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8月10日，經過兩年和國會的討價還價，美國總統布什最終簽署了高速公路法案。這項法案保證美國將在未來六年里投入2684億美元來改善高速公路系統，使6371個建設項目在全美各州破土動工。外電報道如下：President
Bush opened the gates Wednesday for spending a whopping $286.4 billion on roads
and bridges, rail and bus facilities, bike paths and recreational trails,
saying the projects from coast to coast would spur the economy and save
lives.
Critics said the 1,000-page transportation bill was weighed down with
pet projects to benefit nearly every member of Congress. The bill's price
tag over six years was $30 billion more than Bush had recommended, but he
said he was proud to sign it.
"Highways just don't happen," Bush said. "People have got to show up
and do the work to refit a highway or build a bridge, and they need new
equipment to do so. So the bill I'm signing is going to help give hundreds
of thousands of Americans good-paying jobs."
Whopping表示“出奇大的，巨額的”，例如：yet another whopping pay
raise（但是另一項巨大支付又增加了）。Whopping作副詞時意為“異常地，格外地”，用以加強語氣，例如：a whopping good
joke（一個極好的笑話）。
據悉，目前美國的洲際高速公路總長超過7.4萬公里，占全球高速公路總里程的一半。高速公路法案是布什繼能源法案之后，近期簽署的又一項重要法案，被布什政府認為是增加就業機會、推動美國經濟復蘇的重要舉措。
（中國日報網站編） | 
