Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. innovation (n.) [in-uh-vey-shuhn] – something new or different that has never been created before
Example: The mobile phone is
one of the most important innovations in
the 20th century.
2. repercussion (n.) [ree-per-kuhsh-uhn, rep-er-] – an indirect effect that may last for a long time
Example: The advancement of
technology has positive and negative repercussions
on future generations.
3. urbanization (n.)
[ur-buh-nuh-zey-shuhn] – changing and developing a place to be more like a city
Example: Building
a good transportation system is required for urbanization.
4. eco-friendly (adj.) [ek-oh frend-lee] – not harmful to the environment
Example: The supermarket encourages
people to bring eco-friendly bags for
grocery shopping.
5. greenhouse gas (n.) [green-hous gas] – gas that contributes to the “greenhouse effect” or to the warming of the
Earth’s atmosphere
Example: Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas released by cars.
Article
Read the text below.
The US is the top country in the world with regard to infrastructures and building innovations, according to a list created by the professional service group KPMG.
The list, titled ‘The
Infrastructure 100: World Cities Edition,” includes fourteen US projects, twenty projects
from Asia-Pacific countries and seven from the UK.
In selecting the infrastructures
for the list, KPMG considered each project’s chance of success, social repercussions, technical
advancements, innovation and finances.
The restructured World
Trade Center in the US and Singapore’s Gardens by The Bay were the top
entries in the “Designed For Living” category. They were chosen because of
their goal to rebuild peaceful living spaces on what were disorderly places.
With urbanization quickly happening worldwide,
new living space is in high demand. Nick Chism of KPMG adds that today’s buildings
and infrastructures really need innovation to support the fast growing number
of people moving to cities.
Meanwhile, David
O’Brien of KPMG’s Center of Excellence for Cities stressed that infrastructure
should not only be practical, but environment-friendly as well.
KPMG has also listed
some Asian projects in the Top 100 that combine innovation and eco-friendly quality. Among the projects are the Tianjin
Eco-city in Northern China and Fujisawa Smart Town in Japan.
The Tianjin
Eco-city, with a planned solar energy zone, hopes to offer a different choice
from the polluted big cities in China.
The Fujisawa Smart
Town, on the other hand, will have 1000 eco-friendly homes that are largely
solar-powered. The town’s power strategy is also expected to produce 70% less
greenhouse gases than a regular
Japanese town.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
·
Do you believe your country’s towns or cities are
well-designed? Please explain your answer.
·
How can buildings and infrastructures be used
to protect the environment?
Discussion B
·
Why do you think many people move from rural areas
to cities?
·
What are some positive effects of developing
more cities? What are the negative effects?
