Whopping: 巨大的

8月10日，经过两年和国会的讨价还价，美国总统布什最终签署了高速公路法案。这项法案保证美国将在未来六年里投入2684亿美元来改善高速公路系统，使6371个建设项目在全美各州破土动工。外电报道如下：President Bush opened the gates Wednesday for spending a whopping $286.4 billion on roads and bridges, rail and bus facilities, bike paths and recreational trails, saying the projects from coast to coast would spur the economy and save lives.

Critics said the 1,000-page transportation bill was weighed down with pet projects to benefit nearly every member of Congress. The bill's price tag over six years was $30 billion more than Bush had recommended, but he said he was proud to sign it.

"Highways just don't happen," Bush said. "People have got to show up and do the work to refit a highway or build a bridge, and they need new equipment to do so. So the bill I'm signing is going to help give hundreds of thousands of Americans good-paying jobs."

Whopping表示“出奇大的，巨额的”，例如：yet another whopping pay raise（但是另一项巨大支付又增加了）。Whopping作副词时意为“异常地，格外地”，用以加强语气，例如：a whopping good joke（一个极好的笑话）。

据悉，目前美国的洲际高速公路总长超过7.4万公里，占全球高速公路总里程的一半。高速公路法案是布什继能源法案之后，近期签署的又一项重要法案，被布什政府认为是增加就业机会、推动美国经济复苏的重要举措。