课文MP3播放
First listen and then answer the question.听录音，然后回答以下问题。
Why was the first tunnel not completed?
In 1858, a French engineer, Aimé Thomé de Gamond, arrived in England with a plan for a twenty－one－mile tunnel under 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 5 railway station. 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 10 begun. If,at the time, the British had not feared invasion, it would have been completed. The world had to wait almost another 100 years for the Channel Tunnel. It was officially opened on March 7,1994,finally connecting Britain to the European continent.
New words and expressions 生词和短语
tunnel(title)/'tʌnl/n.隧道
fear(1.10)/fiə/v.害怕
port(1.4)/pɔ:t/n.港口
invasion(1.10)/in'veiʒən/n.入侵，侵略
ventilate(1.5)/'ventileit/v.通风
officially(1.11)/ə'fiʃəli/adv. 正式地
chimney(1.6)/'tʃimni/n.烟囱
connect(1.12)/kə'nekt/v. 连接
sealevel(1.6)/'si:-'levəl/海平面
European(1.12)/'juərə'pi:ən/adj.欧洲的
double(1.7)/'dʌbəl/adj. 双的
continent(1.12)/'kɔntinənt/n. 大陆
ventilation(1.8)/'venti'leiʃən/n. 通风
Notes on the text 课文注释
1 a plan for a twenty－one-mile tunnel under the English Channel, 建造一条长21英里、穿越英吉利海峡的隧道计划， for a… Channel是介词短语，作定语，修饰名词 plan。
2 serve as…，用作……，充当……，与 serve for同义。
3 a better plan was put forward, 提出了一项更好的计划， put forward提出(计划、建议等)。
4 He suggested that a double railway-tunnel should be built. 他提议建造双轨隧道。在英文中，动词 suggest，demand， recommend等后面所接的 that宾语从句中，谓语动词要用should+动词原形，而should又常常省略，这是一种虚拟语气的结构。
5 If, at the time, the British had not feared invasion, it would have been completed. 如果不是因为那时英国人害怕入侵，隧道早就建成了。这是英语中的虚拟语气。虚拟语气所表述的不是一个事实，而只是一种假设或愿望，常伴有if引导的非真实条件句。以上的这句话是对大战期间所发生的事情的一种假设，而这种假设与事实不符。因此，在条件句中要用过去完成时 had not feared，而主句中则要用 would+ have+ 过去分词。
参考译文
185B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1994年3月7日正式开通，将英国与欧洲大陆连到了一起。