Seven years ago,back in 2010,some reports covered a story that the world’s longest railway tunnel was under construction in Switzerland.At that point it had already been under construction for over a decade.It had been voted to be built nearly a quarter of a century ago!The idea to build it could date back to nearly 70 years ago—about as old as some of your grandparents!
Yesterday,it was finally ready!
It’s 35 miles long and runs 7,5 00 feet beneath the Swiss Alps,a famous mountain range in Switzerland.It even runs under an old tunnel that was there before.It took a total of 17 years to build at a cost of $12 billion 128 million tons of rock were dug.Two million truckloads of earth were removed!
The tunnel connects northern and southern Europe.The opening of this tunnel was such a big deal that the Germany’s leader,Chancellor Angela Merkel,France’s president,Francois Hollande,and Italy’s prime minister,Matteo Renzi,were all there to celebrate,as was Austria’s chancellor Christian Kern.
It’s called the Gotthard Base Tunnel. Eventually,325 freight and passenger trains will go through the tunnel,relieving a lot of traffic on the roadways there and making it a more environmentally friendly option.The Gotthard Base Tunnel is a wonder of engineering!Make us want to visit it!
24.When did people first have the idea of building the Tunnel?
A.About 70 years ago.
B.Half a century ago.
C.Twenty five years ago.
D.Seven years ago.
25.What can we learn about the Tunnel?
A.It used to be an old tunnel.
B.It has just been completed.
C.It connects all European countries.
D.It runs over a range of mountains.
26.What may be the purpose of building the Tunnel?
A.To improve traffic.
B.To increase employment.
C.To attract donation.
D.To stop pollution.
27.What can be inferred about the Tunnel?
A.It will cause conflicts among countries.
B.It will be of little benefit to the locals.
C.It may do damage to the environment.
D.It may become a tourist attraction.
ABAD
A. Profits enlarging B. Technology developing C. Education investing D. Benefits transferring E. Dominance disappearing F. A nation rising |
The following is an imaginary diary entry written by US president. This diary is part of Global Trends 2025, which was written by the US National Intelligence Council
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The
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The
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Global wealth and economic power will shift from West to East.
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The transition from old fuels to new will be slow, as will the development of new technologies that present feasible alternatives to fossil fuels or help eliminate food and water problems. All current technologies are inadequate, and new ones will probably not be commercially possible by 2025