Unit 1 “We’ve Been Hit”

Section One Pre-reading Activities

I. Audiovisual supplement

Watch the video and answer the following questions.

1. What’s the building that was hit?

2. What was the event? When did it happen?

（插入视频）

 

Script:

News: We have unconfirmed reports this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. CNN Center right now ...

Officer A: Holy shit!

News: ... work on this story, calling our sources and trying to figure out exactly what happened, but, clearly, something relatively devastating happening this morning there. We’re going to join another one of our New York affiliates for their live coverage. Here at the top of this tower, there’s a huge, gaping hole, flames still inside.

Officer B: Can you believe this? What schmuck笨人 would fly a plane into the Trade Center?

Officer C: Maybe they ran out of gas or something.

Officer B: Yeah, Colovito. Right.

Officer D: Maybe some jerk-off forgot which lever to pull on his twin-engine.

Officer E: That’s not a small plane.

Officer B: Hell, no.

Police Chief: All right, listen up! Let me have your attention here! They’re telling us it’s a commuter plane. Tower One is being evacuated as a precaution. They’ve asked us to send a team down to assist. Sergeant McLoughlin.

Team Leader: I’ve got a list of names here. Step out when you hear it. We’re going downtown. (Roll-calling)

Answers to the Questions:

1. The building is the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City.

2. It was one of the 9/11 attacks. It happened on September 11, 2001. 

 

II. Cultural information

1. President Bush’s address to the nation （添加录音gwb9-11address）

Good evening. Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes or in their offices: secretaries, business men and women, military and federal workers, moms and dads, friends and neighbors. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable卑劣的 acts of terror. The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger. These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed. Our country is strong.

A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent削弱 the steel of American resolve. America was targeted for attack because we’re the brightest beacon灯塔 for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining. Today, our nation saw evil — the very worst of human nature — and we responded with the best of America. With the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could.

Immediately following the first attack, I implemented our government’s emergency response plans. Our military is powerful, and it’s prepared. Our emergency teams are working in New York City and Washington D.C. to help with local rescue efforts. Our first priority is to get help to those who have been injured, and to take every precaution to protect our citizens at home and around the world from further attacks. The functions of our government continue without interruption. Federal agencies in Washington which had to be evacuated today are reopening for essential personnel tonight and will be open for business tomorrow. Our financial institutions remain strong, and the American economy will be open for business as well.

The search is underway for those who were behind these evil acts. I have directed the full resources of our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and to bring them to justice. We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor窝藏 them.

I appreciate so very much the members of Congress who have joined me in strongly condemning谴责 these attacks. And on behalf of the American people, I thank the many world leaders who have called to offer their condolences哀悼 and assistance. America and our friends and allies join with all those who want peace and security in the world, and we stand together to win the war against terrorism.

Tonight, I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a Power greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23:

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for you are with me.

This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.

Thank you. Good night. And God bless America!

2. September 11 attacks

The September 11 attacks (often referred to as September 11th or 9/11) were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board and many others working in the buildings. Both buildings collapsed within two hours, destroying nearby buildings and damaging others. The hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksville in rural Pennsylvania after some of its passengers and flight crew attempted to retake control of the plane, which the hijackers had redirected toward Washington, D.C. There were no survivors from any of the flights.

The death toll of the attacks was 2,995, including the 19 hijackers. The overwhelming majority of casualties were civilians, including nationals of over 70 countries. In addition, there is at least one secondary death — one person was ruled裁决/认定 by a medical examiner to have died from lung disease due to exposure to dust from the World Trade Center’s collapse.

Section Two Global Reading

I. Main idea

The text describes a particular episode in the disaster that occurred on September 11, 2001 in New York, in praise of the courage and compassion of man. It presents three people in the attack, who demonstrated great valor trying to save those who were in danger and needed help.

