E - Klasse 7 - Arbeit Nr. 10 - GreenButterSolutions

The Suez Canal Reopened

On June 5th, 1975, the Suez Canal was reopened. An Egyptian warship was the first ship to sail through the canal, after it had been out of use for exactly eight years.

Crowds of people watched from the banks, but this was nothing compared to the first opening in 1896, to which 6,000 foreign guests were invited. Between then and the June 1967 war, the Suez Canal was one of the most important waterways of the world. It made the sailing time between Asia and Europe two weeks shorter.

When the Israelis occupied the canal, Egypt lost more than $500 million a year in tolls, so when the Israelis left the canal in early 1974, the Egyptians began to rebuild it.
But experts are not sure whether it will ever be as important as it was before.
After the canal had been closed, supertankers were built which are too big to pass through the canal, so that most of the oil from the Persian Gulf will continue to be sent around the Cape of Good Hope.

Together with the canal the Israelis gave back land to the Arabs. This was a good sign for Arab-Israeli relations. For the canal area itself, the opening of the waterway has meant that dead towns like Suez are beginning to come to life again.

Some Egyptians have great hopes about the money Egypt will get from the tolls now that the Suez Canal is open again, but others say that they should not expect more than $ 250 million a year. Some military experts say that Russia will profit most by the reopening, as she will be able to send her warships through the canal to the Indian Ocean and so save 6,000 miles.

Others, however, suggest that it would be too great a risk for the Soviet Union to send her ships through the waterway." The Russians know they would be sitting ducks for an air attack", said one American expert.
Although the political and military result is not certain, the reopening of the canal is a step towards peace between Israelis and Arabs.

 

 
Annotations:

to reopen = to open again
to occupy = to take land and keep it
toll = money paid to use a canal
sitting duck = something which is very easy to shoot at because it does not move
air attack = shooting at something from a plane
peace = time when there is no war

 
Questions on the text.

1.1. Why was the Suez Canal important?

 

   
1.2. Why did the Arab-Israeli relations get better?

 

   
1.3. Why will the Soviet Union profit from the reopening?

 

One day, a man (call) on a friend who (to live) in London. As he (walk) up the path,

 

he (notice) that his friend   (to own) a big dog which (to bark) loudly.

 

"My goodness," he said. " (bark - your dog) so loudly? It (to look) at me as if it (think) I   

 

(taste) nice." "Don't worry,"  (to say)  his friend. "Rover  (bark - always). Don't you know

 

the saying 'A dog which (bark) a lot never (bite)'?"

 

"Yes," said the first man, who (watch) Rover very carefully while he (speak). "I (know)

 

the saying, and you (know) it, but are you sure the dog (know) it?"

3.1. If it had started to rain, we (take) our umbrellas.

3.2. I (not - swim) in this dirty river if I were you.

3.3. If he (be) you, he would give up smoking at once.

3.4. If you (leave) now, you'll get there in time.

3.5. Mrs Kelly (explain) it to you if you listen carefully.