31.   Should the cable lines, in which private companies have invested billions of dollars, be treated like public rights-of-way?

32.   Several big hedge funds, which invest billions of dollars for the wealthy, have lost money in recent days as long-term interest rates have risen unexpectedly.

33.   Since the end of the war Britain has invested billions of dollars in building a air base to defend the islands.

34.   That growth depended to a large degree on his success in persuading multi-national firms to invest billions of dollars to set up manufacturing facilities in the country.

35.   Such revenues have allowed Microsoft to invest billions of dollars over the years in both development of new technologies and expansion into other industries.

36.   The industry is still alive in the Southeast, where textile companies have invested billions of dollars to create highly automated plants.

37.   The major oil companies have been increasing their attention abroad, investing billions of dollars in major fields in such areas as Russia and China.

38.   The oil and gas industry has invested billions in developing deep water technology and less environmentally invasive drilling techniques that have improved their track record.

39.   The Postal Service invested billions of dollars in high-tech scanning machines to sort mail more quickly.

40.   The Soviets invested billions of rubles building roads, an airport, barracks, bunkers and fuel dumps for their army.