 

II. Structural analysis

1. Divide the text into parts by completing the table.

Paragraphs	Main ideas
1	It tells of people’s perception of the WTC.
2-9	It describes the initial reaction of people inside the WTC when the building was hit.
10-30	It is mainly about how the three men (Mayblum, Ramos and Hong) endeavored to save a heavyset体格魁伟的 man by their joint efforts.
31-34	It describes the gathering of some of the survivors and the victims’ wives.

 

2. What is the function of the last part?

It is a most touching scene. It seems to suggest that the author has, from what is described above, reached the conclusion about the ultimate moral dilemma: “Save yourself, or save another.”

 

Section Three Detailed Reading

Text I

Narration clues:

Part One (1): Adam Mayblum worked in his office on the 87^th floor of the WTC.

Part Two (2-9): WTC was crashed. Adam Mayblum helped others and ran down himself.

Part Three (10-30): Harry Ramos was the head trader⁴ at May Davis. He helped others. He and Hongzhu helped Victor, a heavyset man from the 53^rd floor to the 36^th floor. Harry Ramos stayed to help Victor and died.

Part Four (31-34): May Davis held a gathering. People recalled Harry Ramos’s sacrifice due to helping Victor.

 

“We’ve Been Hit!”

With the building in flames, one man needed help. Another man refused to leave him.

 

1             Adam Mayblum used to enjoy watching as storms lashed the windows of his office: You think that’s power? Mayblum would scoff. I’m on the 87th floor of the World Trade Center¹. That’s power. The drawstrings 拉绳on his window shades 窗帘would appear to sway 摆动slightly, but it was an illusion错觉. Although they were 1,040 feet in the sky, The WTC was quite steady.

 

Paragraph 1

Questions

1. How much do you know about the World Trade Center?

   The World Trade Center was more than its signature twin towers: it was a complex of 7 buildings on 16 acres, constructed and operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The towers rose at the heart of the complex, each climbing more than 100 feet higher than the silver mast of the Empire State Building. The World Trade Center was hit by hijacked planes on September 11, 2001.

2. What images are used to emphasize the steadiness of the WTC?

   Storms and drawstrings.

 

Words and Expressions

1. lash vt. hit violently or suddenly

e.g. The farmer lashed the mules with a stick.

    The waves lashed the shore.

Collocation:

  lash out (at / against sb. / sth.) make a sudden violent attack with blows or words

Synonym:

  whip, beat

 

2. sway vi. move or swing from side to side

e.g. He swayed slightly, as if about to fall.

他身子一歪，像要倒下。

Synonym:

  swing, wave

Translation:

1. 那棵苹果树在风中摇曳。

  (The apple tree sways in the wind.)

2.  She swayed her hands gracefully as she gave lectures.

 （她演讲时优雅地摆动着手。）

 

3. illusion n. sth. that deceives a person by seeming to be real

e.g. The mirrors all round the walls give an illusion of greater space.

   I have no illusions about my ability.

   我对自己的能力如何颇有自知之明。

Derivation:

illusive a.

illusively ad.

Collocation:

  be under the illusion that believe wrongly

  e.g. I was under the illusion that he was honest until he was caught stealing some money.

  他偷钱当场被人抓住，在此之前我一直误以为他是个老实人。

 

Exercise: Fill in each blank with one of the following prepositions.

under   at   out   against   to

1.       He lashed ____ ____ the opposition’s policies.

2.       Students are not allowed to scoff ___ others’ weaknesses.

3.       The dancer swayed ___ the music.

4.       People were _____ the illusion that the tomb was Caocao’s.

 

2             When Mayblum felt a devastating rumble 隆隆声on that September morning, he glanced at the drawstrings. They were careening 倾斜/晃动wildly, three feet in either direction.

3             Mayblum would be one of thousands cast into an extraordinary purgatory 被投入特别炼狱的数千人之一that morning. While as many as 25,000 would find their way to safety, 5,000 would not.

