectives.
Investment in public transportation also makes sense for the customer. The most expensive public transportation in the city costs about 5 Yuan. Two trips across the city every day for a whole year would still be less than a fifth of the cost of a new car, not to mention the inevitable expenditure of maintaining a good performance of the car. Taking into account the considerable upkeep expenses of a car, gas, insurance, and repairs, owning a car is much less economic and convenient than is taking the bus or the subway.
While some people would argue that investing money on highways is imperative for holistic benefits of our country, I personally believe the need for solving current traffic disasters that are prevalent in most such major cities as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou is more urgent. The problem has already become the biggest headache of local governments and their residents, and would cost even more if not handled promptly.
19. 公路与公共交通哪个应获得优先资助？
中国经济的发展，对交通运输基础设施提出了新的要求。这在城市中尤其明显，那里每天的交通堵塞是生活中无法避免的事实。面对逐步增加的交通危机，我相信政府应集中精力改进公共交通设施而不是改进公路。公共交通是适应未来交通要求的更廉价、更环保也是更好的长期解决方案。
大城市里的交通危机应主要归因于路上行驶的私家车数量的不断增加。如果30个人都驾驶着自己的私家车上班，那么排出的污染性气体就会污染空气。路上多了30辆车并不仅仅意味着交通量的增加，还意味着路上的所有汽车在交通堵塞时发动机要开动更久从而排放更多的污染物。相反地，如果同样的30个人乘公交车上班，交通量就会减少，甚至污染也会减少。更多的公共汽车和地铁线也会节省现在浪费在停车场上的空间，这不仅对环境而且对城市远景规划也有意义。
在公共交通上的投资也对消费者有利。城市里最昂贵的公共交通会花费5元。每天穿过城市两次，这样一整年下来的花费也会比一辆新车的五分之一要少，更不用提维护车辆性能良好的花费了。算上数量可观的汽车维护费用、汽油、保险和修理费用，拥有汽车远不如乘公共汽车和地铁经济方便。
有人会争论说投资修建公路对我国的整体利益来说是势在必行的，但我个人认为，解决大城市，如北京、上海、广州，目前普遍存在的交通事故问题更为紧急。这个问题已经变成了地方政府和居民最为头疼的问题，如果处理不及时将会造成更大损失。
- infrastructure ［ˈinfrəˌstrʌktʃə］ n. 基础设施
- mounting ［ˈmauntiŋ］ adj. 逐渐增长的
- emission ［iˈmiʃən］ n. (光、热等的)散发，喷射
- expenditure ［ikˈspendətʃə］ n. 支出，花费
- parking lot 停车场
- perspective ［pəˈspektiv］ n. 远景
- imperative ［imˈperətiv］ adj. 紧急的，势在必行的
- prevalent ［ˈprevələnt］ adj. 普遍的，流行的
- promptly ［ˈpra:mptli］ adv. 迅速地