✶ 鐵達尼號沉沒事故(上) The Sinking of the Titanic

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從歷史上最嚴重的災難之一學到的慘痛教訓

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Tragic lessons learned from one of the history's worst disasters

        Britain’s Titanic is the most famous ship in history. It took 15,000 workers two years to build the ship with the nickname “Ship of Dreams,” as it had many luxuries. This included a swimming pool, library, and even a barber shop. The Titanic was the largest ship ever built at that time, stretching for 269 meters, which is the length of three soccer fields. 

        More than 2,200 people were on board the Titanic for its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York on April 10, 1912. Passengers were divided into three classes. Wealthy, first-class passengers had private rooms at the top of the ship. Second-class passengers stayed in cabins with two or four beds in the middle section. Third-class passengers squeezed into rooms that fitted 10 people on the lower levels. Incredibly, all 700 third-class passengers shared just two bathtubs.

        The builders of the Titanic claimed it was the safest ship ever constructed. They boasted about its unique hull. It had 16 sections, so the ship could keep floating even if water leaked into two or three sections. Some even called it the “Unsinkable Ship.” Unfortunately, the Titanic could not live up to this name.

 

★     1.     tragic [ ˋtrædʒɪk ] a. 悲劇的；令人悲痛的
Tears filled my eyes when I heard the tragic news.
我聽到這悲慘的消息時不禁紅了眼眶。

★     2.     disaster [ dɪˋzæstɚ ] n. 災難
The natural disaster caused great damage to the country.
這場天災對該國造成極大的損失。

★     3.     luxury [ ˋlʌkʃərɪ ] n. 奢侈品（可數）；奢侈，奢華（不可數）
Jerry can’t afford any luxuries because he has no income.
傑瑞買不起任何奢侈品，因為他沒有收入。

        4.     passenger [ ˋpæsndʒɚ ] n. 乘客
The passengers got nervous when the plane began to shake.
飛機開始搖晃時，旅客變得緊張。

★     5.     squeeze into...　　擠進……
Despite all of my efforts, I still can’t squeeze into those jeans.
儘管我再怎麼努力，還是塞不進那條牛仔褲。

★     6.     construct [ kənˋstrʌkt ] vt. 建造
Constructing a tunnel through the mountains can be a very difficult undertaking.
穿梭群山蓋隧道是項十分艱鉅的任務。
 * undertaking [ :VndK`tekIG ] n. 工作，任務

★     7.     leak [ lik ] vi. 漏水
Water is leaking from the pipe, so we need to call someone to fix it.
水管正在漏水，所以我們必須打電話請人來修理。

        8.     live up to...　　符合∕達到……（期望、標準等）
Most children feel the pressure to live up to the expectations of their parents.
大部分的孩子為達父母期望而備感壓力。

       ►    a barber shop　　男士理髮店
                barber [ ˋbɑrbɚ ] n. 理髮師
        ►    a maiden [ ˋmedn ] voyage　　處女航
        ►    cabin [ ˋkæbɪn ] n. 船艙；機艙；小木屋
        ►    incredibly [ ɪnˋkrɛdəblɪ ] adv. 難以置信地
        ►    hull [ hʌl ] n. 船身，船殼
        ►    unsinkable [ ʌnˋsɪŋkəb! ] a. 不會下沉的

請依文意選出最適當的一個選項

1.     Which of the following is true?

(A)   The Titanic is still a popular option for travel.
(B)   The maiden voyage of the Titanic started from New York.
(C)   Passengers could enjoy a variety of entertainment on the Titanic.
(D)   Third-class passengers had larger rooms than second-class passengers.

2.     Which of the following would you LEAST likely see on the Titanic?

(A)   Eating places.
(B)   A library.
(C)   A barber shop.
(D)   A gas station.

 

答案: 1. C　2. D

　　英國的鐵達尼號是歷史上最著名的船。一萬五千名工人花了兩年建造這艘因擁有很多奢華設備而取得「夢想之船」綽號的船。這艘船包含了一個游泳池、一座圖書館，甚至還有一間理髮廳。鐵達尼號是當時所建造最大的船，全長兩百六十九公尺，相當於三個足球場的長度。

　　1912 年四月十日，有兩千兩百多名乘客登上了鐵達尼號從南安普敦開往紐約的首航。乘客被分為三種階層。富裕的頭等艙乘客在船頂有私人房間。二等艙的乘客住在中間有兩張或四張床的客艙裡。三等艙的乘客則擠進較低樓層、每間可容納十人的小房間裡。令人難以置信的是，三等艙共七百名乘客一起共用的浴缸只有兩個。

　　鐵達尼號的建造者聲稱這是有史以來被打造出最安全的船。他們吹噓它獨特的船體。它有十六個區域，所以即使兩三個區域進水，船也可以保持漂浮。甚至有人稱它為「不沉的船」。不幸的是，鐵達尼號無法符合這稱號的期望。

 

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