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When we speed along a modern highway， we rarely stop to think what it is we are riding on ① .To understand what a road is， we must study the ways in which people have traveled in the past.
The very first roads were really tracks beaten in the ground by wild animals in prehistoric time.People followed these winding trails because they provided an easy and quick way to get through thick forests. In time， people began to improve the paths by filling holes with earth and laying logs across soft， boggy spots. These attempts were crude， but they were the beginning of road construction.
As people began to transport goods over longer distances， they developed new ways of traveling.First they packed their wares on animals. Then they invented various kinds of sleds. Finally， after the invention of the wheel， they built wagons. Each advancement brought a need for better traveling routes.
Later in history， when well-traveled routes were made sturdier with rocks and stones， the path was raised above the surrounding land， it became a“high way”.
The great civilization throughout history were also the great road builders ② . Roads were necessary to control and extend empires， to permit trade and travel， and to move armies.
Most of these early roads were simply hard-packed dirt， but some were paved with stone blocks or burnt bricks.
The Romans bound their empire together with an extensive system of roads radiating in many directions from Rome. Some of these early roads were of elaborate construction. For example， an Appian Way ③ ， built southward about 312 BC， illustrates one of the procedures used by the Romans.First a trench was excavated to such a depth that the finished surface would be at ground level. The pavement was placed in three courses： a layer of small broken stones， a layer of small stones with mortar and firmly tamped into place， and a wearing course of massive stone blocks， set and bedded in mortar. Some of the Roman roads are still in existence today. And many modern highways follow the ancient Roman routes.
Few roads were built during the early history of the United States since most of the early settlements were connected with the nearest wharf， but the connecting road usually was just a clearing through the forest. Before the Revolutionary War， travel was mainly on foot or horseback，and roads were merely trails clearing to greater width. Development was extremely slow for a time after the war’s end in 1783.
Between 1795 and 1830 numerous turnpikes， particularly in the northeastern states， were built by companies organized to gain profits through toll collections. Few of them were financially successful. During this period many stagecoach lines and freight-hauling companies were organized.
The extension of turnpikes in the United States was abruptly halted by the development of the railroads. In 1830 Peter Cooper constructed America’s first steam locomotive， the Tom Thumb，which at once demonstrated its superiority over horse-drawn vehicles. Rapid growth of the railroad for transportation over long distances followed. Cross-country turnpike construction practically ceased，and many already completed fell into disuse. Rural roads served mainly as feeders for the railroads；improvements primarily led to the nearest railroad station and were made largely by local authorities and were to low standards. When it rained， the roads were slippery， and in dry weather they were dusty. People using horses and wagons accepted this. But with the beginning of the 20th century a new invention， the automobile， began to take over the road. The first two decades of the twentieth century saw the improvement of the motor vehicle from a“ rich man’s toy” to a fairly dependable method for transporting persons and goods. There were strong demands not only from farmers but from bicyclists through the League of American Wheelmen ④ for rural road improvement， largely for roads a few miles in length connecting outlying farms with towns and railroad stations. This development has been aptly described as“getting the farmer out of the mud”.
From 1920 to 1935， highway development was focused primarily on the completion of a network of all-weather rural roads comparable to the street systems undertaken by local governments. By 1935 highway activities in rural areas have been devoted mainly to an attempt to provide facilities of highway standards and with greater capacity and load-carrying ability. During the same period，increasing attention has been focused on urban areas， which have been struck simultaneously by rapidly increasing population， however population densities resulting from a“flight to the suburbs”，and a shift from mass transportation to the private automobile. Indications are that only minor additions to road mileage will be made in the future.
track n. 踪迹，小径
beat tracks 开辟路径
prehistoric a. 史前的
trail n. 足迹，小路
boggy a. 多沼泽的
crude a. 粗糙的，不精细的
wares n. （复数）货物，商品
sled n. 雪橇，雪车（以木质或金属长条代替轮子的交通工具）
wagons n. 四轮运货马（或牛）车
sturdy a. 结实的，坚固的
radiate v. 向各方伸展，辐射
elaborate a. 精细的，复杂的
trench n. 沟，沟渠
excavate v. 挖掘
mortar n. 砂浆，胶泥
tamp v. 捣固，夯实
settlement n. 新殖民地，定居点，居民点
bay n. 海湾
wharf n. 码头
clearing n. 开辟出来的空地
turnpike n. （泛指）公路
stagecoach n. 公共马车
freight n. 货物，货运
haul v. 搬运，拖运
locomotive n. 机车，火车头
cross-country a. 越野的
feeder n. 支线
motor-vehicle 机动车，汽车
outlying a. 远离中心的，地处郊区的
apt a. 恰当的，巧妙的
simultaneous a. 同时的，同时发生的
mileage n. 里程，英里数
in time 过了一段时间以后
well-traveled routes 经常行走的路线
hard-packed dirt 压紧或夯实的土
wearing course 磨（耗）损层
toll-collections 征收路税，收取过路费
all-weather roads 晴雨通车路，全天（年）候道路
tamp into place 夯实到位
take over 接管，控制
load-carrying ability 运载能力
mass transportation 公共交通
①… what it is we are riding on…我们是在什么上面驾车行驶。这是强调句型it is… that…，句中被强调部分是疑问词what，关系代词that被省去了。例如：You don’t know what it is（that） you are doing. It’s a mischief！
②本句不宜直译为“历史上伟大的文明也是伟大的道路建设者”，可意译为“历史上伟大的文明时期都是道路的大发展时期”或者“在人类历史上，文明昌盛之时即道路大发展之期”。
③古罗马最著名的大道，建于公元前 312 年，全长 350 多千米，其主干部分保留至今。公元 1784 年，罗马教皇庇护六世修建了新的Appian Way，由罗马通向Albano，与旧大道平行。
④the League of American Wheelmen 美国驾车人联合会。