From my suite of rooms atop the Holiday Inn I surveyed the narrow alleys below me. Only yesterday had I left my frantic North American life behind, to avail myself of an opportunity to travel to China. I wished to spend time researching material for my thesis pertaining to Eastern religions. The hotel was in close proximity to the heart of the old downtown. Innumerable activities were happening below me. People surged along the street sometimes stopping to bargain with street vendors. Cucumbers, tomatoes, apples, oranges and grapes were heaped on hand carts. The variety of fruit available provided a virtual feast for the eyes. Deliverymen jogged along pulling enormous loads of cardboard. To a Westerner's eyes cars merged unbelievably without incident. It appeared to be a dubious process to negotiate the traffic and even cross the street. However, rather than lounging indoors, I decided to venture outside to explore the colorful world below. I was interested in locating a church to attend, as today was Sunday. On the street I made tentative enquiries about locating a Christian chapel. At times the congestion of people hampered my progress. Stares from passers-by made me feel conspicuous. The weather was hot and humid and there was some possibility of a typhoon reaching the city later in the day After several false leads I found myself standing in front of a very old Christian Church, established by missionaries during the last dynasty and at the beginning of the last century. With the onset of a light sprinkle, I made a hasty retreat to shelter in the doorway of the church. The familiar refrain of well-known hymns rang out within the church. I felt drawn inside to join the fellowship in a foreign land. Even though our languages differed, my gracious hosts nonetheless, made room for me, and made me feel welcome. Sitting in this old church in China led me to contemplate about the lives of men and their spouses who lived decades ago, when they traveled to this distant land in the Eastern Hemisphere. Many of these Christian ministers and laymen left their comfortable churches, even cathedrals to preach their ideology to foreigners They established small chapels where people could join in Christian fellowship and where some Chinese people accepted conversion to a new faith. They came to a land where the predominate faith was Buddhism. Even though their words were eloquent the message at times must have seemed formidable and gloomy. Even the foreigners'clothing styles would have appeared queer. During this colonial time period missionaries emigrated to all areas of China, visiting small villages, distributing Bibles, offering divine salvation and preaching the word of God. A unanimous decision was made by many faiths to attempt to enrich the lives of others and to present the eloquent message of Christianity Some missionaries worked in the medical field as doctors, surgeons, nurses and dentists Agriculture specialists helped the farmers elevate their crop performance to provide better nutrition for the people. Finally there were teachers who ran the mission schools. All had to be very versatile at their work. These people proved to be an inspiration for others to follow in their footsteps. Earnings from all these areas would go back into further mission work to fulfill their mandate. In retrospect, my fascination with this historical era may have been kindled in childhood. While visiting my grandparent's home every Thanksgiving, I was allowed to examine the fascinating ornaments from the Orient. There were delicate elephant sculptures carved from ivory, lacy sandalwood fans and an imposing brass Buddha. Best of all, I was allowed to don an exquisite silk embroidered jacket and play with a blue and tan parasol which was adorned with sprays of plum blossoms and tiny buds. It was then I was introduced to an exotic new world. Maybe this too, is partly what lured me to this country. Under a new regime in China, government statesmen questioned what justification these foreign ministers had in their country. Subsequently, the morality of the instruction was questioned. The pendulum swung the other way and church people would no longer be welcome to impart their message. A plea to reconsider the decision was unsuccessful. Diplomats also would be required to leave the country. It would be a long time before visas would be issued to foreign people, to again live in China. And so here I am! The clearance for my visitor's visa had been administered swiftly. My surroundings aroused in me a sense of heritage. Today, sitting here pondering, allowed me to be a participant rather than just a spectator in a new chapter of China's history.
