4. The consequences of the Israeli victory in the Yom Kippur War1 quickly spread to North America when the Organizationof Arab Petroleum¹ Exporting Countries (OAPEC) placed an embargo² crude oil shipped to the United States. By November 1973 oil supplies were critically low, creating the most acute shortages of energy since World War II. Now the Arab oil embargo, subsequent long gas lines, and complex but fragmented energy projects and regulations demanded bolder action by the President. No longer regional, the energy shortages became nationwide threatened virtually every sector³ of the economy.

　　4、以色列在赎罪日战争中的胜利迅速影响到北美，因为以色列的胜利引起阿拉伯石油输出国组织(OAPEC)对美国实施原油禁运。截至1973年11月，石油供应量极低，造成了二战以来最严重的能源短缺。目前所面临的一系列问题—阿拉伯石油禁运、由此引发的加油站前排起的长龙、以及庞大但是已经支离破碎的能源项目和立法方案—都需要总统采取大胆的行动加以解决。能源短缺不再是区域性问题，它已经威胁到全国范围以及经济的各个部门。

　　5. In a televised address the energy emergency on November 7, 1973, President Nixon launched Project Independence to achieve energy self-sufficiency by 1980. Urging Americans to lower thermostats⁵, drive cars more slowly, and eliminate unnecessary lighting⁶. Nixon pledged increased funding for energy research and development. Recalling Manhattan Project, which had built the atomic bomb during World War II, and the Apollo Project, which had landed two Americans on the moon in 1969, the President expressed his faith that American science, technology, and industry could free the United States from dependence⁴ on foreign oil. Three weeks later, as winter cold began to grip the Northeast, the President reaffirmed Project Independence and announced plans to increase the production of home-heating oils, while reducing gasoline supplies and closing gasoline stations on Sundays. Communities across the Nation reduced holiday lighting and implemented⁷ various schemes for pumping short supplies of gasoline. As motorists scrambled⁸ for a place in line, in some states matching their license⁹ plates to the date on an odd-or-even system, the era of energy affluence¹⁰ ended.

　　5、1973年11月7日，尼克松总统就能源的紧急事态发表了电视讲话，呼吁发动一场旨在1980年之前达到能源自给自足的“独立计划”。(他)力劝美国人民调低温度控制器的设置、慢速驾驶和减少不必要的照明，并保证为能源研究和发展增加预算。总统在讲话中回忆起二战期间制造出原子弹的“曼哈顿计划”以及1969年将两名美国人送上月球的“阿波罗计划”，并坚定地表明了自己的信心—美国凭借自己的科技和工业一定能摆脱对外国石油的依赖。三周之后，寒流袭击了东北部，(尼克松)总统再次重申“独立运动计划”，宣布增加家庭取暖用油的生产同时降低汽油供应，并且在星期日关闭加油站。全国的社区减少了节日照明，并且实施了各种应对汽油短缺的方案。人们驾车在等候加油的长龙里争抢位置，一些州也根据车牌号实行了单双号出行的规定，这一切都表明、能源富足的时代已经结束了。