The world is undeniably involved in an apparently continuous trend towards globalization in almost every aspect of society. The advent of advanced telecommunications, transportation and possibly most importantly, the Internet, has led to all countries’ progress and welfare becoming increasingly intertwined as their population’s needs and wants become more and more similar. Whether it is by design because of a country’s need, because of consumer wants or because a country simply cannot live in isolation, the progress and well-being of individual countries is increasingly interrelated.

In the beginning, societies survived with what they had available to them in their particular area of the world. Because the world’s total population was small, the earliest societies were able to survive in isolation. As the number of the earth’s inhabitants grew, societies began to increasingly interact with one another, sharing traditions, customs and goods with one another. Early consumers began to demand the goods that other societies owned. This was of course the beginning of early tribal wars, but also the beginning of international trade. No longer could societies live in total isolation.

As civilization continued to develop, it became apparent that to continue to advance, some countries needed supplies that were available only in other countries. International trade was begun as a necessary alternative to war to allow one country or society to get what they needed. David Ricardo’s theory of comparative advantage states that each individual country should specialize in producing what it does best and use that production as trade for everything else. An early example of this is shown by the ancient Silk Road trade route, begun around 200 AD. Actually a series of trade routes, the Silk Road connected the mighty Roman Empire with the equally advanced Imperial Court of China, with trade conducted at all points in between. Even in those early days, the welfare and interests of the different rulers of different parts of the world depended a great deal upon each other.

Consequently through the ages, countries (with few exceptions) have been able to act unilaterally without repercussion. Continuous advances in transportation, communication and technology have led to countries becoming more and more involved with each other. Early exploration led to new trade routes, which began to tie countries closer together. Later, industrialization and the invention of the steam engine tremendously improved the speed and methods of transportation. The development of the automobile made transportation even easier and faster. Airplanes and giant ships began to cross the oceans, making the world even smaller and increasing country interdependency.

Finally, today’s technology has tremendously increased the speed of globalization. Telecommunications allow a person in one part of the world to instantaneously speak with someone in another part of the world, while satellite transmissions allow them to see one another at the same time. The Internet can theoretically connect anyone with anyone else in the world. The Internet and other technologies have allowed societies to communicate with each other in ways previously never imagined. It is easy to see that, through the development of trade, technology and transportation, each country has become aware of what the other countries possess. Whether it is because a country designs interdependence because of its own needs, or because its own consumers demand that which other countries have, or simply because a country cannot live in isolation from the rest of the world, each country’s progress and well being definitely depends on the progress and well being of all the other countries in the world.

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参考译文

一个国家的物质进步和富裕，必然与所有其它国家的物质进步和富裕连结在一起。

世界无疑有一个明显的发展趋向，那就是社会各个层面上的全球化。先进的电信，交通，以及最主要的互联网的出现，已导致了所有国家的进步和财富愈发紧密地缠结在一起，因为各国人民的需要和需求越来越相似。无论是因为一个国家的需要，还是因为消费者的愿望，还是因为一个国家不能孤独地存活，单个国家的进步与富裕越来越与其它国家联系在一起。

刚开始时，各个社会的幸存，有赖于它们所在地区能够提供给它们的物质资源。因为那时世界的总人口数量很小，早期的社会可以在孤立状态下存活。随着地球上居住者的增加，社会开始逐渐地彼此交往，开始共享它们各自的传统、习惯和商品。早期的消费者开始要求其它的社会所拥有的商品。当然，这就是早期部落战争的开端，它同样也是国际贸易的开端。社会再也不能孤独地生存了。

随着文明不断发展，显而易见，一些国家为了继续发展进步就需要占有只能从其它国家可以获得的资源。因而，国际贸易开始成为战争的必然替代品以使一个国家或社会获得它们所需要的东西。David Ricardo的比较优势理论声称：每一个国家都应该专门生产它最好的产品并用它来换取所有其它东西。早期的实例是古代丝绸之路贸易，它始于公元200年左右。丝绸之路实际上构成若干个贸易路线，把强大的罗马帝国与同样先进的中国宫廷联系起来，之间的贸易活动涉及各个方面。即使在那时，世界上不同地区的不同统治者的财富和利益已在很大程度上彼此依赖。

之后世世代代，国家(少数除外)一直能够单方地活动而不受其它影响。交通、通迅、科技等持续不断的进步，使各国越来越彼此相连。早期的探险产生了新的贸易路线，这些贸易路线把各个国家更紧密地拴在一起。后来，工业革命和蒸汽机的发明，极大地改进了交通运输的速度和方式。汽车的发明，使交通更加便利和快捷。飞机和巨轮开始跨越大洋，把世界变得越来越小，增加了国家间的相互依存性。

最终，当今的科技已经极大地加快了全球化的速度。电信可以让人们从世界的一个地方即刻与世界的另一个地方的人通话，而卫星传播可以让人们同时相互看到。互联网在理论上可以把世界上任何一个人与任何其他人联接起来。互联网和其它技术已经使各个社会群体以各种从前想像不到的方式彼此联系交流。现在很容易看到，通过贸易、科技和交通的发展，每个国家清楚地了解其它国家有什么。无论是因为一个国家由于其自身的需要而追求互相依存，还是因为它的消费者要求获得其它国家所拥有的东西，或是因为一个国家孤立于其它国家而不能生存，每个国家的进步和富裕都毫无疑问地依赖于世界上其它国家的进步和富裕。