25年前，连接英国和法国的跨海隧道竣工了，从此英国和欧洲大陆的联系更加紧密。而现在英国却要脱离欧盟了。抚今追昔，很多人都怀念那段欧洲大团结的好时光。
The tunnel that changed Europe forever
by Joe Minihane
Pulling out from beneath St Pancras's magnificent wrought iron roof, the Eurostar slipping through tunnels towards the Kent countryside, it's easy to feel blasé（不稀奇的） about taking a train from London to mainland Europe.
pull out （车辆）起步、发车
beneath /bɪˈniːθ/ prep. 在…下面
St Pancras 是伦敦的一个火车站
magnificent /mæɡˈnɪfɪs(ə)nt/ adj. 壮丽的、宏伟的
wrought /rɔːt/ adj. 精制的
Eurostar /ˈjʊərəʊstɑː(r)/ n. 欧洲之星（是高铁公司的名字，也是该公司高铁列车的名字）
tunnel /ˈtʌn(ə)l/ n. 隧道
Kent /kent/ n. 肯特郡（位于英国东南部）
mainland /ˈmeɪnlænd/ adj. 国土主体的（由main和land组成，mainland Europe就是欧洲大陆）
From the ease of checking in at the UK's finest rail station just 30 minutes before departure to arriving in the heart of Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam without having to deal with baggage reclaim, traveling by rail to northern Europe feels both seamless and everyday.
check in 办理进站乘车手续
departure /dɪˈpɑːtʃə(r)/ n. 离开、发车
Brussels /ˈbrʌs(ə)lz/ n. 布鲁塞尔（比利时首都，也是欧盟总部所在地）
Amsterdam /ˌæmstəˈdæm/ n. 阿姆斯特丹（荷兰首都）
deal with 处理、应付
baggage /ˈbæɡɪdʒ/ n. 行李
reclaim /rɪˈkleɪm/ n. 取回
seamless /ˈsiːmləs/ adj. 无缝的、完美衔接的
everyday /ˈevrideɪ/ adj. 日常的、平常的（由every和day组成）
The feat of engineering that has made this all possible, the Channel Tunnel, opened 25 years ago. It took six years for 13,000 workers to build the 50.5-kilometer tunnel, 37.8 kilometers of which run undersea, making it the longest of its kind in the world. Inevitably, that kind of engineering and manpower did not come cheap, with costs in 1994 estimated at $7.2 billion, a massive 80% more than originally planned.
feat /fiːt/ n. 了不起的成就
channel /ˈtʃæn(ə)l/ n. 海峡（the Channel指英法之间的英吉利海峡）
undersea /ˌʌndəˈsiː/ adj. 在海面之下的（由under和sea组成）
inevitably /ɪˈnevɪtəbli/ adv. 不可避免地
manpower /ˈmænpaʊə(r)/ n. 人力
estimate /ˈestɪmeɪt/ v. 估计、估算
billion /ˈbɪljən/ n. 十亿
massive /ˈmæsɪv/ adj. 巨大的
originally /əˈrɪdʒ(ə)n(ə)li/ adv. 一开始（由original加后缀-ly变成副词）
Despite the eye-watering cost, the tunnel became an immediate hit with travelers. "It played its part in changing public attitudes towards railways, which for many years had been declining in importance, and helped spark a railway renaissance（复兴） across the UK," says Ed Bartholomew, lead curator at the UK's National Railway Museum in York.
eye-watering （数量）极大的、极高的
immediate /ɪˈmiːdiət/ adj. 立刻的、马上的
hit /hɪt/ n. 很受欢迎的事物
attitude /ˈætɪtjuːd/ n. 态度
decline /dɪˈklaɪn/ v. 逐渐下降
spark /spɑːk/ v. 引发
lead /liːd/ adj. 领头的、领衔的
curator /kjʊˈreɪtə(r)/ n. （博物馆）馆长
York /jɔːk/ n. 约克（英国中部城市）
Mark Smith, founder of rail travel website The Man in Seat 61, says the ongoing popularity of taking the train from the UK to Europe speaks to a wider grassroots distaste with flying. "Mainstream travelers now come to my site," he says. "They're fed up to the back teeth of the airline experience and they want to cut their carbon footprint."
