Thames Tunnel（在线收听）

　　BBC Learning EnglishLondon LifeThames TunnelAnna: Hello, I'm Anna Jones and this is London Life.
　　Two hundred years ago in 1806 Isambard Kingdom Brunel wasborn. He wasthe son of a French civil engineer – civil engineers plan,design and build roads, bridges and public buildings. AndIsambard Kingdom Brunel was destined to follow the samecareer path as his father and become one of the world’smost famous engineers. During his life Brunel designed andbuilt docks – enclosed areas of water where ships areloaded, unloaded and repaired. He also designed and builtrailways, steamships and much more. With his father, Bruneldesigned and built the historic Thames Tunnel which is nowused by the EastLondon line of the London Underground train system. TheThames Tunnel is35 feet wide and 1,300 feet long, beneath the River Thamesbetween Rotherhithe and Wapping. A BBC reporterrecently met Robert Holse who is the director of the BrunelMuseum in East London. As you listen to Robert, try toanswer this question – why did they need to build thetunnel?
　　ROBERT HOLSE:
　　They needed a way of moving stuff across the river as wellas up and down it. You can’t build a bridge here becauseyou’ve got 3,000 tall-masted ships. The only way to do itis to move stuff under the river but no-one had ever donethat before and we’re standing more or less directly abovethe first tunnel under a river anywhere in the worldAnna: Did you hear why they needed to build the tunnel?
　　Well Robert said that they needed to move stuff -things and people - across the river as up and down oralong the river. It was not possible to build abridge because at that time there were as many as 3,000ships with very tall masts using the river. Robert explainsthat the only solution was to build a tunnel under theriver but no-onehad ever done that before. Here’s Robert again – thistime try to listen out for several prepositions that heuses. I’ll give you the first one – its across – across,but there are four more. Good luck!.
　　ROBERT HOLSE:
　　They needed a way of moving stuff across the river as wellas up and down it. You can’t build a bridge here becauseyou’ve got 3,000 tall- masted ships. The only way to do itis to move stuff under the river but no-one had ever donethat before and we’re standing more or less directly abovethe first tunnel under a river anywhere in the worldAnna: Did you get the four other prepositions? They were:
　　up, down, under and above.
　　Robert goes on to explain how Brunel and his father decidedto go about building the tunnel. What did they decide theyhad to do?
　　ROBERT HOLSEFor the first time anywhere in the world they understoodthe best way to build below the ground is to build abovethe ground and sink it.
　　Anna: Well they decided that the best way to build atunnel was to start building it above the ground and let itsink – allow it to move downwards. Listen out for the twoprepositions that he uses.
　　ROBERT HOLSEFor the first time anywhere in the world they understoodthe best way to build below the ground is to build abovethe ground and sink it.
　　Anna: Well he uses the prepositions below and above.
　　Robert explains how they start to build the tunnel. What isthe first thing they build and why?
　　ROBERT HOLSEThey build here on the river bank a 50-foot tall tower –now that’s taller than any of the buildings here now. Andas the weight of the bricks gets heavier and heavier itsinks under its own weight into the soft earth. And thenthey lower people inside …So the shaft sinks itself under its own weight, the men godown 50foot, when they hit the bottom, they start digging,hacking at the walls and they’re heading northwards acrossto the other side of the river.
　　That’s right.
　　Anna: Robert explains that they build a 50-foot tower –a tall narrow building just over 15 metres high. They buildthe tower in soft earth and it slowly sinks into the softearth under its own weight. They then put people inside theshaft - or underground tower which then sinksabout 50 feet. Once they are at the bottom the men insidethe shaft start to mine – they dig or hack away at thewalls and they start to move northwards – they are headingtowards the north bank of the river and starting to buildthe tunnel. Listen again and try to listen out for theprepositions.
　　ROBERT HOLSEThey build here on the river bank a 50-foot tall tower –now that’s taller than any of the buildings here now. Andas the weight of the bricks gets heavier and heavier itsinks under its own weight into the soft earth. And thenthey lower people inside …So the shaft sinks itself under its own weight, the men godown 50foot, when they hit the bottom, they start digging,hacking at the walls and they’re heading northwards acrossto the other side of the river.
　　That’s right.Anna: That’s all from London Life – join us next time.
  原文地址：http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/ldsh/70177.html