Spring2012-fulltranscripts-3-Three-Gorges-Dam-2056

EnglishforScienceandTechnologyThreeGorges(theBiggestDamintheWorld)(transcripts)1ThreeGorges--TheBiggestDamintheWorldNARRATOR:(1)HereintheheartofChina,manisbattlingagainstNature.Chinaispittingtheages’mostsophisticatedtechnologyagainstthemightyYangtzeriver.Theresultwillbethebiggestandmostpowerfuldameverbuilt.Employing40,000peopleover16years,it’sthebiggestbuildingprojectsincetheGreatWallofChinawasstarted2,500yearsago.Willitwork?Canariverthat’ssopowerful—theycallitadragon—reallybetamed?InAugust1998,Chinawasdevastatedbytheworstfloodsin44years.TwomilliontroopswererushedintofighttheYangtze’srisingwaters.Oneoftheworld’sfastestandmostdangerousriverswaslivinguptoitsreputation.Throughoutthatmonthsoldiersandfarmersfoughtinvainasonebyonethedikescollapsedandliveswerelost.AnareaofthesizeofNewZealandwasflooded.Thehumancostwasenormous.Attheirheightthefloodsaffectednearly300millionpeople.That’smorethanthepopulationoftheUnitedStates.ThepeopleoftheYangtzesufferdisastrousfloodsonaverageeverytenyears.Inthiscenturyalonefloodshavekilledover300,000people.Nooneescapedsuchtragedy,unscathed.Thetruetollofthe1998floodmayneverbeknown.ItwassocataclysmicthecostoffightingitandrepairingthedamagethreatenedtodestabilizetheeconomyofChina.AndwhenChina’seconomyisthreatened,soarethoseofthewholeindustrialworld.ThisareaisthebreadbasketofChina,supplyingmuchofthecountry’swheatandrice.InAugust‘98overonetenthofChina’sgrainsupplywasdestroyed.Fromthedaysoftheemperorstothecommunistsoftoday,China’sleadershavedreamtofstoppingthesedisastrousfloods.Theynowthinktheyhaveasolution--tocompletethebuildingoftheworld’sbiggestdamandtameoneoftheworld’smostdangerousrivers.Startedin1994,thisisoneoftheworld’slargestconstructionprojectsever.Bythetimeit’sfinishedin2009,thedamwillbeawonderofthemodernworld,anewGreatWallofChina.40,000peoplewillworkdayandnighttomakethisdamhappen.Thedamwillcost28billiondollars,thecostof14spaceshuttles.Butthisstaggeringfigureisstill2billiondollarslessthanthecostoftheAugust‘98flood.Whencompleted,thedamwillbe1.3mileslongand610feethigh.ThatisjustaslongandtwiceashighastheGoldenGateBridge.PositionedontheYangtze,1200milesupstreamfromthegreatportcityofShanghai,thedamwillactasaplug.ItwillcontroltheriverwhereitnarrowsthroughaseriesofcanyonscalledtheThreeGorges.Themaninchargeofthismassiveprojectisoneoftheworld’smostbrilliantandrespectedengineers,Mr.LuYoumei.LUYOUMEI:InordertostopthefloodsinthelowerYangtze,weneedtocontainthewaterduringhighwaterperiodsinaman-madereservoircreatedbyblockingtheriverwiththeThreeGorgesDam,wecanthenreleasethewaterfromthereservoirinacontrolledfashiontopreventflooding.Thisisthemainreasonwearebuildingthedamtopreventflooding.NARRATOR:(2)Buthowdoyougoaboutbuildingtheworld’sbiggestdam?First,youbuildfoundations.Bythetimeit’sfinished,enoughrockwillhavebeenexcavatedtobuild100EmpireStateBuildings.Atregularintervalseverydayatthedamsiteworkstopsasengineersarrivetopositiondynamiteforblasting.Teamleaderscoordinatetheblastingwork.Allworkersknowthataredflagmeansadangerouszone.Boxesofdynamitearethrownlikefootballs.Anddon’tbefooled;thesearearmytraineddemolitionexpertswhoknowtherisks.Detonatorsaremadebytapingsticksofdynamitetoafusewhichwillthensetoffbigclustersofexplosives.Theredfusesintheexplosivesareputinplaceaccordingtotheplan.Dynamiteismosteffectivewhendroppeddownholesdrilleddeepinthegranite.Atthisstageitwilltakejustonesliptoendangernotjustlives,buttheveryfoundationsofthedam.It’sdangerousanddirtywork.Andtostayalive,youneedtoknowwhatyou’redoing.Theblastingteamsknowwhenit’stimetoevacuate.Thefalloutfromtheseexplosionsblackenstheskyandfillstheairwithdust.Infacteachandeveryday15tonsofdustsmothersthesite.Aftertheday’sblastingiscomplete,workersremovetherubble.Mostwillbegroundupandusedinbuildingthemainwallofthedam.TherestwillbesoldtobuildhighwaysforChina’srapidlyexpandinginfrastructure.Buthowdoesadamreallywork?DanielBeardisoneoftheworld’sleadingexpertsonwatertechnologyinlargedams.In1993hewasappointedEnglishforScienceandTechnologyThreeGorges(theBiggestDamintheWorld)(transcripts)2byPresidentClintonascommissioneroftheUSBureauofReclamationforthespecialtasktoinvestigatelargedambuildingaroundtheworld.DANIELBEARD:Webuilddamsacrossariverandwhatthatdoesisimpoundwaterbehindthewallorthestructurethat’sbuilt.Andthenwaterisdivertedeitherthroughthedamoraroundthedamthroughturbinestogenerateelectricpower.Oritswaterisheldtheretoprovidefloodcontrolforindividualsdownstream.Orit’sdivertedthroughcanalstoeithercitiesorcommunitiesortofarmstoprovidewaterforirrigationorfordrinking.Thefascinatingthingaboutlargedamsisthattheytakeonalifeoftheirown.Theybecomesymbolsofacountry’sarrivalasafirstworldnation,oradevelopednation.Theybecomesymbolsofwhatisowedapeopleoracommunity.Theybecomesymbolsofpeople’suseoftechnology.NARRATOR:(3)Noonehaseverbuiltadamofthissizebefore.AndtodoittheChinesearepushingattheverylimitsofdambuildingtechnology.Forinstance,howdoyoubuilda610-footwallinthemiddleofariver?Thefirststepistoprovideadrybasetobuildon.Toachievethistheriverisdivertedfromitsnaturalcourseintoane