The Panama Canal --Connecting Oceans
A short canal saves ships thousands of miles
The Panama Canal (巴拿马运河) is an artificial 51-mile waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. The idea for a Panama Canal dates back to the discovery of the Isthmus of Panama (巴拿马地峡) by Spanish explorer Vasco De Balboa in 1513. He discovered how narrow it was. Only 80.5 kilometres of land separated the Atlantic from the Pacific! The Spanish surveyed the area in hopes of building a canal. But the local government decided it was impossible.
Fast-forward to 1869, Ferdinand De Lesseps had completed the 163-km-long Suez Canal (苏伊士运河), a waterway linking Europe and Asia. France asked him to repeat his success at Panama. He agreed to have a try. When digging started in 1881, Ferdinand De Lesseps thought building a canal across Panama would be easy. But he didn't realize that digging in a jungle (丛林) would be so dangerous. Ferdinand De Lesseps and his team gave up their project after thousands of workers died from diseases caused by mosquitoes(蚊子). American President Theodore Roosevelt quickly took over where the French crew had left off. He bought the canal property (运河的所有权) and sent a team of workers to finish the project. Led by John Stevens, the American team got rid of the mosquitoes. This effort helped the team of nearly 40,000 workers to stay healthy and productive (富有成效的) . The team used powerful steam shovels (蒸汽挖土机) to make a path for the canal. But even with the help of such large equipment(装备), the work progressed slowly. Finally, after nearly 10 years of non-stop digging, the canal successfully opened in 1914.The story didn't make the headlines, though. The public was focused(专注) on World War I. Therefore the canal wasn't dedicated (举行落成典礼) until July 12, 1920. Since the canal first opened, more than 960,000 ships have traveled through it. The Panama Canal has become an important link in global（全球性的）shipping. A journey that used to take months now takes two weeks.
1. How wide was the Isthmus of Panama which separated the Atlantic from the Pacific?
2. Who bought the Panama Canal property?
3. What did the team use to make a path for the canal?（in no more than three words）
4. How long did it take people to complete the work on Panama Canal?（in no more than three words）
5. Why is the Panama Canal an important link in global shipping?
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Hi, friends! My name's Lucy and I live in Hilltown. It is in the south of England. It isn't a very big town. About 9, 000 people live here.
There are about thirty stores in Hilltown and there are three supermarkets. You can buy everything from there. There are two banks and a post office on Main Street. There is a police station and a library, too. You can find a big market(市场) where you can buy all kinds of fruit and vegetables. I like going to the market with my mom.
In the town center, there is a beautiful park. Every day, lots of people enjoy themselves there. In our town, you can find some restaurants and there are five cafes(咖啡馆). My favorite cafe is Icecave. It's on Park Street and the cafe there is so delicious.
Our school is on Mill Street. We have a very nice building. Next to our school there is a sports center. Every Wednesday afternoon we play badminton there. If you want to see a movie you can go to the cinema in our town, but there aren't any theaters(戏院) here.
I like living in Hilltown because it is a quiet, clean place and people are friendly.
根据短文内容,回答下列问题。
1. How many people are there in Hilltown? (不超过5个单词)
2. What does the market sell? (不超过10个单词)
3. Where is Lucy’s favorite cafe? (不超过5个单词)
4. When does Lucy play badminton in the sports center? (不超过5个单词)
5. What does Lucy think of Hilltown? (不超过5个单词)
【推荐2】Having a few days off always sounds so great. Everyone needs a vacation. And so does US President. US President Barack Obama (1)去度假with his family in winter in 2011. Where did they go and did the first family (2)玩得快乐? Now, Obama is trying to share his experience (经历) with us. Let’s listen to him.“We travelled to Honolulu, Hawaii, in December 2011 for Christmas. Of course we went there by air. We spent 17 days there. Hawaii is my hometown. We had a wonderful time there. 1 . My wife Michelle and I visited US Marines (海军) and their families in Hawaii on Christmas Day. I even held the eight-month-old baby of a captain in my arms. I also spent part of Christmas Eve playing golf with my old friends from Hawaii and some White House staff. I went to Hanauma Bay Nature Park with my two daughters. That’s our favourite place. We dived there, and set four sea turtles free. We all had a good time. And both my daughters said that they wanted to go there for a second time later.”
