at the turn of the century battery-powered vehicles were a common sight on city streets, because they were quiet and did not emit any noxious fumes.

在上世纪之交，电池驱动的汽车成为城市里的街道一景，因为它们行驶安静而且不排放有毒烟气。

travel was a frequent subject of futuristic predictions, as people at the turn of the century believed that the way we got from one place to the next would drastically change by the year 2000.

旅游是未来主义者预测时的常见主题，在世纪之初人们相信到了2000年我们从一个地方到另一个地方的方式会彻底改变。

subprime mortgages, whose share of all mortgages serviced rose from less than 4% at the turn of the century to a peak of around 15% before the crisis, were the most visible examples of this.

次级抵押贷款就是最明显的例证，世纪之交，它在全部抵押贷款中所占的份额从不到4％，到了经济危机爆发前上涨到了约15％的高峰。

the turn of the century decade began one of transition and progress and is considered the first decade of materialism and consumerism.

这十年是转变与进步的开端，也被认为是唯物主义与消费主义的开始。

from a small beginning at the turn of the century they have become a very important factor in shaping developments in higher education and the arts.

本世纪初，基金会数量并不多 / 比较少，而现在已在高等教育和艺术发展的格局中显得举足轻重了。

when i joined the army, even before the turn of the century it was the fulfillment of all my boyish hopes and dreams.

我从军是在本世纪开始之前，而这是我童年的希望与梦想的实现。

by the turn of the century it had become a major business, and in some cases art centers were making enough money to become self-sufficient.

在世纪之交的数年间，土着艺术已经成为一项重要的生意。在一些情况下，艺术中心能够赚到足够的钱来实现自足。

the forum on china-africa cooperation is an important initiative at the turn of the century for china and african countries to strengthen dialogue, promote cooperation and seek common development.

举办中非合作论坛，是世纪之交中国和广大非洲国家加强对话，促进合作，共谋发展的一项重要行动。

starved for power, during the decades sandwiched around the turn of the century the state was home to a burst of wave motor experimentation that is startling in its intensity and seriousness.

对能源如饑似渴的加利福尼亚在世纪之交的几十年中进行了很多波浪发电机的实验，这些实验的数量和严肃性是空前的。

only since the turn of the century have the companies cracked the economics of the tar sands, argues mr george.

乔治先生辩解道，在本世纪到来之前，各公司都在为油砂开采不盈利而发愁，无暇它顾。