8/14/2019 Wk10-11 Analysing World Class City Discussion - 1 2 Transcription

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Transcriptions of Videos forSuggested Learning Activities of Wk 10/11 Lecture

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Train your listening skills by attempting to understand the videos on your own, without

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Videos of PolyU ELC website : Unit 1, Activity

9 (transcribed by William Tsang)

Clip 1: Analysing World Class City Discussion-1 (2:29)

Chris: Good afternoon everyone. As youve all read the article by Michael Davis called

What Makes a World Class City, today our seminar discussion will focus on the

challenges of creating a world class city in Hong Kong which, as you know, is one

of the aspirations of the SAR Government. The purpose of the seminar is to

identify the problems that our city faces in trying to achieve this goal. Well also

investigate the causes and effects of these problems. Finally, well discuss the

possible solutions to the problems as well as evaluating the solutions.

Lets start by defining the term world-class city. Personally I feel a world-class

city is one that meets the high standards of living, culture, and facilities expected of

a modern, forward-looking metropolis. What about you Kim, whats your view on

this?

Kim: As I see it, one of the most significant features of a world-class city is that it should

have an efficient, modern and stable business environment.

Carrie: Well, I totally agree with you. Its important for a world-class city to be able toattract foreign investors, in order for the economy to prosper. I also think that the

government needs to set up laws and regulations to promote fairness and

transparency in the business sector.

Sunny: Thats a good point. As far as I am concerned, on top of what Carrie has just

mentioned, effective town planning and well-developed infrastructure are also

crucial criteria to evaluate whether or not a city is world-class.

Chris: Well, its interesting to hear your ideas. I wonder if we can now examine how well

Hong Kong measures up against these criteria. Any comments, please?

8/14/2019 Wk10-11 Analysing World Class City Discussion - 1 2 Transcription

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Carrie: Well, in my view, Hong Kong cant really be classified as a world-class city. First,

it lacks the quality of life that all world-class cities have. This includes the

environment, pollution, and then also the richness and diversity of a cultural life.

Say, museums, art galleries, performances, and

Kim: Could I come in here? Im not sure

Chris: Well, Im afraid I havent finished what I was saying. I think Hong Kong falls

well short of places like London and New York on these criteria. How can a city

be world-class when all we have is one performance a year?

Clip 2: Analysing World Class City Discussion-2 (1:40)

Sunny: To me, one of the most obvious problems facing Hong Kong is pollution in

particular, air pollution. The causes of air pollution are well known. The main

ones are vehicle emission and industrial pollutants from Mainland factories. But I

think the problem is exacerbated by insufficient government control and regulation.

Another problem for Hong Kong is the standard of English. As we all know, the

English levels are declining, and this is definitely having a negative impact on

business and professional sectors. Since the handover in 1997, the

Kim: Can I come in here? Im not sure whether I agree with you about English

standards. You seem to have very clear views about this, but what evidence have

you got to show that English levels are declining? Can you show me a piece of

evidence that clearly shows that standards are declining? People have been saying

this for years and years, but as far as I see, nobody has bothered to find out whether

its true of not.

Chris: I think thats a good question. It all seems to be based on peoples perceptions

rather than on real evidence. Well, I think time is running out and perhaps we can

conclude our discussion today.

What weve done today is to examine Hong Kongs credentials as a world-class city.

And I think four main points have come out of the discussion. The first one is