Answer the questions according to the passage.
1. 将文章中汉语划线部分译成英语（每个短语不多于三个词）(1)
2. 将划线句子译成汉语。.
3. 根据文章内容回答问题。
How did Obama and his family go to Honolulu?
4. 列举奥巴马在度假期间的重要活动（两项即可,每空不多于6个词）
(1)
(2)
5. 根据短文完成下面的句子。
Hanauma Bay Nature Park is so attractive(吸引人的) that Obama’s daughters wanted to go there
In AD 79, Pompeii was a large city by the sea about 150 kilometres south of Rome. Ten kilometres to the north of Pompeii there was the beautiful and peaceful mountain, Mount Vesuvius(维苏威火山)。24 August was a holiday . At noon, happy crowds filled the streets. Markets and restaurants are full. Suddenly, there are a huge explosion. Fire was coming out of Mount Vesuvius. The peaceful green mountain had become a terrible volcano. A huge cloud of ash, small stones,rocks and thick smoke rose high into the sky. A strong wind blew the night. People towards Pompei. Day became night. People were very scare. Not many of them could escape. Thousands of people were killed as they could not breathe because of all the smoke and ash. The eruption continued for days. The whole town was buried in ash over 17metres deep.
It was not until the eighteenth century that people began to dig down and discover what was left of this once great city. Because the explosion was so sudden, we can still see a lot of the old town of Pompeii. We have a very good picture of daily life was like in a Roman city nearly two thousand years ago. We can now see houses and streets, Public bath house and outside theatres just the way they were. We can also examine in museums many everyday objects-shoes, jewellery, bowls, and even food-kept safe in the hard ash. On the walls of many houses we can not only see beautiful paintings, but also read many personal messages written by ordinary people. One message says, ‘Publius(普布利乌斯)gives us good bread’. A schoolboy complains about fighting at school. A girl says the man who wants to marry her is too ugly. One humorous writer says,’Everyone writes on walls, except me.’ A poet, speaking of human life,wrote,’ nothing lasts forever. Though the Sun shines gold, it must sink into the sea…’. These sad words seem to talk about the sudden end-of Pompeii. But stone and ash have protected the city from people and from the weather. The city is alive again for everyone to see.
Question:
1. Mount Vesuvius was an active volcano to the north of Pompeii before the eruption, wasn’t it?
2. What was Pompeii?
3. Was Pompeii always a place dangerous place or a safe and peaceful city to live in?
4. What really caused thousands of people’s death before they were buried in ash?
5. What can we find on the walls of many houses in the once great city-Pompeii?
6. Do you agree with the last sentence “The city is alive again for everyone to see”? Why or why not?(Explain your idea in 2 sentences.)
【推荐1】There are many things in the world that we don’t understand, and know little about. In 1832, an explorer traveled to the Himalayas (喜马拉雅山脉). The people there told him stories about a strange animal called yeti (雪人). “It lived in the snow,” they said. It was very tall, and much bigger than a man. The explorer didn’t believe the stories. “These people have probably seen a big monkey,” he thought.
But the stories about the yeti continued. A lot of explorers went to the Himalayas. They wanted to find the yeti. Some of the climbers told stories about a strange animal in the snow, but nobody could prove (证实) they had seen it.
In 1925, a photographer named Tombazi said he saw a yeti when he was climbing. It was about 300 metres away from him. He was with some other people, and they saw the yeti, too. Tombazi tried to take a picture, but the yeti was gone! Tombazi went to look at the snow and he found footprints. They were huge!
