Hong Kong's airport expansion

 Rob: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English, I'm Rob

and with me today is Rosie.

Rosie: Hi there.

Rob: In our programme today we're talking about airports. I'm sure many of us

have used one. They are a departure point for great adventures and they

are amazing crossroads for people travelling across the world.

Rosie: Big airports are necessary too for a country's trade. But why are we talking

about them today?

Rob: Well, airport expansion has been in the news and particularly plans to expand

Hong Kong International airport which could turn it into the World's biggest.

Rosie: OK Rob, I guess that links in to this week's question!

Rob: It certainly does. My question for you this week is about the current World's

biggest airport. This is in terms of size, not the number of flights. What do

you think it is?

a) Denver International airport in the USA

b) Dubai airport in the United Arab Emirates

c) King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia

Rosie: I have no idea but I am going to say King Fahd International Airport in Saudi

Arabia.

Rob: OK, we'll find out at the end of the programme. Now let's talk more about the

expansion of Hong Kong International Airport, also known as Chek Lap Kok

airport.

Rosie: The airport was only opened in 1998 and was built on an island made by land

reclamation¹. The airport is seen as a major contributor to the Hong Kong

economy.

Rob: That's right. Let's hear from BBC correspondent² Juliana Liu about the airport's

importance. How does she describe the provinces of southern China?

Juliana Liu, BBC correspondent

Hong Kong's airport is one of the busiest in the world, transporting fifty four million

passengers a year and more cargo³ than anywhere else. And because it's so close to the

booming⁴ provinces of southern China, those traffic figures are only expected to go up.

Rosie: So Hong Kong's airport is one of the busiest in the world. She used the word

transporting – which means moving – fifty four million passengers a year.

Rob: And it transports lots of cargo too – cargo is another word for freight⁵ or

goods. But it's set to move more goods and people because it's close to the

booming provinces of southern China.

Rosie: Booming. That means the economy is growing rapidly. With a growing

economy there will be more demand for flights to move people and cargo.

That's why the government wants to make an enormous expansion of the

airport.

Rob: Other countries around the world are also talking about expanding their

airports.

Rosie: Yes, this is something that is being considered in London. The government is

now considering building a new runway at Heathrow or even building a

completely new airport altogether, possibly in the middle of the Thames

estuary⁶.

Rob: But building projects like these are very expensive and they involve making

decisions based on predictions for the future.

Rosie: Well let's hear more from Juliana Liu about what's involved with expanding

Chek Lap Kok Airport. How does she describe the size of the building project?

Juliana Liu, BBC correspondent

The project is likely to cost more than 17 billions dollars, much more than the existing

airport. It will be an enormous undertaking⁷. Much of the space needed for the runway does

not yet exist, so it must be reclaimed⁸ from the sea.

Rob: The project sounds very expensive; more than 17 billion dollars! That's more

than the existing airport cost to build so maybe that gives you the idea of how

big it really is going to be.

Rosie: She described the size of the project as an enormous undertaking; a very

big commitment. One of the tasks – or jobs – that need doing is to build

more land.

Rob: At the moment there isn't the space to build a runway so new land must be

reclaimed from the sea. They will convert⁹ the seabed into land to build on.

Rosie: That will be a really big undertaking! But why do they have to do that?

Couldn't they build it somewhere else, maybe nearer the city centre?

Rob: Well, as you know, land is expensive and anyway, airports create noise and

pollution which nobody wants near their house. A good compromise – or a

fair agreement – is to build them by the sea.

Rosie: But even doing that in Hong Kong has raised some concerns for

environmentalists – people who care about the environment. There is also

concern about pollution which apparently¹⁰ is already what most people

complain about in Hong Kong. And the air and noise pollution can certainly

affect our health.

Rob: Well building new airports is always controversial but until we can develop a

cleaner form of transport and a quieter one, there will be always be the need

for air travel and for airports.

Rosie: Now Rob, it's time for you to reveal the answer to the question you asked me

earlier.

Rob: Ah yes. I asked you, in terms of size, what is the name of the world's biggest

airport? So what did you say?

Rosie: I said King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia.

Rob: And you are right. It is King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia. Now

Rosie, would you mind reminding us of some of the vocabulary we have heard

today.

Rosie: departure

land reclamation

contributor

transporting

cargo

booming

undertaking

tasks

compromise

environmentalists

Rob: Thanks Rosie. That's all we have time for today but do join us again for more

6 Minute English from BBC Learning English soon. Bye for now!

Rosie: Bye bye!

Vocabulary and definitions

departure point place where you leave from to start a journey

land reclamation taking areas of water and turning them into land that

can be built on

contributor something that causes something else to happen

transporting moving people or things from one place to another

cargo goods carried in a ship or a plane

booming rapidly growing economy

undertaking task or project somebody is committed to

tasks pieces of work that somebody has to do

compromise an agreement made between two sides in which each

side gives up some of the things they want

environmentalists a person concerned about the environment and wants

to improve and protect it

1 reclamation   

n.开垦；改造；（废料等的）回收

参考例句：

• We should encourage reclamation and recycling.我们应当鼓励废物的回收和利用。
• The area is needed for a land reclamation project.一个土地开垦项目要在这一地区进行。

2 correspondent   

n.记者，通信者；adj.符合的，一致的，相当的

参考例句：

• He volunteered as a correspondent for the war.他自愿担任作报道这次战争的记者。
• The result was correspondent with my wishes.结果与我的愿望是一致的。

3 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

4 booming   

adj.急速发展的v.激增( boom的现在分词 )；猛涨；发出隆隆声；以低沉有力的声音说话

参考例句：

• The opera singer has a deep, booming, masculine voice. 这位歌剧演唱家有一副深沉而又浑厚有力的嗓音。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He is booming as a teacher. 作为一位教师，他日趋成功。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 freight   

n.货物，货运；vt.运送（货物）看，装货于

参考例句：

• Tons of freight were flown into this airport every day.每天有许多吨货物被空运到这个机场。
• There is ten yuan in the bill for freight.发票中包括运费十元。

6 estuary   

n.河口，江口

参考例句：

• We live near the Thames estuary.我们的住处靠近泰晤士河入海口。
• The ship has touched bottom.The estuary must be shallower than we thought.船搁浅了。这河口的水比我们想像的要浅。

7 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

8 reclaimed   

adj.再生的；翻造的；收复的；回收的v.开拓( reclaim的过去式和过去分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救

参考例句：

• Many sufferers have been reclaimed from a dependence on alcohol. 许多嗜酒成癖的受害者已经被挽救过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They reclaimed him from his evil ways. 他们把他从邪恶中挽救出来。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 convert   

v.（在形式、状态、用途等方面）（使）改变

参考例句：

• I must convert sorrow into strength.我要化悲痛为力量。
• At what rate does the dollar convert into pounds?美元以什么汇率兑换成英镑？

10 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。