TASK 1:
Question: The diagrams below give information about the Mont-Blanc Road Tunnel and the Seikan Railway Tunnel.
ANSWER:
The diagrams illustrate cross-sections of the Mont-Blanc Road Tunnel between France and Italy and the Seikan Railway Tunnel in Japan, together with information about their construction periods and key dimensions.
Overall, the Seikan Tunnel is significantly longer and deeper than the Mont-Blanc Tunnel and also required a far longer construction period. While the Mont-Blanc Tunnel runs through a mountain to connect two European countries, the Seikan Tunnel passes beneath a strait to link two Japanese islands.
The Mont-Blanc Road Tunnel was built between 1957 and 1965 and extends 11.6 kilometres from the French side to the Italian side of the Alps. The diagram indicates that the mountain above the tunnel reaches a height of approximately 3.5 kilometres at its highest point. The tunnel runs horizontally through the mountain and functions as a road link between the two countries.
By contrast, the Seikan Railway Tunnel in Japan is far larger in scale. Constructed between 1946 and 1988, it measures 53.85 kilometres, making it almost five times longer than the Mont-Blanc Tunnel. It runs beneath the Tsugaru Strait, connecting Hakodate City on Hokkaido Island with Aomori City on the Japanese mainland. At its deepest point, the tunnel lies about 240 metres below sea level.
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