In the century after the Civil War, an economic revolution improved the American standard of living in ways previously unimaginable.Electric lighting, indoor plumbing, home appliances, motor vehicles, air travel, air conditioning, and television transformed households and workplaces.
在内战结束后的一个世纪里，一场经济革命以无法想象的方式提高了美国人的生活水平。电灯、自来水、家电、机动车辆、航空旅行、空调、电视……这一切都改变了家庭环境和公共场所。

With medical advances, life expectancy between 1870 and 1970 grew from forty-five to seventy-two years.
随着医疗水平的进步，人类平均寿命从1870年的45岁增长到1970年的72岁。

Weaving together a vivid narrative, historical anecdotes, and economic analysis, The Rise and Fall of American Growth provides an in-depth account of this momentous era.
《美国成长的兴衰》是一部将生动叙述、历史轶事和经济分析交织在一起的书卷，对上述这一重要的时代进行了深度重现。

迅速发展的时代已经走到了尽头吗？ 作者对“经济增长势头不会减弱”发起质疑，认为1870到1970年的发展和改革无法复制。他甚至提醒：

Gordon warns that the younger generation may be the first in American history that fails to exceed their parents' standard of living, and that rather than depend on the great advances of the past, we must find new solutions to overcome the challenges facing us.
戈登警告道，年轻一代或许将成为美国历史上第一批生活质量无法超越其父辈的一代。我们必须找到新的方法来克服面临的这一难题，而不是依赖着过去的伟大进步。