founder /ˈfaʊndə(r)/ n. 创办人（由found加上表示人的后缀-er）
ongoing /ˈɒŋˌɡəʊɪŋ/ adj. 持续存在的、持续发展的
popularity /ˌpɒpjʊˈlærəti/ n. 流行、受欢迎（由popular加后缀-ity变成名词）
speak to something 为某事提供了证据
grassroots /ˈɡrɑːsruːts/ adj. 草根的、平民百姓的（由grass和roots组成）
distaste /dɪsˈteɪst/ n. 反感、厌恶（由taste加上表示否定的前缀dis-）
mainstream /ˈmeɪnstriːm/ adj. 主流的（由main和stream组成）
fed up to the back teeth 实在受够了
airline /ˈeəlaɪn/ n. 航空公司
cut /kʌt/ v. 削减
carbon /ˈkɑːb(ə)n/ n. 碳
footprint /ˈfʊtprɪnt/ n. 脚印（引申为可量化的影响，这里carbon footprint指某人的日常生活所产生的二氧化碳总量）
A journey from London to Paris emits 90% less greenhouse gas than the equivalent short-haul flight, according to Eurostar. "From the early days of operation, Eurostar has championed the environmental benefits of high-speed rail and encouraged the switch to sustainable modes of transport for short-haul international travel," a Eurostar spokesperson said.
emit /ɪˈmɪt/ v. 排放
greenhouse /ˈɡriːnhaʊs/ n. 温室（由green和house组成）
gas /ɡæs/ n. 气体
equivalent /ɪˈkwɪv(ə)l(ə)nt/ adj. 相同的、等价的
short-haul /ˈʃɔːthɔːl/ adj. 短途的、短程的
operation /ˌɒpəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 运营
champion /ˈtʃæmpiən/ v. 为…而斗争
environmental /ɪnˌvaɪr(ə)nˈment(ə)l/ adj. 环境的（由environment加后缀-al变成形容词）
switch /swɪtʃ/ n. 改变、转换
sustainable /səˈsteɪnəb(ə)l/ adj. 可持续发展的（由sustain加后缀-able变成形容词）
mode /məʊd/ n. 模式
transport /ˈtrænspɔːt/ n./v. 运输、交通
spokesperson /ˈspəʊksˌpɜːs(ə)n/ n. 发言人
Some 4.5 million UK tourists use the Channel Tunnel every year, with 1.6 million trucks transporting goods between the UK and the continent, making it worth around €140 billion per year to the UK and European economies, according to EY's Economic Footprint of the Channel Tunnel in the UK report from 2018.
some /sʌm/ adv. 大约（用在数字之前）
truck /trʌk/ n. 卡车
continent /ˈkɒntɪnənt/ n. 大洲、大陆（这里指欧洲大陆）
economy /ɪˈkɒnəmi/ n. 经济、经济体
EY 指Ernst & Young，是全球四大会计师事务所之一
economic /ˌekəˈnɒmɪk/ adj. 经济的（由economy加后缀-ic变成形容词）
"The Channel Tunnel is a political, diplomatic, financial and technical success," says Bartholomew. "It's now firmly embedded in the economies of Britain, Ireland and continental Europe."
diplomatic /ˌdɪpləˈmætɪk/ adj. 外交的
financial /faɪˈnænʃ(ə)l/ adj. 跟钱有关的
technical /ˈteknɪk(ə)l/ adj. 技术的
firmly /ˈfɜːmli/ adv. 稳固地、牢牢地（由firm加后缀-ly变成副词）
embed /ɪmˈbed/ v. 镶嵌、嵌入
Ireland /ˈaɪələnd/ n. 爱尔兰（西欧国家）
continental /ˌkɒntɪˈnent(ə)l/ adj. 大洲的、大陆的（由continent加后缀-al变成形容词；continental Europe也是指欧洲大陆）
Smith agrees. "It certainly fulfilled the promise for London to Paris and Brussels. It's now normal to go there by train and odd if you go there by plane."
fulfill /fʊlˈfɪl/ v. 实现、达成
promise /ˈprɒmɪs/ n. 前景
odd /ɒd/ adj. 奇怪的、反常的
While its green credentials will ensure it remains every bit as popular for the next 25 years, it's also impossible to deny the pleasures of sipping on a glass of Burgundy as the Eurostar zooms out into the French countryside and on towards some of the world's most beguiling（令人陶醉的） cities.
credentials /krɪˈdenʃ(ə)lz/ n. 资质、信誉
ensure /ɪnˈʃʊə(r)/ v. 确保
every bit as 完全一样地
deny /dɪˈnaɪ/ v. 否认
sip /sɪp/ v. 小口喝
Burgundy /ˈbɜːɡ(ə)ndi/ n. 勃艮第（法国中东部的行政区，以出产葡萄酒闻名，这里指勃艮第葡萄酒）
zoom out （镜头变焦）使景物变小变远（这里指列车因快速前进而变小变远）
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