4             For some, it was a matter of geography² （生死问题在于身在何处）— not just which tower they worked in or on which floor, but in which corner of the building.

5             For some, the choices were as basic as which staircase to use抉择的根本是走（利用）哪道楼梯. Others faced the ultimate moral dilemma道义上的终极难题: Save yourself, or save another.

 

Paragraphs 2-5

Questions

1. Can you paraphrase the sentence “They were careening wildly, three feet in either direction.” in Paragraph 2? (Paragraph 2)

      They were swaying up to three feet from side to side, like a ship in a great storm.

2. What is the implication of the parallel sentences in Paragraph 4 and Paragraph 5? (Paragraph 5)

      These sentences are used to emphasize the fact that the people in the building were in great danger and whether they would survive depended very much on where they happened to be when the building was struck and which staircase they would use to get out.

 

Words and Expressions

4. devastating a. completely destructive

e.g. It is the most devastating flood in 100 years.

Derivation:

  devastate vt.

  devastation n.

Synonym:

disastrous, destructive

 

5. careen To lean to one side, as a ship sailing in the wind.

 

6. cast into: To throw… into… with force; hurl… into…

 

7. purgatory n. a place or condition of great suffering

e.g. The devastating earthquake changed people’s home into a purgatory.

Synonym:

  torture, plague

Derivation:

  purgatorial a.

 

8. find their way to: to make efforts to get to or realize

 

9. ultimate: Utmost; extreme

 

10. dilemma n. a situation in which it is very difficult to decide what to do, because all of the possible courses of action seem equally good or equally bad

e.g. The only way out of this dilemma is to cooperate within the group.

面对这样的两难境地，唯一的出路就是在团队内合作。

Collocation:

  in a dilemma

e.g. Mary was in a dilemma whether to marry or continue her study.

Synonym:

  quandary, predicament

 

 

Sentences

1. Mayblum would be one of thousands cast into an extraordinary purgatory that morning. (Paragraph 3)

Paraphrase: That morning, Mayblum would be one of thousands who were thrown into a terrible disaster.

Translation: 那天早上，有数千人将被卷入一场惊心动魄的灾难，梅布鲁也是其中的一员。

 

2. For some, it was a matter of geography … (Paragraph 4)

Paraphrase: For some, whether they could survive depended on where they were …

 

6             The confusion 慌乱inside Adam Mayblum’s office at May Davis³, a financial services firm, lasted just seconds. He knew he needed to get out.

7             He ripped 撕his T-shirt into pieces, soaked 浸湿the pieces in water and gave them to colleagues 同事to cover their faces. Among them: Harry Ramos, head trader⁴ at May Davis. Mayblum had worked with Ramos off and on 断断续续地for 14 years.

8             Sparks bit at Mayblum’s ankles 脚踝as he raced for the stairs. He bolted 逃跑down two flights两段楼梯 before realizing that his trading partner, Hong Zhu, had been left behind. He went back upstairs, the whole area now filled with smoke and burning jet fuel.

9             There was no sign of Hong. Mayblum hurried down again and made it to the 78th floor, a transfer lobby 转接厅where one set of elevators and stairs ended and another began. He saw a reassuring sight看到令人放心的场景; Ramos had waded into 投入the pandemonium 喧嚣中to help panicked恐慌的 workers into a stairwell楼梯间.

 

Paragraphs 6-9

Questions

1. Is there any evidence of people’s concern for others? (Paragraph 9)

Yes, Mayblum shared his ripped T-shirt with his colleagues, Mayblum went back to look for his trading partner, and Ramos helped panicked workers into a stairwell.

2. What does “Ramos had waded into the pandemonium” mean? (Paragraph 9)

It means that he “had walked into the wild chaos with great determination.”

 

Words and Expressions

11. confusion n. a very disorganized situation usually with lots of noise, in which a lot of things are happening at the same time, so that it is difficult to understand or control

e.g. The enemy’s unexpected attack threw them into total confusion.

