新概念三Lesson20讲述了勇敢的飞行员Latham和Bleriot尝试穿越英吉利海峡的故事。现在大家想要跨越它不用这么惊险，只要搭乘火车就好啦！不过还是有很多冒险家们试图用各种方式来跨越英吉利海峡，本期小编为大家带来跨越英吉利海峡的5种方法，大家看看是不是够创意够惊险呢？
5 Ways to across English Channel
跨越英吉利海峡的5种方法
The English Channel is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Britain from France. When people attempt new ways of crossing the channel, they do it at the Strait of Dover, which is the narrowest point of the channel at only 34 kilometers between Dover and Calais.
英吉利海峡从属于大西洋，它分隔了英国和法国。由于多佛（英国东南部的港口）和加来（法国城市）之间的多佛海峡长度仅有34千米，所以当人们尝试用新方法跨越英吉利海峡时通常会选择这个最窄点。
The cachet of crossing the channel is way out of proportion to its distance. There is something symbolic about making the trip, particularly if you do it in a new way.
虽然英吉利海峡的跨度不大，可是跨越它的成就感可是大大超过了英吉利海峡的宽度！跨越英吉利海峡是有象征意义的，尤其是用一种很新颖的方式。
1. Balloon 气球法
The first channel crossing by air was in the 18th century. French balloonist Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American doctor John Jeffries took off from Dover Castle in a hydrogen balloon on January 7th, 1785. The two had to pitch almost everything they took overboard in order to stay afloat, but landed unharmed at France about two and a half hours later.
在18世纪就有人第一次通过飞行的方式穿越英吉利海峡了。1785年1月7日，法国气球飞行家Jean-Pierre Blanchard和美国医生John Jeffries从多佛堡乘氢气球出发。在路途中，他们不得不把所有东西都扔出气球外才能维持漂浮状态。不过最终在两个半小时后，他们两个还是毫发无损地到达了法国。
2. Swim 游泳法
The first man to swim the channel was Captain Matthew Webb in 1875. It took 21 hours and 45 minutes. Webb trained for two years and made an unsuccessful attempt a couple of weeks before his historic crossing. He became a celebrity and a professional swimmer afterward. Webb died while attempting to swim the Whirlpool Rapids under Niagara Falls in 1883.
在1875年，诞生了第一个游泳跨越英吉利海峡的男人—Matthew Webb。他花了21个小时45分钟游完了全程。Webb已经为此训练了2年，在他成功的前几个星期，他还有一次不成功的尝试。在这个历史性的跨越后，他成为了一个名人和专业游泳选手。在1883年，当Webb尝试穿越尼亚加拉大瀑布下方的Whirlpool急流时，他不幸身亡了。
The first woman to swim the channel not only broke ground for her sex, but beat the time of the five men who preceded her by at least two hours! American swimmer Gertrude Ederle had already won a gold medal and two bronze medals at the 1924 Olympics.
第一位游过英吉利海峡的女性是美国游泳选手Gertrude Ederle。她的突破并不仅体现在性别上，更厉害的是：她的用时比在她之前游泳跨越海峡的5位男性至少快了2个小时！在跨越海峡之前，她已经在1924年的奥运会上获得了两块铜牌和一块金牌。
3. Pedal 踏板法
The first human-powered flight across the channel occurred in 1979 when the Gossamer Albatross piloted by cyclist Bryan Allen flew over the channel in 2 hours and 39 minutes. It was powered by pedals that turned propellers.
在1947年，第一次人力飞行跨越英吉利海峡成功了。自行车选手Bryan Allen驾驶着Gossamer Albatross飞越了海峡，用时2小时39分钟。飞行器由脚踏板来提供螺旋桨的动力。
4. Train 火车法
Since May 6, 1994 it is possible to cross the channel by train. It was on that day the Channel Tunnel officially opened. A Eurostar train left Folkestone carrying Queen Elizabeth II, and another left Coquelles carrying French president Francois Mitterand. In addition to passengers, trains carry trucks and other vehicles underneath the Strait of Dover.
从1994年5月6日起，由于英伦海峡海底隧道的开放，人们就能通过火车穿越英吉利海峡啦。当天欧洲之星列车载着英国伊丽莎白女王离开福克斯顿（英国肯特郡东部港市），而另一辆火车则载着当时的法国总统密特朗从科盖尔（法国）出发。在多弗海峡的海底，除了搭载乘客，列车同样运载火车和其他交通工具。
5. Skydive 跳伞法
In 2003, Australian Felix Baumgartner became the first person to skydive across the channel. He jumped out of a plane over Dover and landed in Cap Blanc-Nez, France 14 minutes later. Baumgartner wore an aerodynamic suit with a 6-foot carbon fin attached to guide his flight.
2003年，澳大利亚人Felix Baumgartner成为了第一个通过跳伞跨越英吉利海峡的人。他在多佛上空从一架飞机上跳出，最后于14分钟后降落在法国的Blanc-Nez海角。Baumgartner穿着一件装了6英尺长（约1.83 米）碳纤维鳍的特制服装，这个空气动力学鳍能够帮助他控制飞行的方向。
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