a long straight passage dug in the ground and filled with water for boats and ships to travel along; a smaller passage used for carrying water to fields, crops, etc. 运河；灌溉渠 the Panama/Suez Canal 巴拿马／苏伊士运河 an irrigation canal 一条灌溉渠
Culture canalscanalsBritain's canals (= man-made channels of water for boats to travel along) were built in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, at the start of the Industrial Revolution. They provided a cheap and convenient means of transport for heavy goods, especially between the mining and industrial centres of the Midlands and north-west England. Coal, grain, clay and other materials were transported on narrowboats, also called barges, that were pulled along by horses walking along a towpath next to the canal. Many miles of channel had to be dug, with some sections passing through tunnels or over aqueducts (= long, high bridges across valleys). Hundreds of locks were built to enable boats to go up or down a hill. A flight (= series) of 20 or 30 locks was needed on some steep sections.In the US canals were used for a short period to transport goods to areas where there were no large rivers. The most famous, the Erie Canal in New York State, ran from Buffalo on Lake Erie to Albany on the Hudson River and connected New York with Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Mules, not horses, were used to pull the barges. The growth of the railway in the 1840s soon took business away from the canals, but the canal system played an important role in expanding trade and encouraging people to move west.After the railways were built, many canals were filled in. In Britain especially, canals that still exist have become popular with people wanting a quiet country holiday away from traffic. Old narrowboats have been fitted with motors and converted to provide attractive holiday accommodation. Speed is limited on canals so the pace is slow and relaxing. Some locks are operated by lock-keepers, but many are worked (= opened and closed) by people on the boats. Going through a flight of locks is seen as part of the fun. At night, people moor their boats at the side of the canal. Canals are also popular with people fishing and walking on the towpath. Many pubs are built next to canals and attract people enjoying a canal holiday or having a day out.In Britain, some people live in narrowboats and stay most of the time on a particular stretch of canal. These houseboats are often painted in bright colours, with pictures of flowers on the side. On the flat roof there are sometimes traditional pots painted with similar designs.Extra ExamplesTopics Holidaysb2, Transport by waterb2, Geographyb2The barge moved slowly along the canal. 驳船缓缓地沿运河行驶。 In Amsterdam we had a boat ride on the canals. 在阿姆斯特丹，我们在运河上乘船游览。 They lived in a converted warehouse on the canal. 他们住在运河边一个改造过的仓库里。 The Panama Canal was not opened until after the outbreak of war. 巴拿马运河直到战争爆发后才开放。 The canal network put Birmingham at the centre of Britain's transport system in the 1780s. 17世纪80年代，运河网将伯明翰置于英国交通系统的中心。 It is important to keep the irrigation canals clear of vegetation. 保持灌溉渠不被生长的植物堵塞是很重要的。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- drainage
- irrigation
- ship
- …
- build
- construct
- dig
- …
- barge
- boat
- bank
- …
- along a/the canal
- on a/the canal
a tube inside the body through which liquid, food or air can pass 管；导管；食道；气管
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French, alteration of chanel ‘channel’, from Latin canalis ‘pipe, groove, channel’, from canna ‘cane’.