敌人的突然进攻使他们完全不知所措。

Comparison: disorder, chaos

disorder n. a situation in which things or people are not in the correct position, place, or order, so that they are unable to control or organize

e.g. The Civil War came at the end of a long period of social disorder.

chaos n. a situation that is full of disorder and is completely out of control

e.g. The thieves left the house in chaos.

    小偷走后房屋中一片凌乱。

Derivation:

  confused a.

  confuse vt.

 

12. rip: To cut, tear apart, or tear away roughly or energetically.

 

13. soak: To make thoroughly wet or saturated by or as if by placing in liquid.

 

14. colleagues: A fellow member of a profession, a staff, or an academic faculty; an associate.

 

15. off and on: In an intermittent manner.

 

16. bolt: To move suddenly.

 

17. lobby: A hall at or near the entrance to a building or to rooms.

 

18. wade into: To plunge into or begin resolutely and energetically.

 

19. pandemonium: Wild uproar or noise.

 

20. stairwell: A vertical shaft (passage) around which a staircase has been built.

 

Activity: Write out the noun form and the adjective form of each given word.

      v.            n.                               a.

1.  confuse     _____________(confusion)           ____________(confused / confusing)

2.  transfer     _____________(transfer)             ____________(transferable)

3.  reassure     _____________(reassurance)          ___________(reassuring / reassured)

4.  panic       _____________(panic)               ___________ (panicky)

5.  devastate    _____________(devastation)          ___________ (devastating)

 

Sentences

3. Mayblum had worked with Ramos off and on for 14 years. (Paragraph 7)

Paraphrase: In the past 14 years, Mayblum and Ramos worked together from time to time.

Translation: 梅布鲁和拉莫斯断断续续地在一起工作已有14年了。

 

10          Mayblum continued his descent下来, the muscles in his calves 小腿contracting in spasms. On the 53rd floor, he came across a heavyset man whose legs just wouldn’t move anymore.

 

Words and Expressions

21. descent n. the act or process of going down

e.g. The wild goose began its descent into the West Lake.

Synonym:

  decline, subsidence

Antonym:

  ascent

 

22. calf: The fleshy, muscular back part of the human leg between the knee and ankle.

 

23. spasm: A sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle or group of muscles.

 

24. heavyset: Having a stout or compact build.

 

Sentences

4. On the 53rd floor, he came across a heavyset man whose legs just wouldn’t move anymore. (Paragraph 10)

Explanation: “Anymore” is the variant of “any more”; this variant is chiefly used in North America.

Paraphrase: On the 53rd floor, he met a huge man whose legs just wouldn’t move any more.

Translation: 在第53层，他偶遇了一个大块头的男子，那人的脚一步也迈不开了。

 

11          “Do you want to come, or do you want us to send help?” Mayblum shouted.

12          The man asked him to send help. Adam said he would.

13          In the noise, smoke and sparks, Mayblum didn’t realize that his friend Hong Zhu was behind him in the stairwell the whole time. When Hong got to the 53rd floor, he came across Harry Ramos. Ramos had stopped to help the heavyset man Mayblum had seen earlier. “I’ll give you a hand,” Hong said.

14          Together, Ramos and Hong helped the man down one more flight to an elevator.

15          “Don’t take it,” a Port Authority official港务局官员 screamed.

16          Hong and Ramos tried to send a magazine down in the elevator to test its safety. But when they pressed the “down” button, the doors wouldn’t close. So Hong decided that he would be the guinea pig天竺鼠 instead做试验.⁵

17          He stepped inside, and the doors shut behind him.

18          Hong took the elevator down to the 44th floor, the next transfer lobby. So far, so good. He pressed “52,” went back up and collected Ramos and the heavyset man.

19          On 44 Hong and Ramos helped the man toward the last bank of elevators最后一套电梯 that would take them all the way down.

