環(huán)球英語(yǔ)—929:World’s Fairs: Bringing Cultures Together

Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Adam Navis.
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And I'm Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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In 2010, 70 million people will gather in Shanghai, China. It will not be to watch the World Cup of football. It will not be to watch the Olympic Games. It will not be a gathering of world leaders. Instead, all these people will travel to Shanghai to see the World's Fair.
Voice 2
Today's Spotlight is on the World's Fair. The World's Fair is a gathering of many countries. It collects the best of each country all in one place. It pulls together building design, technology, and culture. Then, people come to see the exhibitions, or shows. In this way, they get a small experience of many countries and cultures all in one place. It is like travelling around the world without leaving your local area!
Voice 1
Today, it is easy to learn about the world. You can, well, you can listen to more Spotlight programs! Radio, television, and the Internet make information easier to get than ever before. But things have not always been this way. Yet, people have always wanted to learn about other parts of the world.
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In the year 1851, there was no easy way for people to communicate over large distances. There was no e-mail. There was no Internet, television, telephone, or radio. Information moved slowly from place to place.
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The best place to learn anything was at the local market, or fair. People would come from far away to meet at the market. People gathered in the market to buy and sell food, clothes, and other products. They also shared ideas and stories. So, in the year 1851, Prince Albert of England proposed a different kind of market. It would gather the whole world together. That year, he held the first official "World's Fair."
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Countries came to London, England and set up exhibitions, a place to show art, design, or culture. England built a new building just for the event. It was made of steel and glass. They called it the Crystal Palace. Many exhibits were new machines. But there were also clothes and art. It was THE social event to attend. Over six million people visited the first Fair.
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Soon, other countries wanted to welcome the best designers and thinkers to their countries. They wanted to show the world what they could do. Most European countries have held Fairs. France has held several. But the Fair has gone all around the world. It has gone to Australia, Peru, Japan, and Chile. Large countries like the United States and Russia have held fairs. But smaller countries like Ireland, Haiti and Belgium have also held Fairs.
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However, soon World's Fairs began to be difficult to organize and control. So, in 1928 an organization was established to manage the World's Fairs. It was called the Bureau International des Exposition or BIE. The BIE is now responsible for managing where and when the World's Fairs are held.
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Many cities have been improved by holding a Fair. Often, famous buildings remain after the Fair is finished, like the Eiffel tower in Paris and the Space Needle in Seattle. Cities such as Lisbon, Chicago, and Vancouver have made the buildings from their World's Fairs into offices or theatres or public places. In fact, many supporters of World's Fairs see them as a chance to give a city some new life.
Voice 2
Also, much new technology was shown for the first time at a World's Fair. These technologies include the telephone, television, the sewing machine, computer technology, and atomic energy. At the 1970 World's Fair there were even rocks from the moon!
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Erik Larson wrote a book about the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. He writes about the new Ferris Wheel:
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"George W. Ferris invented the wheel just for the Fair. It was an answer to France's Eiffel Tower. The wheel required amazing engineering. It was supported by two 140-foot steel towers and connected by a 45-foot centre bar. It was the largest single piece of steel ever made. The wheel was 250 feet across. It had 36 cars that held six riders each. The Ferris wheel carried 1,450,000 people during the fair."
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As time went on, the aim of holding a World's Fair became less about showing the latest technology or design. It became more about solving global problems. Each Fair now examines a different problem. When a new BIE president was elected in 2008 he thought water was an important subject. He said:
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"World's Fairs are educational and fun events. They show great creativity and imagination. These global problems are very important, especially clean water. They create a duty in the countries of the world. They need to share, at the fair, their best experiences in solving the problems people of this planet face."
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Other problems that Fairs examined have included city planning, caring for the oceans, and how people live in their homes. The 2010 World's Fair will examine how to make life better for people who live in cities.
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Today, some people believe that the World's Fairs are no longer necessary. From 1900 to 1908 there were 25 World's Fairs. From 2000 to 2008 there were only five World's Fairs. Today, information can move more quickly around the world. It costs a lot of money to hold a World's Fair. And there are many smaller gatherings for people in different areas such as medicine, design, sports, or food.
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However, some people argue that the World's Fairs still have value. These people believe that television and the Internet are important, but nothing can replace people meeting face to face. Urso Chappell collects information about different World's Fairs. He says:
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"The World's Fairs are related to both the Olympics and the United Nations in many ways. But World's Fairs are special because anyone can experience them, not just athletes or politicians. Anyone can enter the World's Fair and feel a part of something new. They can feel a part of the world community. They can feel the possible good that humans could do in the world."
Voice 2
The writer and producer of this program was Adam Navis. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. Computer users can hear our programs, read our scripts, and see our word list on our website at www.Radio.English.net. This program is called "World's Fairs: Bringing Cultures Together."
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If you have a comment or question for Spotlight you can email us. Our email address is Radio @ English . net. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Thank you for listening. Goodbye!