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From the Pyramids of Egypt to the Space Station Freedom， civil engineers have always faced the challenges of the future-advancing civilization and building our quality of life.
Today， the world is undergoing tremendous changes—the technological revolution， population growth， environmental concerns， and so on. All create unique challenges for civil engineers of every specialty. The next decades will be the most creative， demanding， and rewarding of times for civil engineers， and now is the best time to find the right career for you.
Today， civil engineers are in the forefront of technology. They are the leading users of sophisticated high-tech products — applying the very latest concepts in computer-aided design（CAD） during design， construction， project scheduling， and cost control.
Civil engineering is about community service， development， and improvement—the planning，design， construction， and operation of facilities essential to modern life， ranging from transit systems to offshore structures to space satellites. Civil engineers are problem solvers， meeting the challenges of pollution， traffic congestion， drinking water and energy needs， urban redevelopment， and community planning.
Our future as a nation will be closely tied to space， energy， the environment， and our ability to interact with and compete in the global economy. You， as a civil engineer， will perform a vital role in linking these themes and improving quality of life for the 21st century. As the technological revolution expands， as the world’s population increases， and as environmental concerns mount， your skills will be needed. There is no limit to the personal satisfaction you will feel from helping to make our world a better place to live. Whatever area you choose， be in design， construction， research，teaching， or management， civil engineering offers you a wide range of career choices for your future.Civil engineering is grouped into seven major divisions of engineering： Structural； Environmental；Geotechnical； Water Resources； Transportation； Construction； and Urban Planning. In practice，these are not always hard and fixed categories， but they offer a helpful way to review a very diverse and dynamic field.
As a structural engineer， you will face the challenge of designing structures that support their own weight and the loads they carry， and that resist wind， temperature， earthquake， and many other forces. Bridges， buildings， offshore structures， space platforms， amusement park rides， and many other kinds of projects are included within this exciting discipline. You will develop the appropriate combination of steel， concrete， and visit the project site to make sure the work is done properly.
The skills of environmental engineers are becoming increasingly important as we attempt to protect the fragile resources of our planet. Environmental engineers translate physical， chemical， and biological processes into systems to destroy toxic substances， remove pollutants from water， reduce non-hazardous solid waste volumes， eliminate contaminates from the air， and develop groundwater supplies. In this field， you may be called upon to resolve issues of providing safe drinking water，cleaning up sites contaminated with hazardous materials， disposing of wastewater， and managing solid wastes.
Geotechnical engineering is required in all aspects of civil engineering， because most projects are supported by the ground. As a geotechnical engineer， you might develop projects below ground，such as tunnels， foundations， and offshore platforms. You will analyze the properties of soil and rock that support and affect the behavior of these structures. You may evaluate the potential settlements of buildings， the stability of slopes and fills， the seepage of ground water and the effects of earthquakes. You will investigate the rocks and soils at a project site and determine the best way to support a structure in the ground. You may also take part in the design and construction of dams，embankments， and retaining walls.
Water is essential to our lives， and as a water resources engineer， you will deal with issues concerning the quality and quantity of water. You will work to prevent floods， to supply water for cities， industry， and irrigation， to treat wastewater， to protect beaches， or to manage and redirect rivers. You might be involved in the design， construction， or maintenance of hydroelectric power facilities， canals， dams， pipelines， pumping stations， locks， or seaport facilities.
Because the quality of a community is directly related to the quality of its transportation system，your function as a transportation engineer will be to move people， goods， and materials safely and efficiently. Your challenge will be to find ways to meet our ever increasing travel needs on land， air，and sea. You will design， construct， and maintain all types of transportation facilities， including highways， railroads， airfields， and ports. An important part of transportation engineering is to upgrade our transportation capability by improving traffic control and mass transit systems， and by introducing high-speed trains， people movers， and other new transportation methods.
As a construction engineer， you are the builder of our future. The construction phase of a project represents the first tangible result of design. Using your technical and management skills will allow you to turn designs into reality—on time and within budget.
You will apply your knowledge of construction methods and equipment， along with the principles of financing， planning， and managing， to turn the designs of other engineers into successful projects.
As a professional in this area， you will be concerned with the entire development of a community. Analyzing a variety of information will help you coordinate projects， such as projecting street patterns， identifying park and recreation areas， and determining areas for industrial and residential growth. To ensure ready access to your community， coordination with other authorities may be required to integrate freeways， airports， and other related facilities. Successful coordination of a project will require you to be people-oriented as well as technically knowledgeable.
forefront n. 最前部，最前线，最活动的中心
structural a. 结构的，建筑的；结构，构造
environmental a. 周围的，环境的
geotechnical a. 岩土的
water resources 水资源
transportation n. 交通，运输
urban planning 城市规划