20          Hong pressed the “down” button again. Nothing. They would have to take the stairs.

21          Ramos and Hong tried to support the man. “One step at a time,” Hong said.

22          They had been trying to get out for an hour and five minutes. They were on 36 when they felt the South Tower collapse.

 

Paragraphs 11-22

Questions

1. How do you understand the sentence “So far, so good” in Para.18?  (Paragraph 18)

Things are satisfactory up to this point.

2. How did they manage to get down from the 53rd floor to the 36th floor? (Paragraph 22)

They first got down to the 44th floor in the elevator which, fortunately, was still working. Then Ramos and Hong helped the man down to the 36th floor, which took them an hour and five minutes.

 

Words and Expressions

25. flight: A series of stairs rising from one landing to another.

 

26. guinea pig: A person who is used as a subject for experimentation or research.

 

27. bank: A set of elevators.

 

Activity: Act it out.

Work in groups. Students are supposed to read the following scene and try to act it out. Pay close attention to the verbs in bold type.

After school, some boys descended the slope towards the village, whistling cheerfully. While walking, a boy, Richard found that his shoelace was loose. So he stooped to tie the lace. Suddenly, the boys felt that the earth was shaking. And the shaking was more and more violent. “What happened?” Richard shouted. He was so afraid that he crouched on the ground. “It is earthquake! Look!” another boy answered. The houses in the village collapsed with a large noise! Disaster had come!

 

Sentences

5. So Hong decided that he would be the guinea pig instead. (Paragraph 16)

Explanation: If someone is used as a guinea pig in an experiment, something is tested on him that has not been tested on other people before. For example, Dr. Roger used himself as a human guinea pig to perfect a treatment which has since saved the lives of countless people. Here the sentence means that Hong decided to test the safety of the elevator himself.

 

23          “We really have to move,” Hong said.

24          The rumbles of the collapsing tower next door seemed to sap 打消了the heavyset man of his last gasps of energy最后一丝力气. “I can’t do it anymore,” he said, sitting down.

25          Hong and Ramos tried to persuade him to continue. “You don’t have to move your legs!” Hong shouted. “Just move your butt屁股. Let’s go!” But the man couldn’t go on.

26          A fireman ran up to them. Hong expected that he would join in to get the heavy man to move. Instead, the fireman turned to Hong.

27          “Who are you, screaming at him to get out?” the fireman shouted. “You get out!”

28          Hong looked at Ramos, who was still standing with the heavyset man.

29          “I’m coming down with you,” Ramos told the man. “I’m not going to leave.”

30          “I left,” Hong says sorrowfully. “Alone.”

 

Paragraphs 23-30

Questions

1. What does “Who are you, screaming at him to get out” in Para. 27 mean? (Paragraph 27)

Who do you think you are? You have no right to shout at him and order him to get out.

2. Why did the fireman shout at Hong? What did he possibly do after Hong left? (Paragraph 30)

      Possibly because he wanted to save at least one more person. After Hong left, he probably joined Ramos in helping the heavyset man.

 

Words and Expressions

28. sap vt. weaken slowly

e.g. They were traveling very slowly, and the heavy load they were carrying sapped their strength.

e.g. The constant tension was sapping my energy.

Synonym:

  weaken, exhaust, drain

Collocation:

sap up on sb. beat up sb.

 

29. gasp: A short convulsive intake or catching of the breath.

 

30. butt: The buttocks; the rear end.

 

31          The next day, Adam Mayblum sent an e-mail describing his experience to friends and relatives, who sent it to still others. The e-mail was read by someone in San Francisco who knew a woman in New York named Rebecca. Her husband, Victor, a heavyset man, was missing.

32          On Saturday, September 15, May Davis’s chairman had a gathering at his New Jersey home. Adam Mayblum was there. So was Hong Zhu. Rebecca was also there, learning how her husband, Victor, had been comforted in his last moments, how Harry Ramos had refused to leave him behind.