UNIT11 Acting Today for Tomorrow
Protecting the natural environment the ecology of a country, is a major concern for every country these days. It is mandatory not to minimize the importance of clean air, clean water, and clean land. It is a sad commentary on today's society that industries have been permitted to contaminate our natural surroundings. A dreadful discrepancy exists between the importance placed on economic development and the protection of the environment's heritage. If allowed to proceed unchecked, the public will eventually inherit a major catastrophe. Even countries who practice strict pollution control measures may still be affected by countries adjacent to or adjoining them when air pollution permeates the air. It is important for media coverage to compile accurate data to enable the public to boycott increased irresponsible industrialization. To disguise the people's safety calling it progress will eventually lead to many casualties Canada has a land and water mass of 9 970 610 km2, with a population of 30 million people. This is a country where the ratio of people compared to the mass of the land is very low. Can you conceive that in such a gigantic land that a garbage problem exists? I wish that I could reassure you that the answer is in the negative. The commodity most needed to address this problem is space. However, as urban areas grow, the abundance of waste also increases. Where once ample disposal sites were available, now every municipal government is scrambling to comply wit and uphold local and national health regulations. Large metropolitan cities are having an especially difficult time. Local recycling programs have been authorized in many localities to safeguard the country's ecology. Even after the establishment of such token measures, reports from five consecutive years have indicated only negligible progress in solving this very perplexing problem. If we are to seriously address the problem we will need to minimize the amount of refuse we dispose of. New areas will need to be allocated for this purpose. The database of information collected should be detailed enough to responsibly direct our future actions Every community, whether large or small, is searching for a solution to this problem. Municipalities, in attempting to appraise the situation, have spent countless years in research expending both time and money, looking for a homogeneous answer. The public, hoping to avoid the tragic consequences of a manipulated decision, refuses to give enthusiastic support to most proposals. Solicitors are hired to prepare confidential reports to convince the public to accept the municipalities suggestions. The choice of a specific piece of farmland as a landfill site often causes an instantaneous hysterical reaction. At local meetings citizens reproach government officials yelling their disapproval at the choice of a specific site. They vent their anger but are not always able to mobilize sufficient public support to effect a wise and acceptable decision. Even though researchers claim that lined pits will not cause a drainage problem, the room for error is marginal. One flaw in the plan could be responsible for an epidemic or worse, causing multiple deaths. Any leaching from a landfill pit will create recurring difficulties in polluting a farmer's well and the ground water. Polluted water flowing into lakes will affect fish and wildlife and will hinder the sportsman's pleasures. To articulate their concerns beforehand, will hopefully avoid grief in the future. A veiled threat to public health immediately creates a bias towards protecting the people's safety and interests and establishing an educated suspicion. The choice of using remote barren land removed from highly populated areas, virgin ground so to speak, presents its own problems. The transportation of dangerous chemicals in sealed capsules over major arteries increases the possibility of spills and contamination. Recurring excerpts in national and local newspapers warn of the dangers confronting the ordinary citizen. The pretext of protecting the public interest must be questioned. Accidents and poor planning lead to the erosion of public faith With certainty, we can report that the air we breathe is becoming more polluted daily For those residents of large cities who are afflicted with a respiratory condition it becomes imperative for officials to clamp down on smog conditions. To protect their health, citizens may deem it necessary to check smog levels beforehand when they are planning strenuous outdoor activity To disregard this problem will surely increase the number of premature deaths and serious health problems. Direct action by governments should help alleviate some of the risks for the elderly and those people with heart and lung disease. One breakthrough occurred when the government signed a pact to check pollutant emissions on all motor vehicles. Some continuity of policy is desirable not only between provinces but among nations to monitor air quality On a global scale the deforestation of the rain forests of Brazil is causing grave worldwide concern. The present day regime that is encouraging the building of roads, allowing for easier travel has laid siege to one of the world's most valuable natural resources. This has become an obscene rape of the land, a slash and burn approach. An aerial view of this area shows terrible fires, enormous blazes every day, resulting in consequent air pollution. The Brazilian government however, is reluctant to abolish this practice that would mean less income for the poor of Brazil. Sadly, on the other hand, natives must evacuate their homes becoming exiles. A world forum on this matter has left people all over the world with some indefinite answers. Both governments and individuals can voluntarily help achieve goals for a cleaner safer environment by incorporating some of the following ideas into their daily lives. They can ascribe to the idea of participating in local recycling programs. As well, they can cut back on the use of motor vehicles. Walking more will improve everyone's health, as well as improving the environment. Using alternatives to herbicides on lawns and gardens will improve water quality. Some general advice might be to differentiate between what we need and what we want. If we are going to pass on a healthy world to our children and grandchildren we must remain diligent and maintain a balance between our environmental and social responsibilities and our economic goals. It's our world and how we leave it for the next generation depends on what we do today.
