#1. Every summer many people, girls and women as well as boys and men, try to swim from England to France or from France to England. The distance at the nearest points is only about twenty miles, but because of the strong currents the distance that must be swum is usually twice as far. The first man to succeed in swimming across the Channel was Captain Webb, an Englishman. This was in August 1875. He landed in France 21 hours 45 minutes after entering the water at Dover. Since then there have been many successful swims and the time has been shortened. One French swimmer crossed in 11 hours and 5 minutes. Swimming the Channel is not as easy as it might seem __________.