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1. Text-main1 Text I Pre-Reading Questions General Reading Background Text Comments on the Text Exercises

2. Text-main2 Text II Text Comprehension

3. Pre-Reading Questions1 Pre-Reading Questions Here are the questions for you to think about before you read the text. 1. How did the English and the French people look at the Chunnel, joyously or resentfully? Why do you think so? 2. How do you visualize the breakthrough ceremony? Exercise your imagination.

4. Pre-Reading Questions 2 For your reference These are open questions. You may discuss the above questions with your classmates. Your knowledge about France and Britain may help you answer Question One, while for Question Two, you should exercise your imagination.

5. General Reading1 General Reading Go over the text rapidly once and then decide which of the following statements best sums up the content.

6. General Reading2 1. The French and the English people seemed none too happy about the Chunnel and there would be more people going to France via the Chunnel than there would be people going to Britain. 2. In spite of the adverse sentiments expressed by the English and the French people, the Chunnel that joins Britain and France was finally completed and, looking back, the breakthrough that took place several years ago was a moving scene. 3. The construction of the Chunnel was an important event and large numbers of people would be using it to go across the English Channel.

7. Background Notes1.1 Background Notes English Channel The English Channel, often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about 560 km long and varies in width from 240 km at its widest to 34 km in the Strait of Dover. It is the smallest of the shallow seas around the continental shelf of Europe, covering an area of some 75,000 square kilometers.

8. Background Notes1.2

9. Background Notes2.1 The Channel Tunnel The Channel Tunnel is a 50.5-kilometre undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent, in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais, near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is 75 meters deep. At 37.9 kilometers, the Channel Tunnel possesses the longest undersea portion of any tunnel in the world.

10. Background Notes2.2

11. Background Notes3.1 the Continent Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent (particularly by the British, Icelanders and other European island nations), is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands.

12. Background Notes3.2

13. Dialogue-Text1 The Light at the End of the Chunnel In a hotel lobby in Sandgate, England, not two miles from the soon-to-be-opened English Channel Tunnel, stiff upper lips trembled. For the first time since the last ice age, England was about to be linked to France. “I’d rather England became the 5lst state of the U.S.A. than get tied up to there,” said a retired civil servant with a complexion the color of ruby port. He nodded toward the steel gray Channel out the window, his pale blue eyes filled with foreboding.

14. Dialogue-Text2 “Awful place,” added his wife, lifting a teacup to her lips. “They drink all the time, and the food is terrible. When I go to the Continent, I take my own bottle of English sauce.” “We don’t care much for the French,” her husband concluded. “But the French....” Here a pause, a shudder, as the gull-wing eyebrows shot upward. “The French don’t care for anybody.”

15. Dialogue-Text3 On the other side of the Channel, the entente was scarcely more cordiale. In Vieux Coquelles, a village a beet field away from the French terminal near Calais, Clotaire Fournier walked into his farmhouse. “I went to England once,” he said, sinking into a chair in the dining room. “Never again! All they eat is ketchup.” A tiny explosion of air from pursed lips, then the coup de grâce. “You can’t even get a decent glass of red wine!”

16. Dialogue-Text4 Well, by grace of one of the engineering feats of the century, for richer or poorer, better or worse, England and France are getting hitched. On May 6, 1994, Queen Elizabeth of Britain and President François Mitterrand of France are scheduled to inaugurate the English Channel Tunnel (“Chunnel” for short), sweepingaside 200 years of failed cross-Channel-link schemes, 1,000 years of historical rift, and 8,000 years of geographic divide.

17. Dialogue-Text5 The 31-mile-long Chunnel is really three parallel tunnels: two for trains and a service tunnel. It snakes from Folkestone, England, to Coquelles, France, an average of 150 feet below the seabed. Drive onto a train at one end; stay in your car and drive off Le Shuttle at the other 35 minutes later. Later this year〔i.e., 1994〕Eurostar passenger trains will provide through service: London to Paris in three hours; London to Brussels in three hours, ten minutes. The Chunnel rewrites geography, at least in the English psyche. The moat has been breached. Britain no longer is an island.

18. Dialogue-Text6 It’s June 28, 1991, and I’m packed into a construction workers’ train along with several dozen other journalists. We’re headed out from the English side to the breakthrough ceremony for the south running tunnel — the last to be completed. The Chunnel is a work in progress. The concrete walls await final installation of the power, water, and communication lines that will turn it into a transport system. White dust fills the air. The train screeches painfully. “Makes you appreciate British Rail,” someone jokes.

19. Dialogue-Text7 Finally we reach the breakthrough site. The two machines that dug this tunnel started from opposite sides of the Channel and worked toward the middle. Now we’re staring at the 30-foot-diameter face of the French tunnel boring machine (TBM), “Catherine.”

20. Dialogue-Text8 In one of those vive la différencequirks that color the project, the French gave women’s names to their machines. On the British side, it’s by the numbers — like TBM No.6. Another difference: French workers wear chic, well-cut, taupe jumpsuits with red and blue racing stripes down the sleeves. The British uniform is pure grunge: baggy, bright orange.

21. Dialogue-Text9 Looking up, I imagine 180 feet of Channel above my head — ferries, tankers, a Dover sole or two.... The grating of the TBM interrupts my reverie. Its cutterhead — a huge wheel with tungsten-tipped teeth — chews into the last trace of rock separating England from France. Music blares, and lights glare. Several Frenchmen scramble through. Thunderous applause erupts as dozens more follow. Strangely moving, this connecting of countries. Champagne corks pop, and French workers hug British counterparts.

22. Dialogue-Text10 “I might have opposed it 30 years ago, but now it’s my tunnel,” an Englishman says. French tunnelers are still climbing through. “So many,” I say, turning to a French official. “And there are 56 million more behind them,” he replies.

