[Article] How to Build the Wall between the U.S. and Mexico by CNN

2018.02.20 

출처 : http://cnn.ybmsisa.com/TodaysClip.asp?idx=3038

vocabulary  

stretch 뻗치다
civil engineer 토목 기사
architect 건축가
foundation 기초, 토대
cinderblock 씬더블록, 가벼운 재질로 만든 블록
upside 괜찮은 면, 장점 (ant. downside 단점)
labor intensive 노동력이 많이 드는
crumble 부서지다, 무너지다
reinforced 보강된

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tunneling : 땅굴을 파다 

readily available : 쉽게 (손쉽게) 이용할 수 있는 

the way to go : 해결책, 최선책 

Script

What would it take to build a wall on the border between the United States and Mexico?

You`re talking about an area 1,954 miles, stretching across California, Arizona, New Mexico and right

here in Texas -- just about 100 yards away from Mexico.

We spoke to civil engineers, architects and academics. They all say the wall can be built. It can be done.

The question is, how?

The first thing one has to do is, before you go up, you have to go down and build a foundation. This will

help provide support for the wall. In order to prevent people from tunneling under it, it should be at

least five feet deep.

The second thing one must consider is what do you use to build the wall? What materials do you go

after? Well, how about cinderblock?

The upside is it`s strong; it`s secure; it`s readily available. The downside is, it`s labor intensive to have to

stack every single brick in order to build the wall. So, our experts say that option doesn`t work.

There is another option. Using poured concrete on site. That`s what they did when they built the

Hoover Dam. The downside to that is when you pour concrete in warmer climates like along many of

these border states, experts say what you could end up with is a weaker wall, because the concrete

might not dry correctly, meaning a wall that could end up crumbling.

So what could be the answer here?

The experts that we spoke to say the way to go is pre-casted cement wall panels. Those panels will be

lined side by side, sort of like what you might see on a highway. Each panel would be about 20 feet

high. Again, five feet below ground. About ten feet wide and eight inches thick. Again, that wall would

be stretching some 2,000 miles, and our expert says it would require 339 million cubic feet of concrete.

And that`s just for the panels. You`re also going to need reinforced steel. At least 5 billion pounds.