Those out to demolish old buildings often argue that a factory will bring prosperity to a

town and pr【66】employment for its people; a block of fiats will improve living conditions; a new road will create better transport f【67】These arguments are true, but somehow unconvincing. Countless quiet country villages have been【68】(spoil) by the addition of modern "improvements" like huge traffic-signs or tall concrete lamps which s【69】a sickly yellow light. In the same way, buildings which are er【70】without any thought being given to their surroundings, become prominent landmarks which may change the character of whole town. They are ugly because they are so out of【71】

Nothing can more seriously change the look of a town or city so dramatically than the sudden appearance of an office building which t【72】above all the surrounding buildings. Before the arrival of this skyscraper, all the buildings in the city stood in special relationship to each other. The most str【73】of them was probably the cathedral or the town hall f【74】by other public buildings. These dominated the city and gave it a definite shape. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the new arrival dwarfs (使显得矮小) everything in sight, and even the most【75】(grace) existing buildings may now be so sadly di【76】as to seem slightly ridiculous beside this monster. It rises up above them like a huge, white, slotted (开门的) packing-case resting【77】its side, demanding at【78】merely because of its size and not because of any intrinsic (内在的) worth.

Part of the charm of a big city l【79】in the variety of styles that can be seen in the architecture of its buildings. One feels that the city has grown slowly and each age has left its mark. By demolishing buildings of f【80】times, we wipe out every vestige of the past forever.

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