The Atlantic Ocean is one of the oceans that separate the Old World from the New. For centuries it kept the Americans from being discovered by the people of Europe.
It is more than 4,000 miles (6,400 km) wide where Columbus crossed it. Even at its narrowest it is about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) wide. 小题1: .
Two things make the Atlantic Ocean rather unusual. For so large an ocean it has very few islands. 小题2: .
One of the longest mountain ranges of the world rises from the floor of the At
lantic. 小题3: . The tops of a few of the mountains reach up above the sea and make islands. The Azores are the tops of peaks in the mid-Atlantic mountain range.
Ocean currents are sometimes called “rivers in the sea”. One of these “rivers” in the Atlantic is called the Gulf Stream. It is a current（流） of warm water. Another is the Labrador Current --- cold water coming down from the Arctic. 小题4: .
Today the Atlantic is a great highway. It is not, however, always a smooth and safe one. Storms sweep across it and pile up great waves. Icebergs float down from the far north across the paths of ships.
小题5:. Columbus sailed for more than two months to cross it. A fast modern steamship can make the trip in less than four days. Airplanes fly from New York to London in only eight hours and from South America to Africa in four!
A We now have such fast ways of traveling that this big ocean seems to have grown smaller
B This narrowest place is between the bulge（鼓起） of South America and the bulge of Africa
C Also, it is the world’s saltiest ocean
D This big Atlantic Ocean is not easy and sometimes dangerous to cross
E This mountain range runs north and south down the middle of the ocean
F Ocean currents affect the climates of the land near which they flow
G The Atlantic furnishes much food for the people on its shores
