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TOEFL
Reading Comprehension
Passage 4 |
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Directions:
In this section you will read a passage which is followed by several questions about it.
For the questions you are to choose the one best answer, (Рђ), (Р’), (C), or (D),
to each question.
A Japanese construction company plans to build a huge independent city-state,
akin to the legendary Atlantis, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The city,
dubbed
"Marinnation," would have about one million inhabitants, two airports, and
possibly even a spaceport. Marinnation, if built, would be a separate country
but could serve as a home for international organizations such as the United
Nations and the World Bank.
Aside from the many political and social problems that would have to be solved,
the engineering task envisaged is monumental. The initial stage requires the
building of a circular dam eighteen miles in diameter attached to the seabed in
a relatively shallow place in international waters. Then. several hundred pumps,
operating for more than a year would suck out the seawater from within the dam.
When empty and dry. the area would have a city constructed on it. The actual
land would be about 300 feet below sea level.
According to designers, the hardest task from an engineering point of view would
be to ensure that the dam is leak proof and earthquake proof.
If all goes well, it is hoped that Marinnation could be ready for habitation at
the end of the second decade of the twenty-first century. Whether anyone would
want to live in such an isolated and artificial community, however, will remain
an open question until that time. |
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