The best clue about the yeti comes from a scientist called Gene Poirier. He traveled to Himalayas and collected pieces of hair. When people examined the hair, they found something amazing. The hair did not come from any normal animal. Maybe it’s the first real proof (证据) of the yeti!
1. In which century was the explorer told there lived a yeti in Himalayas?2. Has anyone got a picture of a yeti yet?
3. The yeti runs very fast, doesn’t it?
4. What may be the first real proof of the yeti?
5. Put the sentence “The best clue about the yeti comes from a scientist called Gene Poirier.” into Chinese.
In AD 79, Pompeii was a large city by the sea about 150 kilometres south of Rome. Ten kilometres to the north of Pompeii there was the beautiful and peaceful mountain, Mount Vesuvius(维苏威火山)。24 August was a holiday . At noon, happy crowds filled the streets. Markets and restaurants are full. Suddenly, there are a huge explosion. Fire was coming out of Mount Vesuvius. The peaceful green mountain had become a terrible volcano. A huge cloud of ash, small stones,rocks and thick smoke rose high into the sky. A strong wind blew the night. People towards Pompei. Day became night. People were very scare. Not many of them could escape. Thousands of people were killed as they could not breathe because of all the smoke and ash. The eruption continued for days. The whole town was buried in ash over 17metres deep.
It was not until the eighteenth century that people began to dig down and discover what was left of this once great city. Because the explosion was so sudden, we can still see a lot of the old town of Pompeii. We have a very good picture of daily life was like in a Roman city nearly two thousand years ago. We can now see houses and streets, Public bath house and outside theatres just the way they were. We can also examine in museums many everyday objects-shoes, jewellery, bowls, and even food-kept safe in the hard ash. On the walls of many houses we can not only see beautiful paintings, but also read many personal messages written by ordinary people. One message says, ‘Publius(普布利乌斯)gives us good bread’. A schoolboy complains about fighting at school. A girl says the man who wants to marry her is too ugly. One humorous writer says,’Everyone writes on walls, except me.’ A poet, speaking of human life,wrote,’ nothing lasts forever. Though the Sun shines gold, it must sink into the sea…’. These sad words seem to talk about the sudden end-of Pompeii. But stone and ash have protected the city from people and from the weather. The city is alive again for everyone to see.
Question:
1. Mount Vesuvius was an active volcano to the north of Pompeii before the eruption, wasn’t it?
2. What was Pompeii?
3. Was Pompeii always a place dangerous place or a safe and peaceful city to live in?
4. What really caused thousands of people’s death before they were buried in ash?
5. What can we find on the walls of many houses in the once great city-Pompeii?
6. Do you agree with the last sentence “The city is alive again for everyone to see”? Why or why not?(Explain your idea in 2 sentences.)
Long ago, people did not need money. They lived on wild animals, fruits and other plants. As time passed, people learned to raise animals and crops. Sometimes, families produced more than they needed, so they started to trade with other families. Later, people began to use money as a means of exchange. However, it was not the kind of money we use today. They used shells, rice, salt, large stones, etc.
During the 600s BC, people began using coins as money. They soon found that coins were easier to carry than goods and lasted a long time. Later, countries began to make their own coins.
The Chinese were the first to use paper money, probably as early as the 11th century. The Italian traveler Marco Polo saw the Chinese using money when he visited China in the 1200s. However, European countries did not start using paper money until 1600s.
Today, we have many ways to pay for things. We do not use coins or paper money. Often, people prefer to pay for things by card. Paying with a card is easier and safer than carrying around a lot of “real” money.
1. People used ________ as a means of exchange before the 7th century BC.
A. paper money B. card
C. large stone D. coins
2. From the passage, we know that European countries used paper money in the ________.
| A．11th century | B．12th century |
| C．16th century | D．17th century |
| A．Marco Polo was from Canada. |
| B．Chinese used paper money earlier than Italy. |
| C．Today people often prefer to pay for things by salt. |
| D．Carrying around much “real” money is easier and safer than Paying with a card. |
