CNN 2011-12-22

 If first impressions are indeed last impressions,Dublin has a reason to be confident.With a spacious¹ interior and space age design,Dublin airport's terminal 2 is the city's calling card.At a cost of 600 million euros,T2 wasn't cheap but some believe the airport's makeover has helped change how Dublin is perceived.Impression we were creating in the country.Poor infrastructure² facility,this was not a gateway³.Companies would want to,you know,come into a country,to invest in a country.What T2 has done has completely and radically⁴ changed that.The opening of T2 has been a massive_for next generation of foreign direct investment.The hope isT2 will help Dublin land new business and soon the airport itself could be the site of major investment.Dublin's airport authority owns nearly 3000 acres of lands most of which is not in use,a rare commodity.Airport and city hope to transform this area into a business district,specifically for clean technology companies.It would be part of a greenway-an economic corridor of green business linking the city centre with the airports.The greenway is all about jobs and economic regeneration.We are trying as a nation to_our country in an economic fortune way from some of the_and_towards these hi-tech areas.We would expect to see the next googles,the next Twitters in the clean techspace coming from east Asia and setting up European Headquarter operations in and around Dublin airport.For multinationals⁵,organized around timezones,connectivity is a big factor.Dublin airport has a lot going for it.For one,it's the only capital city in Europe with border free clearance⁶ for the US.Going through US immigration here at T2 means avoiding the long queues on the other side of the Atlantic,a big selling point when time is money.Another big plus:the land set aside for the business district is extremely close to the terminal.We can base those_right on the compass.So,when they went to go out and spread the word,when they want to go out and actually take hold of this commercial opportunity in rest of Europe,it's just moments away from the check-in terminal,and the way you go.Finding the funding to make the project a reality is the biggest hurdle,but Dublin is taking bold steps._events like the global clean tech cluster awards held in Dublin this year bring together biggest industry names.It's a chance for Dublin to raise a glass to possible investors⁷ and raise interest in the greenway._is the man with the task of_big names.When the multinationals come and visit here,many of them may not be too familiar with Ireland,it's now what's happening in the clean techspace and we've alreadly seen some of the world's biggest corporations like IBM and the United Technologies invest here.IBM's decision to open one of the eleven centres around the world in Dublin was a big success for the city.This cutting edge research and development site aims to make cities more efficient.Having Dublin as a home bringing in other green tech companies is fantastic,because cooperation is huge,is great to be able to bring different ideas together_.Dublin is creating a new pillar to stablize the economy.The airport is at the heart of the city's plans.While investments are hard to come by in times of economic turbulence,Dublin is confident its planes will take off.With a futuristic new terminal and acres of land for developments,the sky delimits for Dublin airports.

1 spacious   

adj.广阔的，宽敞的

参考例句：

• Our yard is spacious enough for a swimming pool.我们的院子很宽敞，足够建一座游泳池。
• The room is bright and spacious.这房间很豁亮。

2 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

3 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

4 radically   

ad.根本地，本质地

参考例句：

• I think we may have to rethink our policies fairly radically. 我认为我们可能要对我们的政策进行根本的反思。
• The health service must be radically reformed. 公共医疗卫生服务必须进行彻底改革。

5 multinationals   

跨国公司( multinational的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These local companies are only small fry compared with the huge multinationals. 同那些跨国公司比，这些当地的公司不过是小鱼小虾。
• Some people believe that the multinationals have too much power. 有人认为跨国公司的权力太大了。

6 clearance   

n.净空；许可(证)；清算；清除，清理

参考例句：

• There was a clearance of only ten centimetres between the two walls.两堵墙之间只有十厘米的空隙。
• The ship sailed as soon as it got clearance. 那艘船一办好离港手续立刻启航了。

7 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会