2. 外语
  3. When the Western European nations rose to power in the 15th and 16th centuries, their aim was to find a trade route to the East.

When the Western European nations rose to power in the 15th and 16th centuries, their aim was to find a trade route to the East.

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问题     When the Western European nations rose to power in the 15th and 16th centuries, their aim was to find a trade route to the East.
    Competition for the priceless Eastern trade was intense, and France, with ports on the Mediterranean, was a special rival of England. During the 17th and 18th centuries she considered the possibility of piercing the Isthmus of Suez for a shortcut waterway to the East. With Napoleon when he occupied Egypt went a noted French engineer, to study the problem.
    But it was not until 1859 that a Frenchman, Ferdinand de Lesseps, who had long been fascinated by the idea of a canal, turned the first spadeful of earth to start the excavations.
    De Lesseps, by virtue of his diplomacy and charm, had found favor with the Egyptian viceroy. Over bitter opposition from the British, who saw communication with their Indian empire threatened, he had won concessions from the Egyptians and Turks, making possible for the work to go forward.
    Although de Lesseps had hoped to have the enterprise financed by all the great western powers, most of the capital was provided by France and Egypt. Finally de Lesseps’ dream was realized, and in the summer of 1869 the waters of the Red Sea and the Mediterranean were united.  
The two major rivals for Eastern trade were______.
选项 A、Spain and Portugal
B、Germany and Italy
C、England and Spain
D、England and France
答案D
解析 根据文章第二段第一句话，对价值无穷的东方贸易的竞争非常激烈，而法国在地中海地区有许多港口，是英国的一个特殊对手。由此可知，本题的正确答案是D“英国和法国是对东方贸易的两个主要竞争对手”。其他选项A、B、C中的几个国家文章中并未提及与它们之间的竞争。
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