首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Sir Howard Davies, the man with the job of deciding whether Britain needs a new airport, must be looking with some alarm at the
Sir Howard Davies, the man with the job of deciding whether Britain needs a new airport, must be looking with some alarm at the
admin
2015-06-14
74
问题
Sir Howard Davies, the man with the job of deciding whether Britain needs a new airport, must be looking with some alarm at the precedents. In 1971, after more than 18 months of work, the Roskill commission recommended that a four-runway airport to serve London be built at Cublington, near Aylesbury.
When Michael Noble, then minister for trade, opened the debate on the commission’s findings in the Commons, he said of its authors: " I hope that they may draw some comfort from one of my hon friends who said that the fact that he totally rejected their conclusion did not in any way diminish his admiration for the way in which they had done their work and presented their report. "
Their plan, of course, never got off the drawing board.
Committing the Conservatives to blocking a third runway at Heathrow was a key plank of David Cameron’s strategy to detoxify the Tory brand and prove that he would put polar bears before sharp-suited businessmen. It was also built on political expediency—he needed to win Conservative seats in the area. Further, it was a recognition that the building of a third runway would hurt Britain’s then leading role in reducing global carbon emissions.
But with the economy trapped in a deep malaise Cameron is having a rethink. There is a strong lobby that suggests that UK needs extra airport capacity in order to boost future economic prospects. Also, the UK is on track to meet its Kyoto targets, albeit partly because of economic weakness. There is, too, an argument that the tax system may be a better way of reducing the number of unnecessary flights than a ban on building new runways. Flight travel is simply too cheap compared with rail fares—this is the fault of a tax system that gives an advantage to airlines.
George Osborne now firmly believes that if the UK really wants to build an economy that can properly connect with the rest of the world it needs more airport capacity. But the economic case is being driven largely by self-interested parties, not least British Airways, the British Airports Authority and the bodies that represent them.
It will be a crucial part of the Davies commission to identify the economic benefits a new airport or runway would deliver. Multinational companies make inward investment decisions on the basis of a whole range of factors, including the skills of the workforce, the strength of the currency and the generosity of state support for industry. Whether the chief executive can jet in direct from Chicago or Shanghai may be a marginal consideration.
However, those advocating the development of a hub airport may have a case. If Britain allows its one airport that comes close to being an international hub to become ever more clogged up while Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Madrid and Paris become transit points for Europeans, including enterprising Brits, wanting to get to the fast-growing economies of China, India or Brazil, there is a risk that economic opportunities will be missed, ambitions stunted, jobs lost.
However, if any British government is to press the case for extra airport capacity, it needs to make a convincing case for continuing to meet its ambitious carbon emissions target. As this paper said in 2008: "It will require a radical programme of wave and wind turbine construction, nuclear industry expansion and the building of underground vaults to store the carbon dioxide that currently pours from the nation’s coal, oil and gas power plants."
Unfortunately, there is absolutely no evidence that this government’s energy policy is fit for that purpose. Indeed, as we state elsewhere in these pages, the government’s desire to pursue a dash for gas as a future energy strategy is precisely the wrong direction of travel.
Even if the case for a hub airport is established, Heathrow is not the only answer: Heathrow already creates all-but-unbearable noise, pollution and disruption for unlucky residents, and its transport links are groaning. Of those affected by noise pollution in Europe, 30% live in and around Heathrow. Is it really sensible to build more airline capacity in the middle of a major population centre?
There is a plausible case that bringing in as many planes as possible—the proposed estuary airport-over sea instead of hundreds of thousands of rooftops makes more sense. As importantly, a giant new airport would provide a powerful economic boost for an area where unemployment is high. Although characterised, until now, as a Boris Johnson vanity project, there is support from politicians of all persuasions to the east of London to try and create a hub)—in all senses—which would address the historical inequalities and poverty to the east of the capital.