33          Ramos’s wife, Micky, was there too. She kept asking Mayblum and Hong where her husband was, convinced that somehow, Harry — the only May Davis employee still missing — was alive.

34          Piece by piece, she developed a picture of his escape: Harry was on 87 when the plane hit. He stopped to help on 78. He met up with Hong on 53. But as hard as she tried, as many questions as she asked, the picture began to fade on the 36th floor.⁶

 

Paragraphs 31-34

Questions

1) Where did the heavyset man live? (Paragraph 31)

      In New York.

2) What is the significance of the last paragraph? And what is its relation to the subtitle of the text “With the building in flames, one man needed help. Another man refused to leave him”? (Paragraph 34)

The last paragraph is a condensed account of Ramos’s heroic deed. It echoes the subtitle with a very moving picture. Notice the word “fade,” which literally means “become unclear,” suggesting that Harry Ramos’s wife was unable to accept the truth about her husband’s death.

 

Activity: Make a dialogue

You are going to watch a film. When you buy some snacks at the supermarket, you meet up with a friend. You try to persuade him to go to see the movie with you. Work in pairs and make a dialogue.

 

Sentences

6. … the picture began to fade on the 36th floor (Paragraph 34)

Explanation: … Nothing was known about what had happened on the 36th floor.

Translation: 在第36层，逃生的画面变得模糊起来。

  

Text II

1. Lead-in Questions

 What do you think of the skyscrapers shooting up in the city with the urban development?

 

2. Text II

Rethinking Skyscrapers

Jerkily Watson

Most of the world’s tall buildings, called skyscrapers, are in the United States. However, the recent terrorist attacks have caused some Americans to worry about the safety of these extremely tall buildings.

   For almost 30 years, the World Trade Center stood more than 410 meters above New York City’s financial center. The two towers of the Center were the tallest buildings in the city. They had more than 100 levels. Then on the morning of September 11th, two hijacked airplanes struck the buildings.

Many people died immediately in explosions and fires. Others ran down many levels of steps in an effort to escape the buildings. Others waited for help in their offices. Then, one after another, both buildings fell. The collapse of the towers killed thousands of people. It also wrecked or damaged surrounding buildings.

Engineers from the state of Illinois soon will investigate the collapse of the buildings for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Their early study, however, shows that the buildings held up well. One tower remained standing for about forty-seven minutes after the plane hit it. The other tower stayed up for about one hour and forty minutes after it was struck. The fact that the towers stayed up as long as they did permitted many people to escape.

Several experts have said no building could have resisted the attacks. The terrorists meant to cause the largest explosions and the hottest fires possible. So they hijacked planes heavily loaded with fuel. The heat from the burning fuel weakened the steel structure of the towers. These fires burned far hotter than fires used to test building materials. They also burned longer. The intense heat caused the upper levels of the buildings to fall. Then the lower levels also fell.

Some pieces of building wreckage残骸 caused destruction in the area. Mainly, however, the towers imploded内爆 and fell down in their own space. Several engineers praised the World Trade Center for this. Many more people would have died if the buildings had fallen to the side.

Officials say the wreckage will take months to clear. After the attacks, broken glass and smoking metal lay 12 meters above the ground. The World Trade Center had contained 200,000 tons of steel. It also had 43,000 windows.

About 50,000 people worked in the World Trade Center. Some estimates say as many as 90,000 people passed through it on some days. The towers represented business and trade in the biggest city in America. Many people throughout the world recognized pictures of the World Trade Center against the skies of New York.

People in New York are discussing ways to remember the World Trade Center and the people who died in the attack. Several artists and building designers suggest a memorial called Towers of Light. The arts group Creative Time proposes forming two towers of light in the shape of the fallen buildings. These lights would reach toward the sky. The artists currently are researching methods that could produce lighting with such power.

