1.There was a time in the country when you' d be considered a jerk if you passed by somebody in need.

【参考译文】在美国，人们一度认为，那些遇到处于困境者的人是傻瓜。

【结构解析】“There was a time”意思是“曾经有一段时间、一度”，“passed”前省略了"are"。

2.One way to test this would be for a person to journey from coast to coast without any money, relying solely on the good will of his fellow Americans.

【参考译文】要对此做出验证，办法就是只身一人、身无分文地做一次横穿美国的旅行，一路上只依靠着美国同胞的友善。

【结构解析】“this”指上文的“Could anyone rely on the kindness of strangers these days”，“journey from coast to coast”是指travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean。