The Maginot Line was one of the largest military structures (军事建筑) ever built, second only to the Great Wall of China. It was named after the man, French Minister of War André Maginot, who argued for its construction. André Maginot had fought with the French against the Germans in the First World War. Much of this conflict took place along the Western Front, which was a line of trenches (堑壕) across which the two sides faced one another. Both sides dug in deep and each lost many men over little ground.

Maginot never forgot these bad conditions. Thus he wanted to build a line of defences that would give the French an advantage in a similar conflict. He was concerned that the Germans would attack France again. Germany's population nearly doubled France's. The line of defences that Maginot pictured would allow a smaller French army to hold off a larger German force. In1929, Maginot persuaded the French Parliament to agree with his idea.

Though calling it a line makes it seem thin, the Maginot Line was in fact quite deep. It was fifteen miles wide at some points. There were outposts (前哨) guarded by troops, antitank rails planted in the ground, storage rooms armed with machine guns, and large and small fortresses (碉堡) along the line. Each had halls, lots of supplies, and air conditioning. The Maginot Line would give the French a supreme advantage in the case of a head-on (正面的) attack by the Germans.

Unfortunately for the French, the Germans did not attack head-on. They arranged for a small army in front of the line to attract the French. While the French were waiting, the Germans sent a larger force through Belgium, which is France's northeastern neighbor. The French did have some defences along their border with Belgium, but this part of the Maginot Line had not been strengthened. The Germans quickly attacked these defences. Within five days of their initial attack, they were well into France. Once they were in France, the Germans attempted to capture the main fortresses along the Maginot Line. Soon, Paris was taken and the Maginot Line turned into a failed project.

【小题1】What did André Maginot learn from World War I?

A．The importance of setting up a defense line.

B．The ways of getting France out of conflicts.

C．The secrets of defeating Germany totally.

D．The urgency of strengthening armed forces.

【小题2】What are described in detail in the third paragraph?

A．The French troops.	B．The guns and fortresses.
C．The features of the line.	D．The military supplies.

【小题3】What was the problem with the Maginot Line?

A．It was of poor quality.	B．Part of it looked strange.
C．It was too long.	D．Part of it was weak.

【小题4】How did the Germans break the Maginot Line?

A．They bought off some of the French officers.

B．They attacked the French army from another side.

C．They fought with the French army head-on.

D．They convinced the French army to give up.