普通高中课程标准实验教科书 英语选修7 Unit 1 Living well - Us

 

                                                         A LETTER TO AN ARCHITECT

 

          Look at the pictures. Discuss the problems that people with walking difficulties  might have in a cinema.

 Ms L Sanders                                              Alice Major

 Chief architect                                           64 Cambridge Street

 Cinema Designs                                            Bankstown

 44 Hill Street

 Bankstown

 24 September, 200__

Dear Ms Sanders,

         I read in the newspaper today that you are to be the architect for the new Bankstown cinema.I hope you will not mind me writing to ask if you have thought about the needs of disabled customers. In particular I wonder if you have considered the following things:

 

        1  Adequate access for wheelchairs. It would be handy¹ to have lifts to all parts of the cinema. The buttons in the lifts should be easy for a person in a wheelchair to reach, and the doors be wide enough to enter. In some cinemas, the lifts are at the back of the cinema in cold, unattractive  places. As disabled people have to use the lifts, this makes them feel they are not as important as other customers.

 

        2  Earphones for people who have trouble hearing. It would help to fit sets of earphones to all seats, not just to some of them. This would allow hearing-impaired customers to enjoy the company of their hearing friends rather than having to sit in a special area.

 

        3  Raised seating. People who are short cannot always see the screen. So I'd like to suggest that the seats at the back be placed higher than those at the front so that everyone can see the screen easily. Perhaps there could be a space at the end of each row for people in wheelchairs to sit next to their friends.

 

        4 Toilets. For disabled customers it would be more convenient to place the toilets near the entrance to the cinema. It can be difficult if the only disabled toilet is in the basement a long way from where the film is showing. And if the doors could be opened outwards², disabled customers would be very happy.

 

        5  Car parking. Of course, there are usually spaces specially³ reserved for disabled and elderly drivers. If they are close to the cinema entrance and/or exit, it is easier for disabled people to get to film in comfort.

 

         Thank you for reading my letter. I hope my suggestions will meet with your approval⁴. Disabled  people should have the same opportunities as able-bodied people to enjoy the cinema and to do so with dignity.I am sure many people will praise your cinema if you design it with good access for disabled people. It will also make the cinema owners happy if more people go as they will make higher profits!                                                              

Yours sincerely,                                                                     

Alice Major

1 handy   

adj.方便的；手边的，近便的；手巧的

参考例句：

• A few more traveler's checks may come in handy on holiday.多带几张旅行支票，度假时会有用的。
• She is a handy girl who can turn her hand to anything.她是个心灵手巧的姑娘。

2 outwards   

adj.外面的，公开的，向外的；adv.向外；n.外形

参考例句：

• Does this door open inwards or outwards?这门朝里开还是朝外开？
• In lapping up a fur,they always put the inner side outwards.卷毛皮时，他们总是让内层朝外。

3 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

4 approval   

n.赞成，同意；批准，认可

参考例句：

• The audience has expressed its approval.观众已经认可。
• The teacher signed his approval.老师做了手势表示同意。