23. Dialogue-Text11 Après le tunnel, le déluge? Eurotunnel hopes so. It predicts eight million passengers a year by 1996. The flow will be lopsided. Only 30 percent of the traffic will be headed to Britain. “The French don’t take holidays in England,” explains Jeanne Labrousse, a Eurotunnel executive. Hmmmm. Why do the French visit Britain? For the food? The weather? Fashion?

24. Dialogue-Text12 Mme. Labrousse seemed thoughtful. “Of course,” she brightened, “we will work on selling the idea.” From National Geographic, May 1994, by Cathy Newman

25. stiff stiff:a. firm, hard, or difficult to bend or move, not moving or operating freely e.g.: Her grandpa’s legs were stiff from kneeling. This is too stiff; I can’t bend it with my hands.

26. complexion complexion:n. the natural colour or appearance of the skin on one’s face e.g.: Drinking juice is good for the complexion. She is dark in complexion.

27. foreboding foreboding: n. a strong feeling that something bad is going to happen soon e.g.: The sailor’s wife had a strange foreboding that he would not return. It is strange that the role of anticipation and foreboding in Shakespearian drama has so far not received adequate attention and treatment.

28. shudder shudder:n. a shaking movement e.g.: She gave a little shudder when she touched his clammy hand. A shudder ran through him at the touch of her fingers.

29. scarcely scarcely:ad. almost not or almost none at all [= hardly] e.g.: I can scarcely believe you’re twenty years old now. The difference is scarcely perceptible to the average reader.

30. decent decent:a. of a good enough standard or quality e.g.: At that time it is possible to land a decent job without a college education. The main employment challenge in rural areas, however, is that many jobs do not ensure decent levels of income and sustainable livelihoods.

31. feat feat:n. something that is an impressive achievement, because it needs a lot of skill, strength, etc. to do e.g.: We went from zero to complete in just three months — a remarkable feat for an unplanned and very significant overhaul of a 42-year old ship. Man’s first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.

32. hitch hitch: v. fasten something to something else, using a rope, chain, etc. e.g.: Hitch these two ropes together. Last night we hitched the horse to the cart and moved here.

33. be scheduled to be scheduled to: be planned to e.g.: What is an employee who is scheduled to work 2 hours a day entitled to in the form of wages? Sometimes employees are scheduled to work a shift and then the shift is cancelled or shortened.

34. inaugurate inaugurate:v. open a building or start an organization, event, etc. for the first time e.g.: The government will inaugurate its first gas storage facility in the near future. A research rocket was launched to inaugurate the first home-built space centre of the country.

35. sweep aside sweep aside: push or brush someone or something aside e.g.: The guards swept the spectators aside as the king’s coach approached. All desks and chairs were swept aside, and then they began to dance.

36. scheme scheme:n. a plan or arrangement made by a government or other organization, a plan for achieving something e.g.: The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities. To be frank, the scheme is merely a castle in the air.

37. rift rift:n. a situation in which two people or groups have had a serious disagreement and begun to dislike and not trust each other [= split] e.g.: He has warned that the serious rifts within the country could lead to civil war. It was just one argument, but it created a permanent rift between them.

38. parallel parallel:a. being everywhere equidistant and not intersecting e.g.: Parallel lines are, by definition, lines on the same plane that never join. It shows how to construct a line parallel to a given line that passes through a given point with compass and straightedge or ruler.

39. snake snake:v. move in long, twisting curves e.g.: The river snaked away into the distance. The train snaked its way among the mountains.

40. psyche psyche:n. [countable, usually singular] someone’s mind, or their deepest feelings, which control their attitudes and behaviour e.g.: Revenge and punishment lie deep in the human psyche. A characteristic of the feminine psyche is to seek approval from others.

41. moat moat:n. a deep wide hole, usually filled with water, dug around a castle as a defence e.g.: The main house with its charming beams is surrounded by a beautiful moat. Economic moat is a term popularized by Warren Buffett describing a company’s competitive advantage.

42. breach breach: v. break a law, rule, or agreement [= break] e.g.: How do I make a complaint if I believe my privacy has been breached? Spectators who breach the rules will be asked to leave the building.

43. breakthrough breakthrough:n. an important new discovery in something you are studying, especially one made after trying for a long time e.g.: Breakthrough ideas always seem impractical at first, so don’t get discouraged. Scientists have made a major breakthrough in the treatment of the disease.

44. in progress in progress: happening now, and not yet finished e.g.: I want to report an emergency. There’s a robbery in progress. Work in progress! Walking pedestrians should be cautious.

45. await await:v. wait for e.g.: She is awaiting her father’s instructions. We await your prompt reply with much interest.

46. installation installation:n. the act of setting up something (as equipment) for use e.g.: The installation of an air gap and drain line are recommended. We consider the installation of cameras an infringement on people’s privacy.

47. screech screech:v. (wheel of a vehicle) make a high unpleasant noise as it moves along or stops e.g.: A black Mercedes screeched to a halt beside the helicopter. A van screeched onto the road in front of me.

48. quirk quirk:n. a strange habit or feature of someone’s character, or a strange feature of something e.g.: He had a strange quirk of addressing his wife as Mrs. Smith. The most annoying quirk of his is wearing a cap all the time.

49. chic chic:a. very fashionable and expensive, and showing good judgement of what is attractive and good style e.g.: I must say that outfit really suits you. You look really chic. Traditionally, French fashion is chic and stylish, defined by its sophistication, cut, and smart accessories.

50. reverie reverie:n. a state of imagining or thinking about pleasant things, that is like dreaming e.g.: He was so lost in reverie that he did not hear the doorbell ring. Autumn is a season for people to generate infinite reverie.