The end of the year is a good time for reflection, so this month's column will take a look at the discipline(s) of software engineering to assess how far we've come in the last couple of decades.

Illustration年底是反思的好时间，因此，本月的栏目将会看一看软件工程的规范，以估计我们在过去二十年内到达什么地步。

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For many U. S. students and their families, college costs are a worry at this time of year with college admission letters arriving in the mail and aid application deadlines nearing.

对很多美国大学生和他们的家庭来说，每年的这个时候，当大学的准入信进入信箱而助学贷款截止日迫近的时候，大学的花费都会引起他们的担忧。

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But Vietnamese officials have worried since the middle of this year that the U. S. Congress would not approve the agreement before its time limit ends in February 2018.

但是越南官员自今年年中以来就担忧美国国会可能不会在2018年2月截止日期前批准该协议。

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It's hard not to get caught up in this funny story. John Bevis tells a lot of tales this time of year when life slows down.

VOA: standard.2009.12.11

The problem is that here, in the northern half of India, the light fades early at this time of year and Kanpur's mixture of lingering mist and pungent smog merely exacerbated the problem.

BBC: Jonathan Agnew column

Competition's fierce this time of year.

FORBES: The Ultimate Online Retailing Guide

Of course, it's hotter than blazes this time of year, too.

WSJ: A Ride Across Iowa