［原 文］

　　虽然美国经济在过去几年中已实现了转型，但某些问题自美国建国之初以来一直持续至今，依然悬而未决。其中之一便是围绕着政府在一个基本上属于市场性质的经济中的恰当角色所展开的持久争论。以自由企业为基础的经济体制，其普遍特征便是私有制和个人创新精神，政府介入应相对微弱。然而，人们发现，政府的干预时不时地也是必要的，以确保经济机会人人均等，能为全部民众所获得，并防范肆无忌惮的权力滥用，平抑通货膨胀，刺激经济增长。

　　自殖民地时期以来，美国政府或多或少地参与到经济决策中来。例如，联邦政府曾在基础设施方面进行过巨额投资，它也提供了私营业主们没有能力或不愿意提供的社会福利项目。在过去数十年中，政府也以无数的方式支持并促进农业发展。

　　［参考译文］

　　Although  the American economy has transformed itself over the years， certain issues have persisted since the early days of the republic. One is the continuing debate over the proper role for government in what is basically a marketplace economy. An economy based on free enterprise is generally characterized by private ownership and initiative， with a relative absence of government involvement. However， government intervention has been found necessary from time to time to ensure that economic opportunities are fair and accessible to the people， to prevent flagrant abuses， to dampen inflation and to stimulate growth.

　　Ever since colonial times， the government has been involved， to some extent， in economic decision-making. The federal government， for example， has made huge investments in infrastructure， and it has provided social welfare programs that the private sector was unable or unwilling to provide. In a myriad of ways and over many decades， the government has supported and promoted the development of agriculture.