How did the English Channel come into being?

F: Tom, do you know why Britain is separated form the continent?
M: No. But I guess millions of years ago Britain was also a part of the Continent?
F: You are right. Nearly 10,000 years ago, at the end of the Ice Age, a great flood washed over a wide, low plain, and created the English Channel. From then on, the island of Britain was isolated from the rest of Europe.
N: I know there have been many people who have wanted to swim across the Channel, and some of them have succeeded.
F: What’s more, quite a lot of people have thought of building a channel tunnel since the 18th century, but no one thought this dream would come true. Now, however, the channel tunnel, the longest underwater passage on the earth, has been built.
M: When was it built?
F: A British team started to drill southeast from Dover and a French team started to drill northwest from Sangatte in 1987. The two teams met under the channel in December 1990, and they celebrated the completion of the 23-mile shaft.
M: Was it opened to the public immediately?
F: No. The tunnel was opened to the public in 1993 and now it is able to carry up to 30 million passengers a year.
M: How long will it take to cross the Channel on the trains?
F: 26 minutes. In the past, people had to spend hours on the ferry in rough seas. So the tunnel is welcomed most warmly by all those who care for the future of Europe.
M: Yes. I think it serves to strengthen Britain’s links with the continent and especially with France. It will further strengthen the exchange between peoples and thus lead to better understanding.
F: Surely it will.