UNIT12 The American Drea
The dream to construct a building to house everyone and everything connected with world trade began in the early 1960's. After much deliberation， Minoru Yamasaki was commissioned over more than a dozen other architects to work with the firm of Emery Roth and Sons to design this massive edifice. His task was evident: the building must have twelve million square feet of floor space on a sixteen acre parcel of land, accommodate the new facilities for the Hudson tubes and subway connections, and be done within the 500 million dollar budget. The relatively small site combined with the vast space needs meant that the only way to go was up. The development would dwarf its neighbors and change the New York landscape and skyline at the bottom of Manhattan. In order to accommodate the nine million square feet of office space, Yamasaki made the decision that a twotower development would be best. This would serve the dual purpose of giving sufficient office area on each floor and allowing a manageable structural system while taking advantage of the superb views. The twin towers would be 110 floors each, rising to a height of 1,353 feet (412 meters). From the observation decks at the tops of the towers it would be possible to see 45 miles in every direction When asked why he designed two 110-storey buildings instead of one 220-storey building he replied, flippantly, “ I didnt want to lose the human touch.” The first act in the construction process was the excavation. The 1.2 million cubic yards of earth and rock that were removed were used to create 23 acres of fill in the Hudson River adjacent to the W.T.C. site. This landfill project was subsequently developed as Battery Park. The excavation, besides providing the foundation for this enormous construction, would house parking garages, subway terminals and tubes and shopping concourses. Yamasaki believed that all buildings must be strong in the context of being dominant. He felt that each building should “be a monument to the virility of our society”. The structural system, while possessing this strength, is also impressively simple. The 208-foot front wall is essentially a pre-assembled steel web, with columns on 39inch centers, providing the wind bracing necessary for a building of this height allowing the central core to take only the gravity loads. This very light, economical configuration would result in keeping the wind bracing in the most efficient place, the outside shell of the building In this way, the wind force would not be transferred through the floor membrane to the core. Thirtythree inch deep floors made of prefabricated steel trusses would act as supports to stiffen the outside walls against the buckling forces of the windload pressures. There would be no interior columns in the office spaces, an amazing feat as there would be 40 000 square feet of office space on each of the upper floors. In total, there would be seven buildings in the complex; the twin towers standing 110 stories high , four smaller towers, and a central plaza. Also, there would be seven underground levels containing services, shopping, parking garages and a subway station. When completed, there would be ten million square feet of leasable space, or an acre of rentable space on each floor of each tower The elevator system was intended to be fast, efficient,and space saving. Express elevators opening onto the forty-first and seventy-fourth floors would serve the sky lobbies. From these floors and from the plaza, four banks of elevators would carry passengers to each of the three zones Tenders posted, contractors hired, and the preliminary materials purchased, the groundbreaking ceremony was held on August 5, 1966. Some offices were ready for occupancy in 1970 but the ribbon cutting ceremony wasn't held until April 4, 1973. Final cost 750 million dollars The institution of the W.T.C. would become a symbol of commerce and economic superiority to the world. International businesses recognized that it would be advantageous to have offices there. Thus, the working population of the W.T.C. would incorporate a cross-section of nationalities, not just Americans. The buildings would be occupied by as many as fifty thousand people daily during the week. Additionally,thousands of tourists could be in the center at any given time, visiting the restaurant, Windows on the World, atop One W.T.C., the indoor and outdoor observation decks on Two W.T.C., as well as the shops, exhibition pavilions, and the 250 room hotel. A complex of this size is not without some problems, including fire. Numerous small fires and one major one on February 13, 1975 occurred over the years. However, on February 26, 1993, a terrorist attack on the W.T.C. caused the largest incident ever handled by the City of New York's Fire Department. The blaze, resulting from the ignition of a nitrourea bomb, with hydrogen cylinders to add impact, and located in the parking garage required the response of 84 engine companies, 60 truck companies, and hundreds of personnel. Firefighters maintained a presence at the site for 28 days, guarding against the possibility of further fires caused by the blast. Six people died and 1042 were injured. The towers survived. After this violent incident failed in its intended purpose of destroying the W.T.C., who could have envisaged an assault as disastrous as the one inflicted on it and the United States on September 11, 2001? Who could have conceived an attack so vicious it would eclipse almost every manmade catastrophe? Who could have foreseen that the American dream would blur into a terrible nightmare? At 8∶45 a.m. New York local time, a hijacked 767 commercial airliner with a full load of jet fuel for a transcontinentalflight collided with One W.T.C., The north tower, with enough impetus to carry it through to the opposite side. Initially, terrorism was not a consideration in the mind of the public. This was merely a