New building rules will help old folks—who now riskbeing eaten by bears
新建筑規定能幫上老家伙們—他們面臨著葬身熊腹的危險
IT IS rare for changes to a municipal building code to become headline news. But Vancouver'sban on doorknobs in all new buildings, which went into effect last month, is an exception. Ithas provoked a strong reaction from the door-opening public and set off a chain reactionacross the country as other jurisdictions ponder whether to follow Vancouver's lead. Thecountry is on tenterhooks.
The war on doorknobs is part of a broader campaign to make buildings more accessible to theelderly and disabled, many of whom find levered doorhandles easier to operate than fiddlyknobs. Vancouver's code adds private homes to rules already in place in most of Canada forlarge buildings, stipulating wider entry doors, lower thresholds and lever-operated taps inbathrooms and kitchens.
例句:But instead of ending in agreement, the talksbroke up in acrimony at the end of the week.
但是到這個周末,談判非但沒有達成協議反而在唇槍舌劍中不歡而散。
2.ask for 要求
例句:Student leaders appeared on television to ask for calm.
學生領袖出現在電視上請求大家保持冷靜。
3.in comparison to 與…相比
例句:In most cases, the refactoring efforts pale in comparison to the risks and costsassociated with bad data.
在大多數情況下,與損壞數據招致的風險和成本相比,重構工作并不算什么。
4.point out 指出
例句:However, social experts point out that many migrant workers often find it hard to adaptto urban life.
然而,一些社會學者指出,很多外來務工人員發現自己很難適應城市生活。
The rules have provoked grumbling about the nanny state, much of it from doorknobmanufacturers. The Canadian Home Builders' Association (CHBA) complains that Vancouver, theonly city in Canada with the power to determine its own building code (elsewhere it falls toprovincial governments), changed the rules on its own, instead of asking for a revision of thenational regulations, which would have triggered more detailed cost studies.
These complaints pale in comparison to a more sinister worry. True, elderly and disabledpeople find it easier to operate doors with handles. But so do bears. In British Columbia, bearshave been known to scavenge for food inside cars—whose doors have handles, knob advocatespoint out. Pitkin County, Colorado, in the United States, has banned door levers on buildingsfor this very reason. One newspaper columnist in the pro-knob camp has noted that thevelociraptors in “Jurassic Park” were able to open doors by their handles.
Canadians are undeterred. Members of the municipal council in Halifax are considering askingtheir provincial government to follow Vancouver's example. So too are councillors in Pickering,east of Toronto. The provincial government in Manitoba is examining how the new rules willwork in Vancouver. Philip Rizcallah, who manages the federal body responsible for the nationalcode, says he would be open to considering the measure. So far no one has asked.
It seems only a matter of time before someone steps forward. Much publicity has been givento the ban, which plays to Vancouver's offbeat reputation. “What are they smoking outthere?” asks Gary Sharp of the CHBA. If further bans do go ahead, those living near the woodswould be wise to invest in some sturdy locks before installing doorhandles.