To swim across the English Channel takes at least nine hours. It' s a hard work and it makes you short of breath. To fly over the Channel takes only twenty minutes ( as long as you' re not held up at the airport), but it' s an expensive way to travel. You can. travel by hovercraft if you don' t mind the noise, and that takes forty minutes. Otherwise you can go by boat, if you forget your sea-sickness ills. All these means of transport have their problems and the weary(不耐烦的)travel-er often dreams of being able to drive to France in his own car. "Not possible", you say. Well,wait a minute. People are once again considering the idea of a Channel tunnel or bridge.
This time, the Greater London Council is looking into the possibility of building a Channel link straight to London. A bridge would cost far more than a tunnel, but you would be able to go by rail or by car on a bridge, whereas a tunnel would provide a rail link only.
Why is this idea being discussed again? Is Britain becoming more conscious of the need for links with Europe as a result of joining the EEC (欧共体)? Well, perhaps. The main reason,though, is that a tunnel or bridge would reach the twenty square kilometers of London' s disused docldand(船坞地). A link from London to the continent would stimulate trade and re-vitalize( 使…重新有活力) the port, and would make London a main trading centre in Europe. With a link over the Channel, you could buy your fish and chips in England, and be able to eat them in France while they were still warm!
16. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Swimming across the Channel takes less than four hours.
B. The idea of a Channel tunnel or bridge is a very new one.
C. It is considered to be more difficult to swim across the channel than any other means.
D. A tunnel or bridge would only reach as far as the coast.
答案：C
17. A tunnel would be__________.
A. less expensive to be built than a bridge
B. more expensive to be built than a bridge
C. less expensive to be built than a rail
D. more expensive to be built than a rail
答案：A
18. If they built a Channel tunnel, you would__________.
A. neither take a train nor go by car
B. only take a train
C. either take a-train or go by car
D. only take a bus
答案：B
19. It can be concluded that many of London' s dockyards are __________.
A. not used
B. seriously blocked
C. fully used
D. opened again
答案：A
20. Channel link would__________.
A. allow us to buy fish and chips in France
B. make the journey from Europe to England dangerous but easier and faster
C. decrease more trade for London' s dockyards
D. make London more prosperous again
答案：D
游过英吉利海峡至少需要九个小时。这是一项艰苦的工作，会让你喘不过气来。飞越英吉利海峡只需要20分钟（只要你不在机场被耽搁），但这是一种昂贵的旅行方式。你可以。如果你不介意噪音的话，就乘气垫船旅行，这需要40分钟。否则，如果你忘记了晕船病，你可以乘船去。所有这些交通工具都有它们的问题和疲劳(不耐烦的)旅行者经常梦想着能自己开车去法国。“不可能”，你说。等等。人们再次考虑修建英吉利海峡隧道或桥梁的想法。
这一次，大伦敦议会正在研究建立直达伦敦的通道的可能性。一座桥的成本远高于一条隧道，但你可以在桥上坐火车或汽车，而隧道只提供铁路连接。
为什么要再次讨论这个想法？英国是否因为加入欧洲经济共同体而更加意识到与欧洲建立联系的必要性(欧共体)? 也许吧。不过，主要原因是，一条隧道或一座桥梁将到达伦敦20平方公里的废弃码头(船坞地). 从伦敦到欧洲大陆的连接将刺激贸易，并使（使…重新有活力) 这将使伦敦成为欧洲的主要贸易中心。通过英吉利海峡的链接，你可以在英国购买鱼和薯条，还可以在法国趁热吃它们！