Businessman Larry Silverstein currently controls use of the World Trade Center property. Mr. Silverstein says he will rebuild the Center. However, it is unclear what the new center will be like.

Some architects have suggested creating four shorter buildings. These structures would have about 50 levels. A park between the buildings would contain a memorial to victims of the attack.

Other New York citizens called for rebuilding the World Trade Center as it was. For example, former mayor Ed Koch urged replacement复位 of the two skyscrapers. He said this would show the terrorists that New York remained undefeated.

However, some city planners believe such extremely tall structures should not be replaced. Instead, some experts advise copying other New York buildings that are not as tall.

The Urban Land Institute is a research and educational organization for planners and building designers. Some members believe skyscrapers waste space. These experts say some buildings use their lower levels mainly to get people to the upper levels.

Some experts also believe the office needs of businesses are changing. Most large companies now have their headquarters in skyscrapers. This permits their employees to work together in one place. However, employees today can communicate easily though electronic mail and other technology. So some planners believe there will be less need for skyscrapers in the future.

The Empire State Building is now the tallest building in New York City. It was built in 1931. It was the tallest building in the world for more than 40 years. It still is one of the most popular. Thousands of millions of visitors have seen New York from observation areas in this building.

Some Americans now say they are worried about the Empire State Building. However, a wealthy New York property owner has offered as much as 57 million dollars to buy it. He says he believes fear of skyscrapers will be temporary.

Many of American skyscrapers have increased safety measures since the terrorist attacks. Owners have placed barriers around the buildings at street level. Security devices and guards examine people who enter the buildings. Building occupants are receiving information about what to do in an emergency.

Skyscrapers were invented in the United States. As early as the 1880s, two new technical developments made these taller buildings possible. One development was the mechanical elevator. It meant that people would not have to climb many steps to reach the upper floors of tall buildings. The development of steel also helped make taller buildings possible.

The first skyscraper was built in Chicago, Illinois in 1885. The Home Insurance Building was almost 55 meters tall.

Chicago became home to the world’s tallest buildings in 1973 when the Sears Tower was built. It is 442 meters tall. The Sears Tower was the tallest building in the world for 23 years. Then, in 1996, two taller buildings were completed. They are the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They are about 452 meters tall.

Recently, businessman Donald Trump proposed another very tall building for Chicago. Mr. Trump and the owners of the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper wanted to build a structure 457 meters high along the Chicago River. Mr. Trump and the newspaper owners have been seeking more money for the project. Now, however, it is unclear if they will continue proposing such a big skyscraper.

Developers in China want to build the tallest skyscraper ever. They are planning an International Financial Center for Shanghai. The Center is to be more than 487 meters tall.

The building would have several safety measures not included in the World Trade Center buildings. For example, the areas containing steps would be wider than those in the World Trade Center. Areas called refuge floors would be placed every ten to twelve levels. These open-air places are designed to protect people from smoke. They are legally required in China and some other Asian countries.

Experts say there is almost no engineering limit to the height a skyscraper can be. Still, people’s feelings may limit the size of skyscrapers in the future.

For example, a New York City stock trader works in an office high in a skyscraper. He says he once liked to look out his office window and see the other tall buildings of the city. But his feelings have changed since the terrorist attacks.

Now, he says, he would like to work much closer to the ground.

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Notes

1. … the buildings held up well. (Paragraph 4) … the buildings stayed in a reasonably good condition after it was struck.

2. … the towers imploded and fell down in their own space. (Paragraph 6) … the towers burst inward instead of outward and fell down in their own space.

3. the Empire State Building (Paragraph 16) The Empire State Building is a 102-storey Art Deco skyscraper in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It stood as the world’s tallest building for more than 40 years, from its completion in 1931 until construction of the World Trade Center’s North Tower was completed in 1972. The Empire State Building was named by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

4. the Sears Tower (Paragraph 21)  Standing at 1,450 feet and 110 storeys high, Sears Tower is the tallest building in North America. Offering more than 3.8 million square feet of office and retail space, Sears Tower is the business location in Chicago.

