When one of the poorest countries in the Americas and a little-known Chinese businessman said they planned to undertake one of the biggest engineering projects in history, few people took them seriously.

A year and a half after the $50 billion project to build a canal across Nicaragua was launched by President Daniel Ortega, a former Marxist guerrilla, the doubts have only grown.

Work officially began this week. At events marking the start of what is meant to be a five- year job, "This is a project by the young, for the young," said Ortega Murillo at the ceremony. "That's why Nicaraguan youth today welcome Wang Jing, to fill him with the strength and the vitality to continue making progress towards the success of this great project."

Supporters point to Monday's start as evidence that the plan is on schedule. At 172 miles (278 km), the waterway is over three times the length of the 100-year-old Panama Canal. "This project,  3      includes the construction of an airport, two ports, highways and the Grand Canal, will benefit Nicaraguans on a scale that we can't even calculate right now," "If the Chinese government is behind this project, it has to be responsible for everything," said an official from Taiwan's embassy in Nicaragua, speaking on condition of anonymity. 

China's involvement would be a direct challenge to the United States, which controlled the Panama Canal until 1999.

Regardless of whether the canal is built, China's presence in Central America looks likely to be strengthened." The aim is the canal," said Cruz, the ex-ambassador. "But even if they only build a Caribbean port, this country will have achieved something it hasn't managed in 500 years."

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1. You can fill the blanks with the word_______. （词义猜测）

A    that

B    what

C    which

D    where