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--- lesson 10 The loss of the Titanic “ |
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--- Listen to the tape then answer the question below. |
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--- What would have happened if only two of the sixteen water-tight compartments had been flooded? |
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The great ship, Titanic, sailed for New York from Southampton on April 10th, |
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She was carrying 1,316 passengers and a crew of 891 |
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Even by modern standards, the 46,000 ton Titanic was a colossal ship. 。 |
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At that time, however, she was not only the largest ship that had ever been built, |
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but was regarded as unsinkable, for she had sixteen watertight compartments. |
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Even if two of these were flooded, she would still be able to float. |
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The tragic sinking of this great liner will always be remembered, for she went down on her first voyage with heavy loss of life. |
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Four days after setting out, while the Titanic was sailing across the icy waters of the North Atlantic,^“ |
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a huge iceberg was suddenly spotted by a lookout. |
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After the alarm had been given, the great ship turned sharply to avoid a direct collision. |
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The Titanic turned just in time, narrowly missing the immense wall of ice which rose over 100 feet out of the water beside her.^“ |
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Suddenly, there was a slight trembling sound from below, and the captain went down to see what had happened. |
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The noise had been so faint that no one thought that the ship had been damaged. |
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Below, the captain realized to his horror that the Titanic was sinking rapidly, |
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for five of her sixteen watertight compartments had already been flooded!^16 |
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The order to abandon ship was given and hundreds of people plunged into the icy water. |
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As there were not enough lifeboats for everybody, 1,500 lives were lost.^ |
