PAGE-54-groundoverthedesolatehills.Winterwascomingonandthehillsthreatenedthesurroundingvillageswithdestruction,forheavyrainwouldnotonlywashawaythesoilbutwouldcauseseriousfloodsaswell.Whenthefirehadatlastbeenputout,theforestauthoritiesorderedseveraltonsofaspecialtypeofgrass-seedwhichwouldgrowquickly.Theseedwassprayedoverthegroundinhugequantitiesbyaeroplanes.Theplaneshadbeenplantingseedfornearlyamonthwhenitbegantorain.Bythen,however,inmanyplacesthegrasshadalreadytakenroot.Inplaceofthegreattreeswhichhadbeengrowingthereforcenturies,patchesofgreenhadbeguntoappearintheblackenedsoil.Lesson63Shewasnotamused她并不觉得好笑GeoffreyHampdenhasalargecircleoffriendsandisverypopularatparties.Everybodyadmireshimforhisfinesenseofhumor--everybody,thatis,excepthissix-year-olddaughter,Jenny.Recently,oneofGeoffrey'sclosestfriendsaskedhimtomakeaspeechataweddingreception.ThisisthesortofthingthatGeoffreyloves.HepreparedthespeechcarefullyandwenttotheweddingwithJenny.Hehadincludedalargenumberoffunnystoriesinthespeechand,ofcourse,itwasagreatsuccess.Assoonashehadfinished,Jennytoldhimshewantedtogohome.Geoffreywasalittledisappointedbythisbuthedidashisdaughterasked.Onthewayhome,heaskedJennyifshehadenjoyedthespeech.Tohissurprise,shesaidshehadn't.Geoffreyaskedherwhythiswassoandshetoldhimthatshedidnotliketoseesomanypeoplelaughingathim!Lesson64TheChannelTunnel海峡隧道Inl858,aFrenchengineer,AimeThomedeGamond,arrivedinEnglandwithaplanforatwenty-onemiletunnelacrosstheEnglishChannel.HesaidthatitwouldbepossibletobuildaplatforminthecentreoftheChannel.Thisplatformwouldserveasaportandarailwaystation.Thetunnelwouldbewell-ventilatediftallchimneyswerebuiltabovesea-level.In1860,abetterplanwasputforwardbyanEnglishman,WilliamLow.Hesuggestedthatadoublerailwaytunnelshouldbebuilt.Thiswouldsolvetheproblemofventilation,forifatrainenteredthistunnel,itwoulddrawinfreshairbehindit.Forty-twoyearslateratunnelwasactuallybegun.If,atthetime,theBritishhadnotfearedinvasion,itwouldhavebeencompleted.Recently,therehasagainbeengreatintere