5. Petronas Towers (Paragraph 21) Kuala Lumpur, being the capital of Malaysia, is full of high-rise buildings and skyscrapers. Petronas Towers, the tallest in the world with the height of 1,438 ft, are located there.

6. Donald Trump (Paragraph 22)  He was born in 1946 and is a billionaire real estate developer that has massed a fortune through owning key New York properties (e.g. Trump Towers) and Atlantic City casinos. Donald Trump took over his father’s New York real estate business and by the 1970s had fashioned himself a deal-maker in Manhattan.

7. an International Financial Centre for Shanghai (Paragraph 23)  It refers to the skyscraper officially known as the Shanghai World Financial Centre, abbreviated as SWFC. It is a 101-storey supertall skyscraper with multiple functions, located in the Lujiazui Financial District, Shanghai, China. Its foundation stone was laid on August 27, 1997. Because of fund shortage caused by the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, its construction was delayed, and was not completed until September 14, 2007, on which day the skyscraper was topped out at 492 meters. It is currently the world’s third tallest completed building by roof. On August 28, 2008, the SWFC officially opened for business. On August 30 the Observation Deck opened with a view from 3 levels. The highest view is at 474 meters above sea level.

 

Questions for discussion

1. What was special about the World Trade Center in New York?

1. The World Trade Centre, a symbol of New York, was the tallest building in the city with more than 100 levels. Its sturdy structure was shown by the fact that it remained standing for a fairly long time after it was hit in the September 11 attacks. Besides, when it did fall down, it collapsed within its own space.

 

2. What makes Americans feel uneasy about extremely tall buildings?

2. The September 11 attacks make them worry about the safety of extremely tall buildings.

 

3. What do some experts think of skyscrapers now? What’s your idea about skyscrapers?

3. Some think skyscrapers are only a waste of space; others do not think skyscrapers are a must any more, as modern technology enables employees to communicate easily without having to work in their headquarters in skyscrapers.

 

4. How many ways of restoring the World Trade Centre are mentioned in the passage? Which of them do you think is the best one? Why?

4. Four ways of restoring the World Trade Center are mentioned in the text: 1. putting up a memorial called Towers of Light; 2. rebuilding the Centre, but it’s unclear what the new one will be like; 3. creating four shorter buildings of about 50 levels with a memorial to victims of the attack in a park between these buildings; 4. rebuilding the World Trade Center as it was. On the other hand, however, some city planners believe that such tall structures should not be replaced at all. Instead, some experts advise copying other New York buildings that are not as tall. Personally I think the last alternative, i.e. not replacing such skyscrapers at all, is the best choice, not only because it seems to be safer, but also because we are closer to our Mother Earth when we live and work in lower buildings.

 

II. Memorable Quotes

Read the following quotes and find out the meaning of life implicated by them.

1. But whether on the scaffold high

Or in the battle’s van,

The fittest place where man can die

Is where he dies for man!

— Michael J. Barry

 

（为Michael J. Barry 加注：）

Michael Joseph Barry (1817 –1889) was an Irish poet, author, and political figure.

 

Paraphrase: The most suitable way for man to die is to die for the mankind no matter he is sentenced to death on the scaffold or dies in the battlefield.

 

2. O suffering, sad humanity!

O ye afflicted ones, who lie

Steeped to the lips in misery,

Longing, yet afraid to die,

Patient, thou sorely tried!

            — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

（插入Henry Wadsworth Longfellow图片并加注）

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882) was an American educator and poet. This quotation is taken from his “The Goblet of Life” which is about how to live our life to the fullest.

 

Paraphrase: Humanity has undergone sad suffering, and deep in great pain are you who long for the future, but are afraid to die. Although you are painfully tested, be patient with life.