【轻松英文阅读】郭亮隧道

 Here is another scenic¹ drive to put on your bucket list. It is known as the Guoliang Tunnel and you can find it in the Taihang Mountains of the Henan Province of China.

 

Usually, tunnels are not very scenic, but the Guoliang Tunnel is an exception². It is carved along the side of a mountain and there are several openings that are like windows in the tunnel wall. From these windows you can see the surrounding mountains and the beautiful valley below. There are 30 windows in total.

 

Since it opened in 1977, it has become an important tourist destination in China and it is now considered one of the most spectacular³ roads in the world. The tunnel is 1.2 kilometers long and on average about five meters tall and four meters wide. In many spots, it is barely⁴ wide enough for two cars to pass. In other sections, there are sudden dips and turns. The drive is not for the fainthearted and it tolerates⁵ no mistakes by the driver.

 

sky ladder

 

The tunnel is without a doubt dangerous, but before its construction getting to the village of Guoliang was even more perilous⁶. The only access to the village was on foot via a narrow set of stair steps cut into the mountainside— a path the locals call the ‘Sky Ladder.’

 

In 1972, the villagers began construction on the tunnel. It took five years to complete and several villagers were killed during its construction.

 

The new route has brought much needed money to the village, but there are many who miss the quiet times before the tunnel.

1 scenic   

adj.自然景色的，景色优美的

参考例句：

• The scenic beauty of the place entranced the visitors.这里的美丽风光把游客们迷住了。
• The scenic spot is on northwestern outskirts of Beijing.这个风景区位于北京的西北远郊。

2 exception   

n.例外,除外

参考例句：

• Everyone should keep discipline and you are no exception. 每个人都应该遵守纪律,你也毫无例外。
• There's an exception to every rule. 每项规则均有例外。

3 spectacular   

adj.引人注目的，出色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• This is a spectacular film.这是一部场面壮观的电影。
• This is the most spectacular financial crash of the decade.这是10年里最引人注目的金融破产事件。

4 barely   

adv.仅仅，几乎没有，几乎不

参考例句：

• The male bird is barely distinguishable from the female.雄鸟和雌鸟几乎无法辨别。
• He took barely enough money to keep the children in bread.他赚很少的钱仅够孩子们勉强糊口。

5 tolerates   

v.容许( tolerate的第三人称单数 )；承认；忍受；容忍（不同意或不喜欢的事物）

参考例句：

• He never tolerates any evildoers and evil deeds. 他对于坏人坏事，从不假借。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The government tolerates smoking but not taking drugs. 该政府允许人们吸烟，但不允许有人吸毒。 来自辞典例句

6 perilous   

adj.危险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。
• We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机，我们如今已安然无恙。