2006 年 6 月 24 日大学英语新四级(CET-4)真题试卷 2 / 25
specifications stressed the importance of adequate drainage. Beyond that, there were no
n a t i o n a l s t a n d a r d s f o r s i z e , w e i g h t r e s t r i c t i o n s , o r c o m m e r c i a l s i g n s .
During World War I, roads throughout the country were nearly destroyed by the weight of
trucks. When General Eisenhower returne d from Germany in 1919, after serving in the
U.S. army’s first transcontinental motor convoy (车队), he noted: “The old convoy had
s t a r t e d m e t h i n k i n g a b o u t g o o d , t w o - l a n e h i g h w a y s , b u t G e r m a n y’s A u t o b a h n o r
m o t o r w a y h a d m a d e m e s e e t h e w i s d o m o f b r o a d e r r i b b o n s a c r o s s t h e
land.”
It w o u l d t a k e a n o t h e r w a r b e f o r e t h e f e d e r a l g o v e r n m e n t w o u l d a c t o n a n a t i o n a l
highwa y system . During Wo r l d Wa r I I , a t r e m e n d o u s i n c r e as e i n t r u c ks a nd n e w r oa d s
were required. The war demonstrated how critical highways were to the defense effort.
Th i r t e e n p e r c e n t o f d e f e n s e p l a n t s r e c e i v e d a l l t h e i r s u p p l i e s b y t r u c k , a n d
a l m o s t a l l o t h e r p l a n t s s h i p p e d m o r e t h a n h a l f o f t h e i r p r o d u c t s b y v e h i c l e .
The war a l so r e v eal e d t ha t lo c a l c o n t rol o f hi g hw ay s h ad l e d t o a con f u si n g v a r iet y of
d e s i g n s t a n d a r d s . Ev e n f e d e r a l a n d s t a t e h i g h w a y s d i d n o t f o l l o w b a s i c s t a n d a r d s .
So m e s ta t e s a l l o w ed t r u ck s u p t o 3 6 , 0 0 0 p o u n d s , w h i l e o th e r s re st r ic t e d an y th i n g o v e r
7,000 pounds.
A government study recommended a national highway system of 33,920 miles, and
c o n g r e s s s o o n p a s s e d t h e F e d e r a l - A i d H i g h w a y A c t o f 1 9 4 4 , w h i c h c a l l e d f o r s t r i c t ,
centrally controlled design criteria.
The interstate highway system was finally launched in 1956 and has been hailed as
one of the greatest public works projects of the century. To build its 44,000-mile web of
highways, bridge, and tunnels, hundreds of unique engineering designs and solutions had
to be worked out. Consider the many geographic features of the country: mountains, steep
grades, wetlands, rivers, deserts and plains. Variables included the slope of the land, the
ability of the pavement to support the load, the intensity of road use, and the nature of the
u n d e r l y i n g s o i l . Ur b a n a r e a s w e r e a n o t h e r p r o b l e m . I n n o v a t i v e d e s i g n s o f r o a d w a y s ,
t u n n e l s , b r i d g e s , o v e r p a s s e s , a n d i n t e r c h a n g e s t h a t c o u l d r u n t h r o u g h o r b y p a s s u r b a n
a r e a s s o o n b e g a n t o w e a v e t h e i r w a y a c r o s s t h e c o u n t r y , f o r e v e r a l t e r i n g t h e f a c e o f
America.
To d a y, t h e i n t e r s t a t e s y s t e m l i n k s e v e r y m a j o r c i t y i n t h e U . S., a n d t h e U . S . w i t h
C a n a d a a n d M e x i c o. B u i l t w i t h s a f e t y i n m i n d, t h e h i g h w a y s h a v e w i d e l a n e s a n d
s h o u l d e r s , d i v i d i n g m e d i a n s , o r b a r r i e r s , l o n g e n t r y a n d e x i t l a n e s ,
curves engineered for safe turns, and limited access. The death rate on highways is half
that of all other U.S. roads (0.86 deaths per 100 million passenger miles compared to 1.99
deaths per 100 million on all other roads).
By opening the North American continent, highways have enabled consumer goods
and services to reach people in remote and rural areas of the country, spurred the growth
of suburbs, and provided people with greater options in term of jobs, access to cultural
p r o g r a m s, h e a l t h c a r e , a n d o t h e r b e n e f i t s . A b o v e a l l , t h e i n t e r s t a t e s y s t e m p r o v i d e s
individuals with what they cherish most: personal freedom of mobility.
The interstate system has been an essential element of the nation’s economic growth
