2006年NEWS BROADCAST(2/3)-英语听力

[00:00.00]Shanghai plans to build a vast underground network of malls, restaurants and parking lots [00:06.83]to make up for a lack of space above ground according to a recent government report. [00:13.02]The development will cover 600,000 square meters, [00:17.11]the equivalent of 120 soccer fields spread across four underground floors, [00:23.50]the city government reported on its website. [00:26.60]The city is accepting bids from builders. [00:30.51]Shanghai has about 20 million people plus factories, office towers and high-rise apartments [00:37.43]crowded into a small triangular territory near the mouth of the Yangtze River. [00:43.52]The plans call for the project due to be finished by 2006 [00:48.35]to expand existing facilities scattered along Shanghai's subway system. [00:53.99]The project will need advanced technology to supply fresh air and ensure safety. [01:00.54]But the biggest concern is the stability of the soil under the city. [01:05.62]Shanghai is sinking by 1.5 centimeters a year. [01:10.85]Land subsidence has been aggravated by over-pumping of underground water [01:15.95]and the construction of thousands of high-rise buildings. [01:20.38]"Shanghai's foundations are built on soft soil, [01:24.35]so building multistoried spaces underground would be like digging holes in a piece of bean curd," [01:30.52]the government reports said, [01:32.60]"the difficulties are easy to see".