1. Back in the good old days of stable economic expansion — the 1950s and 1960s — a person could choose to do something new, exciting, and creative in life but could also choose to say, "That's not for me:
    回顾过去经济平稳发展的好时光--20世纪的50年代和60年代--人们可能会选择生活中某种既新鲜刺激，又有创意的事干，但是也可能会说：

2. The new emperor was quite interested in the expansion of territory.
    新皇帝对领土的扩张非常感兴趣。

3. The hospital was facing an expensive expansion to the building because of a continual shortage of beds in intensive care.
    由于重病特别护理区一直床位不足，所以医院面临着造价高昂的扩建问题，

4. In a way, China's backwardness is an advantage, because the expansion occurs just as new technologies are becoming cheaper than copper wire systems.
    从某种意义上说，中国的落后成了一种有利因素，因为这一发展正好发生在新技术比铜线电缆系统更便宜的时候。