普通高中课程标准实验教科书英语选修高二下选修7 Unit 1 Living well - Using Language
A LETTER TO AN ARCHITECT
Look at the pictures. Discuss the problems that people with walking difficulties might have in a cinema.
Ms L Sanders Alice Major
Chief architect 64 Cambridge Street
Cinema Designs Bankstown
44 Hill Street
Bankstown
24 September, 200__
Dear Ms Sanders,
I read in the newspaper today that you are to be the architect for the new Bankstown cinema.I hope you will not mind me writing to ask if you have thought about the needs of disabled customers. In particular I wonder if you have considered the following things:
1 Adequate access for wheelchairs. It would be handy to have lifts to all parts of the cinema. The buttons in the lifts should be easy for a person in a wheelchair to reach, and the doors be wide enough to enter. In some cinemas, the lifts are at the back of the cinema in cold, unattractive places. As disabled people have to use the lifts, this makes them feel they are not as important as other customers.
2 Earphones for people who have trouble hearing. It would help to fit sets of earphones to all seats, not just to some of them. This would allow hearing-impaired customers to enjoy the company of their hearing friends rather than having to sit in a special area.
3 Raised seating. People who are short cannot always see the screen. So I'd like to suggest that the seats at the back be placed higher than those at the front so that everyone can see the screen easily. Perhaps there could be a space at the end of each row for people in wheelchairs to sit next to their friends.
4 Toilets. For disabled customers it would be more convenient to place the toilets near the entrance to the cinema. It can be difficult if the only disabled toilet is in the basement a long way from where the film is showing. And if the doors could be opened outwards, disabled customers would be very happy.
5 Car parking. Of course, there are usually spaces specially reserved for disabled and elderly drivers. If they are close to the cinema entrance and/or exit, it is easier for disabled people to get to film in comfort.
Thank you for reading my letter. I hope my suggestions will meet with your approval. Disabled people should have the same opportunities as able-bodied people to enjoy the cinema and to do so with dignity.I am sure many people will praise your cinema if you design it with good access for disabled people. It will also make the cinema owners happy if more people go as they will make higher profits!
Yours sincerely,
Alice Major
