The Channel Tunnel
In l858, a French engineer, Aime Thome de Gamond, arrived in England with a plan for a twenty-one mile tunnel across the English Channel. He said that it would be possible to build a platform in the centre of the Channel. This platform would serve as a port and a railway stalion. The tunnel would be well-ventilated if tall chimneys were built above sea-level. In 1860, a better plan was put forward by an Englishman, William Low. He suggested that a double railway tunnel should be built. This would solve the problem of ventilation, for if a train entered this tunnel, it would draw in fresh air behind it. Forty-two years later a tunnel was actually begun. If, at the time, the British had not feared invasion, it would have been completed. Recently, there has again been GREat interest in the idea of a Channel Tunnel. If it is built, it will connect Britain to Europe for the first time in history.
海峡隧道
1858年，一位名叫埃梅·托梅·德·干蒙的法国工程师带着建造一条长21英里、穿越英吉利海峡的隧道计划到了英国。他说，可以在隧道中央建造一座平台，这座平台将用作码头和火车站。如果再建些伸出海面的高大的烟囱状通风管，隧道就具备了良好的通风条件。1860年，一位名叫威廉·洛的英国人提出了一项更好的计划。他提议建一条双轨隧道，这样就解决了通风问题。因为如果有一列火车开进隧道，它就把新鲜空气随之抽进了隧道。42年以后，隧道实际已经开始建了。如果不是因为那时英国人害怕入侵，隧道早已建成了。世界不得不再等将近100年才看到海峡隧道竣工。它于1制年3月7日正式开通，将英国与欧洲大陆连到了一起。
