-------transatlantic clippers of the last several took .

你的句子貌似漏了什么.have a check and come again.
再问： several 和 took 之间 少打了 centuries
再答： 答案是A -------是简单句。不是强调句，也不是什么从句。
1 take time to do sth --------花时间做某事
2 approximately == about ------大约
3 make the crossing to -----跨越大西洋到- - -
4 句子翻译 ：在前几百年，欧洲的商船要花上大约六个星期的时间才能到达北美洲。