VOA常速英语2008年-New Capital City Draws Attention in Kazakhstan

By Valer Gergely
Washington
23 April 2008
 

Kazakhstan enjoys a booming economy fueled by the country's oil revenues. As Valer Gergely reports, the country's new capital, Astana is not only one of the fastest growing cities in the world, but has also become a prime destination for foreign investments. Jim Bertel narrates¹.

The observation globe atop Astana's 105-meter Baiterek tower offers a perfect bird's eye view of the new capital. Many of the city's half a million residents come here to see the forest of construction cranes dominating the skyline - a testimony² of the construction boom in Astana. The Kazakh government has spent billions of dollars on construction, but for this oil rich country cash may not be a problem.

The city was given its present name in 1998. Earlier it was called Akmoilinsk, then Tselinograd. Remnants of the old town are still visible.

President Nursultan Nazarbayev relocated the capital to the north from the cosmopolitan³ city of Almaty 10 years ago. The central geographical⁴ location, available resources, and potential for further development motivated the move. Grandiose⁵ government buildings, marble palaces and boulevards have grown at an incredible pace in the heart of the Central Asian steppe. However, many other parts of the country do not show much sign of improvement.

And yet hundreds of joint⁶ ventures and foreign companies operate in Kazakhstan, the majority of them from Turkey, Russia, Germany, Kyrgyzstan, Switzerland and the U.S.

Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher says there are great opportunities in Kazakhstan beyond oil and gas. "There is engineering, power and agriculture - a lot of sectors⁷ where people could be more involved if there were a better business climate, less corruption⁸; some areas where a trained work force would be helpful. One of the things we try to do is to get together some public and private activity with Kazakhstan so we have companies and governments working together to improve the opportunities both for the U.S. and for Kazakh business people," he said.

Beibit Yerubayev, representative of "BISNIS", a business information service that had promoted U.S. exports and investments in Eurasia for 16 years, believes there are many opportunities for U.S. investors⁹.

"America is very strong in telecommunications and computer sciences, and I believe they could also expand their operations in Kazakhstan,” Yerbavev said. “We would like to see more U.S. companies in food processing, construction, especially modular, because now the demand is very high for real estate development."

Astana's construction boom has already attracted many businesses. But creating a real city in the middle of the steppe where the January temperature can drop below minus 40 degrees Celsius¹⁰ is challenging and presents a huge risk, says Astana's chief architect Baktybay Taitalyev. 

"Because of the cold and long winter we had to develop new construction techniques and materials," Taitalyev said. "It was a kind of 'technological¹¹ revolution.'"

The new capital is being developed by an international team. Following a worldwide competition, Kazakhstan invited Kisho Kurokawa, a well-known Japanese architect, to draw up the master plan for the city, says master planner Amanzhol Chikanaev. "An international panel accepted Kurokawa's general development plan, because it was unique and innovative¹² in design and construction technologies," added Chikanaev.

British architect Norman Foster has already built a giant glass pyramid, housing a conference hall.  Now he plans to erect¹³ a 150-meter-tall, air-conditioned glass tent housing an area of 10 football stadiums with shopping and recreation centers. While these projects may be engineering marvels¹⁴, some critiques say the city's architecture is a clumsy link between Kazakhstan's nomad¹⁵ past and a modern city. The architects, however, adhere to their own vision.

"We try to make Astana a Eurasian city with Kazakh, Asian and western elements," Chikanaev said. "At the same time we want to give it a national identity."

City planners say they worked hard to create a world-class city atmosphere of the 21st century. It is predicted that Astana will have more than 1.2 million residents by 2030.

1 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

2 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

3 cosmopolitan   

adj.世界性的，全世界的，四海为家的，全球的

参考例句：

• New York is a highly cosmopolitan city.纽约是一个高度世界性的城市。
• She has a very cosmopolitan outlook on life.她有四海一家的人生观。

4 geographical   

adj.地理的；地区(性)的

参考例句：

• The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
• These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。

5 grandiose   

adj.宏伟的，宏大的，堂皇的，铺张的

参考例句：

• His grandiose manner impressed those who met him for the first time.他那种夸大的举止给第一次遇见他的人留下了深刻的印象。
• As the fog vanished,a grandiose landscape unfolded before the tourists.雾气散去之后，一幅壮丽的景观展现在游客面前。

6 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

7 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

9 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

10 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

11 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

12 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

13 erect   

n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的

参考例句：

• She held her head erect and her back straight.她昂着头，把背挺得笔直。
• Soldiers are trained to stand erect.士兵们训练站得笔直。

14 marvels   

n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The doctor's treatment has worked marvels : the patient has recovered completely. 该医生妙手回春，病人已完全康复。 来自辞典例句
• Nevertheless he revels in a catalogue of marvels. 可他还是兴致勃勃地罗列了一堆怪诞不经的事物。 来自辞典例句

15 nomad   

n.游牧部落的人，流浪者，游牧民

参考例句：

• He was indeed a nomad of no nationality.他的确是个无国籍的游民。
• The nomad life is rough and hazardous.游牧生活艰苦又危险。