书城英文图书英国语文(英文原版)(第6册)
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第29章 ROUND THE WORLD(4)

WORDS

accessible, can be approached. achievement, exploit. advantageous, profitable. alternately, by turns.

avalanches, failing masses of snow and ice.

canon (canyon), deep gorge made by a rapid river.

cataract, waterfall. circumstances, surroundings. commercial, trading. contribute, aid.

double, sail round.

dry dock, artificial basin in which ships are repaired.

elevators, buildings for storage of grain.

energetically, actively. enormous, vast. essential, necessary.

financial, relating to money.

glaciers, fields of ice on mountains; ice rivers.

half-breeds, descendants from white fathers and Indian mothers.

husbandman, farmer. imagination, fancy. industry, labour. inestimable, very valuable.

junctions, points where railways meet.

majestic, grand.

obstructed, hindered.

picturesquely, strikingly. precipices, steep declivities. prosecuted, followed. rapidity, swiftness. residences, dwellings. reversed, turned back. substantial, firm; strong. tonnage, capacity. transcontinental, crossing thecontinent. transferred, passed. transformed, changed. turbid, muddy.

vicinity, neighbourhood.

NOTES

① The Canadian Pacific Railway extends from St. John, New Brunswick, to Vancouver City, a distance of 3,387 miles. Its trains run over the Intercolonial Railway from Halifax to St. John, making the route across the continent 3,662 miles.

② The Intercolonial Railway connects Halifax and St. John with Quebec. The road nowextends eastward to Sydney, Cape Breton. It includes 1,100 miles of railway: with the Prince Edward Island road, the total mileage is 1,377. This line now forms part of the great Canadian National Hallway system.

③ The passes through which the Canadian Pacific Railway reaches the Pacific are verymuch lower than those through which any other railway has crossed the mountain barriers. At the same time the scenery is much finer. The Canadian Pacific Railway has no "great American desert" to traverse, as is the case with other transcontinental lines. Instead of sandy wastes there are fertile prairies.

④ The distances "round the world" are as follows:-London to Liverpool 201 miles;Liverpool to Halifax, 2,480; balifax to St. John, 275; St. John to Montreal, 481; Montreal to Winnipeg, 1,424; Winnipeg to Vancouver City, 1,482; Vancouver to Yokohama, 4,283; Yokohama to Hong-Kong, 1,857; Hong-Kong to Colombo, 3,696; Colombo to Port Said, 3,488; Port Said to London, 3,501: in all, 22, 568 miles.

QUESTIONS

How must a voyage round the world be made? How long does it usually occupy? By what route may the journey be made in sixty days of continuous travel? Where does the tourist begin his journey? At what city in Canada does he arrive in winter? What city is first reached by the St. Lawrence route in summer? Arriving at Halifax, what is the next maritimecity reached? How far is Montreal from Halifax? From St. John? What rivers surround Montreal? On what river is the city of Ottawa built? What notable buildings are in Ottawa? What metals are found in large quantity along the railway route from Ottawa to Lake Superior? What towns are built near Thunder Bay? What business gives chief employment to the railway and to steamers at this point? What is the chief city in Manitoba? What rivers unite their waters here? What is the principal industry in the province of Manitoba and in the North-West? Through what mountain range does the railway pass? What famous ca?on does the road traverse? At what city does the tourist take a steamer in order to cross the Pacific? Name the ports the tourist must visit before arriving at London. Give the principal distances.