Transcriptions of Videos for

Suggested 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 <http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/Subjects/ELC2204/>: Unit 1, Activity

9 (transcribed by William Tsang)

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

Chris: Good afternoon everyone. As you’ve 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. We’ll also
investigate the causes and effects of these problems. Finally, we’ll discuss the
possible solutions to the problems as well as evaluating the solutions.

Let’s 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, what’s 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. It’s important for a world-class city to be able to
attract 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: That’s 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, it’s interesting to hear your ideas. I wonder if we can now examine how well
Hong Kong measures up against these criteria. Any comments, please?
Carrie: Well, in my view, Hong Kong can’t 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? I’m not sure…

Chris: Well, I’m afraid I haven’t 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? I’m 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
it’s true of not.

Chris: I think that’s a good question. It all seems to be based on people’s perceptions
rather than on real evidence. Well, I think time is running out and perhaps we can
conclude our discussion today.

What we’ve done today is to examine Hong Kong’s credentials as a world-class city.
And I think four main points have come out of the discussion. The first one is…