The Asian economic crisis has put many companies on the edge. Many have been forced to change the way they do business. The old attitude that employees follow instructions and are unable to make decisions or act on their own initiative① leads to underused② people.

　　The key to increasing employee productivity is through effective management. Managers must recognize that getting employees involved in the solution boost morale③。 The decision making process should be pushed down the ladder. The focus of future organizations will shift to employee involvement， rather than power and control.

　　难点提示：

　　①主动地

　　②未充分利用的

　　③士气

　　参考译文：

　　亚洲金融危机使很多公司面临崩溃的边缘。很多公司被迫改变经营的方式。老一套的态度，即员工听从指挥，而不能自做主张或独断独行，常常使得员工不能人尽其才。

　　提高员工生产力的关键是通过有效的管理。管理者们必须认识到，让员工参与解决问题可以鼓舞士气。决策程序应该下放。未来组织机构的重心将转向员工参与，而不是权力和控制。

　　The “standard of living” of a country means the average person’ s② share of the goods and services which the country produces. A country’ s standard of living， therefore， depends first and foremost on its capacity to produce wealth. “Wealth” in this sense is not money， for we do not live on ② money but on things that money can buy： “goods” such as food and clothing， and “services” such as transport and entertainment.

　　A country’s capacity to produce wealth depends upon many factors， most of which have an effect on one another. Wealth depends to a great extent upon a country’s natural resources， such as coal， gold， and other minerals， water supply and so on. Some regions of the world are well supplied with coal and minerals， and have a fertile soil and a favorable climate; other regions possess none of them.

　　难点提示：

　　①一般人，老百姓

　　②靠……为生

　　参考译文：

　　任何一个国家的生活水平，指的是那个国家生产的产品和提供的服务为普通老百姓分享的情况。因此，一个国家的生活水平，首先取决于它创造财富的能力。在这个意义上，财富并不是指金钱，因为我们生存靠的不是钱，而是靠钱能买到的东西：比如食物和衣服这些“产品”，交通和娱乐这些“服务”。

　　一个国家创造财富的能力取决于很多因素，其中大部分因素相互作用。财富在很大程度上依赖于一个国家的自然资源，比如煤矿、金矿和其他矿物质、水源等等。世界上有些地区煤矿和矿物质的储量丰富，土壤肥沃，气候适宜，其他地区却一样都不具备。

　　迄今为止，《财富》五百强中有二百多家企业在中国投资。到1998年底，中国实际使用外资4，069亿美元。专家们认为，中国吸引外资的主要原因在于政治和社会的稳定、经济的稳步发展，一个潜力巨大的市场，在全球经济中日益重要的地位，以及不断完善的投资环境。

　　从80 年代小规模的试验性的①投资到近年来系统化的②投资，这一发展过程说明一个依法执法的稳定的中国增强了外国投资者的信心。《财富》杂志对在中国的外国投资者作了一次最新的调查，调查结果表明，始于1993年的跨国公司的大规模、系统化的投资到2006年将登上一个新的高峰③。

　　难点提示：

　　①pilot

　　②systematic

　　③peak

　　So far， over 200 of Fortune’s top 500 companies have invested in China. By less than a 30-minute drive from the Village.

　　The Olympic Village will provide safe and comfortable facilities to help athletes achieve their peak performance during the Games. The Residential Quarter located in the western part of the Village consists of apartment buildings， dining halls， and other facilities. The International Quarter located in the eastern part of the Village will provide leisure facilities and cultural activities for athletes. After the Games， the Village will become a residential area.

　　For university graduates， it is always not so easy to find a good job. They often wonder at the large number of employers who do not respond to their applications for jobs. They say that despite enclosing return envelopes they hear nothing at all， or at best， an impersonal note ① is sent declaring that the post for which they applied has been filled.

　　Applicants often have the suspicion that vacancies are taken up by friends and relatives and that advertisements are only put out for show②。 Many of them are tired of writing around③ and feel that if only they could obtain an interview with the right person their application would meet with success.

　　难点提示：

　　①无人情味的，冷淡的

　　②装样子

　　③到处写信

　　参考译文：

　　对于大学毕业生来说，找到一份好工作始终不是件那么容易的事情。他们常常弄不懂为什么那么多的雇主不答复他们的求职信。他们说虽然附上了回信的信封，他们却只字未闻，或至多收到一张不冷不热的便条，宣布他们申请的那个职位已有人填补了。

　　求职应聘者常常怀疑空缺是不是给朋友和亲属们占去了，怀疑广告只不过是登一登摆摆样子的。他们中的很多人厌倦了到处投求职信，他们觉得只要能够碰对人，获得一次面试的机会，他们的求职申请就会成功。

　　The World Exposition is not the same as a trade fair， in which mainly governments and international organizations participate. The World Exposition， on the other hand， displays the achievements and prospects in the economic， cultural and technological sectors， and is an event where people from all over the world come together to exchange experience and ideas， and learn from one another. Long known as the “economic， technological and cultural Olympic Games”， the World Exposition is held every five years， and has been held in developed countries since it first took place in London in 1851.

　　If Shanghai wins the bid for the 2010 World Exposition， China will be-the first developing country to host this major event. Hosting the exposition will have a positive impact on China， as China will not only learn from the experiences of other countries to further its reform and opening-up endeavor， but will also enhance its friendly relations with other countries. Besides， its role as hosting country will no doubt accelerate the development of world expositions elsewhere， which can promote worldwide economic， cultural and technological development.

　　难点提示：

　　①申办

　　参考译文：

　　世博会不同于贸易展览会，贸易展览会主要是由政府和国际组织参加的。相反，世博会展示经济、文化和技术领域的成就和前景，它是全世界人民聚在一起交流经验、交换看法、互相学习的一件大事。世博会长期以来一直被誉为“经济、技术和文化的奥运会”，它每隔五年举行一次，自从1851年首次在伦敦举行以来一直在发达国家举行。

　　如果上海申办2010年世博会成功的话，中国将是主办这一盛事的第一个发展中国家。主办这次博览会将对中国产生积极的影响，因为中国不仅将学习别国的经验来推进改革开放，而且将增进与别国的友谊。此外，发挥主办国的作用无疑会加速其他地方世博会的发展，这能促进全世界范围内经济、文化和技术的发展。