dreadful accident. As a bewildered public endeavored to assimilate this overwhelming event, at 9∶03 a.m., a second hijacked jet crashed into Two W.T.C. Millions of people around the world, having been alerted to the incident and now watching the terror unfold on their televisions, watched in shock as the second plane, in the blink of an eye, entered the south tower at approximately the seventy-second floor and partially exited the opposite wall Fire and police departments were mobilized immediately. Rapid evacuation of the buildings was crucial. Many workers on upper floors, knowing there was no escape, committed suicide by hurling themselves out of windows to their deaths. Then, 62 minutes after it had been crashed into, the south tower crumbled into the streets in a gigantic cloud of dust and debris. Hundreds of police and firefighters intent on their rescue mission lost their lives as Two W.T.C. collapsed. Drivers and attendants of emergency vehicles, unable to abandon their posts, died where they had stopped to give aid and assistance. Employees from the two towers, rushing to escape the raging fires, were caught in the wreckage. Pedestrians, uncertain of which way to turn, and not convinced of the need for urgency found themselves trapped in an avalanche of concrete. Members of the media, on their way to cover the breaking news of the disaster, became victims of it. Hundreds of commuters, on their way to work via subway, were trapped below ground with no escape possible Hospital emergency departments, having been notified of the explosions, quickly prepared for the arrival of casualties. When the expected influx failed to materialize, it could only mean that there were few survivors One W.T.C. collapsed at 10∶30 a.m., 105 minutes after being hit, adding to the mass confusion in the streets. Seven W.T.C., a later addition to the complex was damaged,caught fire, and collapsed later that afternoon. Not one of the adjoining structures was left intact In the aftermath of this incredible misfortune, the pieces of the puzzle began to be put in place. Shortly before 8∶00 a.m. on September 11, 2001, three commercial airliners were hijacked from Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. All were transcontinental flights with passengers destined for California and their full fuel tanks provided the ammunition critical to the mission of the hijackers. Authorities speculate that the pilots were assassinated and their places taken by the terrorists who had had flight training. In all, there were 157 passengers and crew on the two planes. The third plane crashed in Pennsylvania killing 45 passengers and crew. A number of the hostages managed to use their cellular telephones to call their families to say goodbye. Everything occurred in such a short period of time that other than alerting a handful of people that there were some hijackings, no one had any idea why. The dilemma was that there were no warnings, no demands for ransom, and no hints that this bright, sunny September morning was about to become a day that will live forever in the minds of those who witnessed the tragedy. It will be years before the final toll of damage will be known. To consolidate information, compute the financial losses, designate a monetary value for loss of life, fill the void left on the terrain, to make sense of this misfortune intended to undermine the foundation of America is a formidable assignment. We do know that destruction of the World Trade Center cost the lives of more than three thousand innocent people in the buildings, in the hijacked airplanes, and in the surrounding streets. Who can erase the mental images of those planes smashing into the twin towers? Who is unable to visualize the spectacle of terrified men and women jumping to their doom? How can those of us who observed the collapse of the buildings fail to dwell on the loss of life caused by men,cowards who lacked the fortitud to proclaim war on their alleged enemy Today, October 22, 2001, nine more corpses were discovered in the rubbl, the first such discovery in several weeks. This may seem trivial when one considers the multitude of people who died. However, the fatalities aren't the only victims of this tragic event. Their families, friends, and colleagues need closure. They need to know with certainty that their loved ones are dead and they need to bury the remains. Unfortunately,most of the casualties will probably never be found because the heat produced by the ignition of jet fuel and the damage incurred by the impact would have instantaneously vaporized everything and everyone in the immediate vicinity. Others, in the buildings or on the streets as the towers collapsed are under so much debris that their bodies may not be found for months. The list of buildings collapsed and damaged includes all seven buildings of the W.T.C.complex comprising W.T.C.6 the U.S. Customs House to the north; W.T.C.3, the 22 story Marriott World Trade Center Hotel just west of Tower Two; W.T.C.4 and 5, the Plaza Buildings, and One Liberty Plaza, a 54 story, 743 foot high building to the east. Firefighters and recovery workers remain on the scene. The fires still smolder beneath the ruins. The American spirit has been bruised and the land has been scarred. The citizens of this powerful nation now realize just how fragile and vulnerable their country is. Nevertheless,they are defiant. They do not consider themselves easy prey for terrorists. They are still optimistic about their place in today's world. They assert that the nightmare visited upon them will be visited upon the perpetrators of this cowardly act The World Trade Center is no more. The dream of an international axis of business, once a reality,will be revised. Maybe having one place that is so prominent will also be rethought. Whatever the outcome, this massacre has served to strengthen the resolve of a mighty nation. The dream and dreamers will survive.
