Seven Wonders of the Modern World

Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Written by Jane Selman.

世界现代七大奇迹。 简·塞尔曼 著

Picking Wonders Long ago, scholars selected the seven greatest works built by human beings, the seven wonders of the ancient world. These wonders honored the courage and power to do things people thought couldn't be done. The Great Pyramid of Egypt is the only ancient wonder still standing. Hundreds of years later, a group of engineers asked experts around the world to select seven new wonders. Their list of modern wonders honored the same ideas as the ancient wonders.

评选奇迹 很久很久以前，学者选出了人类建造的七处最伟大工程，也就是古代世界七大奇迹。 这些奇迹赞颂了人们完成不可能之事的勇气与力量。 埃及大金字塔是唯一留存至今的古代奇迹。 几百年后，一群工程师邀请全球专家评选七个新奇迹。 这份现代奇迹榜单，传承了和古代奇迹一致的精神。

Channel Tunnel Let's start in England and France. Imagine traveling 31 miles, 50 kilometers, through an underwater tunnel at close to 100 miles, 161 kilometers per hour. The channel tunnel, or tunnel, provides speedy travel between England and France. The trip takes about 20 minutes. People had dreamed of this tunnel for years. The work was hard and risky. It took about 13 ,000 people from 1987 to 1994 to build three tunnels a total of 95 miles, 153 kilometers long. First, workers dug huge chunks of chalk and clay from the bottom of the English Channel. Then, they built the tunnels under the water.

英吉利海峡隧道 我们先从英国和法国讲起。 想象一下，你以近161公里（100英里）的时速，穿行在50公里（31英里）长的海底隧道中。 这条海峡隧道，让英国和法国之间的出行变得十分快捷。 全程只需要大约20分钟。 人们梦想拥有这条隧道已经很多年了。 建造这项工程既艰难又危险。 1987年到1994年，约1.3万名工人一共修建了三条隧道，总长度达153公里（95英里）。 首先，工人从英吉利海峡海床挖出了大块的白垩和黏土。 接着，他们在水下建成了隧道。

Passengers can now ride through the tunnel in buses and cars that are loaded onto the widest trains ever built. One tunnel allows train travel from England to France, while a second allows travel in the opposite direction. The third tunnel is a service tunnel used for repairs and emergencies.

现在乘客可以把巴士和汽车开上特制宽体列车，搭乘列车穿过隧道。 一条隧道通行英国开往法国的列车，另一条通行反向行驶的列车。 第三条是服务隧道，用于维修和应对紧急情况。

Netherlands North Sea Protection Works Now let's travel north from France to the Netherlands, where much of the land is below sea level. During storms, floods destroyed homes and farmland. In the early 1900s, the Dutch suffered the effects of war and terrible storms. Food shortages were a problem. They decided to find new ways to protect the land and people from the sea. In 1927, the people started to build the North Sea Protection Works. They dammed areas along the coast to create lakes and farmland.

荷兰北海防护工程 现在我们从法国向北出发，去往荷兰，荷兰大部分陆地都低于海平面。 风暴来袭时，洪水会摧毁房屋和农田。 20世纪初，荷兰人经受了战争和特大风暴的双重打击。 食物短缺成了严重的问题。 他们决定想新办法，保护陆地和人民免受海水侵袭。 1927年，人们开始修建北海防护工程。 他们在沿海区域修筑水坝，围出了湖泊和农田。

But other areas couldn't be dammed. More dams would hurt the country's shipping industry and wildlife habitats. So they built a flood wall unlike any other. The wall was built with giant gates that stay open when the sea is calm. This allows ships to come and go and keeps the wildlife safe. During storms, the gates can be closed to prevent flooding. The North Sea Protection Works gave the Dutch over 1 .5 million acres of land for farming, livestock, and homes. The people also gained protection from floods.

不过还有一些区域没法建水坝。 修建更多水坝会损害荷兰的航运业，还会破坏野生动物栖息地。 于是他们建造了一座独一无二的防洪堤。 这座防洪堤装有巨型闸门，海面平静时闸门保持打开。 这样既能让船只正常通行，也能保护野生动物的安全。 风暴来临时，闸门可以关闭，防止洪水泛滥。 北海防护工程为荷兰人开拓了超过150万英亩的土地，用来耕种、放牧和建造家园。 荷兰人民也从此获得了防洪保护。