高级口译补充阅读independent.docx

高级口译补充阅读independent.docx

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高级口译补充阅读independent

Abeginner'sguidetoself-build

Withtherighttradesmen,locationandplanningapproval,buildingyourownhomecanbeacost-effectiveoption,saysChristopherBrowne

08October2003

RogerAngushasdesignsonproperty.Plotting,drawingandplanninghotels,officeblocksandhousesareallpartofhisdailyroutineasanarchitect.Butwhenhisdaughterneededtomoverecentlysomethingtotallyunexpectedhappened:

AngusthearchitectturnedintoAngustheprojectmanager.Oneweekendonafamilyouting,heandhisdaughterHaideespottedadisusedpatchattheendofsometerracedhouses.Theysoughtouttheowner,madeanofferandboughtit.ThenwhenRogerwenttotheofficethenextday,hedrewupplansforathree-bedroomhousetoaddontotheprettylittlerowinTwickenham,Middlesex.

"Itwasmarketinsecuritythatinspiredme.Mysonhadjustbeenevictedfromhishomeasthelandlordwantedtosellthehouse,anditmademerealizethatrentingcansometimesbeunstable.Iwasdoublydeterminedtofindasafeplaceformydaughterandthisseemedtheidealsolution,"hesays.Roger'snextmovewastogetplanningpermissionfromthelocalcouncil."Itwentthroughprettysmoothly.Thesitewasmerelyarough-and-readytractthatafewresidentshadbeenusingtoparktheircarsin,andastherewereotheravailablespacesintheroadIthoughtitwouldn'tcauseaproblem,"hesays.

Hisend-of-terracewillhavethesamebrickfacadeandfeaturesastheothersintherow.TheonlydifferenceisthehousethatRogerbuildswillbemadefromnewmaterials."Itwon'tbeapieceofoutstandingarchitecturalbeauty,butagood,solidandcomfortablebaseformydaughter."

Accordingtogovernmentestimates,eachyeararound5,000homesarebuiltbyenterprisingownersastheyrealizelong-helddreamsorcutdownonthepriceofmaterialsandmiddlemen.Mostaredetachedhousesandcostbetween£100,000and£150,000all-in.Asforhotspots,EssexhasattractedabigfollowingasfarmersselloffdisusedagriculturalplotstoenthusiasticDIYers.And"location,location,location"iscertainlykeyifyoudecidetosellthepropertyyoubuiltfromscratch."Anyself-builderwhoalreadyownsthelandtobebuiltonandlivesincentralorouterLondoncanmakeverybigprofitswhenheputsthepropertyonthemarket,"saysaspokesmanfortheRoyalInstitutionofCharteredSurveyors（RICS）.

Sowhatdoesittaketobeaself-builder?

"Theidealcandidateissomeonewhoworksinthebuildingtradeandhasgoodlinkswithcontractors,surveyorsandarchitects,"saysRoger.TheRICSspokesmanadds:

"Youmustensureyourplanningpermitsareinplacebeforeyoustart,treatallcostslikeacontrolfreakandgetaspecialistprojectmanagertorunit."

Onewaytostartistologontowww..Thisofferstimber-framedpackagesandself-buildschemeswithprojectmanagers.Site-seekers,meanwhile,canpay£39.99（renewableforfree）andlogonforthreemonths,pickingoutplotsofferedbycouncils,churches,farmers,publiccompaniesandindividualsinsix-countybatches.Iftheideaofaquarter-of-an-acreinDyfed,Wales,appeals,itwouldsetyoubackaround£26,000.Asimilar-sizedplotinHampshirewouldcostabout£110,000."ThehighestpricesareintheHomeCountiesandthelowestinWalesandpartsofScotland,"saysaspokesmanforLandbankServices,thewebsite'sowners.

Youcouldalsobuildahouseofstraw-ormoreprecisely,abarnwithathatchedroof.Whendemandforcedupthepriceofthemuch-covetedruralbarn,PottonHomesstartedsellingbuild-your-ownkits.Thesecostfrom£41,300to£57,000（erectioncostsincluded）withallthebasicsfrombeams,doorsandwindowstoskirtingsandstaircases.Itisthenuptoyoutofindthebricks,tilesandotherbuildingmaterials-andafriendlylocalowl.

Morelendersareofferingself-buildloans.Youcaneitherborrowinstagesortakeoutanacceleratormortgage,givingyouupto95percentofthecostofthelandandhouseinadvance.LendersincludetheBrittania,SkiptonandNewcastlebuildingsocieties.

Sohowlongwilltheenterprisetake?

"Ifyouareanexperiencedoperator,itcouldtakefourmonths;ifyouarenewtotheindustryitmighttakeyouayearortwo.Theworst-casescenarioisthattheprojectgoespear-shaped,"addstheLandbankServicesspokesman.MeanwhilethehousethatRogerbuildshasa12-monthdeadline-"sixmonthsifallgoestoplan".

Arewegoingtosacrificeagrowingmarketfororganiccropsbyriskingcontamination?

MichaelMeacher

25September2003

Themainadvantagesallegedforgeneticmodificationarethatitincreasesyields,reducesherbicideuseandcouldfeedthedevelopingworld.Unfortunately,alltheseclaimsareeitherstronglydisputedordownrightwrong.