There is no easy solution. Davies will need wisdom and a good dose of political nous to weigh up the issues—the financial and environmental costs and any economic advantages. He should use his authority to seize the initiative and insist that the question of airport capacity in the UK be settled sooner rather than later. Otherwise, the likelihood of a repeat of the Roskill commission is all too likely.
"There is no easy solution" in the final paragraph probably means that
选项
A、the government doesn’t support Howard Davies’s decision.
B、it’s a tough decision facing both financial and environmental costs.
C、the public hold different opinions on where to build the airport.
D、Davies can’t identify the economic benefits brought by a new airport.
答案
B
解析
推断题。由最后一段第二句可知,Davies需要智慧和政治常识来权衡所有问题,包括金融、环境成本以及所有经济优势等,故[B]正确。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/RyOO777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
JobstresshasbecomeacommonandcostlyproblemintheAmericanworkplace,leavingfewworkersuntouched.Ⅰ.Generalintrod
A、Shebelievesstronglyinthevalueofreading.B、HerchildrenallreadalotbecausesheherselfisateacherofEnglish.C、Th
Accordingtothenewsitem,whatisexpectedfromObama’sannouncement?
IntroductiontotheSportsStudiesDepartmentThismini-lecturegivenbytheSportsStudiesDepartmentontheUniversity’sOpen
______isthenationalsymbolofAustralia.
Theelectionof______madeMargaretThatchertopowerandshebecamethefirstwomanprimeministerinBritain.
AccordingtotheSpeechActTheory,whenaspeakeruttersasentencetomakeastatementortomakeanoffer,heisperformingt
父亲为什么会把我逼到蒙娜丽莎面前,并且给我听交响乐?我想这是那种叫做命运的东西。到了27岁,我才敢向他提起这个问题(以前我甚至怕提到这个女人的名字)。他说肖邦是好东西,当我号啕大哭,他就是要把我一个人关在屋子里听肖邦。那时周围没有人家像我们一样拥有唱机和电
北京的道旁多植槐树,当槐花桂满枝头香飘回逸的时候,夏日就带着炎热与浓绿向人们涌来了。清晨,骑上自行车,加入上班的“洪流”,眼前闪动的是人们五颜六色的夏服,而八月盛夏,最高气温达到三十七、八度时.不少姑娘穿起露肩、低胸、无袖的上衣,有的小伙子把背心捋
ThetwoclimbersdiedinPeruwhenthey______.
随机试题
简要说明以电子计算机为代表的现代计算机在发展过程中,根据所使用的关键器件又分为哪几个时代?
腰椎间盘突出症和梨状肌综合征相似的症状体征是
引起医院内感染的主要因素不包括
某沥青针入度、延度、软化点试验结果如下,请回答以下问题。沥青延度试验注意事项包括()。
某工业厂房的动力站安装工程,该工程的总承包商项目经理部坚持“安全第一、预防为主”的方针,建立了安全管理体系和安全生产责任制,并针对该工程项目的规模、结构、特点、环境、技术含量、施工风险及资源配置等因素进行了施工安全策划,编制了具体化、及时化、有针对性的施工
某建设工程施工过程中,施工单位甲与材料供应商乙约定了材料采购合同,2015年1月22日交货,到了约定时间乙并未按照约定交付材料给甲造成了损失,甲方没有采取任何措施减损,导致损失扩大到6万元。甲以乙违约为由向乙主张赔偿,甲方与乙方就此违约事实发生纠纷,经过鉴
下列项目中,应作为现金流量表补充资料中“将净利润调节为经营活动现金流量”调增项目的是()。
2017年1月1日,甲公司向乙公司借款100万元,借款期限为1年(2017年1月1日至2017年12月31日),双方未约定借期内是否支付利息,也未约定逾期利率。应债权人乙公司的要求,丙公司以其挖掘机为该笔借款提供了抵押担保,2017年1月8日双方签订了书面
共情的具体含义包括()。
2,2,3,6,15,()
最新回复
(
0
)