The Only Way Is Up

Think of a moderncity and the first image that come to mind is the skyline.It is full of greatbuildings,pointing like fingers to heaven.It is true that some cities don'tpermit

buildings to goa-bove a certain height.But these are cities concerned with the past.The firstthing any city does when it wants to tell the world that it has arrived is tobuild

skyscrapers.

When people gathertogether in cities,they create a demand for land.Since cities are places wheremoney is made,that demand can be met. And the best way to make money

out of city land isto put as many people as possible in a space that covers the smallest amount ofground.That means building upwards.

The technologyexisted to do this as early as the 19 th century.But the height of buildingswas limited by one important factor. They had to be small enough for people onthe

top floors to climbstairs .People could not be expected to climb a mountain at the end of theirjourney to work,or home.

Elisha Otis,a USinventor,was the man who brought us the lift-or elevator,as he pre- ferred tocall it.However,most of the technology is very old.Lifts work using the same

pulley system theEgyptians used to create the Pyramids.What Otis did was attach the system to asteam engine and develop the elevator brake,which stops the lift falling if

the cords that holdit up are broken.It was this that did the most to gain public confidence in thenew invention.In fact,he spent a number of years exhibiting lifts at

fairgrounds,giving peoplethe chance to try them before selling the idea to architects and builders.

A lift would not bea very good theme park attraction now.Going in a lift is such an everyday thingthat it would just be boring.Yet psychologists and others who study human

behavior find liftsfascinating.The reason is simple.Scientists have always studied animals inzoos.The nearest they can get to that with humans is in observing them inlifts.

“It breaks allthe usual conventions about the bubble of personal space we carry around withus—and you just can't choose to move away”,says workplace

psychologist,Gary Fitzgibbon.Be-ingtrapped in this setting can create different types of tensions,he says.Somepeople are scared of them.Others use them as an opportunity to

get close to theboss.Some stand close to the door. Others hide in the corners.Most people tryand shrink into the background.But some behave in a way that makes others

notice them.Thereare a few people who just stand in a corner taking notes.

Don't worry aboutthem.They are probably from a university.Don't worry aboutthem.They are probably from a university.“… these arecities concerned with the past”in the first paragraph refer to citiesthat______.

A.are worried abouttheir past

B.have a gloriouspast to be proud of

C.want to maintaintheir traditional image

D.are veryinterested in their own history