Monsantohasdeclaredthatyieldsincrease,buttheexperienceofCanadianfarmers,whowereinitiallyfavorabletoGM,hasprovedtheopposite.InIndia,theGMcottonharvestcollapsedbecauseofbollworminfestation.Onherbicideuse,powerfulchemicalweedkillersstilloftenhavetobeusedthreetimes-firsttocleartheground,thenasthecropbeginstogrow,andthirdasitmatures.Cross-contaminationhasprovedanightmare,withoilseedrapepollenparticularlypromiscuous.Andifworldhungeristobeaddressed,fairtraderulesforthedevelopingcountries,amoreequaldistributionofland,andpopulationmanagementmeasuresarevastlymoreimportantthanGM,whoseroleisinsignificant.

ThedisadvantagesofGMarethatitisanuntested,andpotentiallyrisky,technology.TheinsertionofGMDNAandlackofcontroloverthegene'sfunctionscouldcauseundesiredeffectsnotimmediatelyapparent.ThatiswhyitissoseriousthatnosystematicclinicaltestinghasbeencarriedoutonthehealthimpactsofGMfoods.Wedoknowthatfoodallergiesandfood-relatedillnesseshavedoubledhereandinNorthAmericaoverrecentyears,butthesuspectedconnectionwithGMhasnotbeentested.Equally,long-termimpactsofGMontheenvironmenthavenotbeenexplored.

Otherkeydisadvantagesarethatco-existencewithorganiccropsisimpossible.OrganicoilseedrapehasvirtuallybeenwipedoutinCanadaasaresultofGMcontamination.Dowewantthesametohappenhere?

Wehaveachoice.Arewegoingtosacrificeorganiccrops,forwhichthereisanexpandingmarket,inordertolicenseGMcrops,forwhichthereisnomarket?

Peoplealsowantconsumerchoice.TheGovernmentsaysitisinfavor.ButpeoplecannotchooseGM-freefoodwhenthelabellingrulesproposedhavea0.9percentthreshold,soyoudonotknowifitisGMfree.

MichaelMeacherwastheEnvironmentministerfrom1997to2003

Globalizationandthepoorman'sburden

GordonBrown

21September2003

ThecollapseoftheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksatCancunhasbeenabitterdisappointmentforaworldthatmustfightawar,notjustagainstglobalterrorismbutagainstglobalpoverty.

Butbehindtheapparentgrowingdividebetweenrichandpoorcountriesisadebateaboutdifferentapproachestoglobalization.Soinourdecisionsonworldeconomicgrowth,debtrelief,andfinancingaidatthisweekend'sInternationalMonetaryFundandWorldBankmeetingsinDubai,aswellasgivingprioritytoresumingtradetalks,wemustshowthatglobaleconomicchangeneednotimpoverishmillionsbutcanenricheventhepoorestandbringsocialjusticeonaglobalscale.ItisonlybyactionagainstpovertythataworlddividedovertradeatCancuncanunitetogetheragainatDubai.

Firstwemustassertthatamultilateraltradingsystemisessentialtodeliverfairtradeforpoorcountriesand,inputtingdevelopingcountries'interestsfirst,wemustfocusonagricultureandnotbedistractedbytheSingaporeissues（investment,competition,transparencyinprocurementandtradefacilitation）.Second,insteadoftheoldviciouscircleofdebt,povertyandunderdevelopmentthatheldhalftheworldback,wemustshowthatavirtuouscircleofdebtrelief,povertyreductionandeconomicdevelopmentisnowpossible.Inparticularnocountrypursuinganti-corruptionandpro-stabilityreformsshouldbedeniedtheresourcestomeettheMillenniumDevelopmentGoals:

thatby2015everychildisineducationandpovertyishalved.

Soweproposeanewcompactbetweentherichestandthepoorest.

Inreturnforthepoorestcountrieseradicatingcorruptionandpursuingpro-stabilityandpro-growthpolicies,therichestcountriesmustnotonlyprovideafairtradingregimefordevelopingcountriesbutraisetheircontributiontotheeducationandhealthoftheworld'spoorestcitizensthroughdebtrelief,traditionalaidandpoliciesforgrowththathelpthepoor.

Byremovingunpayableinheritedburdens,debtreliefallowscountriestogrowagain.Currentdebtreliefplansareleading27countriestowriteoffupto$70bn（£42.7bn）ofdebtandwemustnowmovetothenextstage-aplanforpostconflictcountries.Thisplancanraisedebtreliefto$100bnintotalandwewillneedadditionalrelieftoensureagenuinelysustainableexitfromtheburdenofdebt.Butthismustcomefromadditionalresourcesandnotbeareallocationofexistingaid.

Modernaidisnotaboutcompensatingthedevelopingworldforitspovertybutbuildingnewcapacitytoproduce,trade,andprosper.Thatiswhysomuchfocusisontheneedsofeducationandofthe120millionchildren,twothirdsofthemgirls,deniedeventhemostbasicofschooling.

Whenpoorcountrieshaveworkableplanstoexpandtheirschooling-asundertheWorldBankFastTrackInitiative-richcountriesshouldoffertohelpwithresources.Todayonly$20ayearisspentoneducatingthetypicalAfricanchild.AtDubaitheworldwillhavebeforeitaWorldBankrepo