20100712 The Panama Canal Connecting Oceans (1)

The Panama Canal: Connecting Oceans

A short canal saves ships thousands: of miles

European sailors in the 1500s sought a shortcut to the west coasts of the Americas. Back then, this trip required sailing around Cape Horn, which is the southernmost tip of South America. But Spanish explorer Vasco de Balboa's discovery offered hope. When he crossed the Isthmus of Panama in 1513, he discovered how narrow it was. Only 80.5 km of land separated the Atlantic from the Pacific! The Spanish surveyed the area in hopes of building a canal. But the local governor decided it was impossible.

Fast-forward to 1869. Ferdinand de Lesseps had completed the 163-km-long Suez Canal, a waterway linking Europe and Asia. France asked him to repeat his success at Panama. He agreed to try. When digging started in 1881, de Lesseps thought building a canal across Panama would be easy. But he didn't realize that digging in a jungle would be so dangerous. De Lesseps and his team abandoned their project after thousands of workers died from diseases caused by mosquitoes.



seek v. 尋求/追求
seek sought sought
eg: The charity organization is seeking financial support from the government.
=> 這個慈善組織正在尋求政府的財務上的支持。
eg: We sought a solution to the problem but found no answer.
=> 我們很努力想要尋求解決問題的方法，但是還沒有找到答案。

survey n. 調查報告
survey v. 勘查/檢視
eg: Engineers surveyed the surrounding area before building the dam.
=> 工程師在建造水壩之前勘測了附近的區域。
eg: Victor went to his farm to survey the tornado's damage.
=> Victor到農場巡視龍捲風所造成的損失。

abandon v. 放棄/中止
=> leave something alone
eg: We had to abandon the project due to insufficient funds.
=> 因為資金不足我們只好中止這項計劃。
eg: The mountaineers abandoned their attempt to reach the top because of bad weather conditions.
=> 因為天候不佳，這些登山者只好放棄了他們登頂的嘗試。



canal n. 運河
=> a very narrow area of water made by people

explorer n. 探險家/勘探者

Isthmus of Panama 巴拿馬海峽

fast-forward
=> move ahead quickly

waterway n. 水路/航道
=> another word for canal





//== Chat room ==//

the Panama Canal 巴拿馬運河

kennel 狗屋
= doghouse (美國人常用doghouse)

to be in the doghouse 因為做錯事受冷落受懲罰