大家好！这周的“每周一段”选自 6 月 22 日《经济学人》Special report 板块的 A tale of two states 一文，文章讨论、对比了美国最大的两个州德州和加州的制度。
一、文本
Texas is the country’s largest exporter, and California claims the number-two spot. In the past 20 years nearly a third of American jobs were generated in just these two states. Combined, they account for around a quarter of American GDP. They educate nearly a quarter of American children, so their investments in, and approach to, public education directly affect national competitiveness. Both states are booming, too. Between 2010 and 2018 two of the three fastest-growing metro areas in America were in Texas: greater Dallas and Houston each gained more than 1m people. The state has a robust oil and gas industry and has succeeded in diversifying its economy. California enjoys the many fruits of the technology boom, a rising stockmarket and some of America’s best universities.
译文：
德克萨斯州是美国最大的出口州，而加利福尼亚州则是第二大出口州。在过去 20 年里，仅这两个州就创造了美国将近三分之一的就业机会。两个州加起来约占美国 GDP 的四分之一。它们教育了将近四分之一的美国儿童，所以它们对公共教育的投资和方法直接影响了国家的竞争力。 两个州也都在蓬勃发展。2010 年至 2018 年间，美国增长最快的三个大都市区中，有两个位于德州：大达拉斯和大休斯顿地区各增加了 100 多万人口。该州拥有强大的石油和天然气工业，并成功地实现了经济多样化。加州享受着科技繁荣的成果，一路上涨的股市和美国最好的一批大学。
二、段落解读
全文共 17 段，选段为第 3 段。这段中比较了德州和加州的经济、教育等方面，出现了不少灵活的同义替换，值得我们学习。我们着重赏析下面几处：
1）花样表达
第 1 句讲德州和加州在出口方面分别名列第一和第二，用了不同的表达，前者是“is the country’s largest exporter”，后者是“claims the number-two spot”；其中 is 和 claim，largest exporter 和 the number-two spot 都是同义替换。
2）简洁表达
第 3 句中的“combined”作状语非常简洁，当我们想表达“A 和 B 加起来就如何如何”时就可以用这个表达。
3）介词妙用
第 3 句中的“their investments”和“approach”后面接的都是 public education，但由于用的介词不同，所以要分别写出 in 和 to。
这种写法非常常见，比如奥巴马第一次当选总统，就职典礼演讲第一句话是“I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you've bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.” 其中 humbled, grateful, mindful 后面的介词分别是 by, for, of，搭配整齐，读起来朗朗上口。
林肯在《葛底斯堡演讲》中最有名的句子可能要数“That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”“of the people, by the people, for the people”里面的三个介词用法精巧，表意准确，被很多代美国人传颂和改编。
三、句子学习
临摹：提炼句型+造句
临摹句子 1：Texas is the country’s largest exporter, and California claims the number-two spot.
提炼出句型：X is the country’s largest A, and Y claims the number-two spot.
造句示范：
a) Shanghai is China’s richest city, and Beijing claims the number-two spot.
b) Tsinghua is China’s best university, and Peking University claims the number-two spot. Some may disagree with the ranking and argue otherwise.
c) According to the most updated census data, Guangdong is the country’s most populous province, and Shandong claims the number-two spot.
临摹句子 2：Combined, they account for around a quarter of American GDP.
提炼出句型：Combined, X account for Y.
造句示范：
a) Combined, the richest 1% people account for 30% of the entire wealth in this country.
b) Combined, the south coast in China accounts for 33% of the national GDP.
临摹句子 3：Their investments in, and approach to, public education directly affect national competitiveness.
提炼出句型：Their investments in, and approach to, X directly affect national competitiveness.
造句示范：
a) Beijing and Guangdong's investments in, and approach to, technological innovation directly affect national competitiveness.
b) Vietnam's investments in, and approach to, manufacturing directly affect its national competitiveness.（注意：由于主语是国家，而不是它的某几个部分，所以“national competitiveness”前面加了 its，这样读起来更连贯，下同。）
c) Iran's investments in, and approach to, defense directly affect its national competitiveness.
2）可直接背诵和使用的句子
Texas is the country’s largest exporter, and California claims the number-two spot. In the past 20 years nearly a third of American jobs were generated in just these two states. Combined, they account for around a quarter of American GDP. Their investments in, and approach to, public education directly affect national competitiveness.
四、作业
在下方评论区完成练习作业：
参考第三部分的句型造句，造句时可以用中文写出具体的语境。可以选择练习写一个或多个句式。
